Archive for the 'resources' Category

NCVO Ask the Expert: They asked me!

Published in interview and resources. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

I’m looking forward to being a speaker this Tuesday (8 December) at the Seminar: Changing ICT – What does it mean for your organisation? put on by the NCVO.  In preparation for my involvement at the seminar I’m participating in the NCVO’s “Ask the Expert” – an opportunity for NCVO members to pose questions and get answers prior to the main event.  I don’t consider myself to be an expert and don’t necessarily think there could be “experts” in a field that changes every day!  But I do love to share my ideas and experience with others and hope this is an opportunity to start many new conversations both with readers here and participants at the seminar.  Here goes!

Some people are beginning to use twitter for adverts…and doing ‘paid tweets’ Is this going against the whole ethos of SM and especially Twitter, when authenticity is the key?” -Claire

I’ll be posting my slides and speaking notes on Tuesday for my session on the topic of “the future of online revenue generation for charities.”  More to come on this question then!  For more:

“I work in a small organisation and have heard a lot about web 2.0 and social media but have not thought it through in relation to my organisation. What are the key things we should think about if we are going to use social media?” -Jenny

To start with, remember that social media isn’t one of your projects or mission areas.  Social media is a tool for you to use to help you achieve your mission.  Including various social media tools in the way you do your work (whether it’s communications, fundraising, outreach, volunteer recruitment or service delivery) comes from strategically identifying the right tools for the right things.  Key questions to ask include: who is your audience? where are they online already and how do they want to interact with you online (is it in the same spaces or different ones, is it conversations or promotion, etc.)?  One you know who you are interacting with, why you want to interact with them, and why they would want to interact with you, choosing the appropriate platforms or tools to do it is much easier.  For more:

“How do you convince technophobes and people who are resistant (or a bit afraid) of the value of social media tools?” -Ellie

I have looked resistance in the face, many times.  When it happens, I always take a deep breath and remember that the resistance isn’t particular to me or to social media.  The resistance for your organization, staff, leadership or board is probably the same that would come if you presented opportunity for any kind of change.  Change is, far too often, scary.  The best thing to do, then, is to show why it isn’t scary but necessary!  If you’ve set up any social media experiments of your own, either representing yourself or the organization, measure your work and the success to share back (how has using those tools increased volunteers, grown your email list, saved you time on promotion, etc.).  If you don’t have any examples to use of your own, look at what others are doing in social media that are in your same sector, geographic location or interest area and use their examples (many organization are public about the work they do in social media, check their blog and see if they share their own case studies).  For more:

“Can you give an example of how a voluntary organization has used Social media effectively to engage with their supporters to generate income for their campaign/cause?” -Claire

There are many different examples out there, ranging from small organization fundraising locally to organizations leveraging the global community for change.  Twestival and Tweetsgiving are relevant and recent with many different people coming together to make them happen.  The difference with using social media for fundraising is that your organization may not even be involved anymore, the way it was offline.  I could create a fundraising page or campaign for your organization, maybe tie it into my running a marathon or my birthday, and would never need to ask your permission, get your information, or even handle the funds!  Social media enables individuals to become your fundraising department, as well as your communications department, etc.  The best tip I can give in this regard is to make sure you put enough information out that people can support you the way they want (don’t get mad that people have the wrong mission statement about your organization, just send them the correct one and say “thanks!” for supporting us; and make sure your real one is prominent to begin with, like on your profiles in social media platforms and so on).  For more:

—–

    About ‘Ask the Expert’

    “Ask the expert” is a new benefit for NCVO Members. They can ask questions to experts in the voluntary sector and to NCVO advisors.

    About NCVO

    NCVO is a highly effective lobbying organisation and represents the views of its members, and the wider voluntary sector to government, the European Union and other bodies. We are also at the leading edge of research into, and analysis of, the voluntary sector.  We campaign on generic issues affecting the voluntary sector, such as the role of the voluntary organisations in public service delivery and the future of local government. Learn more about the NCVO here.

