29 Gifts: Day 2, Triple Whammy

I’m on Day 2 of the 29-Day Giving Challenge and today was a good one! First, I got to see my friend who was the recipient of Day 1’s gift. She really liked it, and that made me happy.

On to today. I had a friend who was wanting to do a little extra baking, so I came up with a little muffin pan (can you call silicone implements “pans?”) for her and wrapped it up with a bow.

While I was out shopping for the muffin pan, I also grabbed a little hand sanitizer for a friend and coworker who has been meaning to get some.

Then, I had what I felt was an inspired moment and decided to give another friend and coworker a LAUGH by leaving him this:

29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 1, A Simple Start

I have finally begun the 29-Day Giving Challenge, a movement to “give one thing away each day for 29 days.” I first read about this in a blog post by Britt Bravo and was intrigued, but for some reason was ‘waiting’ to be motivated to begin.

Why wait?

So today I gave a book on wedding vows and traditions that I bought for my own wedding to a friend who recently got engaged. I had thought of keeping the book for… kids? Posterity? It was definitely more fun giving it to my friend. (She hasn’t seen it yet- she happens to be a coworker and was not in the office today; I think she’ll see it tomorrow. Leaving it for her was fun anyway.)

So, nothing profound to report, but that was my Day 1.

Are YOU to Blame for Your Stalker?

I just discovered a comment, which I had thought permanently rejected, was in fact posted on a blog, and I wanted to explore the subject a little more. Since comments are closed, I’ll address the issue here.

Chris Miller explores the topic of social stalking; you should read the whole post on The Social Networker, but basically, I am contesting the statement disagree with the suggestion that “You are first to blame for not securing your information.  Next for even directly sharing all your information to anyone that wants to look.”

My original response:

As for the blame, Chris, I have to disagree. Saying that you, the user, are the first to blame before the stalker is pretty backward. If you are stalked, regardless of how careless you may have been with your information, you are not to blame for someone else’s inappropriate behavior.

I agree that there is an onus on users to be responsible and protective of their information to a certain degree, but we shouldn’t be creating the expectation that everyone better lock up their stuff nice and tight or else stalking is fair game (not what you said, I know, but hopefully the point is clear).

The blame for inappropriate behavior is first and foremost on the person behaving poorly. There are things we can do to protect ourselves from bad behavior, but failing to do them doesn’t mean that we are to blame for the behavior.

Chris’ response to me:

Well I tend to disagree on some of that. While we would love to have an open dialog and everyone will behave, it just isn’t possible. So providing either secured (to trusted friends) or limited info (such as not exact locations) is required. Sounds like we could have a conversation on this.

What I want to add here is an analogy. While I hate to take it to such an ugly place, I believe it has been well established in rape cases that if a person dresses in sexy attire, it is certainly not that person’s fault if s/he is raped!

So back to our social stalker situation… As potential prey, I may be throwing out information right and left, and while this may not be wise of me (just like it may not be wise to run about clad in hot pink versions of one’s underwear), it is still my right not to be the subject of criminal acts. My naivete does not change that.

Assuming that I do not want to be the victim of a crime, there are certain things I can do to protect myself based on the behavior of criminals. But that’s they key- my protective measures are based on the criminals’ behaviors, not vice-versa. It’s the criminal behaviors that are the root of the problem.

Anyone want to weigh in? Is there something I am missing?

E2E: Energy to Energy, a Health and Environmental Initiative

I submitted this idea for Google’s Project 10^100 and thought I’d share it here too. My idea is called E2E, per this post’s title. Below are Google’s application questions and my answers.

What one sentence best describes your idea? (maximum 150 characters)

Take stored energy off people (fat!) and convert it to energy that can be used for power!

Describe your idea in more depth. (maximum 300 words)

I’d like to develop an exercise machine that people can use while being sedentary- at work or watching TV- that would store the power that is generated by the exercise! Then that power would be available for reuse!

What problem or issue does your idea address? (maximum 150 words)

It addresses the need for more activity in many people’s lives while simultaneously addressing the need for sustainable energy.

If your idea were to become a reality, who would benefit the most and how? (maximum 150 words)

People who have a little extra ‘energy’ on them would benefit, as well as anyone who uses power!

