Monthly Archive for October, 2008Page 2 of 3

Follow along with Millennials Changing America!

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 21, 2008
in issues
. 0 Comments

Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.

The tour is underway, and you can follow along!

Millennials Changing America is a research tour that seeks to paint a portrait of millennial activism as it exists today by traveling throughout the United States talking with millennials of all backgrounds, ideals, upbringing, and political persuasions.

Check it out!

What is a ‘Millennial Activist’

Here’s how Alex Steed, the Millennial behind this project, describes it:

To put it simply, a millennial activist is someone who is:

a) an activist

b) a member of the millennial generation (Generation Y; those born between 1980 and 1992), defined by their digital connectivity

and thus:

c) integrates computer savvy into their service, civic participation, and activism.

Or in the words of someone who has been focusing on this topic for longer than I have, social entrepreneur and writer Allison Fine, “Young people, ages 15-29, who practice a nascent model of civic participation that combines immersion in social causes, idealism, digital fluency.”

A great example of a Millennial Activist is Alex Steed, who is developing and carrying out the MCA tour.  A freelance journalist and activist, he has worked with The Point, Change.org and even NetSquared.  Learn more about Alex here.

How to follow the MCA tour

Throughout October, November and December, Alex will be traveling around the country posting audio, video, observations of, and interviews with millennial activists.

With the content collected and created along the way, Millennials Changing America aims to:

  • Inspire young, budding global citizens with the stories, techniques, and testimonials of millennial activists far and wide.
  • Share with as large an audience as possible the empowering potential of interactive communication technologies.
  • Highlight new and existing ways that young people are using the Internet to come together both on and offline.
  • Shift reportage of activity within the millennial realm away from non-millennials.
  • Observe what Internet activism and civic participation looks like beyond the well-covered campaigns of Rep. Ron Paul and Sen. Barack Obama.
  • Pump some constructive and positive stories into the info-sphere.
  • Dispel disproportionately reported stories about the dangers of Internet usage (without undermining efforts to ensure intelligent and cautionary usage).

Because the goal of the MCA tour is to ignite conversation and open dialogue, all of the media produced throughout the tour is posted and distributed in many different locations.  You can check out the MCA website and see an archive of all information, videos, and updates here.

Are you or do you know changemakers of the Millennial generation?  Let Alex know!

Net2ThinkTank: Key Questions about Social Media Training

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 21, 2008
in roundup
. 0 Comments

Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.

This month’s Net2ThinkTank Question was: What are the key questions nonprofit organizations should ask to help them determine how to prioritize social media training and experimentation as they do their technology and organization-strengthening planning?

Below is a roundup of your answers!

Beth Kanter reminds us to choose a social media strategy before selecting or committing to specific training. She also explains

If your technology plan will have long-term sustainability, you must include many strategies for technology professional development.

  • What is the best way to deliver this social media training so that we build our organizational capacity?
  • Does the delivery match our organization’s culture for learning?
  • Who will be hands-on?  Who needs the overview?
  • How will you take into account different learning styles for individuals and generational differences?
  • How will staff make the time to put what they’ve learned into practice?  Time to experiment?

Beth also includes some tips for social media training.  Read more…

Britt Bravo provides 9 great questions nonprofits can ask to help identify organizational goals, internal resources, level of interest, and measurement mechanisms.  Read more…

d1st4nc3 posted four key questions for nonprofits, including “What are the key factors that determine whether someone will become involved in our cause?  Do they vary according to the social networking site/group page/amount of advertising and promotion/etc.”  Read more…

Emily’s World provide three areas of questions: those nonprofits should ask before adopting social media tools, when putting social media into action, and when evaluating social media usage.  Read more…

Gregory Heller of the CivicActions blog focuses on the main questions nonprofits can ask to identify if social media tools are a good fit.  He reminds us: “It is important to remember that the social media landscape is continually evolving. When developing a social media strategy or deciding whether to train staff on the use of social media remember that the tools are different than the techniques.  Training should focus far more on the techniques of using social media, not the specific tools (websites and services) because they will always be changing.”  Read more…

lnorvig lays out a couple questions for nonprofits, the first of which asks to identify staff already using social media tools.  “Getting involved in social media as an organization should not feel like a chore. Let staff who already have a passion for this take the leadership in ways that work for them.”  Read more…

JYStewart emphasizes the importance of identifying staff members already using social media tools, as well as the inherent opportunity with social media to let your staff ‘play’ and engage in the game of it all.  Read more…

Nancy White brings up a great point to consider:

Why are you doing social media training? I rarely recommend that organizations do pure social media training, but instead weave it into preparation and execution of real work. If you are planning a social action, ask how social media can contribute and build the training into the campaign training. In isolation, this stuff takes up time and attention without the crucial element of context and purpose.