    Published on December 6, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments

    Messages, Stories, and Conversations: Creating a Strategy for your organization and your supporters

    Published in resources and strategy. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , .

    I have said it many, many times and so have lots of others—you’re probably tired of hearing about how social media is supposed to be “a conversation.”  And that’s okay!  Because it isn’t JUST a conversation!  There’s calls to action, story telling, questions and requests, and much more.  And, more importantly, some of the messages, the stories and the campaigns don’t even come from you!  They come from your supporters. 

    How can you create a strategy for your messages and campaigns in social media that respect this fact?  Here’s how!

    This process is great to do as a team or as an organization.  If you have a room where everyone can sit, and an hour or two to bring everyone together, I really recommend you use this topic as an opportunity to hear what each department identifies and shares when working through the process below as the conversations that come up can be another chance to break down silos inside your organization!

    On a flip chart or whiteboard (or if you are working through this by yourself, just use a piece of paper or a spread sheet on your computer) draw 4 vertical lines, creating 5 columns.  You may want to turn the flip chart sideways or use separate sheets for each column.

    #1: Who are “They”

    This column is for identifying all of your audiences.  Be sure to really consider this as there are probably many different groups, supporters, collaborators, or other audiences that you may not list right away!  It’s a great opportunity to bring different departments together to create a complete view of the organization’s audiences.

    #2: What we Want

    This is where you can list actions, knowledge, messages or anything else you want to give to your audience or have them do.  List these next to each audience group from the first column.  Remember that there could be more than one What we Want item per audience.

    #3: How it Happens

    In column 3, list how you deliver these messages or requests.  Are they online: in email, website, social media platforms (which ones?), etc.  Are they offline: at events, in your office, elsewhere?

    #4: What they Want

    Now it’s time to list what your different audience groups want from you!  Do they want information, support, value or recognition; maybe they want to be included, give feedback, share their stories or campaign on your behalf.  Again, there can be more than one What they Want per audience group.

    #5: How it Happens

    Just like in column 3, this column lists how these requests or exchanges can happen.

    Stand back!

    You’ve just created a map of all your audiences and how you and all of them can be sharing, conversing and campaigning in an aligned way!  The two “How it Happens” columns are great opportunities for evaluating which social media tools you are using for different audiences, something I’ve talked about on this blog before.  You can also easily see which messages and audiences naturally go together and which are separate.  And, if you did it as a team or full organization you can feel like you are all on the same page (or at least closer to it) by working through the process together!

    What do you think?

    How have you mapped your conversations and messages at your organization? Do you have any tips or suggestions you can share?  I’d love to hear how you’ve done it!

    Published on November 24, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 5 Comments

    Social Media Resource Library: Just Launched from Idealware

    Published in resources. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

    We all know that there are hundreds, thousands, even an infinite (at least seemingly) number of social media resources for nonprofits or social impact groups. When you Google search for a tool or a topic, you have so many results you don’t even know where to begin!  Well, that’s certainly part of the information overload and wasted time that other bloggers like myself try to help with – come here and we’ll try to make things easy for you!

    Well, Idealware has just taken it a step further by launching a Social Media Resource Library!

    As they explain:

    As a first step in our year-long social media research initiative, Idealware has compiled a library of nearly 200 – and growing – resources on social media. And, we’ve incorporated an easy-to-use tagging scheme so that you can find the resources most helpful to you.

    The Social Media Resource Library , compiled in Delicious, will help your nonprofit gain valuable insights into how to best use social media for your organization. There are a lot of experts out there (while a majority of the resources tagged are from Beth Kanter and Mashable, there are tagged items from over 50 sources), and we are making it easier for you to find what you are looking for.

    You can start searching the Library or learn how to add more resources by visiting the Idealware site here.

    Go dive in! And be sure to share your ideas about the Library so the Idealware team and the rest of us working to provide resources can be sure there’s everything you need to meet your needs.

