net2 – Amy Sample Ward

Net2 Think Tank Round-Up: User Generated Content

Amy Sample Ward — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:26:52 +0000

This month’s Net2 Think Tank topic focused on user generated content. Have you used a campaign or a project to invite contributions? Do you have tips for successful invitations to create and share content with your organization or the community? Have you seen community members championing your work online with their own spin? We have a couple great responses to share this month to keep the conversation going!

Can User Generated Content Create Unique Community Opportunities?

Brigham at SocialChangeNews answers this question in one word: indubitably!

www.socialchangenews.com is the internets’ hub for news on social change that combines original user-created content (UCC) with the latest aggregated news on organizations, and individuals working to transform society. Since this directly relates to our project, we look forward to sharing and learning as much as we can for the next few weeks.

SocialChangeNews is now live in beta, and open to being a case study in this topic themselves! You can check it out for yourself at www.socialchangenews.com

Ana at JelloBrain has a terrific post discussing the relationship between user generated content and the organizations and infastructure on which that content is posted.

When a user surfs to a website and registers for an event, donates money, becomes a member or writes a blog, this information has become digitized. Capturing this information from hundreds of ‘viral’ users without human intervention or administration (the function of a good content management system), creates an enormous added capacity in the organization.

The current status quo for non-profit organizations is typically one where the information needed to do the work of an organization is kept in a separate database from the database recording user generated online interactions. Typically when a user interacts with a website and fills out a registration form, that information is sent to the organization via email, at which point it is manually input into the organization’s main constituent database. The only tool in the entire world that can perform that transition effectively is the human being.

There are two problems with that. The first is that human beings are (and should be) more expensive than mechanization, and the second is that human beings do their best work when they are creative.

As Ana says, “The solution is of course to integrate the two databases.” You can read the full post and connect with Ana to keep the discussion going on JelloBrain here.

What do you think?

You can still answer the Net2 Think Tank question in the comments here or connect with either of the contributors above.

Be sure to watch for the Net2 Think Tank question for next month! It will be posted in early September. (Hint: You’ll always be the first to hear about Net2 Think Tank topics by subscribing to Net2 News, the enewsletter with updates, jobs, and more!)

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.

Net2 at 09NTC

Amy Sample Ward — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:24:56 +0000

At NTEN’s ’09 Nonprofit Technology Conference a couple weeks ago, I participated in the Ignite Presentations which was a load of fun. An Ignite presentation is a five minute presentation, with 20 slides that change automatically every 15 seconds. It’s quite a rush, for the speaker and the audience alike!

I presented about an idea we at NetSquared have been tossing around and wanted to share with the public to start a conversation and see where it goes: what would it be like, how would it work, and how would it look if we moved the concept of Global Challenges on the Net2 platform into the hands of local communities to use the same process to find innovative answers to local issues. Check it out below!

Net2 Think Tank Round-Up: Entry Points for Engagement

Amy Sample Ward — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:49:31 +0000

Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.

NTEN’s 09NTC just wrapped up in San Francisco and many conversations at the conference focused on social media use by nonprofits. With so many tools out there, and different options for individuals and other organizations to engage with you, how do you manage it all? April’s Net2 Think Tank focused on the multiple entry points of engagement used by nonprofits. It was a tough question, but someone had to answer it: Idealist’s Scott Stadum!

Topic:

How can nonprofit organizations successfully manage multiple entry points for social media engagement?

Does the message you send depend on where people connect to your organization? Do you provide different content or appeals to your Twitter followers than to your Facebook group? How do you decide what kind of information or campaigns are delivered to your various community members on different social networks? Do you track how people find your organization?

From Idealist

Scott Stadum at Idealist.org responded with an excellent collection of points for nonprofits considering how to manage the multiple entry points for engagement with social media.

When developing your online presence, remember that you’re developing a community first, and generating site traffic is a by-product of that community. Speak directly to your users and interact with them; they have amazing stories and experiences. A passionate user base is invaluable.

There are plenty of best practices to follow and philosophies to think about and you’ll discover those as you research your own ideas. Below are a few simple thoughts of my own:

Use the social media tools that are appropriate for your work and that will connect you to your target audience. For example, you don’t need to spend an abundance of time on MySpace if the service doesn’t match the demographic you’re wanting to reach.

Your organization doesn’t need to be everywhere. It isn’t vital that you post to Twitter AND Pownce AND Jaiku or that you upload photos to Flickr AND Picasa AND Photobucket. Invest fully in a few tools, and use them well.

Develop your voice for each tool. How you use Twitter is going to be different than how you would use Facebook Pages. Develop a unique strategy and voice for each service, based on your research into the strengths and limitations of each tool.

Consider how tools from one site may complement your posts on another site. You can post YouTube videos to your blog posts and Flickr photos to your Upcoming.org event listings. Your approach should be integrative.

As your communities grow, your approach to sharing information and stories will change; nothing is formulaic.

Visit the Idealist.org Blog here!