As to experimentation, this is a very different and important activity. Again, it can be woven into existing activities (15 minutes play with Twitter at a staff meeting) and/or it can be something a smaller group takes on. This “scanning the social media” landscape can be informal — the key is the communication of what is learned back to the other members of the team and the organization.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Net2ThinkTank! If you want to participate in the next round, stayed tuned to the Net2 blog for the next Net2ThinkTank question, or join the Facebook group.

What do you think?  Has your organization included social media in technology training?  What worked best?

Flickr photo: Siebuhr

Bookmarks for October 20th from 10:50 to 10:58

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 20, 2008
in roundup
. 0 Comments

These are my links for October 20th from 10:50 to 10:58:

Net2 & USAID: Development 2.0

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 16, 2008
in challenge and socialmedia
. 0 Comments

NetSquared is proud to announce the launch of the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge. Brought to you by the Global Development Commons.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Government agency that delivers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide on behalf of the American people, is sponsoring a challenge to find the best in mobile innovations for good.

The first place winner will receive a grant of $10,000, the two runner-ups will receive grants of $5,000 each. All three winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas to senior USAID officials, experts, and the public in Washington D.C.

Interested in finding out more?  View complete Challenge details at 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge.  Be sure to read the Rules and Guidelines.

Easy Steps to Participate:

  1. Register and/or Login
  2. Click on Username
  3. Click on “Submit a Project to the Project Gallery” under My Project Idea
  4. Select “USAID” from the Prize Tag menu located below Additional Cause Area Tags on the Submission Form

If you have questions, we are here for you!  Please contact us at usaidchallenge@techsoup.org.

Net Tuesdays arrive in London!

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 16, 2008
in events
. 0 Comments

I’m thrilled to announce that the London Net Tuesday is officially here! The community in London and around the UK is ready for a solid, monthly event that brings together social changemakers (whether a nonprofit organization in the traditional sense, a group of interested citizens, social venture capitalists or an individual with an idea) and technological forerunners together to mix, swap stories and ideas, build new relationships, and collaborate on new projects.

Join the fun!

Details for the first event:

  • Date: 4 November, 2008
  • Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
  • Topic: Head-to-head Blogging (see below)
  • Location: CTT, 1 London Bridge
  • Provided: Snacks and coffee/tea
  • Bring: Your brain, your energy, your business cards
  • RSVP: London NetSquared Group

The 4 Nov. event topic is blogging. But not just some folks talking about blogging who already use it, or only want to talk about their own blog. This is going to be a bit more fun: we will have a select group ‘representing’ their preferred blogging platform go head-to-head over the capabilities, functionality, and general goodness of their chosen platform. This way we can hear the ins and outs of platforms in a way we may not usually experience. This discussion will be followed by a conversation with questions and answers about the various ways nonprofit organizations can introduce and utilize blogs to connect with communities.

We hope to kick these monthly events off right with a great group of people, some lively presentations/conversation, and lots of networking - come join us on the 4th!

What is Net Tuesday?

Every month, social changemakers and Web innovators come together at Net Tuesday events to mix, swap stories and ideas, build new relationships, and reinforce the online NetSquared community. Net Tuesdays take place in 22 cities around the world with more cities joining in every month. Find out more and check out other Net Tuesdays here.

Join in!

Here are some simple steps to participating in London Net Tuesday:

  1. Join the Meetup.com group for free, to stay up to date, network with other participants, and more!
  2. Mark 4 Nov on your calendar for our first event!
  3. Spread the word and invite your friends and colleagues along!

I’m so excited to be part of the London Net Tuesday and think it is really going to be something special. Nonprofits and social changemakers, see you on the 4th!

Blog Action Day: Global Poverty

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 15, 2008
in community, events and socialchange
. 9 Comments

Blog Action Day logoIt’s Blog Action Day 2008! This year, the focus of thousands of bloggers from around the world is on poverty.

What’s the point of bloggers (over 11,000 at the time of this posting!) all talking about poverty today?  The more people talking about poverty and its related issues, the larger and larger the conversation.  When lots of people start talking about something, they naturally get excited and start sharing ideas and making plans and then start taking action to make change!

So really, Blog Action Day = Action Day!

There are so many bloggers in the discussion today, and many great ideas, organizations and projects highlighted, and so much more - I really encourage you to check out the rolling list of participating blogs to read more and jump into the conversation!