    Published on November 4, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 2 Comments

    How To: Create a Listening Dashboard for your Organization

    Published in resources, rss and webtools. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

    This month’s Net2 Think Tank question asks, “How do you stay up-to-date online?”  There are so many blogs, news sources, and conversations happening at the same time, every day, and the chances that you’ll be able to find them all without trying is pretty unlikely.  There are hundreds of millions of blogs according to Technorati, and that’s just blogs! Think of all the places your organization’s name, staff, projects, programs or focus area could come up in the news, in campaigns, or in online conversations.

    To stay on top of it all, I suggest you create a listening dashboard for your organization – and here’s how to do it!

    Getting Started

    To create a listening dashboad, I suggest using Netvibes.  This is a free web-based tool that is totally customizeable and can be used both privately or publicly.To get started, just visit http://netvibes.com and create an account.

    Finding Feeds

    Netvibes will let you track all kinds of things online, all by using RSS feeds or ready-built widgets.  Here are some of the best ways to start listening online:
    Google Alerts
    This free service from Google let’s you identify key words, phrases, or URLs that you want to track.  Simply visit http://google.com/alerts to get started.  Here are some example searches using NetSquared as the organization.

    • “netsquared” or “net squared” – putting this in the search term area of the alert would mean that any time “NetSquared” is mentioned or “Net Squared” is mentioned, I will get alerted.
    • NetSquared.org – putting this URL in the search term area of the alert means that if someone wrote out our URL on their blog, for example, I would get alerted.
    • “Amy Sample Ward” or “Billy Bicket” – putting this in the search term area of the alert means that any time Billy’s name (the NetSquared Director) or my own (the NetSquared Global Community Development Manager) is mentioned online, I will get alerted.

    Try changing out the organization name and key staff names to match your organization’s information and give it a try!

    You have a few other options when setting up the Google Alert.  You could choose to monitor only news sources, only blogs, and so on.  I would recommend choosing the “comprehensive” option as you never know where your name might pop up!

    As far as the email vs feed option – we are using Netvibes so you can cut down on email!  Choose the “feed” option and then hit save on that alert.  You can then click on the linked “Feed” word that has the RSS icon next to it (the icon looks like a signal).  The URL you are given will look pretty weird (see the screen shot example below). Skip to the bottom to “Add Feeds to Netvibes” for next steps.

    google alert rss example

    Twitter Search
    If you want to stay on top of all the conversations on Twitter about your organization or the topic of your work, using a feed from Twitter Search is really useful. To get a feed of the Twitter conversations, visit: http://search.twitter.com.  Similar to a Google Alert, type in some key words or phrases using the quotations, like, “netsquared” or “net squared” – it’s just like the examples above!

    After you hit “search,” you will see there’s a “Feed for this query” link on the right side of the screen.  Click on that and copy the URL, then jump down to the bottom to “Add Feeds to Netvibes” for next steps.

    Blogs
    Using the two tools above, you should get notified whenever a blogger uses your organization’s name or projects, etc.  But another great way to listen and tap into online conversations is to follow blogs about your sector or location and find opportunities where you can contribute to the conversation.  It is great to comment and be visible in the community of thinkers and doers in your sector.  There will even be instances where you can provide information or resources from your organization that may be relevant to the conversation.

    Find blogs about your sector and subscribe in the same way, via RSS. A great way to find blogs relevant to your organization is to use Google Blog Search.  You can also follow one of the sector-specific blogs from Change.org.

    When you find a blog you want to follow, find the “subscribe to RSS” link or icon in the sidebar, or use the RSS icon in your browser’s URL bar (the icon is a square signal).  Copy the feed URL and then jump down to “Add Feeds to Netvibes” for next steps.

    Add Feeds to Netvibes

    Now that you have found all kids of RSS feeds you want to track, you need to add them to your Netvibes page.  With Netvibes you can create tabs to help organize all these feeds, too!