What are the initial steps required to get this idea off the ground? (maximum 150 words)

1. Develop a prototype for the exercise machine and power storage system.
2. Find a way to easily apply the stored power to existing power needs.

Describe the optimal outcome should your idea be selected and successfully implemented. How would you measure it? (maximum 150 words)

People would be more fit; more sustainable energy would be available, measurable in a decrease on traditional energy sources.

Those were my answers as I gave them, verbatim. I completed this on a whim, though this is an idea I have been batting around for a while. Does it make sense? What do you think?

Fighting Poverty through Microloans – Blog Action Day 08

As part of Blog Action Day, I want to write about kiva.org and add my voice to raise the awareness of the wonderful work that they are doing.

Kiva is a wonderful example of nonprofits using technology to make a difference. Kiva’s mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva facilitates loans between you and entrepreneurs in developing countries. You can loan as little as $25 or as much as you want. As the loan is repaid, you can keep the money, re-loan the money or donate the money to Kiva to help support their work.

As a Kiva lender, I can vouch for how easy their website is to use and all the great features that it has. Making loans is easy, connecting to your PayPal account is easy. You can create Lending Teams which means that you and your friends, family or another group of people with a common interest can all choose to lend together to support one entrepreneur or many. Kiva also has Journals which give you lots of information the people you’re helping and the businesses your loans have helped to develop.

The best part? It’s not a cool feature of Kiva’s website, but the end result of their work: real people are assisted in moving closer to financial independence. This has implications (think ripple effect) for not only one individual life, but also their family, and their community.

Make a loan right now to help change someone’s life, or use the following link to learn more about Kiva.

How Can Your Nonprofit Put Photosynth to Good Use?

Microsoft’s Photosynth, a 3D environmental creation tool, has recently become available to Windows Live users. It allows you to upload digital photos, anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred, and create a virtual space out of them – a space you can ‘move’ through in an almost video game-like way.

I’m imagining nonprofits building ’synths’ like a school in Tanzania, a disaster recovery area in the U.S. Gulf Coast or maybe a natural wildlife habitat that’s the subject of a preservation effort. Who knows? Imagine having the capability to take people ‘in’ spaces that they have previously only been able to experience in 2D!

In my mind, any space that you might want to take a potential advocate, volunteer or donor to but are not physically able to do so could be a candidate for a great synth.

I haven’t played with this tool yet, so can’t report on its usability, but here’s Josh Lowensohn of Webware’s post about Photosynth, as well as the instructional Photosynth video from Microsoft.

What else might you do with Photosynth? Could you use it to start a larger, more meaningful conversation? Would it be worth the time? Weigh in in the comments!

Opting in to the Changeblogger Meme

Qui Diaz of the Buzz Bin has started a cool Changeblogger Meme. No, I haven’t been tagged and no- I can’t call myself a changeblogger proper just now, but I like the meme and was inspired to participate! Who knows, maybe I will be inspired to be a changeblogger! I found the meme on Alexandra Rampy’s blog (a.k.a SocialButterfly). You should check out both of these blogs if you have any interest in social media and marketing. On to the meme…

What is one change – big or small, local or global – you want to see in your lifetime?

I’d like to see more attitudes change in the United States (enough to reach that tipping point) about climate change, our environment and the importance (and real need!) of living sustainably.

Who is already working this issue that you think others should support?

Many more than I can think of or name. Here’s who comes to mind at the moment: Global Giving Green, The Nature Conservancy, Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

How are you going to use your Web/tech/marcom skills to further this cause? (Or, what are you already doing that works?)

I’m just getting started blogging- tried to add the Social Actions widget to this post but didn’t have success. (See it in action on Amy Sample Ward’s blog.) I’m doing my best to study up on social media and hope to become a leading point of contact in my metro area (Louisville) for nonprofits that want to get into social media.

Admittedly, most of my efforts in the green arena are in my daily life, not so much with my web or social media skills. So- I am open to suggestion! I think this is something I will have to develop!

And Finally…

I tag Ashley Cecil, The Painting Activist.

Photo Credit

Flickr, 416style

e-Newsletters… Dying or Just in Need of a New Touch?