Here’s what I’m thinking…

The social web is really about aggregation and redistribution. So, we should be pulling together opportunities for people to do something about poverty, both locally and on a global scale.  Many groups, individuals and even platforms are working on doing this already, at least for social change in general, including poverty-related actions.  Tools like SocialActions aggregate the social web of social actions for you, and then let you repurpose the results the way you want - like in a widget on your blog, on an automatic footer, etc.  SocialActions still has a long way to go with how much functionality and opportunity it hopes to provide users, so check it out and see how you can participate!

We should also be pulling together and pushing out resources and information about services for people in poverty looking for help.  I’ve seen this take shape in various forms, including One Economy’s Beehive websites that provide localized information and connections to services.  But, I still think there is a lot more to be done that doesn’t require too much ‘new’ work, just new combinations.

What if…

What if there was a way that someone looking for a social service could use a touch screen monitor in a grocery store to locate the physical building where they could get help? Grocery stores are much more abundant and easily accessed than pretty much anything else in most cities, and using the touch screen monitor means you have much less technological experience required to use the tool.  Finding the address, the specific services available, hours of operation, etc. in an easy-to-access way means that person could then get on the bus, taxi, or walk to the location without having to find one social service facility just to start the process.  I love maps though, so we should add in some mapping to the process :) maybe a map can show all of the locations providing the service needed and the user can pick and choose if they want.

What if there was a shared technology van for your city that would travel between homeless shelters, social service centers, and adult education facilities providing exposure and on-the-spot training to individuals on using a computer, a digital camera, navigating the web, creating an email account, etc.? This would give people facing an uphill battle to find a job and improve their financial/economic situation some basic tools to be on their way to working in an office or even just participating in the technology-heavy demands of the 21st century.  One van wouldn’t need to cost that much, especially if a national organization was behind it and regulating it.  I’m sure that software and hardware developers (whether it is laptops, cameras, video cameras, phones, or computer applications, etc.) out there would gladly donate machines or discount them (just think of how many people they are helping to become customers!); the vehicles could be donated or discounted or come from vehicle donation services; staffing of the vehicle could be a full-time standard hour job paid for by a grant or membership fees that are very small contributed/combined from all of the facilities who have a share of the exposure.

What do you guys think of either of those ideas?  Are they doable?  Do you have better ideas?  I’d LOVE to hear them!

NetSquared welcomed in the UK!

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 15, 2008
in community
. 5 Comments

I have been busy since we moved to London last month, meeting with leaders of the local nonprofit technology community to hear what the biggest obstacles are facing consultants and staff working to help nonprofits adopt strategic technologies, biggest needs are for a group that brings the community together (Net Tuesday London!), and what I can do help.  The conversations have been affirming, enlightening and enthusiastic.  I’m ready to go!

Net Tuesday London is officially in the works!  Put the evening of November 4th on your calendars folks - it should be a wonderful first event bringing together social changemakers of all kinds to discuss social media.  More details will be announced soon.

Two great movers-and-shakers that I’ve had the opportunity to talk with include David Wilcox and Dave Briggs.  David wrote up a fantastic intorduction for me on the SocialReporter blog.  Here’s a bit:

A year ago a group of enthusiasts for web-enabled social innovation and change met in London committed to setting up Netsquared in the UK, loosely based on the Netsquared conference and community started in the US.

It didn’t happen like that, and although the social innovation landscape is now more highly populated, a bit more joining-up would be helpful.

Fortunately Netsquared has come to us, because community builder Amy Sample Ward has moved to London to start up Net Tuesdays like those common in the US and elsewhere. As you’ll see from the video, Amy is already networking furiously, and would like to partner up with others in the field for events and other activities.  Read more…

Dave gave a wonderful shout out as well!

I also got the chance to catch up with Amy Sample Ward, who works with NetSquared helping non-profits get the most out of technology. She’s now based in London and will be doing her best to help UK NFPs catch up.  Read more…

Thanks so much to all the people I’ve talked with so far about supporting the nonprofit technology community here in London and in the UK!  I’m just thrilled to be working with you.

Here’s the interview David recorded with me yesterday:


Amy Sample Ward from David Wilcox on Vimeo.

Obama’s Social Media Campaign

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 14, 2008
in socialmedia
. 0 Comments

Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.

We have seen it and heard about it time and again, but the Obama campaign is capitalizing on social media use and setting some great examples for nonprofits and other social change campaigns looking to try something new.  Without any candidate endorsement, we can look at the success the Obama camp has had and try it out in our own work!

