It has begun! I just kicked off TechSoup’s week-long web event on Web 2.0 for Nonprofits with a question: who’s blogging and how do you know?
Please come hang out in the TechSoup forums with me today to discuss this and other topics…
Category: Tech
community application of technology for public benefit
Feed the world
Anyone who still isn’t using an aggregator should read Lance’s post on Why You Should Be Using RSS Feeds. It’s brief and helpful.
If you’re still not sure how you might use this, have a look at the feeds I read in Bloglines. You might find something useful there.
The new web for old organizations
Next week, TechSoup is hosting a week-long discussion of the Impact of Web 2.0 on Nonprofits. Now, I must admit that the buzz around this “2.0” idea is getting out of hand, and of course the obvious backlash has already started.
For the non-geeks out there, web 2.0 is a shorthand term to explain the new era of more interactive and individualistic things you can do online. Some of the most commonly cited examples are tagging (del.icio.us), social networks (Friendster), collaboration (wikipedia), syndication (bloglines), and that whole blogging thing. These applications aren’t new, but recently they have become much simpler to use, more accessible, and consequently much more widespread.
The reason I think this is important is that the result of applying Web 2.0 to activism is network-centric advocacy – something I get very excited about. Maybe we should also call it Advocacy 2.0…
So please join us at TechSoup next week. I’ll be co-hosting all-day on Monday. Try the veal…
Playing with Ning
So I am now the lucky owner of a developer account at Ning! This is supposedly a platform for creation of all kinds of social networking tools. Sounds interesting but so far all of the sites I’ve seen at ning.com are variations on Hot or Not.
More voices
Currently in the session “Adding more voices to the conversation” at the ConvergeSouth conference.
Our panelists:
- Calvin Williams started Our World Our View for young black voices.
- George Curry is an old-school journalist who just started his own blog.
- Nancy McLaughlin writes the religion blog at the N&R.
- Jennifer Fernandez, writes the education blog at the N&R.
Still think blogs can’t change the world?
Hoder‘s blog has already had a profound impact on Iranian politics and global understanding of middle eastern issues. And now he’s podcasting, too!
“During the last two or three years, Iranian blogging has flourished,” says Hadi Ghaemi, a native Iranian who now works for Human Rights Watch in New York City.
“In fact, blogging has become the main medium for information, new, analysis and exchange of information for Iranians, both inside and outside the country.”
– BBC NEWS | Technology | Persian blogging round the globe
Hoder and many, many other blog luminaries will be at the Converge South conference in Greensboro tomorrow and Saturday. Hope to see you there.
Step right up and come on down
Get yer red, hot (and free) tickets for Converge South, October 7 & 8.
A group of Greensboro volunteers recently announced that Greensboro has organized to host the inaugural year’s edition of ConvergeSouth, the South’s first free conference focused on moving North Carolina toward breakthroughs in creativity and diversity on the Internet. Exploring the digital revolution in publishing and expression, ConvergeSouth focuses on radical digital publishing and entertainment.
I’ll be speaking about OrangePolitics.org at a Friday session, and on Saturday morning I will lead a session on Online advocacy. (And then I will be taking off to attend an old friend’s wedding in Chapel Hill, oops!) Our activism session will go a little something like this:
Free advice
If you know me, you know I love to give people advice. So my recent “curbside consulting” sessions at the fall Healthy Community Institute had me as happy as a pig in… Well you know. 😉
Read on for my advice and reviews of each organization’s web site…
New and improved
Planned Parenthood Federation of America has recently launched SaveROE.com Interactive, and I heartily approve! 😉 It looks like it’s running on a highly customized CivicSpace (or at least Drupal) platform. There are lots more voices including different bloggers, and the ability to comment (if you are registered, of course).
Continue reading “New and improved”
Reach out and touch someone
I’ve finally relented and started using Skype for “Internet telephony” or VoIP. I enjoyed using Gizmo, but no-one else seems to be on that system. Skype has more critical mass, but unfortunately doesn’t support open standards like SIP. Nonprofits should really look into Internet telephone technology, which provides free and cheap phone service around the world, for not much hassle. I know Brian has more to say about this, so please visit him to learn more about VoIP’s potential.
In addition to Skype, I have added yet another protocol to the many ways you can contact me. I now have an official i-name. There is a growing movement of people and organizations concerned with how we control and manage our own identities online. This goes way beyond issues of identity theft, although that’s a part of it. One of the more interesting outgrowths of this that I’ve seen is the Attention Trust, who published this manifesto:
Continue reading “Reach out and touch someone”