Resource Roundup 12/18

from Google Reader (103): "on Dec 18, 2007 (5 days ago)
Resource Roundup 12/18
from Idealware by laura

A Beginner's Guide To Data Backup (Small Business Computing)
Good overview of some of the options for and varieties of data backup

Blogs in Plain English (Common Craft)
The latest in Common Craft's fun 'Plain English' video series - this one on blogs

One Computer, Multiple Operating Systems (TechSoup)
An introduction to virtualization software, which can allow you to run multiple operating systems on one computer

Is mobile fundraising the next frontier for charities? (MobileActive.org)
Great overview of what mobile advocacy could mean for nonprofits

Feed Your Content to the World (ICT Hub Knowledgebase)
A nice summary of how to syndicate your website content via RSS"

Another great post from Laura at Idealware.

GDrive: Three Ways it Could be a Game Changer

I noticed the announcement from Google too but I was one of those who thought it was old news too, now I'm not so sure.

"Written by Marshall Kirkpatrick / November 27, 2007 /

The Wall St. Journal ran a B1 story this morning about the forthcoming online storage service from Google. Call it GDrive, call it Platypus, call it My Stuff - the vast majority of tech bloggers have called it old news. I disagree. I think there's a lot of potential for Google's online storage to be a game changing product. It appears that the GDrive will sit on your desktop and sync automatically selected files automatically with online storage. Those files will be accessible from the desktop and browser at least as easily as they would be were they on your own hard drive."

Full article >>>

Jayne Blog (Volunteerism, Nonprofit Tech, Civil Society, etc.)

In the latest post of Jayne Blog (Volunteerism, Nonprofit Tech, Civil Society, etc.) Dec. 3, 2007 - Jayne Cravens makes some very important points about Technology and Volunteerism, or at least the managing of volunteers. The points she makes were true 10 years ago and unfortunately remain true today.

"Getting volunteer managers to use tech Despite the best efforts of many different people and organizations over the last 11 years, many volunteer managers -- maybe most -- have NOT embraced online technology to support their volunteers nor to grow professionally, and the few online discussions regarding volunteerism are remaining terribly basic:"

full article >>

Back again

By the way hello, I've been busy with a bunch of different things and just dropped away from posting. I will be trying to get here on a more regular basis.

3 Time-Saving Ways to Deal with Computer Errors

Now here is a useful little post that could save us all some time and effort (or at least let my clients save information on the problems that they rnn into in the course of a day).

"3 Time-Saving Ways to Deal with Computer Errors error Computer errors are an unfortunate and inescapable part of life. While this article won’t get rid of those errors for you, it will help you get through, and deal with them more efficiently."

from Friedbeef’s Tech

Momentum, by Allison H. Fine

From Nonprofit Online News: Current News: A review by Michael Gilbert

"Momentum, by Allison H. Fine


Just as with my online resources and software reviews, I generally confine myself to reviewing books from my own perspective. But every now and then, I have to take a slightly broader perspective in order to do a book justice. Such is the case with Allison Fine's Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age. This book is meant for a broad audience and toward that end it succeeds admirably.

. . .

The book hits pretty much every important point that needs to be made in order to orient the interested newcomer to the field of activism in the age of networks, including many that are of particular interest to me. Here are my favorites: (1) Networks reward organizational authenticity by enriching conversations and human connection. (2) The idea that there are "too many organizations" is really a reflection of funders' desires for fewer choices; people are not overserviced, they are oversolicited. (3) Organizations lack institutional memory first and foremost because they are terrible listeners. (4) Pushing power to the edges doesn't reduce the power of organizations. (5) Understanding our connections is the first step in any communication technology initiative."

full article >>

Future of Media Video: Google Takes Over the World by 2050

Ran across this in the Read/WriteWeb blog

Written by Richard MacManus / June 14, 2007 / 23 comments

Davide Casaleggio sent a tip to Read/WriteWeb about a video his company produced exploring the future of media. It is a very cool 6-minute video, which takes some educated (and imaginative) guesses at how the Web and media will evolve over the next 40-50 years. In the short movie, Google, Amazon.com and Second Life are the big winners - with Google buying Microsoft, Amazon buying Yahoo, and Second Life becoming the dominant virtual world.

