Blogging for change

As the blog phenom gains momentum, non-profit organizations and their philanthropic funders are asking how they can use blogs to improve their ability to get their message out.  Some groups are also starting to use password-protected blogs for better communication within their organization or between funders and grantees.

Tomorrow night I'll be giving a talk to some people from the philanthropic community. It's titled: "Blogs and the Public Interest: Does Participatory Media Strengthen Democracy?"  I'll talk about why I left a major media organization to explore participatory media, why I think it's important, and how non-profits can use it.

I'll also be running a brainstorming session on nonprofit blogging at the N-Ten Boston conference next week. I've prepared  this introductory blogging handout as a basic resource guide.  It's free for anybody to use. It can probably be vastly improved, and I welcome suggestions.

I'm also thinking it would be interesting to build a public aggregator of blogs by non-profit and activist groups. Please list any you know in the comments section and I'll start putting it together as soon as I gain critical mass.

Comments

[marnie webb]

I started collecting npo blogs here: http://www.omidyar.net/group/compumentor/ws/nonprofit_blogs/

In addition, these profiles might be of use to you:
http://www.techsoup.org/howto/npostory_article.cfm?articleid=80&topicid=0

Finally, you might find some useful stuff here:
http://www.techsoup.org/weblogs

Hope these are useful. I'll be looking forward to hearing how the NTEN Boston conversation goes.

[Zack Rosen]

Check out

http://advocacydev.org/blogs/

Our blog (CivicSpace)

http://www.civicspacelabs.org/node

[michael]

http://www.progressivemajoritywashington.org/ (we use the front page as a blog)

[Jim Moore]

Hi Rebecca:

It might be instructive to look at an ecology of websights devoted to one particular problem. The movement to stop the Genocide in Sudan provides several active sites that work closely together in complementary ways.

1. Sudan: The Passion of the Present is a site whose purpose is to use open source methods, an information community and the daily responsiveness of blog campaigning to inform and stimulate the movement. This site is by design edgy and personal, with several editors who work from the US and the UK, and post 24/7.

http://passionofthepresent.org

2. The Save Darfur Coalition is a broad coalition of major religious and humanitarian organizations. It's site is closely associated with Sudan: The Passion of the Present serves a different function and has a contrasting design. Save Darfur's site is the online educational center of a coalition and speaks with a more measured and consciously authoritative voice.

http://savedarfur.org

3. Fight or Die is an example of a grassroots organizing site that anchors daily direct action in the streets of New York.

http://www.fightordie.org

4. The United States Holocaust Museum Commitee on Conscience is charged with preventing and stopping genocides. It has a very powerful institutional site that focuses on Sudan--and it's staff works closely with leaders of the other initiatives.

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/sudan/darfur/index.php

5. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International sites to provide in-depth reports.

http://hrw.org
http://aiusa.org

5. Sudan: The Passion of the Present has an "Activists Workstation" that provides instant access to a panel of realtime news aggregation services ranging from Google News/Sudan to Sudan.net and the Sudan Tribune, to the very anti-US Islam Online.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=sudan&btnG=Search+News

http://sudan.net/news.shtml

[Liza Sabater]

Hi Rebecca,

First time here.

I publish www.culturekitchen.com and am a contributor of Radio Free Blogistan (from whence I came to your blog).

This past week I wrote this on the blog :

culturekitchen is not going to be mine anymore. This here blog will be going through some radical changes in the next weeks. I am turning culturekitchen not only into a community blog, but into an online community and network for progressive activists. I will be using CivicSpace's platform to turn the place around and make it a node of the progressive movement. Many of us have recognized a movement germinated during this presidential campaign. Many have asked, what's next? My response is simple : let's turn action into community.

With the new culturekitchen.network I see the possibility of tending to this new progressive movement and growing it, propagating it. I see the possibility of using the technologies and practices we've developed online to build a stronger, more unified reality-based community.

In net art, critical theorists and curators talk about the use of the internet and software art as a means to creating virtual spaces that augment the geographical, analog, reality-based world. Well, after these elections, I see the online community building opportunities in reverse. We can use them not only as spaces to augment what's on the ground, but as outgrowths of what's happening online. We can use our online power to reach and transform the geographical, analog, reality-based worlds we're living in.