About Net2 Think Tank:

Net Tuesdays around the world: 6 new groups!

Amy Sample Ward — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:30:25 +0000

I’m so excited about these new groups! (Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.)

Every month, the NetSquared community comes together offline in cities around the world at Net Tuesday events to mix, swap stories and ideas, build new relationships, and collaborate. There are 6 new Net Tuesdays to introduce, and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming: Abidjan, Asheville, Charleston, Hamburg, Lomé, and Nairobi!

Learn about Net Tuesdays and get local!

Welcome New Net Tuesdays!

These new Net Tuesday groups have bumped the total number of local NetSquared groups around the world over 30 – that’s a wide network of innovators and social changemakers! We are so thrilled to have these groups coming together to work on local projects and would love to have your city start a Net Tuesday group, too!

Are you in one of these cities? If so, connect with the local organizers to find out about the next events, how to help, and spread the word!

Two Net Tuesdays of Note

There are two Net Tuesday groups where the local organizers have gone above and beyond to revamp the group, get it off the ground, and really create a vibrant focal point for the local community.

Net2 Atlanta, organized by Erica Stanley, has a shiny new online space and the offline events are creating great opportunities for Atlanta community members to come together and share. If you’re in the area, check it out!

Net2 New Orleans, organized by Jessika Rohloff and Damian Lamana, put together a sponsored trip to SXSW complete with tour bus and after party! Their work has catalyzed the local community looking for technology and social change projects. In New Orleans? Check it out!

What’s Net Tuesday?

Net Tuesdays are monthly events, organized by local volunteers in over 30 cities around the world. These events are opportunities for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and social benefit to come together, share ideas, learn from each other, and collaborate on projects. Funders, programmers, developers, educators, nonprofit staff and government agencies are all involved. If you want to see if your city already has a Net Tuesday, click here. If you are interested in starting a Net Tuesday in your city, just let us know!

London Net Tuesday: Online Campaigning

Amy Sample Ward — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:08:39 +0000

It’s almost time for another London Net Tuesday!

In April, we’ll be focused on creating and managing online campaigns. There are a lot of tools out there and only so much time… Come discuss some great examples of successful campaigns and how to build strategy and tactics for your own organization’s work.

Paul Massey and Phil Jones from the we20 campaign will be presenting on the strategy and execution of an integrated online campaign. And we’ll have a Q&A session following the presentation. As always, there will be plenty of networking, too.

Agenda:

5:30-6 doors open & networking
6 – 6:15 welcome & intros
6:15 – 6:45 Paul & Phil presenting about online campaigning
6:45 – 7:15 open Q&A
7:15 – 7:45 networking

See if there is a Net Tuesday in your city or find out more about starting your own!

Last week for N2Y4 Mobile Challenge submissions!

Amy Sample Ward — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:01:23 +0000

That’s right: this is your last week to submit ideas to the N2Y4 Mobile Challenge! Submissions can be for any mobile platform, at any stage of development (whether it is an idea, a prototype or a working application). Plus, there’s $50,000 on the table for the winners!

There are some excellent submissions coming in already, be sure to add your idea to the mix!

Why should you participate in the N2Y4 Mobile Challenge?

Now in its fourth year, NetSquared continues to encourage dialogue among people working at the intersection of technology and progressive change initiatives. Challenges are an excellent way of spurring discussion, highlighting innovative ideas, and catalysing collaboration around new tools.

This year, N2Y4 focuses solely on the use of mobile technology in social change. Here are a couple of facts to consider:

Mobile phones are in the hands of 2.2 billion people around the world. That’s a lot of people.
Mobile technology provides every day people with unprecedented computing power and an ability to share information in real-time.

The creative possibilities for communities everywhere are tremendous!

Whether you’ve participated in a NetSquared Challenge in the past or you’re new to the process, there are multiple ways you can get involved in the N2Y4 Mobile Challenge.

How to participate:

Submit an idea!
Connect with Projects, provide feedback in the comments, star Projects to show support, and more!
Spread the word about the Challenge!
Attend the Conference!

How do you submit your idea?

Four Easy Steps to Participate:

Register and/or Login
Click on Username
Click on “Submit a Project to the Project Gallery” under My Project Idea
Select “N2Y4” from the Prize Tag menu located below Additional Cause Area Tags on the Submission Form

If you already have a Project in NetSquared’s Global Project Gallery that you would like to submit to this year’s Challenge, here are the easy steps:

Visit your Project Page by clicking on your username and following the link to My Project Idea
Click the “Edit” tab on your Project and select the corresponding “Prize Tag”
Edit your Project information for relevancy and save

Innovation: Clay Shirky Interview & NetSquared Challenges

Amy Sample Ward — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:22:55 +0000

Originally posted by me on the NetSquared blog.

NetSquared currently has 3 open Challenges, calling for innovators and change makers around the world to submit ideas for Web and mobile-based technologies for social change. I recently sat down with Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, and asked what he thought about the impact of the social web on innovation.