The core future media concept is the Agav - an Agent-Avatar, which "finds information, people, places in the virtual worlds". Here's where it gets interesting. In 2022 Google launches Prometeus, the Agav standard interface, and Amazon creates 'Place' - a company that replicates reality. Then in 2027 Second Life evolves into 'Spirit', where people can become who they want to, via avatars. And then finally, the 'Google overloads' moment - when Prometeus buys Place and Spirit! By 2050 virtual life is the world's biggest market and Google/Prometeus reigns supreme.

Of course it may turn out different, but the video does make you think about where the Web is headed. Check it out...

Source: readwriteweb.com

This reminds me of an earlier video "Epic 2015", that covers similar territory, I commented there that "I came across this a couple of years back and I've
never been able to tell if this is the end of the world or the
beginning, complete fascism or absolute freedom." and I'd have to say feelings have not chnaged.

NowPublic

Tags: %% | Amazon | Google | Media | Microsoft | SPIRIT | takes | Technology | video | Yahoo | become | buys | concept | core | creates | DOMINANT | EDUCATED | evolve | exploring | finds | gets | information | interesting | interface | LAUNCHES | movie | produced | reality | Standard | Virtual | winners | YEARS

Idealware: Resource Roundup 6/6

Idealware: Resource Roundup 6/6: "Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Resource Roundup 6/6

Google and Salesforce Tightly Integrate Adwords Products (TechCrunch)
Google and Salesforce annouce a partnership that will allow nonprofits to track what Google Adword inspired each donor or activists to action.

A beginner's guide to Facebook for non-profits (Wild Apricot Blog)
A nice overview, with screenshots, of how to get started in Facebook

Two of the eight article in Idealware: Resource Roundup 6/6

full article >>

Events from the Nonprofit Online Classifieds

------
EVENTS
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Make your case for support more compelling
http://classifieds.nonprofitnews.org/clickThru/redir/342/15131/rms

Learn more about Telling Your Story Through the Case for Support, offered on-demand by CharityVillage Campus.

All courses are CFRE-credit-eligible, fun, and designed to help you put your new skills to work immediately. But don't just take our word for it. Here's some feedback from one of our happy users:

"I finished the Case for Support course yesterday and proudly printed up my certificate. The content is excellent -- great overall organization, clear writing, good and brief explanations and examples, meaty checklists and resources. The technology is also kind of fun -- enough variety that it's easy to move through. I appreciated understanding the whys and wherefores of case writing -- and truly wish I'd had this perspective years ago." -- Kelly Talayco, BC Children's Hospital Foundation, Vancouver, BC

Try a free demo of any CharityVillage Campus course today!

This Events Ad was posted: 5/14/07



CharityVillage Campus: Practical training at your pace
http://classifieds.nonprofitnews.org/clickThru/redir/344/15131/rms

If you're looking for solid, practical, high-quality training in the fundamentals, without spending major dollars on course fees and travel, e-learning at CharityVillage Campus is for you and your team.

CharityVillage Campus is a series of self-paced, web-based courses developed by senior nonprofit practitioners. They help build essential skills and knowledge that you can start using immediately.

Worried that short courses won't pack in real tools that you can use? All courses have been approved for points toward CFRE certification or re-certifcation. Every course contains meaty worksheets, checklists, and resources that you can reference today and save for future use.

Current fundraising courses include: How Fundraising Works, Proposal Writing, Grantseeking, Telling Your Story Through the Case for Support, and Getting Started in Planned Giving.

Current management and leadership topics include: Writing Effective Policies and Procedures, Event Planning, Volunteer Management, How Boards Work, and Strategic Planning.

Try a free demo of any course today!

This Events Ad was posted: 5/21/07



CharityVillage Campus: Freshen up your special events
http://classifieds.nonprofitnews.org/clickThru/redir/347/15131/rms

Drive more support to your organization during your next fun run, gala dinner, golf tournament, or community outreach event. The CharityVillage Campus Special Events course guides you through all of the steps in planning a successful special event.