Many people living outside of faith based community have lost their ability to connect, to organize, and to network. But on the internet it is very different. Let's use the practices we have already put in place here and bring them to our geographical communities. To effect them, not through demagoguery, fear and manipulation, but through the transformative power of creative action.

I would be more than happy to join forces into putting this newsfeed together because I already have the infrastructure in place. All I need is editors.

I need people to not just add the links to the aggregator feature that comes with CivicSpace but act as curators and METAWEB the feeds. The major work would be in decided the taxonomies and categories into which these feeds would fall into.

This is absolutely necessary. For example, I've noticed that DailyKos articles that I comment or reblog on my blog, end up on a higher search order than the original. This happens to my posts vis-a-vis other blogs. I believe a lot of it has to do with how I have organized my categories and how standards friendly my blog strives to be.

Google is the biggest librarian in the world. The internet, the largest library. Blogs like mine are more than publications : we act as curators, critics and publishers of the wild and unruly world of publications.

With the new culturekitchen network, I hope to make it easier to find the voices of creative dissent; by becoming a node and gateway to the progressive and creative communities online and off.

Anybody and everybody that would be interested in participating in this project, please email me at blogdiva a.t. culturektichen d.o.t.c.o.m

[Warren Celli]

Rebecca,
1. On the hand out -- don't use PDF without telling folks its a PDF file -- pain in the ass waiting for Adobe Pagereader to open. Does not facilitate interest -- I hate that freaking program!!!!!

[Warren Celli]

Rebecca,
1. On the hand out -- don't use PDF without telling folks its a PDF file -- pain in the ass waiting for Adobe Pagereader to open. Does not facilitate interest -- I hate that freaking program!!!!!

[Hanan Cohen]

Nonprofit Online News is a great resource by the Gilbert Center. Not a blog per-se but a must read for social change activists and nonprofits.

http://news.gilbert.org/

[Trudy W. Schuett]

Yes, I know I'm late getting here, but I'm just getting caught up a little bit.

My DesertLight Journal is subtitled: "Domestic Violence Resources for the Whole Community."

It's part of a larger effort to provide awareness, and we hope, help, for the unserved and generally-ignored victims that don't fit into the plans/ideology of current services.

[sonny]

Sorry to be missing you in Boston next week. Last year's NTEN Boston was a catalyst for my now fully incurable blogging bug.

Here is my little blog on sector(and region) specific topics.

Vermont Nonprofit CommunIT: http://cvnp.typepad.com

[Roger Benningfield]

One of my users operates an activism blog called the Stop Shopping Monitor:

http://stopshoppingmonitor.com/

He can also host other folks' anti-consumerism blogs in his JournURL-powered community:

http://stopshopping.journurl.com/

[Katrin Verclas]

Rebecca -- There used to be a npo aggregator -- npoblogs.org -- that lost its server and home. Ruby Sinreich of orangepolitics.org and Planned Parenthood was going to take it over, but alas, it seems to have vanished.

Our blog is at www.aspirationtech.org.

[Micah Sifry]

Rebecca--

Common Cause has a blog: http://www.commonblog.com/ and Campaign Money Watch has two, each with a specific mission: http://georgewbuy.blogspot.com/ and http://dailydelay.blogspot.com.

I think this is a great idea and I'd love to help out in some fashion!

Micah

[micki]

Check out Trevor Cook's Sanctuary news: http://trevorcook.typepad.com/sanctuary. A blog set up to help refugees move from Sierra Leone to Austrailia. (I met him at Bloggercon)

[Anna]

I second Warren on the PDF.

oh wait - Warren already seconded himself.

From someone over in
Dan Gillmor's comments:
"...marcom people in general dislike the idea of giving the users of a document (the people who read it) any control over its appearance. Of course HTML is designed with the opposite goal in mind. So the user-friendly approach is to use HTML, which is exactly why marketing people avoid it."

[Ruby Sinreich]

Great work on this, Rebecca! I hope you don't mind if I share your handout. (Althoguh I also wish it wasn't in PDF format, but I can deal).

I am totally on a mission to get nonprofits and activists to blog! It's even harder at PP than with other organizations, but we've made some progress.