Check out his answer (video) and Challenges you can dive into today!

UC Berkeley Human Rights Center Mobile Challenge

The Human Rights Center is sponsoring a challenge to encourage innovations for applying mobile technologies for human rights investigations and advocacy. Through a NetSquared Community vote, 10 finalists will be chosen. All 10 finalists will be invited to present their ideas at an international conference, “The Soul of the New Machine: Human Rights, Technology, and New Media,” at UC Berkeley, May 4 and 5, 2009. A panel of judges, selected by the Human Rights Center, will choose three winners, to be announced at the conference. Winners will receive cash awards of $15,000 (first place), $10,000 (second place), and $5,000 (third place) to implement their ideas.

N2Y4 Mobile Challenge

N2Y4’s Mobile Challenge calls for your world-changing ideas of how mobile applications can help citizens, groups and others create a better world for everybody. NetSquared and our Challenge Sponsors invite submissions of innovations in mobile technologies for use by civil society. Through a NetSquared Community vote, 14 Featured Projects will be selected to participate in this year’s NetSquared Conference. Two representatives from each of the 14 Featured Projects will be invited to present their ideas in person at N2Y4, May 26-27, 2009 and compete for cash prizes.

Social Actions’ Change the Web

Social Actions’ Change the Web Challenge is about building innovative tools to help people find and share opportunities to take action on the Web sites, blogs, and social networks that we all visit everyday. We want you to dream up a new tool to help people find and share actions. Any Web enabled device can become a place to connect with actions: your iPhone, news sites and blogs, Facebook & other social networks, or even in your own Web site! We’re excited to see what you come up with! Did we mention that there’s also $10,000+ in prizes!

There’s a lot happening around the world right now with Web and mobile-based technologies and the opportunities for innovators to combine new tools with social benefit are rich. These three challenges offer three more ways for you to showcase your ideas, find new collaborators, and even have a chance to win money for implementation.

Here’s to seeing you in the Project Gallery!

January Net2 Think Tank: Predictions for 2009

Amy Sample Ward — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:39:42 +0000

Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.

This month’s Net2 Think Tank question was, “What do you think will be the big changes, new technologies, hot applications, or successful campaigns of 2009?” We had a great collection of contributions this month. Take a look at the posts below—many great conversation starters to get you thinking and buzzing about what 2009 will bring.

Check out the predictions for 2009 from NetSquared community members:

Channing’s predictions cover a wide range of areas from cell phones saving lives to our boards going online. There are even predictions for the hottest job skills in 2009. Read more.
Joe Edelman explains how mobile phones can fix the broken economy in his mobile manifesto. Read more.
Britt Bravo thinks iPhone apps for nonprofits will be coming soon – and she even pulls together all kinds of examples of what’s out there now. Read more.
Ethan says in 2009 people will begin to collaborate online to build things other than content, but that it’ll just be the beginning. Read more.
John Dukovich predicts that 2009 will be the year of online collaboration for nonprofits, whether it’s with free tools or expensive ones, and warns that nonprofits will need to gauge their needs before choosing the tools. Read more.

Thanks to everyone who contributed this month! You can share your ideas about technology in 2009 on the NetSquared blog or watch for next month’s Net2 Think Tank to be announced (Feb. 5th).

Last Day of Voting for USAID Challenge

Amy Sample Ward — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:26:50 +0000

Originally posted on the NetSquared blog.

It’s true: Today, Friday, is the last day to cast your vote for up to 5 favorite USAID project submissions. Get out the vote, now!

The Word on the Street…

Project teams and others are telling their friends, families, colleagues and communities about the vote, hoping to make it to the next round where 15 projects will be presented to the USAID judges. If you want to learn more about projects than what is provided in the Project Gallery, check out the Community Blog where projects are discussing their ideas and asking for your support.

Oliver Subasinghe recently told the devex community about the USAID Challenge and check out this testimonial from quazi on the community blog:

Learning about various projects through the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge

I am glad that I voted for 5 projets posted here on NetSquared. What I liked most is that I now will have access to ideas as I prepare to use social web technologies to advance our cause for leadership development in Bangladesh, especially for the youth.

Get out the Vote!

This is the last day to help select the 15 projects moving on in the Challenge. Cast your vote now!

The voting process is simple, interactive and fun. It’s our goal to be as inclusive as possible because it’s your job to pick the projects that best deserve the time, attention, and funding that this Challenge can offer.

How to vote:

You must Register and Login to the NetSquared site to participate in the Vote (please check your junk mail folder if you do not see a registration email confirmation)
Each registered user has one (1) ballot
You must vote for at least three (3) Projects and no more than five (5)
All votes are weighted equally (in other words, your first choice and fifth choice have equal value)
You can only vote for each Project once, yes that includes your own
You must review and cast your ballot for your vote to count (details below)

Share your feedback, ideas, or favorites on the Community Blog after you’ve voted!