"As someone who has planned special events for many years as part of my job, the CharityVillage Special Events online Campus Course gave me the opportunity to review how I plan events and the tools I use to organize events. The course provided many tools that I can use in event planning such as worst case and best case sample budgets, tracking sheets, timelines and production schedules. I would recommend this course for anyone just starting out in event planning or the seasoned planner who wants a good review." -- Sharon Doherty, Manager, Recreation Development, Town of Caledon, ON

CharityVillage Campus is a series of self-paced, web-based courses developed by senior nonprofit practitioners. They help build essential skills and knowledge that you can start using immediately. All Campus courses have been approved for points toward CFRE certification or re-certification. Best of all, Campus courses are fully guaranteed. If you aren't completely satisfied with the course, just let us know and we'll provide a full refund, no questions asked.

Learn more about Event Planning or any of our 10 custom courses today!

This Events Ad was posted: 5/29/07



CharityVillage Campus: get your slice of the planned giving pie
http://classifieds.nonprofitnews.org/clickThru/redir/349/15131/rms

Over the next 20 years, it's expected that one trillion (yes, trillion!) dollars will pass from one generation to the next in Canada. With recent changes to the tax system, there's more incentive than ever for people to pass some of that money along to charities. Is your organization poised to take advantage of this opportunity? Take the mystery out of planned giving today with the CharityVillage Campus course Getting Started in Planned Giving (Canadian Edition).

CharityVillage Campus is a series of self-paced, web-based courses developed by senior nonprofit practitioners. They help build essential skills and knowledge that you can start using immediately. All Campus courses have been approved for points toward CFRE certification or re-certification. Best of all, Campus courses are fully guaranteed. If you aren't completely satisfied with the course, just let us know and we'll provide a full refund, no questions asked.

Learn more about Getting Started in Planned Giving (Canadian Edition), or any of our 10 custom courses today.

This Events Ad was posted: 6/4/07



Online Seminar: Frictionless Fundraising
http://classifieds.nonprofitnews.org/clickThru/redir/350/15131/rms

An Online Seminar on the Essentials of Internet Fundraising

Announcing our next online seminar:

June 15th, 2007; 8:30 am - 2:30 pm (PDT)

The Internet has the potential to bring the art and science of fundraising back into balance, restore the confidence and trust of donors, and deeply enhance the relationships our organizations have with our stakeholders. Or it can be yet another way to alienate our supporters and disempower our fundraising professionals. The Frictionless Fundraising workshop will help you avoid the easy pitfalls and set you on a path of success.

The three section topics are:

1. Save Money and Make Money by Converting your Donors to Email
2. Ten Ways to Improve Cultivation and Stewardship of Donors
3. Effective Email Newsletters

Our online seminars are intended for the professional staff of nonprofit organizations, specifically those working in communication, fundraising, or technology. Our packages tend to be tightly focused on a particular professional field and our workshops deliver lessons that can be immediately applied within a particular professional's field of authority.

This Events Ad was posted: 6/4/07

Idealware: Resource Roundup 5/11

from Idealware: Resource Roundup 5/11:

A couple of interesting resources:

"10 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Blogs and Bloggers to Support Their Cause (Rory Gale Diary)
Useful advice on how to work the blogosphere for PR purposes"

"Online PDF Conversion Tools: A Mini-Guide (Kollabora)
A roundup of tools that allow you to convert any document into a PDF file"

full article >>

Bridging the Innovation Divide: An Agenda for Disseminating Technology Innovations within the Nonprofit Sector

via Idealware by laura

from PolicyLink a national research and action institute that works collaboratively to develop and implement local, state, and federal policies to achieve economic and social equity.

Overview

Nonprofit organizations form the backbone of civil society and are at the forefront of efforts to build healthier, more vibrant, and more inclusive communities. They are being called upon to take on expanded roles and responsibilities in service delivery and community revitalization in a time of increasing social inequality. In response, they have become major innovators, continually creating new programs and policies that grow the social, economic, physical, and civic infrastructure of disinvested neighborhoods.

Technology plays an important role in enabling nonprofits to respond to social needs at this critical moment. The rise of information and communications technologies (ICTs) has created unprecedented opportunities for nonprofits. Computers and the Internet allow nonprofit organizations to perform fundamental functions—research, communications, public education, advocacy, fundraising, and program development, and service delivery—with ever-greater speed and efficiency.

The“early adopters” of emerging technologies offer compelling evidence that ICT innovations can strengthen the nonprofit sector. Unfortunately, such success stories are too few and far between. While many nonprofits have entered the 21st century with access to computers and some form of Internet access, many ICT innovations remain concentrated among a handful of organizations with high technology capacity.

