Tag Archive for 'socialactions'

New Google AdWords-Style Widget Recommends “Related Ways to Take Action”

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on August 20, 2008
in socialchange
. 2 Comments

Note: Social Actions is asking people to Digg this launch announcement.  Please take less than 30 seconds to vote for this article on Digg.

Social Actions is proud to announce the launch of a revolutionary widget that recommends to readers of your blog or website related ways to take action.  The widget automatically identifies the keywords on any page and lists social change campaigns related to the stuff you’re writing about. These campaigns are gathered from social action platforms like Kiva, DonorsChoose, Change.org, GlobalGiving, Care2, Idealist.org, and fourteen others.

Find out what actions would be recommended for your blog or favorite website >>

Because the new widget pulls actions from 20 social action platforms, it can recommend actions based on a wide variety of content.  Whether you’re writing about your local community, pop culture, or green living - you can expect to surprise your readers with related ways to make a difference.

Read the rest of the article and Digg it it here.

Social Actions launches plug-in for bloggers!

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on July 31, 2008
in blogging and socialchange
. 8 Comments

Social Actions helps individuals and organizations use social media to plan, implement, and support peer-to-peer social change campaigns so that grassroots solutions to local and global problems can flourish.  I have blogged about them before (and am involved as a project mentor), most recently here.

Today, Social Actions launched a plug-in for Wordpress bloggers that will place ‘possibly related classroom projects’ from DonorsChoose.org at the bottom of posts, so that readers can find opportunities to take action to help classrooms around the world.  DonorsChoose.org “is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.”

Social Action Labs, Lead Programmer, Eric Cooper, really did a lot to make this happen and deserves lots of props.  So does Joe Solomon and Peter Deitz from Social Actions, as well as the rest of the crew.

If you have Wordpress, why not check it out!  I will be installing it tonight and you can watch the blog here to see it live in action!  I’d love to hear your feedback about the new plug-in and ideas for other ways Social Actions Labs can be working to build actionable content you and your organization can use!  Learn more on the Social Actions website.

Social Actions & Social Actions Labs - Lot’s about to come your way!

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on July 15, 2008
in socialchange and webtools
. 3 Comments

Social Actions “connects individuals with actionable opportunities. By helping people to take action, our work is increasing the scope and impact of the citizen sector,” while the Social Actions Labs builds web applications that draw on the Social Actions API.

Great, but why am I interested?

What Social Actions is really doing is combining the ‘what-you-can-do’ stuff of the social change web into one place that you can search, link to, rely on, and even (with a widget from the Social Actions Labs) integrate into your web site or blog!  How great is that?!

Social Actions helps individuals and organizations use social media to plan, implement, and support peer-to-peer social change campaigns so that grassroots solutions to local and global problems can flourish.

Toward this end, Social Actions:

  • Provides a search engine of peer-to-peer social change campaigns;
  • Aggregates peer-to-peer social change campaigns from 14 unique social action platforms;
  • Publishes materials for individuals on planning and implementing peer-to-peer social change campaigns;
  • Distributes materials for nonprofits and foundations on engaging constituents;
  • Connects technology consultants and thought leaders with nonprofits and foundations;
  • Encourages collaboration among social action platforms.

I may be biased (full disclosure: part of the project mentor group), but think I’m understandably excited.

That IS awesome! What can I do?

Do you want to take action now?

Maybe you want to help identify the 3 -5 initial applications for the Social Actions Labs!

Try out the new (beta) search interface to find social actions you are interested in!

Or, you can sign up to stay abreast of more developments!

Wanna hear more?

Social Actions founder, Peter Deitz, has a great interview with Corey Pudhorodsky on the 501c3Cast from July 14th.  You can listen to it here!  If you don’t already, you should also add Corey’s awesome 501c3Cast podcast to your itunes or RSS library!

If you were able to integrate actions for volunteers, supporters, and interested citizens to take part in, where would you put it? On your organization’s home page, blog, action center page? Would you want it on your personal site or other social networking pages?  What about the social networking spaces for your organization?

The power of peers

Published
by
Amy Sample Ward
on May 1, 2008
in fundraising
. 0 Comments

I wanted to take a quick moment to let all of you know about two great things from my friend Peter Deitz:

1.  Social Actions helps individuals and organizations use social media to plan, implement, and support peer-to-peer social change campaigns and aggregates peer-to-peer social change campaigns from 19 social action platforms.  You should check them out and create an account - this is a wonderful sprouting community for peer-to-peer social change!

2.  Peter has an excellent post that provides and introduction to fundraising with social media.  It covers Causes, Change.org, ChipIn, and Fundraising and you can read it here.

There are so many new ways to connect with others online around common goals, changes, fundraising, and more.  Have you joined a pledge online or started one yourself?  What lessons did you learn that you want to share?