SOONER STATE ABATE SENTINEL Sooner State Abate Vol 5 Issue 1 | Page 3

Sooner State ABATE Sentinel - Volume 5 Issue 1
Managing Your MRO or COC Effectively
Through Communications and Social Media
Background: 1970s-1990s: Communication on Motorcyclist
Rights Issues was primarily the job of local Motorcyclist
Rights Organizational Chapters or Districts in response to
Governmental restrictions (i.e. Mandatory Universal Helmet
laws). The first ABATE (A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian
Enactments) was formed in 1971, pioneered by Lou Kimsey,
founder of Easyriders Magazine. ABATEs were designed to
be established on the local or State Level (No National ABATE
existed) because State Legislative processes were (and are)
so different and widely-varied. Locally-oriented MRO Groups
were formed (i.e. Central Oklahoma ABATE or ABATE of
Tulsa), which eventually consolidated into State MROs. Still,
in many SMROs, the Membership make their opinions known
through the Chapters, which are represented on the State
Level. So, effective communication is critical in both directions
for MRO viability.
Communication Options: American Citizens are well-expe-
rienced in information-sharing in response to challenges to
our Liberty. From the pre-Revolutionary War Committees of
Correspondence organizing to notify the populace of critical
issues to publishing newsprint broadsides and political pam-
phlets (i.e. Benjamin Franklin and Tom Paine) to the present
day, getting notification to where it’s needed in a timely and
accurate manner has been critical. From the first years of the
Motorcycling Rights Movement, informing riders on issues
directly affecting their Freedom has been challenging. Lou
Kimsey was involved in promoting Motorcycling Freedom
from the first days of issuing his magazine and advocating
the organization of ABATE. In response to threats against
Motorcycling Freedom, MROs organized “Calls to Action”,
where Organizational Members were informed on what the
threat was, what the consequences could be, who to contact
regarding the issue, and what to discuss and how to discuss
it. Usually, these were executed by word-of-mouth at Orga-
nizational Meetings, or the information was spread to mem-
bers by mail. These Calls to Action would be augmented by
Letter-Writing Campaigns (i.e. MMA-CA), where informational
hand-signed letters would be sent to legislators from their
constituents. This underscored the importance of Riders being
registered to vote, since that would enhance the credibility
of what elected officials received, as mailings were checked
against their constituent rosters.
The Electronic Age: MRO officers eventually determined
that more headway could be made quickly through informing
the membership by telephone on critical issues. “Telephone
Trees” were developed through organizing Membership
Rosters where several MRO Contacts could get in touch
with membership quickly and ensure rapid response. This
enabled MROs to quickly contact their legislators as constitu-
ents, or form up for lobbying efforts at the State House. Apart
from occasional Public Service Announcements on Radio or
Television, which were hardly ever encountered, interaction
by telephone was a primary means of riders informing each
other, along with passing along flyers and informational pam-
phlets at Bike Runs/Rallies. The scope expanded greatly as
the AMA got more involved in advocating for Pro-Motorcycling
Issues other than racing and off-road, and the Motorcycle
Rights Foundation (MRF) and National Coalition Of Motorcy-
clists (NCOM) were formed in the 1970s and 80s, to lobby in
defense of Riding Liberty on both the State and National Lev-
el. With the establishment of the Worldwide Confederations
of Clubs in the mid-1980s, the Patch-Holding Motorcycle Club
Community started working closely with NCOM and the MROs
in their States on issues common to and threats facing ALL
Motorcyclists, regardless of background. Many of the commu-
nications vehicles that worked for MROs in the past started
working as effectively for COCs. The importance of effective
communication became even more greatly magnified, and the
evolution of the Internet provided another avenue for reaching
goals. Now, use of e-mails exploded as a principal communi-
cative tool in the digital age.
Challenges of the Digital Universe: When use of Internet Web-
sites was initially advanced among the Riding Community in
the early 1990s, many were resistant, expressing misgivings
that the Federal Government would have a better ability to
invade personal privacy. To a certain extent, those suspicions
were well-founded, and serve as justification for using both
common sense and employing operational security regarding
ANY digital medium. A Social Media Outlet is NOT the place
to air “dirty laundry” or expand upon organizational conflicts!