Bridging the Innovation Divide: An Agenda for Disseminating Technology Innovations within the Nonprofit Sector (download pdf) examines this divide, presents findings from the field, and pushes forth a targeted, strategic, and creative agenda for closing it.

This looks to be a very useful template for thinking about developing more effective use of ICT in non-profits. The report attempts to answer three questions:

(1) What are the causes of the innovation divide?
(2) How and why do nonprofit organizations adopt
new technology innovations and assimilate them
into their work?
(3) What can be done to speed up the diffusion of
innovations within the nonprofit sector?

Worth a look to see how they do and how we might apply their answers to our experience. I'd be interested to see what readers think about this article.

Google Reader (100+)

Google Reader (100+): "Apr 6, 2007 (16 hours ago)
Google Launches Free 411 Service
from TechCrunch by Michael Arrington

Google threw a new product called Goog-411 into Google Labs today - a free telephone based information service that could replace toll 411 calls. About 2.6 billion 411 calls are made in the U.S. each year, and it is a $7 billion/year market.

Goog-411 can be accessed by dialing 1-800-GOOG-411."

read the full article

This looks like a great service but for the US numbers only.

Buried in the text is a link to the Google local business search service "Businesses that want to add or correct data can do so here." which allows organizations to create detailed information about their services for users who find them through Google.

Nonprofit Online News: Current News

Nonprofit Online News: Current News:

"Long Hours, Low Pay Turn Off Young Nonprofit Workers, Study Finds


Caroline Preston covers the recent Young Nonprofit Professionals Conference and reports on the groups recent study, which finds that Long Hours, Low Pay Turn Off Young Nonprofit Workers. More than 70 of young professionals surveyed say they never expect to serve as an executive director and more than half don't think their next job will be in the nonprofit sector. The most painful quote from the conference: 'All I do is fund raise.'

Posted: 4/2/07; 12:32:59 PM #"

Reading the full article fills me with worry about where the non-profit sector will end up.

Resource Roundup 3/22

via Google Reader (100+):

Laura from Idealware gives us another great list of resources for non-profits. I'm only going to post 3 of them here follow the link for the whole article.

Resource Roundup 3/22

from Idealware by laura

It's been a good week for great software resources!

ICT tools to support collaborative working (ICT Hub)
A fabulous guide to different software tools for collaboration and their pros and cons in various environments.

A great guide for new users of collaborative software tools.

Why We Chose Our Blogging Tools (World Grows Wide)
A very detailed and useful look as to why one organization chose to setup a blogging system, what software they chose and why, and how they're using it

This is useful for those unfamiliar with blogging and how it might fit with their work.


A First-Time CRM Buyer's Guide (DemocracyInAction)
A useful overview of what to consider when looking for a constituent relationship management tool, though it's strongly weighed towards tracking online rather than offline interactions. This isn't shocking, as it was written by DemocracyInAction, an organization that sells an online CRM tool

Not a bad overview of a very confusing issue.

Jayne Cravens on Keeping Things Simple

Jayne Craven reminds us on how important it is that we embrace clean and simple presentation to ensure that our content is available to the widest possible audience.


<> Keeping the Door Wide Open

As many of you know, I'm in Kabul, Afghanistan through
August, on an assignment with the United Nations. I've
posted more about this assignment on my web site.

This experience in a developing country regarding the
Internet has lead me to believe, more firmly than ever,
in the importance of NOT overloading a web site with
graphics and photos and java script and flash and
whatever, preventing millions of users from really being
able to use a site. To sit here with a relatively new
computer, with supposedly the latest versions of browsers,
and broadband (when it's working), and to still not be able
to access certain extremely high end sites, in order to
find the vital information I need to do my job, is beyond
frustrating.

full article>>

VERSION: March 2007

TECH4IMPACT
a monthly email update to help nonprofit organizations /
civil society/ nongovernmental organizations(NGOs) /
government initiatives/ grass roots initiatives
(mission-based organizations) use computer /
Internet / networking technologies to benefit
people, communities and the environment.

produced by
Jayne Cravens
www.coyotecommunications.com

Moving to Blogger

I've been having problems with VCN bcyk-tech.net server and I think that the Non-Profit Technical Information List will be more easily managed over here at Blogger.