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).

• Have you accepted online technology as your organizational savior? – Small Act – “When your leadership has Shiny Object Syndrome, you’ll often come to work to find newspaper clippings on your desk or links in your email all about the Next Big Thing. There will be a note attached that says, “Let’s do this!” You’ll sigh inwardly, instantly thinking of a dozen reasons why it probably won’t work or why you lack the time and energy to give it the best shot possible (mainly because you’re probably still wrestling with the previous Shiny Object du jour), but you’ve fought and lost enough battles of this type to know that you might as well suck it up and do what they’re asking. The problem with Shiny Object Syndrome is that it operates on the assumption that because something is “popular” (like, say, Foursquare), then simply using it will guarantee success for your organization. This isn’t always the case. In fact, it rarely is.”
• 10 Non-Profits Leveraging Pinterest for Social Good – “There’s no question that Pinterest is the hottest social network right now. From your friends and family to celebrities, athletes and designers, everyone’s pinning visually interesting content. But did you know that non-profit organizations are pinning, too?” Have you tried Pinterest? Do you think it would be valuable for your organization or a waste of time?
• Forget Generation Y: 18- to 34-Year-Olds Are Now ‘Generation C’ – Interesting inforgraphic about the “Connected Generation” – what do you think? “It’s hardly news that young adults are the most digitally connected, but now Nielsen has come up with a new name for this group based on their common behaviors: “Generation C.” The C stands for “connected,” and the group comprises Americans between 18 and 34 — who are defined by their digital connectivity, Nielsen and NM Incite’s U.S. Digital Consumer Report says. They consume media, socialize and share experiences through devices more than other age groups.”
• Infographic: Do people still trust the news during election season? – Very interesting new infographic helping dissect data from a national poll examining whether or not Americans trust the media during political peaks. “The survey revealed the dramatic lack of trust Americans hold for sources of election news of all mediums. Of the six media types explored in the survey (cable news stations, network news, newspapers, talk radio, internet news sites, and blogs and social media), ‘traditional’ news outlets scored highest in terms of perceived credibility compared to newer and less traditional mediums…”
• Business competitiveness is defined by social innovation | Guardian Sustainable Business | guardian.co.uk – “There are few companies that can afford to not label themselves as green and something similar is happening to the word social. From corporate social responsibility to social business to social investment, previously limited to charitable activities and workers’ rights, social is on the march to becoming the new green. As with any label, ubiquity is as much a measure of success as a sign of abuse. And as with green we have to smarten up and learn to ask the right questions. For social impact some judge by good intention, while others measure by human development indicators or complicated calculations on social rates of return.”
• Spring of Code – “The OccupyLondon tech team is pleased to invite Occupiers and friends from the Open Source software community all around the world to participate in the biggest series of global Occupy code sprints yet, the Spring of Code.”

Connect with NTEN

Sarah and I, in typical NTEN fashion, will be sure to bring some NTEN swag and are hoping to connect with as many of you as possible! The Beacon Lounge will be our home-base, and here are some of the fun things they have planned to make it your home-base, too:

Daily Events in the Lounge include:

• Breakfast from 9-11: Get your morning buzz on with coffee and food sponsored by The Colorado Health Foundation
• Lunch from 12-2: Refuel your stomach and mind with lunch brought to you by Convio.  Fork over your lunch money to a local Austin organization and Convio will match your donation!
• Happy Hour from 3-6: Get your afternoon buzz on with snacks, beer, and live music to benefit Sweet Relief Musicians Fundsponsored by Salsa

Daily Musings in the Lounge include:

• Photo Gallery from PhotoPhilanthropy – browse art that drives action for social change
• Sketchnotes by Mike Rhode
• Play Hard, Do Good T-Shirts from Goodthreads with art by Mike Rhode – snag yours with a donation to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund

In addition, they’ll have special events on a daily basis including a book reading from “Story Wars” by Jonah Sachs and meet-ups from the good folks at Salsa, the Colorado Health Foundation, PhotoPhilanthropy, Convio, Legacy, and us (NTEN).

Check out the detailed schedule of events and follow @thebeaconsxsw for updates.

NTEN Meetup in the Beacon Lounge

Mark your calendars for Monday, March 12th, at 11 am for the NTEN meetup in the Lounge. We will share more details before SXSW, but for now we will give you a hint: anyone who loves Twitter so much they’ve thought of writing a sonet, or so wowed by Google+ they want to write an ode may be at an advantage! And, yes, there will be prizes.

NTEN Community Series: Austin

If you’re going to be in Austin for SXSW or are a local nonprofit organization, we hope you’ll also participate in the first of our Community Series events for 2012, taking place in Austin on March 9th. Get the full details and reserve your spot today!