I had a great exchange with Kyle Lacy regarding a comment at the end of his blog post on things to remember when blogging. It was a great post, focusing on Gary Vaynerchuk’s advice to build content and community. Kyle ended with this line:

If you care more about your bottom line than helping and joining the COMMUNITY behind your brand… Go ahead and send out an e-newsletter. Don’t waste your time with a blog.

You can see the whole of my response and our back and forth in the comments on Kyle’s blog post, but my general point was that I am not sure e-newsletters are dead, or that they should be.

I mentioned Chris Brogan’s successful use of an e-newsletter in conjunction with his blog. Chris does an amazing job of integrating his e-newsletter with other channels so that the newsletter has a real value to his readers when it arrives and adds to the content that’s on his blog without repeating it. Maybe Chris is an exception, but he shouldn’t be!

Especially for nonprofits, when we are sometimes slower to adopt new technology and use the tools we have for a longer time, we have to find ways to make what we have work, to make it exciting and to make it serve our mission.

I realize that a newsletter will never build a conversation the way a blog or lifestreaming tool or other shiny 2.0 tool can, but it can still deliver valuable content right? If you are delivering value to your volunteers, advocates or donors by giving them news and information that they care about or tools that they can use, isn’t this a strong foundation for community-building?

What do you think?

Social Media Club Louisville: August Takeaways

I had a nice evening at Social Media Club Louisville’s August meeting. Jason Falls talked about how social media can save traditional media , but since the presentation was a preview of his presentation for Blog World Expo, I’ll limit this post to my thoughts from the evening- some general, a few related to nonprofits.

We’re getting less bang for our buck via traditional media.

Duh, right? With the advent of the internet, satellite tv and radio, Tivo and the like, the traditional channels aren’t functioning quite the way they used to. Don’t ask me for numbers on this. Jason did a much better job of that- go see him present at Blog World Expo. Point is, with limited dollars to begin with, nonprofits need to start looking for other ways to make the best use of their thin budgets.

We got ourselves a website, so now what?

Just having a website isn’t good enough any more. Whether or not you like the term “Web 2.0,” you have to embrace the concepts of interaction, collaboration and sharing. You might do this with a blog, vlog (video blog), photo group, via twitter or using any of a thousand other tools, but the key things are to listen, participate and reciprocate! And consider – how can you let your audience participate in a more meaningful way? Can they provide content for you or have more involved interaction with you? How?

If you build it, they will come.

There’s inherent value in being authentic.

There’s a real social value in it too. Upon some discussion around knowing when contributions were correct or of good quality, I found myself thinking more about something I have thought often. I believe authenticity is social currency. If your word, your reputation, is not to be trusted, then nothing you say is of value to anyone. To the people who care to actively participate in communities online, this idea is nothing to scoff at.

Sure, there will always be pranksters and whatnot who will intentionally try to deceive you, but they are the minority. When you consider what social media is to begin with – connection and sharing between people – then it seems pretty clear that being authentic is an important traint to possess. Who wants to connect with a spammer?

Were you at SMC Louisville in August?

If so, let me know your thoughts on the meeting or this post. If not, let me know your thoughts on the post anyway!

Content Theft- What Would You Do?

Today, I discovered that Metro United Way’s photos had been used – without permission or even credit – on the website UnCoached.com [ed. link removed]. The content of the post was unflattering toward Gary Brackett and the Indianapolis Colts (the photo was of Gary/Colts) and mentioned Metro United Way in the periphery.

I chose to act on behalf of the organization, and left the following comment, which is, at time of writing, awaiting moderation:

Hello UnCoached & Natty-

We support Gary and the Colts and applaud their efforts to bring attention to local communities and nonprofit organizations. Personally, I believe that just because one of our photographers caught Gary at an unexpected moment doesn’t mean he wished not to be there.

Also- I wish to bring it to your attention you that you have used Metro United Way’s content, to which we own and reserve full rights, without our permission and without giving any kind of credit. These photos were taken by staff of Metro United Way and are the sole property of Metro United Way. In the future, contact us to get our permission before using any of our photos, videos, writing or any other content. Your adherence to copyright law is appreciated!

Thanks!

- Erin McMahon

What do you think? How’d I do? Would you have acted? How might you have acted differently?