Great reads from around the web on June 17th

I come across so many great conversations, ideas, and resources all over the web every day. Here are some of the most interesting things I’ve found recently (as of June 17th). You can join the conversations in the comments, or click through to the original posts to find what others are saying.

To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks).

• NetSquared Local Reaches 70 Groups Worldwide! | NetSquared, an initiative of TechSoupGlobal.org – "In the last two months, we've had 5 new NetSquared Local groups join the scene, bringing the new official number to 70 groups worldwide! Below is a list of the new groups that have just gotten started. If you're interested in getting involved either as a co-organizer or a participant in one of these cities, go to the group website and give the organizer a shout!"
• Facebook | The Networked Nonprofit Virtual Launch Party – "After more than a year of anticipation, on June 21 Beth Kanter and Allison Fine will release the Networked Nonprofit, published by Jossey-Bass. At 4:00 p.m. EDT/1:00 p.m. PDT Beth and Allison will celebrate with a virtual book party on U-Stream and Twitter (#netnon). Our party goal: Make The Networked Nonprofit a top ten bestseller in Amazon.com's business book section before the book is issued (Official release date: July 9). Join us on the 21st at 4 eastern/1 pacific for questions and answers about the book The Networked Nonprofit. Whether you want to watch the dynamic duo live on your computer or just chat with them on Twitter, the party will be a blast."
• Amazon Patents Social Networking System, Winks at Facebook – "The United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded Amazon a patent for a “Social Networking System.” Amazingly enough, the description of the patent sounds, well, pretty much like any social network we’ve seen over the years, including Facebook."
• open data doesn't empower communities | internet.artizans – "Open data doesn't empower communities. I'm not saying open data is a bad thing, but we need to highlight the gap between the semantic web and social impact. Otherwise we'll continue to get swept along on a tide of technocratic enthusiasm where hope lies in 'a flood of data to create a data-literate citizenry'."
• The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving – "Economic conditions, natural disasters, and market fluctuations have made it extremely difficult for nonprofits to make fundraising decisions informed by the latest donor behavior. That is why we created the Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving — to provide fundraisers with up-to-date data on fundraising trends and to couple that information with valuable analysis by leaders in the sector." The trend is up 12.1%!