NetSquared: Remixing the Web for Social Change

Shining a Light on Politics: An Interview with Ellen Miller of the Sunlight Foundation

NetSquared — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:50:00 GMT

Ellen S. Miller is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based, nonprofit catalyst that is using new technology to open up Congress. In just two years, Sunlight has created more than two dozen Web sites, databases, distributed research projects, tools and widgets to make information about Congressâ activities more accessible through the Internet.

Miller is also a NetSquared Advocate.

Funding Nonprofit Social Web Innovation: An Interview with Vince Stehle

NetSquared — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:04:00 GMT

Vincent Stehle is the Program Officer for the Nonprofit Sector Initiative of the Surdna Foundation. He is a NetSquared Advocate and was recently awarded the NTEN Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Nonprofit Technology Conference.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Net Tuesday SF: Presentation by Jon Warnow of Step It Up

NetSquared — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:50:00 GMT

Jon Warnow is an online organizer and technology coordinator whose most recent project was Step It Up, a campaign to unite communities for on-the-ground action on climate change. In 2007, this web-based project helped to unleash the inner-activist in regular people by experimenting with a model of "open-source activism" that creates deeper engagement, an empowered constituency, and more effective results. By catalyzing and coordinating over 2000 synchronized off-line actions, the Step It Up campaign was able to channel the simmering concerns of a citizenry into a powerful, unified, politically strategic call to action.

Fresh out of college in Vermont, Jon is relatively new to the technology and non-profit scene, and is fascinated by both the hollow hype and the powerful potential of web-enabled activism. He's still doing his damndest to use the best of the web to get people to take effective action on the greatest challenge of our time--climate change. Currently, Jon and his co-conspirators are gearing up to launch an international campaign that harnesses our most promising technologies to build a truly global climate movement--and he wants you to help.

This show is a recording of Jon's presentation during the March 11th Net Tuesday San Francisco: Creating Successful Web Campaigns for Your Nonprofit.

Net Tuesday SF: Interview with Jon Warnow of Step It Up

NetSquared — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:38:00 GMT

David Collin, the SF Net Tuesday Podcaster, interviewed Jon during Net Tuesday San Francisco on March 11th. Jon was one of the speakers during the March Net Tuesday, Creating Successful Web Campaigns for Your Nonprofit.

Net Tuesday SF: Presentation by David Taylor of Radical Designs

NetSquared — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:35:00 GMT

David Taylor is the Founder and Director of Radical Designs, a software development company focused on meeting the technological needs of grassroots social movement organizations. He has spent the last nine years building cutting edge websites, online organizing tools and web based mobilization strategies for over 200 social movement organizations, nonprofits, and political campaigns. When not building websites, David is a direct action trainer, and mass mobilization organizer, for the anti-globalization, anti-war, environmental and global justice movements as well as a political strategist for local progressive electoral campaigns in San Francisco.

This show is a recording of David's presentation during the March 11th Net Tuesday San Francisco: Creating Successful Web Campaigns for Your Nonprofit.

Net Tuesday SF: Interview with David Taylor of Radical Designs

NetSquared — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:11:00 GMT

David Taylor is the Founder and Director of Radical Designs, a software development company focused on meeting the technological needs of grassroots social movement organizations. He has spent the last nine years building cutting edge websites, online organizing tools and web based mobilization strategies for over 200 social movement organizations, nonprofits, and political campaigns. When not building websites, David is a direct action trainer, and mass mobilization organizer, for the anti-globalization, anti-war, environmental and global justice movements as well as a political strategist for local progressive electoral campaigns in San Francisco.

David Collin, the SF Net Tuesday Podcaster, interviewed David Taylor during Net Tuesday San Francisco on March 11th. David was one of the speakers during the March Net Tuesday, Creating Successful Web Campaigns for Your Nonprofit.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Gordon Strause of Yahoo! Groups

NetSquared — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:15:00 GMT

This is a Net Tuesday presentation by Gordon Strause, product manager for Yahoo! Groups. Groups is one of the longest running social organization tools on the Internet. It has millions of active groups. Gordon reflects on Yahoo! Group's place in the development of social networking tools and how nonprofits have used it. He also hints at some ways that Yahoo! might change Groups in the coming year to update it.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Gordon Strause of Yahoo! Groups

NetSquared — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:10:00 GMT

This is a Net Tuesday interview by David Collin with Gordon Strause, product manager for Yahoo! Groups. Groups is one of the longest running social organization tools on the Internet. It has millions of active groups. Gordon reflects on Yahoo! Group's place in the development of social networking tools and how nonprofits have used it. He also hints at some ways that Yahoo! might change Groups in the coming year to update it.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Ian Kennedy of MyBlogLog

NetSquared — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:07:00 GMT

The following is a Net Tuesday presentation by Ian Kennedy, the product manager for MyBlogLog, a service of Yahoo! MyBlogLog is a community building service for bloggers. Individuals who register with MyBlogLog leave their picture or avatar and some profile information automatically each time they visit a web site registered at MyBlogLog and running its widget. They become the top-of-the-list face on the Recent Readers section of the blog or web site. Readers become part of a social community around the blog. Ian discusses how nonprofits can use MyBlogLog to build community around their sites.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Ian Kennedy of MyBlogLog

NetSquared — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:59:00 GMT

The following is an interview by David Collin with Ian Kennedy, the product manager for MyBlogLog, a service of Yahoo! MyBlogLog is a community building service for bloggers. Individuals who register with MyBlogLog leave their picture or avatar and some profile information automatically each time they visit a web site registered at MyBlogLog and running its widget. They become the top-of-the-list face on the Recent Readers section of the blog or web site. Readers become part of a social community around the blog. Ian discusses how nonprofits can use MyBlogLog to build community around their sites.

Mobilizing Generation 2.0: An Interview with Ben Rigby of Mobile Voter

NetSquared — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:11:00 GMT

Ben Rigby is the Founder and Co-executive Director of Mobile Voter. He is also the author, with Rock the Vote, of a new book coming out in April called Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Nate Ritter on Using Twitter During San Diego Fires

NetSquared — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:35:00 GMT

This is a recording of Nate Ritter's presentation during the January 8, 2008 San Francisco Net Tuesday. Nate is a San Diego-based developer and business consultiant. During the wildfires of 2007 in the San Diego area Nate used Twitter to set up a help center. He was able to use various features of Twitter to keep a constant stream of information and referrals to other resources flowing to local residents. Friends and relatives outside San Diego County also found the Tweets about the fire helpful.

You can learn more about Nateâs work by going to blog.perfectspace.com and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/nateritter

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Jeremy Pepper of The Point

NetSquared — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:04:00 GMT

This podcast is a presentation by Jeremy Pepper, Communications Manager of The Point at the January 8, 2008 San Francisco Net Tuesday meeting.

The Point is a site designed to help people solve problems they can't solve alone. Consumers, employees, and community members can use The Point to initiate a "campaign" about an issue and enroll members until they reach the "tipping point" at which their action will have the impact of significant numbers of people.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Jeremy Pepper of The Point

NetSquared — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:57:00 GMT

This podcast is an interview of Jeremy Pepper, Communications Manager of The Point by David Collin at the January 8, 2008 San Francisco Net Tuesday meeting.

The Point is a site designed to help people solve problems they can't solve alone. Consumers, employees, and community members can use The Point to initiate a "campaign" about an issue and enroll members until they reach the "tipping point" at which their action will have the impact of significant numbers of people.

Twitter and the San Diego Fires: An Interview with Nate Ritter

NetSquared — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:10:00 GMT

Nate is a web developer and consultant who used Twitter as a help center during the San Diego fires. You can learn more about Nateâs work by going to blog.perfectspace.com and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/nateritter.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Nonprofits Outpacing Business in Use of Social Media: An Interview with Eric Mattson

NetSquared — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:12:00 GMT

Eric Mattson is the co-author of a recent study, Blogging for the Hearts of Donors, about social media usage by the 200 largest charities in the US.

For more information about Eric's work, check out his web site at ericmattson.com.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Steve Miller of Google Earth Outreach

NetSquared — Thu, 1 Nov 2007 21:02:00 GMT

This podcast is a presentation by Steve Miller, Product Manager for Google Earth Outreach at Net Tuesday, October 10, 2007.

Google Earth Outreach is a project to enable non-profit or public benefit groups to use Google Earth to capture the work they're doing, the people they're helping, and the change they're helping to enable in the visual context of the environment in which these activities take place. Google Earth Outreach enables any organization to quickly and easily get the resources it needs to create compelling stories through Google Earth layers. Steve discusses how any organization can quickly and easily annotate Google Earth with pictures and information to tell visual, compelling stories of the work they do.

Interview with Nicholas Reville of Miro

NetSquared — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:25:00 GMT

Nicholas Reville is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Participatory Culture Foundation.

The Participatory Culture Foundation is the creator of the Miro Internet TV platform. Miro was a Featured Project, and the Second Place NetSquared Innovation Award winner at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007.

You can listen to their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Steve Miller of Google Earth Outreach

NetSquared — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:15:00 GMT

This podcast is an interview by David Collin, the San Francisco Net Tuesday podcaster, with Steve Miller, Product Manager for Google Earth Outreach.

Google Earth Outreach is a project to enable non-profit or public benefit groups to use Google Earth to capture the work they're doing, the people they're helping, and the change they're helping to enable in the visual context of the environment in which these activities take place. Google Earth Outreach enables any organization to quickly and easily get the resources it needs to create compelling stories through Google Earth layers. Steve discusses how any organization can quickly and easily annotate Google Earth with pictures and information to tell visual, compelling stories of the work they do.

Interview with Ivan Boothe of the Genocide Intervention Network

NetSquared — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:51:00 GMT

Ivan Boothe is the internet strategy coordinator for the Genocide Intervention Network, which empowers individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. He holds a degree in peace and conflict studies and authored a thesis on third-party nonviolent intervention. His technical skills include more than a decade of web development, including semantic, standards-compliant XHTML and CSS, as well as extensive work with Drupal and WordPress content-management systems. Ivan was a co-founder of why-war.org, which launched a nationwide campaign of electronic civil disobedience against the voting machine manufacturer Diebold in 2003. His writings can be found at quixoticlife.net.

The Genocide Intervention Network was one of the Featured Projects at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007. You can hear their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here.

A transcript of the interview is available here.

Interview with Angela Siefer of Grassroots.org

NetSquared — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 22:20:00 GMT

Angela Siefer has over ten years nonprofit capacity building experience. Prior to joining Grassroots.org , Angela served as the Executive Director of the Ohio Community Computing Network. She is a nationally-recognized nonprofit technology expert and has received a number of honors including the John Glenn Social Capital & Midwest Community Networking Awards. Angela currently serves on several voluntary boards, including the International Advisory Council for the Public Interest Registry (PIR.org), OCCN and CTCNet.

Grassroots.org was Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007. You can hear their 5-minute pitch from the Conference here.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Interview with Michael Furdyk of TakingITGlobal

NetSquared — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:55:00 GMT

Michael Furdyk is the Co-founder and Director of Technology of TakingITGlobal. He founded two successful Internet companies before he was 17, selling the first, Mydesktop.com, to Internet.com in May 1999. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and in 2001 Teen People named him one of 20 Teens that Will Change the World. He is an advisor to Microsoft, Pollution Probe, Possibilities, and several other organizations.

TakingITGlobal was a Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007. You can hear their 5-minute pitch from the Conference here.

A transcript of the interview is available on the NetSquared Blog.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Ephrat Bitton of iCare

NetSquared — Wed, 3 Oct 2007 20:44:00 GMT

This podcast is an interview by David Collin of Ephrat Bitton at the September 11 Net Tuesday in San Francisco . Ephrat is the co-founder of iCare, a web-based service that facilitates person-to-person assistance for people recovering from disaster. Ephrat is a PhD engineering student at Berkeley and applies her skill in mathematical modeling to solve complex problems. With iCare she finds ways to use underutilized capacity in transportation systems to ship supplies to those in need at low cost.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Ephrat Bitton of iCare

NetSquared — Wed, 3 Oct 2007 20:37:00 GMT

This podcast is a presentation at Net Tuesday September 11 by Ephrat Bitton. Ephrat is the co-founder of iCare, a web-based service that facilitates person-to-person assistance for people recovering from disaster. Ephrat is a PhD engineering student at Berkeley and applies her skill in mathematical modeling to solve complex problems. With iCare she finds ways to use underutilized capacity in transportation systems to ship supplies to those in need at low cost.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Jonathan Thompson of Humanlink

NetSquared — Wed, 3 Oct 2007 20:32:00 GMT

This podcast is an interview by David Collin with Jonathan Thompson at the September 11 Net Tuesday. Jonathan is the founder of Humanlink, an organization that helps humanitarian organizations use technology so they may help others. Jonathan has worked in the humanitarian field for the last six years. He has been the logistics officer for Medecins Sans Frontieres and other organizations working in Ethiopia, Sudan, Indonesia and Iraq/Kuwait. He talks about how the right techniques can enable relief operations in developing parts of the world work more cost-effectively.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Jonathan Thompson of Humanlinkl

NetSquared — Wed, 3 Oct 2007 20:12:00 GMT

This podcast is a presentation at the September 11 Net Tuesday by Jonathan Thompson, the founder of Humanlink, an organization that helps humanitarian organizations use technology so they may help others. Jonathan has worked in the humanitarian field for the last six years. He has been the logistics officer for Medecins Sans Frontieres and other organizations working in Ethiopia, Sudan, Indonesia and Iraq/Kuwait. He talks about how the right techniques can enable relief operations in developing parts of the world work more cost-effectively.

Interview with Siegfried Woldhek of NABUUR

NetSquared — Fri, 7 Sep 2007 18:54:00 GMT

Inteview with Siegfried Woldhek, the founder and CEO of NABUUR. NABUUR links you directly with people around the world who need your assistance now. All you need is a computer, a little free time, and the desire to make a difference. NABUUR was one of the Featured Projects at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007.

You can hear their 5 minute pitch at the NetSquared Conference here and read a transcript of the interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Interview with Jim Slama of FamilyFarmed.org

NetSquared — Wed, 5 Sep 2007 23:36:00 GMT

Jim Slama is the President of the nonprofit, Sustain, and Founder of the FamilyFarmed.org project. FamilyFarmed.org is a website, food label, and EXPO that supports Midwestern organic farmers by connecting them with consumers and commercial buyers. The project was one of the Featured Projects at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007.

You can also listen to their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here and read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Nonprofit Commons in Second Life Launch at Net Tuesday

NetSquared — Sun, 2 Sep 2007 04:57:00 GMT

An audio recording from the launch of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life on August 14th, 2007. Over 100 avatars in Second Life and 60 people in San Francisco gathered to celebrate the Nonprofit Commons' launch.

Speakers included Anshe Chung, Glitteractica Cookie, Jeska Linden, Coughran Mayo and In Kenzo.

You can learn more about the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life at www.nonprofitcommons.org and you can watch a video from the event at netsquared.blip.tv.

The recording begins part way through Glitteractica Cookieâs opening remarks.

Interview with Peggy Duvette of WiserEarth

NetSquared — Sun, 2 Sep 2007 02:03:00 GMT

Peggy Duvette is the Director of WiserEarth, WiserEarth is a community directory and networking forum that maps and connects non-governmental organizations and individuals addressing the issues of social justice, poverty and the environment. WiserEarth was one of the Featured Projects at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007.

You can hear WiserEarth's 5-minute pitch at the Conference here and read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Interview with Jennifer Sly of YouthAssets

NetSquared — Sun, 2 Sep 2007 01:25:00 GMT

Jennifer Sly is the Founder of YouthAssets, an organization committed to increasing and efficiently managing resources for youth made vulnerable by HIV/AIDs in Southern Africa. YouthAssets was one of the Featured Projects at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007.

You can hear their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here and read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Interview with Eduardo Bejar of Yankana.org

NetSquared — Sat, 1 Sep 2007 19:42:00 GMT

Eduardo Bejar is the Executive Director of Fundapi.org, a nonprofit foundation based in Guayaquil, Ecuador that works with information and communication technology in developing countries. Fundapiâs project, Yankana.org, was one of the Featured Projects at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007.

You can hear their 5-minute pitch from the Conference here and read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Interview with Jesse Patel of Innovatorz

NetSquared — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:51:00 GMT

Jesse Patel a the Co-founder of Innovatorz Media.

During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. Innovatorz was one of the Featured Projects. You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog and listen to their 5-minute pitch at the NetSquared Conference here.

Interview with Linda Alepin of Global Women's Leadership Network

NetSquared — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 01:19:00 GMT

Linda Alepin is the Founding Director of the Global Women's Leadership Network. The Global Women's Leadership Network (GLWN) is an international network of women leaders who dare to transform their organizations, their communities, and the world. During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 Projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. The Global Women's Leadership Network was one of the Featured Projects.

You can hear their 5-minute pitch from the Conference here and read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog.

Interview with Randy Roberson of H.E.L.P.

NetSquared — Thu, 9 Aug 2007 23:47:00 GMT

Interview with Randy Roberson, the Founder and President of H.E.L.P (Humanitarian Emergency Logistics and Preparation). During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. HELPâs International Telemedicine Humanitarian Emergency Mobile Medical Clinic Network was one of the Featured Projects.

You can hear their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here and read a transcript of the interview on the Net2 Blog

Interview with Don Jansen of Farmer 2 Farmer Learning

NetSquared — Mon, 6 Aug 2007 23:37:00 GMT

Interview with Don Jansen Programme Manager of the DE Foundation. During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. Farmer 2 Farmer Learning was one of the Featured Projects.

Farmer 2 Farmer Learning helps farmers in developing countries become more efficient and market oriented when they learn from their experiences, and the experience of their colleagues. The tool provides them with the means to learn by comparison.

You can listen to their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here and read a transcript of this interview on the Net2 Blog.

Interview with Allen Gunn of the Social Source Commons

NetSquared — Thu, 2 Aug 2007 05:42:00 GMT

Allen Gunn is the Executive Director of Aspiration, a nonprofit that connects other nonprofits to software solutions that help them more effectively meet their missions of positive global change. During the Second NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. Aspirationâs Social Source Commons was one of the Featured Projects.

You can hear Aspiration's 5-minute pitch at the Conference here, and read a transcript of the interview on the Net2 Blog.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Dan Newman of MAPLight

NetSquared — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:10:00 GMT

Presentation by Daniel Newman at San Francisco's Net Tuesday.

Dan Newman is the Executive Director and Co-founder of MAPLight.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit that illuminates the connection between money and politics. During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. At the end of the Conference, each attendee voted for the projects that they thought would have the most impact. MAPLight was the first place winner.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Ann Blocker of Freestyle

NetSquared — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:08:00 GMT

Presentation by Ann Blocker, a moderator with Freecycle, at the San Francisco Net Tuesday. The Freecycle Networkâ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving--and getting--stuff for free in their own towns.

During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. At the end of the Conference, each attendee voted for the projects they thought would have the most impact. Freecycle was the third place prize winner.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Ann Blocker of Freecycle

NetSquared — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:03:00 GMT

An interview by David Collin with Ann Blocker, a moderator with Freecycle, at the San Francisco Net Tuesday. The Freecycle Networkâ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving--and getting--stuff for free in their own towns.

During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. At the end of the Conference, each attendee voted for the projects they thought would have the most impact. Freecycle was the third place prize winner.

Interview with Kim Lowery of Kabissa 2.0

NetSquared — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:52:00 GMT

Kim Lowery the co-Executive Director of Kabissa, an organization that helps African civil society organizations put information and communication technologies to work for the benefit of the people they serve. Kabissaâs project, Kabissa 2.0, was one of the Featured Projects at the NetSquared Conference in May 2007.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog and hear their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here.

Interview with Deron Beal of the Freecycle Network

NetSquared — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:37:00 GMT

Deron Beal the Executive Director and Founder of the Freecycle Network, a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. At the end of the Conference, each attendee voted for the projects they thought would have the most impact. Freecycle was the third place prize winner.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog and hear their 5-minute pitch at the Conference here.

Interview with Dan Newman of MAPLight.org

NetSquared — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:15:00 GMT

Dan Newman is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of MAPLight.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit that illuminates the connection between money and politics. During the 2nd NetSquared Conference in May 2007, 21 projects that use the web for social impact presented their work and received feedback and support from the NetSquared Community. At the end of the Conference, each attendee voted for the projects that they thought would have the most impact. MAPLight was the first place winner.

You can read a transcript of this interview on the NetSquared Blog and hear their 5 minute pitch at the Conference here.

Interview with Heather Cronk of PledgeBank

NetSquared — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 02:07:00 GMT

Heather Cronk is the US Outreach Officer for PledgeBank, a site that allows users to set up pledges and encourage other people to sign up to them.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Katy Newton and Sean Connelley of Not Just a Number

NetSquared — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 05:13:00 GMT

Katy Newton and Sean Connelley, producers of Not Just a Number for The Oakland Tribune, and their web affiliate insidebayarea.com, talk about the citizen journalism project.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Jonathan Boutelle of SlideShare

NetSquared — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:03:00 GMT

A presentation by Jonathan Boutelle, Co-founder and CTO of SlideShare at the June 12, 2007 Net Tuesday in San Francisco. SlideShare is a site for hosting and sharing presentations. Users can upload their own PowerPoint presentation, view and download others, and make a mashup of the material from the site. SlideShare is a site for shared knowledge.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Jonathan Boutelle of SlideShare

NetSquared — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:58:00 GMT

An interview by David Collin, the Net Tuesday San Francisco podcaster, with Jonathan Boutelle, Co-founder and CTO of SlideShare. SlideShare is a site for hosting and sharing presentations. Users can upload their own PowerPoint presentation, view and download others, and make a mashup of the material from the site. SlideShare is a site for shared knowledge.

Net Tuesday: Presentation by Cindy Li of Scrapblog

NetSquared — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:53:00 GMT

Presentation by Cindy Li, Director of Content for Scrapblog at the June 12, 2007 San Francisco Net Tuesday. Scrapblog is a scrapbooking website designed to make creating good-looking context for your pictures quick and easy. The Scrapblog motto is: "create a world for your pictures." Cindy also talks about how she used Scrapblog to create a display site for a major nonprofit organization.

Net Tuesday: Interview with Cindy Li of Scrapblog

NetSquared — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:47:00 GMT

An interview by David Collin, the Net Tuesday San Francisco podcaster, with Cindy Li, Director of Content for Scrapblog. Scrapblog is a scrapbooking website designed to make creating good-looking context for your pictures quick and easy. The Scrapblog motto is: "create a world for your pictures." Cindy also talks about how she used Scrapblog to create a display site for a major nonprofit organization.

N2Y2 Con: MAPLight.org: A Light on Money and Politics Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:46:00 GMT

MAPLight.org is a Featured Project at the NetSquared 2nd Conference.

Project Summary

After each election, does your Congressperson vote your way?

Do they take money from tobacco companies? Oil companies? Pharmaceutical firms?

Do they vote to lower your prescription and gas prices? Or do they vote with big-money special interests?

MAPLight.org provides the information you need to hold your legislators accountable.

MAPLight.org is a groundbreaking public database. We illuminate the connection between campaign donations and legislative votes in unprecedented ways.

Elected officials collect large sums of money to run their campaigns, and they often pay back campaign contributors with special access and favorable laws.

This common practice is contrary to the public interest, yet legal. MAPLight.org makes money/vote connections transparent, to help citizens hold their legislators accountable. We bring together all contributions given to legislators with each legislator's votes on every bill. We publish this key civic information on an attractive, easy-to-use free website, www.maplight.org.

MAPLight.org is designed for bloggers, issue-oriented advocacy groups, journalists, and citizens leaders. We provide timely, specific information about money and votes, in the California legislature and, starting in May, U.S. Congress. Our efforts show how big-money campaign contributions affect issues that people care about, promoting transparency, accountability, and reform. We are nonprofit and nonpartisan.

ÃïïÃïÂa preview of the next generation of money-and-politics reporting.Ãïï
--The Sunlight Foundation

With NetSquared funds, we will create customized ÃïïwidgetsÃïï showing campaign contributions and votes in U.S. Congress, updated in real-time. Any blogger, nonprofit group, or citizen can create a widget for free about whatever Federal issue they are interested in.

For a brief overview of MAPLight.org, see our 6-minute Video Tour.

N2Y2 Con: Big Brothers Big Sisters AIM System Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:43:00 GMT

Big Brothers Big Sisters AIM System is a Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference.

Project Summary

Performance figures for agencies who have converted to AIM show that they are leading all other agencies in year-to-year growth, yield rates and improved quality. They are a valuable source of system, workflow and quality enhancement ideas and are our best ambassadors. This effort is at a transition state as we both must maintain momentum to move all desiring agencies to the sytem while maturing/deepeing the ways that it can be used to "go to scale". The addition of a "volunteers portal" at both national and local public website, along with improved CRM (constituent relation management) and CMS (content management systems) capabilities will further leverage AIM.

N2Y2 Con: FamilyFarmed.org Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:41:00 GMT

FamilyFarmed.org is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference.

Project Summary

The recent Time Magazine cover story on Local and organic food made it clear. People want healthy food they trust grown by local and organic farmers. FamilyFarmed.org is a revolutionary system that connects consumers and trade buyers with a network of family farmers and artisanal food producers. FamilyFarmed.org is the place where consumers ÃïïmeetÃïï their farmers re-establish connections with their food, their community, and the land. Buying food from local producers improves the environment, increases access to healthy food, creates jobs and economic development, prevents sprawl, supports family farmers, and combats global warming.

FamilyFarmed.org is helping to create a sustainable local and organic food system by building a community of buyers and sellers of local and organic food. The system is designed to promote more transparency and accountability from producers while simultaneously creating many more opportunities for buyers and sellers to meetÃïïboth on line and in person.

The FamilyFarmed.org EXPO, is a unique and successful show that brings farmers, distributors, retailers, and consumers together to network, learn from each other, and build marketing relationships. The show is profitable and is geared towards building the business of local food producers as well as highlighting leading organic and sustainable businesses.

FamilyFarmed.org is ready to go to the next level by fully developing its capacity as a web community. We seek funding to fully develop content, social networking capacity, and a sophisticated marketing campaign.

N2Y2 Con: The Freecycle Network Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:37:00 GMT

The Freecycle Network is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference.

Project Summary

We are creating a global gift economy in an entirely nonprofit online community at Freecycle.org. Our goal is to make it easier to give something away than to throw it away on a globally local scale with each local community having their own microsite on Freecycle.org which hooks up givers with potential recipients in their local community. Freecycle is a sort of free eBay or cyber curbside.

It represents a global "paying it forward" in which each individual gives away their items which were otherwise destined to fill local landfills. Membership is free and anyone may give or receive in this free cycle of giving.

The Freecycle Network was launched with one email about 3 1/2 years ago and is now active in over 75 countries with millions of grassroots members and thousands of volunteers moderating local groups. We are keeping over 300 tons a day out of landfills as a result which amounts to four times the height of Mt. Everest in the past year alone when stacked in garbage trucks.

If we are to save our planet, we will need to become inspired reusers. Freecycle.org empowers individuals directly to reuse.

N2Y2Con: WiserEarth Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:33:00 GMT

WiserEarth is a Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference.

Project Summary

WiserEarth links organizations and people in new and powerful ways.

The media, academics, students, politicians, and the non-profit world itself can better visualize the extent and comprehensiveness of global civil society
WiserEarth's structured data format combined with its comprehensive taxonomy makes it among the most powerful search tools available in the environmental and social justice fields.
WiserEarth encourages social entrepreneurs, students, scientists, consultants and volunteers to construct personal profiles that will create opportunity and visibility for them, while providing organizations with broader pool of prospective talent.
WiserEarth provides grassroots groups that cannot afford a web presence with visibility and access. Organizations have the full benefit of a database, clearinghouse and web presence without having to build their own.
WiserEarth acts as a no-cost communication network for all organizations through the publishing and encouragement of voice-over-internet-protocol hook-ups (ex: SKYPE).
WiserEarth generates geographic maps to locate individual organizations, or any collection of organizations, from street level to continents.
It offers free postings for recruiting staff, volunteers, and interns and marketplaces to share surplus resources and materials.
WiserEarth is scalable and doesn't require extensive ongoing funding once built. Data will be user-generated as opposed to centrally managed, requiring few staff after public launch.
WiserEarth provides funders a comprehensive landscape of organizations engaged in specific program activities, a helpful tool to better evaluate programs and dockets.

N2Y2 Con: Grassroots.org Toolbox Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:35:00 GMT

Grassroots.org Toolbox is a Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference.

Project Summary

The internet is moving rapidly towards a model of collaborative conversation that leaves static web pages obsolete. Emerging open source technologies are rapidly redefining the cutting edge, and organizations are able to leverage these technologies to engage constituents, partners, and donors.

So why doesn't every nonprofit, everywhere in the world, have the e-advocacy capacity of Moveon.org? What if every community had the social networking tools of the Omidyar Network, or the community publishing abilities of Wikipedia?

The tools already exist (some were used to build this website). However, they're also difficult to configure, customize, and maintain...creating an unfortunate barrier to entry.

Grassroots.org is partnering with groups such as Democracy In Action, MAIN.org, Web Targeted, StrongTech and the Chicago Technology Cooperative to host, configure, and maintain these tools for nonprofit organizations and communities everywhere in the world, for free. We'll include content management, discussion forums, e-advocacy, CRM, event registrations, and even free SEO consulting, using integrated tools based on Drupal, the DIA's Salsa platform, and Egroupware. We'll also offer the free training and support crucial to empowering nonprofits online.

The internet is a conversation; it's time the nonprofit community is heard.

N2Y2 Con: YouthAssets Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:31:00 GMT

YouthAssets is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2).

Project Summary

YouthAssets will develop a web-based knowledge management tool that utilizes the latest mapping technologies and collaboration tools to enable youth and their supporters to share critical information about and for HIV/AIDS orphans in Southern Africa.

N2Y2 Con: Global Women's Leadership Network Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 09:45:00 GMT

Global Women's Leadership Network is one of the Featured Projects at the 2nd Annual NetSquared Conference.

Project Summary

GWLN is creating the network, training programs, and leadership support systems necessary to embolden and enhance the capability of women leaders worldwide. A key part of sustaining results is the availability of a vibrant social network to facilitate continuous mentoring, training and collaboration. GWLN is committed to providing this network through the use of technology. The impact of this technology will be further enhanced by the establishment of in-country academies.

N2Y2 Con: MyKenyanSpace Project: Addressing Africa's Problems Through Social Networks Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 09:38:00 GMT

MyKenyanSpace Project: Addressing Africa's Problems Through Social Networks is a Featured Project of the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2).

Project Summary

Social networking has been an African way of life for centuries. It is embedded in the Ubuntu philosophy of life that translates to, ÃïïYou are because we are.Ãïï It is a way of supporting each other which, thanks to technology, can now be used to solve a critical African problem. Although 80 percent of African people make a living as small farmers or in other self-employment sectors (making handicrafts, etc) they depend on middlemen to access outside markets and therefore earn very little from their labor. My project will take advantage of the spread of ICT in Africa to roll out country-specific social networking sites that will give an opportunity to African producers to network with the outside world, showcase their products. I have personally financed a Kenyan model that can eventually be replicated throughout the continent. You can view my humble contribution at http://www.mykenyanspace.net

N2Y2 Con: Yankana.org: Social Web Tools for Developing Countries Intro Presentation

NetSquared — Wed, 30 May 2007 09:36:00 GMT

Yankana.org: Social Web Tools for Developing Countries is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2).

Project Summary

The digital divide that affects developing countries is more than just the lack of access to the internet. It also has to do with lack of, or minimal, content development as well as limited use of appropiate tools to get the best of the net. Taking these issues into account, how can most non profit organizations located in developing countries attempt to create content with local relevance while using appropiate tools if their technological skills are limited, usually they don't have the required hardware and sometimes not even speak english?
With our help!

Yankana is a project designed to help non profit organizations located in developing countries to utilize, adopt and benefit from social web tools in their fields of work, without requiring technological skills or financial resources for infrastructure, and with support in their native language. Yankana is a project created and promoted by Fundapi, a non profit organization based in Ecuador, South America, that has experience with ICT initiatives for development since 2001.