    1. Copy the full URL of the feed you’d like to add
    2. Go to your Netvibes page, and hit the green “add content” button in the upper left of the screen
    3. Select “add feed” and paste in the URL
    4. When it shows you the preview, click “add” and it will appear in a box below

    To move the boxes, simply click on the top of the box (a hand icon should appear instead of your mouse arrow) and drag the box where you’d like it to sit on the page.

    To add tabs, click on “add tab” and name it something useful for categorizing the feeds in that section.

    Start Listening

    There you go!  With your listening dashboard in place you can start monitoring what’s being said about you, your work, and your sector instantly.  You can add to it any time you find another blog or item to follow, just follow the same steps as above!

    About Net2 Think Tank

    Net2 Think Tank is a monthly blogging event open to anyone and is a great way to participate in an exchange of ideas.  We post a question or topic to the NetSquared community and participants submit responses either on their own blogs or on the NetSquared Community Blog.  Tag your post with “net2thinktank” and email a link to us to be included. At the end of the month, the entries get pulled together in the Net2 Think Tank Round-Up.

    Published on October 27, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 2 Comments

    LOUDER, a collaborative campaigning platform

    Published in resources, socialchange and webtools. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

    “Together we are…LOUDER!” It’s true! And that’s the leading tag for a new campaigning platform called Louder.  The platform just hit open beta today, so create an account and start playing (hey, it’s Friday, right?).  You can create your own campaigns with unique URLs, add all kinds of media, and then start campaigning for change!

    What’s LOUDER?

    LOUDER will be the new online home for campaigners. The free and accessible site draws together a range of social media tools for people who want to change the world.

    Through Louder you will be able to create a microsite for your campaign with the most used ‘change-tools’ the web has to offer. You will be able to connect to and manage profiles on other social media sites helping you coordinate supporter action.

    To help make your campaign louder you will be able to connect up with other campaigns and those running them. Providing a much needed online space for campaigners, from international NGOs to grass roots activists, to link up collaborate and share experiences.

    Why I like Louder:

    I’ve been playing around with the new platform a bit and am quite excited about it.  I think it has a lot of potential to join with campaigning tools like Fairsay’s tool for Plone and collaborative tools like Zanby.

    I like that Louder…

    1. lets you create and distribute content all over the web
    2. bring in content you create elsewhere
    3. lets you work on a campaign without everything being “live”
    4. uses a straightforward process to set up modules and then drag/drop to design your page
    5. is being developed by folks IN the nonprofit and campaigning for change sector, so they “get it” already

    Dive in!

    LOUDER is in a “progressive beta” phase now and is working fast and furiously to built out more and more functionality for campaigners.  You can visit their roadmap to see what’s in the pipeline of development and share your ideas about what you’d like the platform to do for you.

    Some things currently in the works include:

    • Newslist and newsletter management
    • Email MPs/MEPs/Councillors and other influential people
    • Contact management tools
    • Collaborative tools for planning campaigns
    • The ability to connect to Facebook accounts

    What do you think?

    What are you waiting for? Go check out LOUDER now!

    And let me know what you think, too :)

    Published on October 16, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments

    Managing Twitter, One Account at a Time

    Published in resources, strategy and webtools. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

    There are so may stats, reports, assumptions and speculations every day about who is using Twitter, let alone how and why.  I recently read a reflection on Twitter called How To Use Twitter When You Follow Several Thousand People.  And it got me thinking, not necessarily about how I filter through the stream and so forth, but how others who are filtering through their streams, find me!

    I’m not the only one that is follow lots of interesting, valuable, fun people on Twitter – so are many of you!  So, how do I create ways for people to pick up on my content or shared learning in ways that is visible (and not just sucked into the stream)?  How do I ensure that the stream I’m creating, isn’t overwhelming as well?

    With these questions in mind, I decided to start a second Twitter account – and I want to share with you my strategy and implementation steps – so you can see if something similar is right for you, too!

    Why Create Two Accounts

    My Twitter account is @AmyRSWard and I have, currently, over 3,000 followers.  I’m not one for popularity and don’t view follower counts as a reflection of such.  I think that at one time or another, those 3,000+ people found an interesting link I shared, read a blog post I wrote and wanted to get more, or connected with me in one way or another online, at a conference, or through email.  The way I see it, those 3,000 people are “following” the content or value I can add to their work, not necessarily my coolness.

