How is social networking transforming nonprofit and social change efforts?
Or is it just lulling us into a false sense of confidence?
Aren’t the forces against change just as empowered by social networking as we are?
How can I, as an individual, have a meaningful impact on the most pressing global issues of the day?
How can we cope with (and even thrive from) the fire hose of information that social networking unleashes?
Join us for an evening of conversation about the current and future state of social networking, and its role in changing the world, as well as ourselves. Our special guest will be Deanna Zandt. Deanna is a New York-based media technologist, consultant to key progressive media organizations including AlterNet and Jim Hightower’s Hightower Lowdown, and a Research Fellow at the Center for Social Media at American University. She is also author of the recently published book Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking.
Deanna has a unique perspective on the profound impact of social networking. And so do each of us … whether you’re coming from the perspective of a non-profit, a techie, an activist, a venture capitalist or a cynic. So, come and add your voice to this conversation, which promises to be inspiring, informative and interactive.
As usual, light food will be available. So will copies of Deanna’s book for purchase — though you might want to get hold of it sooner via Amazon or elsewhere.
Can’t make it to the event itself? Come back to this page on September 7 for a link to the live Internet stream of the event, and for information about participating in the Twitter backchannel!
Our discussion will be led by Nicole Newman of Newman Networks, who will review some key social media principles and introduce a way to “connect the dots” of your social media strategy. Then several local nonprofits and activists will describe their own social media experiences, and we’ll help them “conn…ect the dots” themselves.
This informative and highly interactive session is for anybody who wants to learn and share a fresh approach to advancing their nonprofit or social cause with social media.
Nicole Newman is a technology specialist helping organizations create executable plans for profitable results by increasing networking opportunities and efficient IT driven marketing solutions. She has worked with hundreds of organizations in four short years (online and offline) interweaving networks to create a better Philadelphia community. You can find out more about her on LinkedIn or Facebook.
We gratefully acknowledge our sponsor this month, dice.com, “the career hub for tech insiders”, who will be providing food, as well as giving away “merchandice” for people to enjoy.
Our venue
Jenkins Law Library is located on the 12th floor of the 833 Chestnut Street building, directly across from the Ben. Franklin. Use the Chestnut Street entrance. Please tell security that you are attending the Net Tuesday event at Jenkins. You will be required to sign in. The elevators unload on the 12th floor in front of Jenkins’ main doors. There will be a devilishly handsome young man behind the front desk to direct you to the event.
Looking ahead
For Net Tuesday, September 7, we’ll be having a discussion about the state of social networking with Deanna Zandt, author of Share This: How You Will Change the World with Social Networking. Mark the date, and check out this terrific book!
Podcasting. Videocasting. Streaming. Multimedia resources can be powerful tools for advancing your nonprofit or social change cause. On July 6, Philly Net Tuesday will have an interactive session focused on the technologies and opportunities for creating, editing and distributing audio and video content via the web.
Our presenters will be Steve Lubetkin (Podcast Steve) of Lubetkin Communications, and film maker and nonprofit communications strategist Wendy Univer. This interactive evening will cover tools and technologies for getting started, tips for effectively creating and editing video and audio content, and alternatives for distribution (e.g., when is Vimeo better than YouTube?). In addition to loads of useful, up-to-date information, we’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate these tools and skills, and compare and contrast different options. (You’re encouraged to bring your own audio or video recording equipment to try some new things yourself.)
How can you use Facebook to support your nonprofit or social change cause?
The answer to this question was never simple — and with ongoing changes to Facebook’s privacy settings, tools for groups and organizations, and integration into other websites, it can be confusing to keep up.
On Tuesday, June 1, we’ll explore this moving target in a couple of ways. First, we’ll have a panel share some experience and insights. Then, we’ll have a “Facebook Clinic”, where we’ll invite attendees to show their organizational or social change-focused Facebook presence, and we’ll apply our collective wisdom to offer “diagnoses” and “prescriptions” on how to have become even healthier and more effective.
It’s our anniversary! Philly NetSquared started holding monthly Net Tuesday gatherings of people “interested in using the social web for social change” back in May, 2008. And, for our second anniversary, we’re going to hold a “Social Web Sampler”.
The Sampler will be an opportunity to address how various social web tools can help YOUR nonprofit or social action cause. Blogs. Wikis. Mapping. Facebook. Podcasts. Photo sharing. RSS. Videoblogging. Mobile applications. Twitter. Tagging. LinkedIn. Digg. Meetup. And so much MORE!
How are nonprofits and activists using these tools?
How can they be used most effectively for YOUR nonprofit or social cause?
What are the latest developments and trends?
The evening will be divided into two major sections: Small Groups and Large Group.
First, we’ll have time-limited, small group discussions around a specific social web tool or topic and how it applies to social change or the nonprofit world. Which particular social web tools will be discussed, and who will facilitate those discussions? That’s up to you. You’re all invited to lead a discussion. Maybe you’re an expert in using one (or more) of these tools. But you don’t have to be an expert. Perhaps you are just interested in a tool or topic and want to enjoy a discussion focused on it. YOUR interests and passion will shape the agenda.
We plan to have three 15-20 minute discussion periods, each with 4-5 simultaneous groups, resulting in a total of 12-15 small group discussions focused on a particular social web tool or topic. Each small group discussion will have a computer available for real-time demonstrations (and wireless is available). Small group topics people have already volunteered to lead include:
Twitter (Sara Cederberg & Warren Allen)
Podcasting (Steve Lubetkin)
Facebook (Judah Ferst)
Blogging (Ivan Boothe)
Video web conferencing (Tim Siftar)
Facebook (Sara Cederberg)
Monitoring social media impact (Cliff Stevens)
WordPress (Jim Wurster)
Flickr (Ralph Medley & Tony Heriza)
Content management systems (Nate Gasser)
If you’re interested in leading a group discussion, please sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/SocialWebSampler. Please sign up before midnight on Sunday, May 2 to be sure to secure a slot.
