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 March 11th). 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).
- Nonprofits and Location-Based Services – "This past week Noland Hoshino of [B]Cause media was kind enough to give a presentation on Location-Based Services (LBS) at a PDXTech4Good event. The presentation covers a good bit of why nonprofits should care about LBS and then gets into some solid examples and tips for a few of the major platforms."
- Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog – "Nonprofit marketing is only worth doing if your aim is to get people to do something. Raising awareness isn’t enough. So make sure you have all the elements of a strong call to action…" I really like Katya's list of 5 elements to a great call to action. But, I also have a few that I would add – what about you?
- sparking creativity through cognitive distance – "I had the opportunity to speak earlier this week at the Innovators Improv. It’s a monthly gathering that brings together a variety of interesting folks from the community to share experiences, discuss questions, and raise ideas on a range of topics. I was invited to talk about “Sparking Creativity“. I wanted to share my talk as I think we all benefit from the opportunity to spark creativity in our everyday lives."
- 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami – Find news, follow real time content, get official warnings and information, and much more on the earthquakes and tsuanmi that hit Japan, and the tsunami watches in effect around the Pacific. There's also a "people finder" tool and information numbers to call. I'm really excited to see Google support crisis information in this way and hope that nonprofits can work with Google to identify ways we can integrate responder information as well as donation and other support mechanisms into the site.
- A think tank for the ages creates Goodness Engine – Microsoft Unlimited Potential Blog – Site Home – TechNet Blogs – Working with DonorsChoose.org, Facebook, Twitter, Bing, Google, Microsoft, REI, and WebTrends discussed how to most effectively use online tools and processes for maximum impact. The result? A free eBook called the “Goodness Engine: Driving Greater Social Impact in the Digital World” has been created to help other nonprofits learn about a whole range of topics from driving online traffic to creating dynamic content and managing online engagement.
- YouTube – goodwork’s Channel – "Through Good Work, YouTube is matching up nonprofits with expert creatives around the world, asking them to make video ads for nonprofits like yours. The best video ads, as selected by an esteemed judging panel of ad executives and Nonprofit sector leaders, will be featured at a showcase at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival and linked from the YouTube homepage, providing a huge amount of exposure for both the creatives and the nonprofits."