Also, NPOblogs.org is not dead, but has been in a persistent vegetative state for some time now. Hopefully a few of us can pull together and get it going again - this time with more advocacy and activist content!

[David Sontag]

There's a (non-profit) global community of youth called TakingITGlobal, and they have quite a few interesting blogs. You can find a list of recent updates here:

http://updates.takingitglobal.org/

[Rebecca]

OK folks sorry about the PDF. I'll do something in HTML for the next version.

[ismael]

My 2 cents... and my npo blog:

www.ICTlogy.net

about e-learning for nonprofits, online volunteering, and ICT4D in general.

[mark crane]

Friends:

The Vice Prez of the Sudan is in town and is to be at the UN tomorrow.
WE will be there, too. We are meeting at the park on 47th Street
between 1st and 2nd Avenues; 10 am to 5 pm tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb.
8th. At tomorrow's rally, at NOON, we are going to have a meeting
between several groups, planning our strategy for the big, BIG WAKE UP
WALL STREET rally on March 28th at the Stock Exchange. THis rally is
preceded by a March 24th Concert for Darfur at the C Note in the
village.

Both flyers are at the end of this email.

We need EVERYONE'S BEST EFFORTS now more than ever. This planning
session will be for a one-time event that could really open the
floodgates on this issue. We need input from the most creative
thinkers, and efforts from the most dedicated.

See you tomorrow!

Mark 718-432-2674

RALLY FLYER:

Friends: Please spread the word with regards to this awareness raising:

TAKE DIRECT ACTION AGAINST INVESTMENT IN CORPORATIONS
PROFITING OFF THE SUDANESE REGIME CARRYING ON A

GENOCIDE IN DARFUR

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2005

8 AM TO 2 PM

AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE
take the A, C, 2, 3, 4, 5 train to Fulton-Broadway Nassau
– then, walk south to Wall, one block east of Broadway.

A HISTORIC EVENT

WAKE UP WALL STREET

Bring: A sign, a friend, a sign for your friend.
Bring a noisemaker (to “Wake up Wall Street.”)

Learn the issues: Log on NOW to FIGHTORDIE.ORG.
DOWNLOAD flyers to print and hand out at the event or sample posters.

And, don’t forget the pre-rally concert for Darfur,
Thursday, March 24th at the C-Note, 157 Avenue C at 10 Steet.
$5 admission w/ 1 drink min.

FLYER FOR CONCERT FOR DARFUR:

March 24,2005 -Fundraiser for the Victims of
Genocidein the Sudan and Doctors without Borders-
Cost:$5
Time:8pm-11 pm
Location: The C-Note- 157 Avenue C at 10 Steet
Event Web site: www.Ekayani.com
Website of Club: www.thecnote.com
Club phone:(212) 677-8142
For Immediate Release:
Join Ekayani, Ali Eskandarian, Mike McHugh, Agents of
Karma, DJ Neva Wartell & AndreaP, and activist Mark
Crane for an evening of socially conscious &
compassionate entertainment. Music also provided by
Waxploitation records from the CD "Genocide in the
Sudan" featuring
tracks by; Jill Scott, Thievery Corporation, Yoko
Ono,System of a Down, Jurassic, Antibalas, Angelique
Kidjo, Bad Religion, Toots and the Maytals, The Night
Watchman, Tortoise, Mark Farina, Danger Mouse, Teargas
and Plateglass, DJ Spooky, Tweaker, Gorilla, Kinky,
The Pretenders, Rise Against and the X-ecutioners.
New Century wishes to thank Steven Scharf
Entertainment, AOK, The C-Note, Rita Ghoulum of
Waxploitation Records, Waxploitation.com/genocide,
Eric Reeves, divestsudan.org, sudanreeves.org, John
Kruth, and Nat Hentoff for writing an excellent series
of articles on the crisis in the Sudan.

PROGRAM:
A Fundraiser for the Victims of Genocide in the Sudan
and Doctors without Borders hosted by Ekayani. Doors
Open at 8pm. DJ set from 8-8:30 by NEVA. . Live set
begins at 8:30 . Benefit ends at 11 PM.
BIOS:
8: 30 PM- ALI Eskandarian
Iranian born singer songwriter splits away from the
status quo of bubble gum pop by making socially
conscious songwriting his devoir. A cross between Jeff
Buckley and the Velvet Underground, Ali is an emerging
talent appearing nationally at The Jeff Buckley
festival in Chicago and in New York at The C-Note and
The Living Room. Tonight this dynamic artist performs
an acoustic set.
MIKE McHugh- Solid New York songwriter and poet Mike
McHugh, on the scene from the days of The SpeakEasy in
the West Village and the folk-anti-folk
movement,contributes topical songs to the evening such
as "Money to Burn". He wrote "Two Lovers Can Draw Down
the Moon" covered beautifully by songstress Erin Hill
and HEATSEEKERS CHART topper in 2004.
AGENTS of KARMA-
James Cavanaugh on bass guitar heads
the New York based politically and socially conscious
rock trio AOK. "A phaser-soaked bass guitar thrusts
the melody out into the audience; pounded out with all
the fury and flash of a prom date scorned. Indeed, as
the bassist cues off the sharp clap of snare and
hi-hat; lets the warm and full drone of the guitar's
first set of chords soak in; and cuts to the lead
vocal of the opening song, "One Man's Trash", he looks
like he should be wearing a tattered tuxedo. "
- review by PaperTaxi agentsofkarma.com
DJ "Neva" Wartell is joined by AndreaP -
has a lengthy list of accomplishments
including radio, concert and event production. She has
a degree in Ethnomusicology/Linguistics and an MS in
Latin American & Caribbean Studies/Ethnomusicology.
Neva produced & hosted the weekly "Continental Drift"
on WBAI-FM, NYC (1990-1994). She is the founding
member of Music for the Masses, a collective of
international DJs, musicians, dancers, visual artists
and other cultural activists dedicated to the creation
of a world without borders. Currently, she can be
heard on Haitian community radio station Radio Soleil
www.RadioSoleil.com NEVA will be selling copies of
ASAP: African Sudan Aid Project music CD's at the
show with tracks featuring Kezia Jones, Antibalas
Orchestra and many others!
MARK CRANE, activist-
Mark Crane has been holding and
organizing vigils around the city with diverse groups
of people to call attention to the crisis in the
Sudan at such locations as the Sudanese Embassy in New
York City. He is passionate and knowledgeable about
this cause and is well connected to a number of
activist groups in the tri-state area. A "WAKE UP WALL
STREET" rally will be held Friday, March 28,2005 in
front of the New York Stock Exchange from 8 AM- 2 PM.
For details please visit Mark Crane's web site at
fightordie.org for more information.
EKAYANI-singer songwriter and bandleader of Ekayani
and the Healing Band, Ekayani coordinates and hosts
musical and cultural events around the city. Her album
FULL LENGTH is due out in March 2005. www.ekayani.com

[Deborah Elizabeth Finn]

Dear Rebecca,

I'm a little slow in getting around to responding to your request, but you are very welcome to include my blog on "Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector" in your roster.

Warm regards from Deborah

Deborah Elizabeth Finn
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
http://public.xdi.org/=deborah.elizabeth.finn

[Kate Sands]

Rebecca:

Hello--another blog suggestion for your list.

The International Rescue Committee--the NPO where I work--recently launched a photo blog, IRCblog.org.

We've started out with a few regular bloggers, but the goal is to build momentum so that IRC staff in 25 countries around the world and 20 refugee resettlement offices across the U.S. are contributing their own stories and photos.

Best Regards,

Kate Sands
IRC

[Beth]

Better late than never! This is a great list!

[Phil A.]

I recently launched a blog on foundations and nonprofits (Hail, Sons and Daughters of Carnegie). You can find it at http://philanthropy.typepad.com/. I plan to encourage members of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy to start their own blogs. They're generally younger than most folks in philanthropy and their voices are sorely missed. Thanks for the great blog.

[deviousdiva]

I started this blog THIS IS NOT MY COUNTRY concentrating on Human rights issues in my adopted country of Greece.
It is a great idea to have this list of activist blogs for those of us who are only interested in blogging or reading blogs for that reason. Thank you