Then, after our thinking has been stimulated by these small groups, we’ll regather into a large group, and you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the collective wisdom of the entire crowd by asking about applying these tools and strategies to your own situation.
This will be a highly interactive gathering with lots of shared knowledge and excitement. Lite fare will be provided if you’re hungry. Hope to see you there. RSVP’s via Meetup or Facebook (links above) are appreciated.
We gratefully acknowledge the American Friends Service Committee, who sponsored our kick-off event two years ago, and has graciously offered to sponsor this anniversary event also.
Social Entrepreneurs, the Social Web and Social Change
PART I: DISCUSSION
Join us for a fascinating discussion featuring Garrett Melby, CEO of GoodCompany Ventures, Blake Jennelle, founder of Missioneurs, other local social entrepreneurs and you! We’ll be meeting at the Jenkins Law Library (see directions below).
Social Entrepreneur (n.): someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change.
We will discuss:
What does social entrepreneurship have to do with the social web?
How is new web technology and social entrepreneurship revolutionizing the way change happens?
How can the principles of social entrepreneurship be applied to nonprofits?
What’s happening locally, including examples of local social enterprises and ways to get more involved.
PARTII: SOCIALENTREPRENEURSHOWCASEANDNETWORKING:
As part of the program, social entrepreneurs will be giving two minute elevator speeches about their idea or existing venture. Following these brief presentations, we will have a networking session where attendees will have an opportunity to meet the entrepreneurs, learn more, ask questions, offer advice and possibly find ways to get more involved.
If you have an existing social venture or an entrepreneurial idea to bring about social change, please fill out this form to reserve a place to present your elevator speech. Speeches should be no longer than two minutes and may include a pitch asking attendees for help/advice/getting more involved, particularly as it relates to the social web. (see some early sign-ups below)
This month’s Net Tuesday will be on “crisis response” and social media.
Recent crises — whether caused by nature (like Haiti or Katrina) or by humans (like the London subway bombings or PA budget cuts for arts and culture) — have been met by a new type of response virtually unavailable just a decade ago. Social tools, including Facebook and Twitter, GIS/mapping applications, mobile technology, image and video sharing services and others, have been used in ways that are creative, widely participative and, often, surprisingly effective.
The March Net Tuesday will be about this phenomenon and how it might be relevant to you, today. We’ll have an interactive discussion and workshop, not only about how some of these sorts of tools have been used in past crises, but about the sorts of social structures (e.g., CrisisCamps) that are emerging to build community and prepare proactively for the next crisis.
Who should attend?
People working in agencies or non-profits who want to gain some background and context for how they might utilize social tools when a crisis suddenly appears.
Techies who want to be prepared to utilize their skills and capabilities for the next disaster.
Activists, social change agents and “plain, old citizens” who want to learn more about how the “crowd” can be effectively used in crisis situations.
Our evening will be highlighted by a panel of people with important experience and perspectives on both reactive and proactive crisis response with social tools, including (alphabetically):
George Heake is Director of Operations at Temple University’s Center for Preparedness, Education and Practice (CPREP), as well as Emergency Management Coordinator & Information Technology Accessibility Coordinator for Temple’s Institute on Disabilities. He has been involved with social applications for emergency response, with a focus on the special needs community, around which he organized a specialized crisis camp event in October.
Josh Marcus is a software engineer at Avencia, Inc., where he is the lead developer on DecisionTree, a set of innovative web-based geographic decision-making tools that enable business owners, citizen or government agencies to weigh multiple geographic factors and generate a map that highlights optimal locations for their activities. He has spent the last decade applying his software engineering, system architecture, and management experience to building sophisticated, scalable web-based applications to solve social and organizational problems for governmental organizations and non-profits using innovative technology solutions. Under Avencia’s policy to allow time off for natural disasters, Josh worked with the International Network of Crisis Mappers and a volunteer effort to develop technical tools to track missing persons in Haiti and develop data integration standards between systems for crisis responders.
Walter Svekla is a geographer with ImageCat, Inc., where he’s a member of a team of engineers, scientists and programmers that are developing tools for natural hazard loss estimation and risk reduction, including the Virtual Disaster Viewer. In response to the earthquake in Haiti, ImageCat along with the World Bank initiated a remote rapid damage assessment for Port au Prince and the surrounding area. Given the severity and extent of damage to the built environment, a call for volunteers was put out through the Earthquake Engineering and Research Institute for experts to apply their knowledge and conduct damage assessment utilizing pre- and post-event very high resolution satellite imagery in Google Earth. The novelty here is not so much the application of satellite imagery for remote damage assessment, but rather the ease and speed at which a network of over 500 volunteers spanning 23 countries was mobilized in response and how certain resources and platforms made that possible.
Lisl Zach is an assistant professor at Drexel University’s College of Information Science and Technology. Dr. Zach was on the faculty of Louisiana State University at the time of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and was instrumental in coordinating communication efforts among the Louisiana and southern Mississippi special libraries community following those disasters. She serves as chair of the Special Libraries Association’s Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Council and is a member of the disaster and emergency preparedness task force of Drexel University’s Engineering Cities Initiative. She is currently working on a project with Drexel University’s 11th Street Family Health Center to examine the use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a means of accessing health information among the population being served by the Center and is collaborating with IST doctoral student Thomas Heverin, who will join her to describe a project to investigate the role of microblogging in crisis communication.