    But, I’m human! Not everything I say is smart, valuable, insightful or useful.  Sometimes I just want to say, “hi” to my mom on Twitter, and that’s okay.  But for people who don’t want to follow everything I say, and really just want real-time access to my shared brain, well, why not them have it!

    Purpose of @AmySampleWard

    As I explained above, the purpose of the second account, @AmySampleWard, is to provide a pipeline to valuable content.  I intend to use this second account for three main things:

    1. Sharing links to posts as they go up: Whenever a new post goes up on this blog, a tweet with the title and link will go out!
    2. Sharing links to interesting things I read: Whenever I tag something using Delicious that I think is of interest to you all, a tweet with the title and link will go out!
    3. Livetweeting and Twitter-chats: If I go to a conference or an event or am participating in a Twitter-based chat, I always think about the tweet-overload I create for people who follow me as my messages go from # of tweets per day, to # of tweets per hour or minute.  This way I will have a separate account to use for following a conference session or speaker, etc.

    Set Up of @AmySampleWard

    I have to give tons of credit to Joe Solomon, my friend and colleague and rockstar, for his help getting me set up.  I asked for his advise (he’s the man behind @nptechblogs among other Twitter mutations) as there are TONS of tools out there to choose from when setting up an account.  So, the steps below are generated from Joe’s smarts as well as my applications.

    Sharing links from your blog:

    I used TwitterFeed to set this up.  It’s really simple.  Just put in the RSS feed of your blog, and then use the Advanced Options to add a preface or suffix to your posts (this is where you could say, as I do, “New post:” or something).  As Joe advised, and I TOTALLY agree, be sure to select the option to show only the Title & Link – as including any more means a really jumbled tweet.

    Sharing links you tag onling:

    I use Delicious to tag content online instead of saving bookmarks locally to my computer – this way I can access things I’ve saved from any computer and can share content easily.  Using Twitter to share is just one more option!  If you do not already use Delicious, it’s easy to get started – visit the site for more. I used TwitterFeed again to coordinate auto-tweets of items I tag.  I used the RSS feed of a specific tag, because I didn’t necessarily want every single item I bookmark to be tweeted out.  This let’s me choose which items to share.

    We’re in Business!

    So, the new account is all set up! It’s already tweeting out blog posts, interesting links, and more. Follow it here!

    What do you think? I’d love your feedback on my strategy and process – if you would have done things differently or if you have questions about how I’m making it work!

    Published on September 15, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 2 Comments

    Social by Social: Handbook launched!

    Published in resources and socialbysocial. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

    socialbysociallogoI am relishing in the feeling of hard work completed and the excitement for all the work ahead.  What about? Social by Social: a practical guide to using new technologies to deliver social impact – the handbook I co-authored about using social media and communications technology to change the world!

    NESTA commissioned the work and the Social by Social team was comprised of Andy Gibson, Nigel Courtney, David Wilcox and Professor Clive Holtham and myself.

    Why Social by Social?

    There have been so many developments in communication technologies over the past few years, affecting so many aspects of our lives and working patterns, that giving shape and meaning to the chaos has become nearly impossible.

    ‘Social by Social’ is a term we’ve invented to make sense of what we’re talking about.

    The word ‘social’ is often used to imply all the various work that goes on in the public and third sector, and by individuals, to improve the world around us, care for each other, create value for communities and tackle the problems and inequalities of the world.

    (Social enterprise. Social conscience. Social problems.)

    And ‘social’ is also used by technologists and the media to refer to the new two-way communications technologies available via the internet and digital technologies. Communications which create society, strengthen relationships, support social interactions.

    (Social media. Social networks. Social infrastructure.)

    This book is a map of where these two words meet. It is not limited to the fashionable trends in social media and ‘web 2.0’; nor is it specifically aimed at people in the social sector. It is about how these new tools for social interaction are changing our society, and how those of us with a social conscience can use them to do more good.