Any digital posting needs to be considered public-ESPE-
CIALLY on Social Media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
EXPECT that the Government is observing, just as you might
expect Law Enforcement to be present at a Bike Rally! Since
the passage of the USA PATRIOT ACT in 2001 (which is still
VERY much alive), many states have established “Fusion
Centers”, which basically function as informational vacuum
cleaners for State and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to
collect vast amounts of data from organizations that arouse
their interest. Some states such as Texas have established
watchdog committees to prevent abuse, but most states
haven’t. So, just as you wouldn’t post Personal Identifiable
Information on Social Media to prevent identity theft, MROs
and COCs need to be very careful about what is shared in the
Digital Universe. That said, digital vehicles such as Websites,
Facebook Pages or Tweets can be considered force-multi-
pliers when used to spread Calls to Action or information on
threats to Riding Liberty. One can reach literally thousands of
contacts on Social Media compared even to group e-mails.
Our President’s use of Twitter is a perfect example of outreach
effectiveness!
Communications Fundamentals: All effective communication,
regardless of medium, needs to consider both the nature and
effect of the sender, message, receiver, and feedback. Far
from what was expected in the early ‘90s, a sizeable number
of COCs, as well as most MROs, have websites and social
media outlets to be contacted on, and many Motorcyclists
take advantage of them to the extent that they function as
vital source material for Riders to plan their schedules around.
The Justice Waco and All 4 One Facebook pages provide
key updates on what’s been happening after the horrific 2015
shootings in Texas, for example. However, the key to their
effectiveness is both the timeliness and accuracy of the infor-
mation contained, so posting information early and correctly is
critical. Also, providing quick and helpful answers to members’
questions is also vital to effective information sharing. It’s hard
to get your members more actively involved if the event you
want them to attend isn’t publicized, or worse, the support
information is incorrect (like the wrong date, time and place).
On the other side, if their queries are just ignored and not an-
swered, it’ll be a lot harder to motivate members to participate
enthusiastically. Simply put, a time-honored key to effective
communication regardless of medium is to apply the Golden
Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated! No com-
munication is complete without effective feedback. We have a
LOT of brain-power in both MROs and COCs, which has been
instrumental in keeping the majority of our states consistently
improving Motorcycling Quality of Life. Good MRO and COC
communicators are receptive to ideas and suggestions of their
members, which could make the difference between success
and failure in the organization. Remember: every MRO/COC
Member has a Voice: voices are used to communicate, and
they MUST be heard: that’s why they volunteer and work for a
Lifestyle they’re passionate about.
Summary: Our Worldwide Motorcycling Community has, in
our defense of Riding Liberty, come a long way in a relatively
short time, thanks in large part to our being able to communi-
cate more effectively. Effective communication has enabled
us to work together for common goals in an environment of
Unity, Cooperation and Respect. Just as our defense of the
Nation has evolved from communication via word-of-mouth
and messages delivered on horseback to the Internet Age and
accompanying Cyber-Warfare, so also has our Motorcycling
Community evolved. From establishing Telephone Trees and
Mailing Rosters, we’ve become proficient at using e-mails,
websites, and now, social media outlets. The advantages are
significant, but the core values remain the same: keeping the
shared information timely and accurate, and using the medium
most applicable to the message and recipient. Maybe it’s not
so ironic that the most effective means of communicating with
elected officials remains the use of hand-written letters, fol-
lowed by personal phone calls-and use of e-mails and social
media come in last! Still, the availability of websites and social
media outlets, and their ability to function as a force-multiplier
for us to get our message of Motorcycling Freedom out to
thousands underscores the importance of their being con-
sidered as worthwhile communications vehicles. The Digital
Universe is not going away; it’s high time our Riding Commu-
nity exploits it to our advantage!
In Solidarity and With Respect,
Tiger Mike Revere
Liaison, Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs