This is a collection of thoughts by David Gillespie around where we are right now in the history of the Internet. David believes we’re getting ahead of ourselves, confusing the growth of the Internet with it growing up, but he also believes we’re doing some amazing things, and can draw a few lines in the sand, making some solid guesses on where we are going.

Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape.

At the Web 2.0 Expo, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk gives a shot in the arm to dreamers and up-and-comers who face self-doubt. The Internet has made the formula for success simpler than ever, he argues. So there’s now no excuse not to do what makes you happy.

Note: This presentation contains adult language.

http://twitter.com/garyvee

Poverty appears a complex issue. A minefield of an issue. But what if behind the obvious suspects, the causes lie deeper. And as such poverty becomes a more common experience than we assume.

Perhaps the answers to the experience of poverty lie somewhere within in the relationship between these two possibilities. And, in our ability to give fishing lessons in a particular fashion.

http://twitter.com/nicaskew

http://www.nicaskew.com/

Growing Power is a short story of Will Allen who is the founder of “Growing Power Inc.”.

http://www.growingpower.org/

http://twitter.com/growingpower

http://www.facebook.com/growingpower

Good morning!

First, I want to take a quick opportunity to thank you for all of your work for the Haiti Choir Project. What a blessing it was to see all of you come together to help raise over $5000 for food, water, and shelter for the Haitian people. Be sure to check out Citizen Effect for updates on the project!

The second piece comes with the reality that we are not done. The Haitian people still need our support, especially as the rain seasons come. The tent cities will not be able to endure the harsh rains so shelter is an absolute necessity. That’s why, for the month of March, we’re coming alongside World Vision’s Haiti relief efforts. And we’re inviting you to join us. Here’s how we’re going to do it:

• For each week of March, set aside just $10. Think about your coffee budget, gas budget, and the little extras that you purchase each week.  Take a little bit out each week. Just $10. Then, on March 30th at 5PM EST, those who participate will all go to World Vision and donate the $40 we saved.

But there’s also a personal, creative touch to it that I’m absolutely thrilled about:

• Throughout this month, we’d like for all of you who join to create something. It can be a poem, a sculpture, a sketch, a digital media piece, a video…I think you get the picture. Whatever you choose to make, do it as an expression of your personal response to the Haiti earthquake. Then submit the piece (if it’s a sculpture or art piece, take a photograph for us) to Colin- our awesome online media guru- at colin@zyozy.org by March 28th. Send it with brief info on who you are, where you’re from, and the story behind your contribution.

Colin will post the pictures and pieces to the Brighter Way website to create this beautiful digital media gallery. We’re thrilled to move forward on this.  As always, if you have any questions, you can email me (Amy) at amy@zyozy.org. I love hearing from you!

It all starts March 1st! Will you join us?  You can let us know by posting this to your facebook, tweeting the hashtag #10dollarM, or blogging about your experience!

Amy X (@amycarolwolff)

Paul Polak isn’t your everyday global poverty fighter. He’s a 75-year old former psychiatrist who believes that the world’s poorest people, most of whom are farmers living on less than $2/day, are capable entrepreneurs and viable consumers. It’s a philosophy that drove him to start International Development Enterprises (IDE), a non-profit providing these $2/day farmers affordable irrigation & high-yield farming strategies. After 25 years, Dr. Polak and IDE succeeded in moving over 17 million people out of poverty. He has since turned over leadership of the organization to Al Doerkson but remains actively involved as a board member and advisor. Still driven to do more, he decided to start another non-profit venture, a for-profit venture, and to write a book, all aimed at harnessing the market to combat poverty. The non-profit, called D-Rev: Design for the Other 90%, aims to create a global “design revolution” to change the way the world’s best designers view and serve the 2.8 billion people who live on less than $2 a day. Dr. Polak outlines the principles for this design revolution in his book Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail, explaining how designers can profitably serve the world’s lowest-income consumers while simultaneously providing them a path out of poverty. His for-profit venture, called Windhorse International, will demonstrate that big business can be a part of this revolution. Poverty better watch out!

http://www.paulpolak.com/

http://twitter.com/outofpoverty

Overview of 37 new and inspiring ways to develop products ideas.

Overview of 37 innovation principles and inspiring examples for a better world.

She’s a precocious learner, TED speaker, published author and teacher of other kids. Twelve-year-old Adora Svitak talks for a few minutes about how she ended up at TED, what interests her in technology, and why she likes Twitter.

During her time on the stage at TED, Adora advocated a sort of “Kid’s Rights” sentiment, arguing that adults should take young people more seriously and be more interested in learning from kids to foster a more reciprocal relationship between age groups. She says that because kids tend to be less constrained by social norms than adults as we get older, young people can often offer a unique and perhaps more creative, out-of-the-box approach to problems.

Quotes from Adora’s TED Talk

“Age has nothing to do with irresponsibility and irrational thinking.”

“The goal is not to turn kids into your kind of adult but a better adult than you’ve been.”

“The world needs opportunities for new leaders and new ideas.”

“You need to create opportunities for children, trust them and expect more. kids need opportunities lead/succeed.”

“For better or worse, we kids aren’t hampered by reasons not to do things.”

“We cannot look ahead negatively we need a new generation of leaders to lead and take us in a new direction.”

“When expectations are low, trust me, we will sink to them.”

Adora Svitak (12), TED, 13 February, 2010

http://www.adorasvitak.com/
http://twitter.com/adorasv
http://www.adorasvitak.com/Blog.html

Five choirs around the US and Uganda came together to sing of a “Brighter Way” for Haiti. Share the word with everyone you know.

Voena Children’s Choir: http://voena.org

Pacoima Singers

BRIGHTER WAY
Words, music, vocals Amy Carol Wolff, bass Evan Bogunia, guitar Jonathan Gornick.

V1
To those who see the widowed
The infected and abused
To those who hear them asking for deliverance
To those who are angered
By the failed attempts at progress
And are inspired to give the forgotten their voice

C
Show them theres a brighter way
A rushing river gaining ground
Bringing life and hope abound
A brighter love,
One that reaches deep enough
To see their pain and lift them up in grace
This is purpose
For this we sing.

V2
We must join together
Hear the cries of the hopeful
Who know there is power in our passion
Committing to this calling
To be one in our mission, empowering with life

C
Show them theres a brighter way
A rushing river gaining ground
Bringing life and hope abound
A brighter love,
One that reaches deep enough
To see their pain and lift them up in grace
This is purpose
For this we sing.

V3
This is our noble battle,
Our adventure finding beauty,
In the eyes of a child, in the callused hands of poverty
We will not settle for signed paper contracts
We will move, inspiring others to believe
Show them theres a brighter way
A brighter love, oh

C
Show them theres a brighter way
A rushing river gaining ground
Bringing life and hope abound
A brighter love,
One that reaches deep enough
To see their pain and lift them up in grace
This is purpose
For this we sing.
For this we sing.
For those who see

©zyOzy Foundation, 2009