    ‘Social by social’ change is about using new technologies to bring people together to make their world better. This handbook is a starting point for working out how to do it.

    New technologies are changing the way we engage communities, run companies, deliver public services, participate in government and campaign for change.

    These new technologies are available to all of us.
    And they offer us an amazing opportunity to change our world.
    You can read the handbook online for free or order your hard copy today!  The online version is completely commentable and we are eager to continue the conversation with you!  To dive in, visit:
    http://SocialBySocial.com
    Published on July 7, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments

    Socialbrite: Social Tools for Social Change

    Published in digital learning and resources. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

    socialbrite-logo 290x85

    Nonprofit tech experts team up to help others master ‘social tools for social change’

    Eight leading experts in social media and nonprofit technology have joined forces to create Socialbrite.org, a hub that showcases social tools for social change. The site, which serves as a learning and sharing center for nonprofits and social change organizations, debuted today at http://www.socialbrite.org/.

    The Socialbrite team is made up of strategists with deep experience in offering social media consulting services, training workshops, conversational marketing, fundraising and outreach campaigns.

    “We’re here to help nonprofits master the social Web to bring about meaningful social change,” said J.D. Lasica, a consultant and author of four books about emerging technologies. “There’s nothing else like this on the Web for nonprofits, social change organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and educators. Socialbrite’s mission is to shine a light on the best practices, social tools and strategies that will benefit each of these important constituencies.”

    Beth Kanter, Amy Sample Ward, Katrin Verclas and John Haydon are among the familiar names in the nonprofit tech sector who are part of the effort.

    Socialbrite.org is launching with a rich set of resources:

    • A directory of Web 2.0 Productivity Tools in dozens of categories that can help organizations get a handle on the social Web.
    • A Social Media Glossary that offers a deep, friendly introduction to dozens of social media terms in plain English.
    • A first-of-its-kind Twitter widget that tracks tweets about nonprofits or social causes in real time.
    • A Free Photos Directory, Free Video Directory and Free Music Directory that offers nonprofits, cause organizations and Web publishers a guide to hundreds of online resources for adding legal, high-quality content to their own Web sites, blogs, podcasts, newsletters, printed materials or online presentations.
    • A Causes widget that points to charitable actions and donations on other sites such as GlobalGiving and Facebook Causes.
    • Scores of additional articles, guides and tutorials to help newcomers and veterans alike get better acquainted with this fast-moving space.

    Socialbrite draws on a team of experts whose practical, easy-to-grasp advice will help organizations find social media success. The strategists – located in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles and London – are:

    • Beth Kanter, a longtime trainer and advisor to the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) and other organizations. Her upcoming book “The Networked Nonprofit” will provide a social media roadmap for nonprofits.
    • J.D. Lasica, a social media pioneer who co-founded Ourmedia.org, the first video hosting and sharing site. He advises both Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofits in social media strategies.
    • Katrin Verclas, co-founder and editor of MobileActive.org and past executive director of NTEN.
    • John Haydon, a consultant who advises small nonprofits, small businesses and social entrepreneurs on social marketing strategies.
    • Amy Sample Ward, a strategist who supports and educates clients in the nonprofit and social change sectors.
    • Ken Banks, who is using mobile technology to foster positive social and environmental change in the developing world, particularly in Africa.
    • Sloane Berrent, a cause-based marketing consultant who works with nonprofits and social cause organizations. She is currently a Kiva fellow serving a three-month tour in a rural section of the Philippines.
    • Carla A. Schlemminger, a strategic marketing communications professional who integrates best practices in branding, PR and social media.

    The Socialbrite site features dozens of videos, screencasts and slide presentations. All materials created for the site are released under Creative Commons licenses so that other sites and blogs can freely reuse the content.