Newest in the playbook: iPhone app

On the official Barak Obama website ,supporters can now download and use the Obama iPhone application.  As the site explains, the features include:

  • Call Friends: A great volunteering tool that lets you make a difference any time you want by talking to people you already know. Your contacts are prioritized by key battleground states, and you can make calls and organize results all in one place.
  • Call Stats: See nationwide Obama ‘08 Call Friends totals and find out how your call totals compare to leading callers.
  • Get Involved: Do more. Find and contact your local Obama for America HQ.
  • Receive Updates: Receive the latest news and announcements via text messages or email.
  • News: Browse complete coverage of national and local campaign news.
  • Local Events: Find local events, share by email and get maps and directions.
  • Media: Browse videos and photos from the campaign
  • Issues: Get clear facts about Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s plan for essential issues facing Americans.

What does this mean?  They are putting all of the campaigning tools in the hands of supporters, and not just giving them the options but putting them right onto the screen where it is one touch away from an action.  Volunteer support has never been easier!

More Social Media Tools

The Obama campaign is taking advantage of  much more than the iPhone.  It is using a wiki to organize volunteers, Twitter to keep followers in the loop play-by-play, Facebook apps to show support, and even a branded social network to connect supporters.  An important part of successful social media use that the campaign is really capitalizing on is meeting your supporters where they already are, where they are already talking about you or making up their minds to support you are not.

In Other Words

There has been a lot of coverage about the Obama campaign’s smart use of social media from all corners of the web.  To read more, check out these links:

Have any of Obama’s social media tactics caught your eye?  Are there any lessons you’ve learned or tricks you plan to try at your organization?

Millennium Development Goals in Action!

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 14, 2008
in socialmedia
. 0 Comments

Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.

WSYA logoThe World Summit Youth Award is a global contest to create inspirational online content promoting the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations to create a humane, just and liveable world.

“The World Summit Youth Award showcases you as young developers and serves as a platform for people from all UN member states to work together on the efforts of reaching the Millennium Development Goals!”

Award Guidelines

The World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) is the global contest for online or mobile initiatives to raise awareness and help resolve the most pressing global issues.

If you rely on the web for creating culture, overcoming gender inequality, lack of education and access to clean water or to address hunger, poverty, disease and environmental degradation, then you should take part!

There are five categories for online content development, including:

  1. Fight Poverty, Hunger and Disease!
  2. Education for All!
  3. Power 2 Women!
  4. Create your Culture!
  5. Go Green!

To be eligible for the contest, platforms/projects must be led by youth under the age of 30, be fully functional, and accessible online.

The reward in the WSYA contest is primarily global recognition through the UN, invitation to the winners event in Mexico, and networking contacts on a worldwide scale. The last WSYA contest was in 2005; you can read about the three winners on the WSYA site.

Award Timeline

Sept. 2008 - WSYA website relaunch, online application form open for submissions at
http://competition.youthaward.org/reg/reg.asp

Dec. 31, 2008 - Deadline for online submissions (midnight, GMT) at http://competition.youthaward.org/reg/reg.asp

Jan. 15, 2009 - First round of judging to select finalists

Feb. 15, 2009 - Second round of judging to select winners

March 1, 2009 - WSYA winners and finalists announced to the public and media

March –June, 2009 - Winners and finalists showcase projects and get honoured at the WSYA Winners Events and Gala

To learn more about the Youth Award, visit http://youthaward.org

A new Change.org

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on October 9, 2008
in networking and socialchange
. 0 Comments

Previously posted on the NetSquared blog.

Change.org has just relaunched its website - an online hub and media network for social issues and collective action.

The new version of the site focuses on the question: what can I do? “If I want to end homelessness, what can I do? If I support gay rights, what can I do?”

The Answer

In Josh Levy’s words (Josh is the new Managing Editor):

To make the answer to this urgent question clearer than ever, we’ve left behind the social networking model of engagement and headed straight for the land of the blogs. Our idea was simple: while the old version of the site was good at helping people connect to each other, it didn’t do enough to help them get meaningfully involved in the issues they cared about. The experience was too fleeting, and too shallow.

How Change Works

There are over a dozen different issue portals ranging from homelessness to genocide to global warming. Each portal has its own issue-focused blog prividing editorial and news content around the issue or issues you care most about. That news is coming from the portal’s dedicated editor who is blogging “throughout the day, reacting to the news, profiling people and organizations, and highlighting concrete actions you can take.”

If you’ve used Change.org in the past, you are probably wondering how things are different and where all the actions have gone. Not to worry! They are all still there, just organized into the portals they relate to. Actions are now connected to the related issue area; you can see all cause areas here.

Nonprofit organizations are still a major part of Change.org, too. Like actions, nonprofits are now affilitated with the cause area that reflects their focus and mission. This will help individuals find nonprofits to support and connect nonprofits to actions and stories in the same cause. You can see all nonprofits here.

And, they’re hiring!

In order to continue expanding the cause portals for the site, Change.org is hiring dedicated editors to manage the issue blog and activity. To learn more about the causes of focus and how to apply, click here.