    “Collaboration is the key to success, in everything really,” said Amy Sample Ward, an Oregonian now living in London who heads up London Net Tuesday and collaborates with others to create local opportunities to share and learn. “I see Socialbrite as a great chance for us as strategists to collaborate while helping nonprofits keep pace with this fast-changing landscape.”

    Socialbrite.org is built in WordPress, the popular open source blogging platform. Socialbrite’s lead developer, Esteban Panzeri, just finished work on a Creative Commons plug-in that lets bloggers assign different licenses to different blog posts, which he is releasing to the WordPress community.

    The Socialbrite team members make their living through paid services to client organizations. Services include conducting in-depth workshops, working with senior staff to develop a social media strategy, and crafting campaigns to reach contributors and supporters through Twitter, Facebook and digital storytelling, among other modern approaches.

    Visit the Socialbrite.org Media Center for tweets, information and more about the launch to help spread the word about this collaborative resource!

    Published on June 29, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments

    Want a peek at my RSS: Here it is!

    Published in resources and rss. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , .

    When it comes to “nptech” or nonprofit technology, there are more blogs and organizations and resources than any one person can find, let alone keep track of!  I’m no exception.  I’m overwhelmed daily, just like everyone else, by the amount of information that’s available from, for and about our sector of technology and social benefit.  So, my response is simple: I want to share my RSS reader with you. What’s in my brain, can be in yours!

    Amy Sample Ward’s Version of RSS

    aswrss

    Why?

    This is just a starting place. There are other places you can go to find more blogs and resources as well, like Alltop and even WeAreMedia.  So, why did I do this? I want to help support those just starting to investigate the options of social technologies for social change work, as well as give something back to those already invested and contributing to the community.  Opening up my RSS reader (well, except for my mom’s blog and that kind of thing!) is something I have wanted to do for a while because it

    1. provides an opportunity for me to offer a bit of value back to the larger tech+change community that is so valuable to me
    2. is aligned with my core values of collaboration and sharing
    3. creates a chance to improve this collection of feeds by and with my community

    What?

    My public RSS reader is built on Netvibes, which is a free, web-based RSS reader.  This is a place to find blogs or RSS feeds from research or organizational websites – all focused on the large intersection of social technologies and social benefit work.  This is free to use and publicly accessible.  As you will see, it has many different tabs to try to help with the information overload of juggling so many great content sources.  Check it out!

    Join me!

    I would love for you to visit the public RSS reader, but even more so, I would love for you to suggest feeds that should be part of it! You can either comment on the News & Resources page, or email me with your suggestions.

    Published on June 11, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 6 Comments

    Change.org adds Jobs for Change

    Published in resources and socialchange. 7 Comments Tags: , .

    jobschange

    Jobs for Change is a career service and jobs marketplace that aims to help people find and develop a career they love in social change (which for them means nonprofit, government, and social enterprise jobs). To do this, they’ve hired a team of career advisors who will each be writing a daily blog to provide advice and guidance to a different demographic of job seekers – from College Students to Sector Switchers. You can also ask the team of advisors any question you’d like and get a public response, sort of like Yahoo Answers but powered by experts.

    We are currently building the largest database of nonprofit, government, and social enterprise jobs on the web and have just hired a team of career advisors to provide daily advice and guidance to help people of all backgrounds find and develop a career in social change. We have also partnered with more than a dozen leading organizations that will give Jobs for Change reach to millions of people interested in deeper civic engagement.

    I am curious how Idealist and Social Actions play into this since they are the most frequently visited/used sites by myself and others I know to find both jobs, volunteer opportunities and more in the social benefit sector.  I’m also excited to see how the advice and question/answer content develops.  After the site is post this initial launch, it’ll be nice to relegate some of the home page to valuable content, too (and not just logos of partners).

    What do you think?

    • Have you tried it out – what do you think?
    • Do you use Idealist.org or SocialActions.com already?  Do you think you’ll switch?
    • Are you an organization with job openings – will you list your opening on Jobs for Change?
    • Do you go anywhere else online to get career advice?

    Click here to see social media + social change jobs!

    Published on May 18, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 7 Comments