Wed, 30 May 2007 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.
With NetSquared funds, we will create customized �widgets� 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 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 �meet� 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 meet�both 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 WiserEarth is a Featured Project at the NetSquared Conference. Project Summary WiserEarth links organizations and people in new and powerful ways.
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Wed, 30 May 2007 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 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, �You are because we are.� 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 Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 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. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Farmer 2 Farmer Learning is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2). Project Summary Farmer 2 Farmer Learning aims at providing a tool to (small scale) farmers in the developing world that allows them to gain insight in the performance of their management of crops and produce and to learn from comparing their performance with that of colleague farmers. This will help farmers into becoming entrepreneurs and to gain/keep market access by being able to comply with demands of buyers for registration of crop and produce handling. The tool will be free to use and free to adapt (under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 license from creativecommons.org). Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 TakingITGlobal is a Featured Project at the 2nd Annual NetSquared Conference. Project Summary In 1999, two young Canadians imagined what would happen if young people around the world could join together online to inspire each other, get informed about social issues, and become involved in their communities. Over seven years, TakingITGlobal.org has evolved from this idea into a powerful platform, a "Social Network for Social Good", with an array of programs, inspiring hundreds of thousands of young people to create a better future. A sophisticated technical platform has supported expansion into eleven languages, and Education programming has been developed to ensure a pipeline of engaged youth into the community. See the case study on us: http://www.netsquared.org/takingitglobal Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 HELP International Telemedicine Humanitarian Emergency Mobile Clinic Network is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2). Project Summary Disaster Relief Telemedicine is a project that brings specialist physicians from around the world to a disaster scene (via satellite) to help with medical triage and emergency medicine. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Innovatorz Media is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2). Project Summary The Opportunity Team & History (For more information visit innovatorz.org) Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Kabissa 2.0: Space for Change in Africa is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference. Project Summary Through this project, we will develop a strong network of African technology activists and advocates who can effectively take advantage of the many possibilities Web 2.0 has to offer. We will recruit twenty key partners throughout the continent who are very motivated to serve as "Web 2.0 ambassadors" for their local communities where they already work as well as to the larger Kabissa community of civil society organizations throughout Africa.
Kabissa - Space for Change in Africa was founded on the belief that technology is a revolutionary force for change in Africa. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Aspiration Social Source Commons is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2). Project Summary The Social Source Commons (SSC) helps nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations find appropriate software tools to support their programmatic work, and share knowledge about using those tools. It is the only venue on the internet striving to build a complete inventory of what tools are available for nonprofit needs, in both general and sector-specific categories.
SSC is a standards-based, open source web platform for mapping "what's out there� and �who's using what� in nonprofit software, based on a model that blends the sharing ethic and passion of nonprofit and NGO technologists with the best new internet technologies and information models. SSC builds on the "social network-driven" software selection paradigm that pervades NPO/NGO technology (�hey, what are you using for...?�), allowing users to discover tools and connect with allies by asking: * What are others using? Which tools are most popular? The platform documents the landscape of software tools available for NPO/NGO use by letting nonprofit techies compare what tools they use. The architecture is based on sites such as wikipedia.org, del.icio.us and flickr.com that leverage collaborative editability, democratic categorization schemes, and ease of use to build shared knowledge stores. SSC is designed to enable peer supported, collaborative sharing of software knowledge. SSC is not just an inventory tool; it aims to be an information "prism" through which relevant information feeds, updates, and new resources can be aggregated and redistributed per tool, per category, and per user. SSC takes advantage of the emerging RSS paradigm to "push" information to each user in a personalized fashion, and to allow other sites and sources to query and publish SSC data. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Maps 2.0: Geospatial Tools for Nonprofits and Humanitarian Relief is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference. Project Summary Since the Asia tsunami disaster in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a growing number of nonprofit and humanitarian organizations have recognized the tremendous potential of Web-delivered maps and map-based analysis. Google Earth and other Web services have demonstrated the power of online mapping tools, often known as geographic information systems (GIS) or geospatial analysis. The HumaniNet team and our nonprofit partners believe that this revolution in mapping tools will change the way we think about – and manage - programs with social, environmental, and humanitarian purposes. Geospatial, map-based data management will improve program monitoring and evaluation, reporting, overall transparency with beneficiaries and donors, and the speed and effectiveness of humanitarian responses. Maps 2.0 will establish the first nonprofit online resource for sharing best practices in GIS and digital maps. In partnership with Aspiration and Mercy Corps, HumaniNet has already formed an advisory team for creating a volunteer-based community of practice in GIS. Using Aspiration's Social Source Commons, a proven Open Source platform, the Maps 2.0 team will review and post significant and promising GIS developments and facilitate networking with other GIS experts and users. HumaniNet's experience in leading collaborative communities and partnering with over 100 global organizations will be a key advantage. The Maps 2.0 online community will be an energetic, volunteer-driven initiative that will change the way many nonprofits present information and collaborate to solve difficult problems, using the power of GIS. For an example of maps used by relief teams, see the UNOSAT map of the Solomon Islands (1MB pdf file) following the April 2 tsunami. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Miro: Open Source, Open Standards Video is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference. Project Summary We are seizing an opportunity to build a new, open mass medium of online television – through the use of Internet video. Through our nonprofit software development we’re making watching internet video channels as easy as watching TV and broadcasting a channel just as easy. Our project is relevant because:· Television is the defining medium of our culture. There's now an opportunity to create a television culture that is fluid, diverse, exciting, and beautiful. · Our platform is open-source and built on open-standards. This matters because it keeps video flowing freely. When you lock people in to closed, proprietary services, you lose everything that makes the Internet work. · Television is moving online. Will it be the same narrow, top-down cultural stagnation that we see on traditional television? All the major media and computer companies are clamoring to control video online. If they succeed it will be a disaster. · We don't have to spend years playing catch-up. Open-source and open- standards can lead this fight for the future of video online. We’re not in this to get rich. We’re in this because of our deep commitment to fully open and not-for-profit video distribution on the Web. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Genocide Intervention Network is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2). Project Summary Empowering anti-genocide activists with the tools for community-based education, user-generated content and strong shared connections, the anti-genocide community will pool the collective knowledge of a growing movement for change. You can read the text of the presentation here. Comments[1] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 Stop Family Violence is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference. Project Summary Every year, millions of people are severely abused in the United States. Stop Family Violence (SFV) is the leading national grassroots activist organization working to organize and amplify their voices and the voices of their allies to bring them to bear on the social and political agendas affecting their lives. Since its beginning, the strength of the violence against women movement has come from diverse people joining together, realizing their shared struggles and collective power and then raising their voices to effect social change. Research has shown that the incidence of family violence declines when the community is made aware of the problem; when residents can find services; when there is a network of leaders within the community and when services and institutions are held accountable to community needs. Stop Family Violence looks to utilize the many new technologies of the Web 2.0 revolution to empower local programs, enhance information sharing, help people find the services they need, promote local leadership and coordinate online and offline activism that will hold institutions accountable and keep women and children safe. The new SFV website will create an integrated, collaborative, service, information and action network between local, state and national programs, community activist groups, survivors and their allies. We will develop innovative community blog tools to allow our members to publish their own action alerts, build petitions and send email through our site to specified targets. Other members of the SFV community will be able to recommend (rate) the action, add comments and participate. Comments[0] |
Wed, 30 May 2007 NABUUR: The Global Neighbour Network is a Featured Project at the 2nd NetSquared Conference. Project Summary www.nabuur.com is an internet platform where villages in developing countries get direct assistance. Online volunteers help create whatever is needed in 150 villages now and with your help 10,000 soon: a potential revolution! NABUUR has developed a unique platform for person-to-person hands-on problem solving. Villages from developing countries put their issues on the internet and online volunteers from different continents help create solutions, as neighbours (�NABUUR� in Dutch) in the global village: a stable with cows in Khunti (India), instructions on bee-keeping in Gbongay (Sierra Leone), or an internet centre with computers and training in Zapotillo (Ecuador). The support entails more than providing knowledge: from the physical building of a hospital to the reframing of a problem; from ensuring that goods get through customs to finding transport for an international shipment, etc. Both experts and non- experts are needed. NABUUR opens the unique collaboration possibilities of internet communities to villages around the world so that they can better master their destiny . The potential is simply huge. NABUUR combines the best of the old with the best of the new: a time-tested community phenomenon - neighbourly help- with the 2.0 power of the internet. It is so promising that president Clinton invited us and mentioned NABUUR publicly (see www.nabuur.com). But even though the present rate of growth is impressive from an ngo perspective (45 villages connected in 2005, 150 in 2006, 300 at the end of 2007), it needs to speed up more to reach significant numbers. For that it must become easier, more authentic, smoother, more fun. Your help in making that happen is very much appreciated. Comments[0] |
Sun, 20 May 2007  A Net Tuesday presentation by Katy Newton and Sean Connelley, producers of Not Just a Number. Not Just a Number is a community journalism project focused on the topic of violence and violence prevention, produced for the Oakland Tribune and their web affiliate, insidebayarea.com. Last year, Oakland's homicide rate reached a five-year high of 148 people. NJN was created to give Oakland a place to share stories and to connect and develop solutions by utilizing a variety of new media journalism tools and interactive web based technologies.Comments[0] |
Sun, 20 May 2007  A Net Tuesday presentation by Anne-Christine
d'Adesky, the Director of Global Advocacy for World Pulse Magazine's PulseWire.
PulseWire is an interactive website where women worldwide can speak for
themselves to the world and collaborate to solve global problems. Comments[0] |
Sun, 20 May 2007  Net Tuesday podcaster, David Collin, interviews Anne-Christine d'Adesky, the Director of Global Advocacy for World Pulse Magazine's PulseWire. PulseWire is an interactive website where women worldwide can speak for themselves to the world and collaborate to solve global problems.PulseWire is a tool designed by and for diverse users: a Sri Lankan market woman looking for new sources of micro-creidt, a Zimbabwean journalist documenting a crackdown in the streets with her cell phone, or a New York businesswoman offering to bring school supplies to women's groups in Cambodia. Comments[0] |
Wed, 16 May 2007 In this podcast, Dan Newman describes the inspiration for MapLight.org,
which illuminates the connections between money and politics. It
started two years ago with a car dealer's bill of rights that would
have given consumers more rights when they bought new cars. The bill
was defeated, and Dan looked into the connection between donations from
car dealers and votes. He found a strong relationship between funding
of legislators by car dealers and their votes. He started MapLight.org to bring these
relationships to the public eye. Comments[0] |
Wed, 16 May 2007 In this podcast, Jim Slama, founder of FamiliyFarmed.org,
shares the inspiration that lead him to start the project. His
inspiration began many years ago with a successful campaign called
�Keep Organic Organic� which worked to ensure the federal government
kept their definition of �organic� strict. SaveOrganic.org was the
first major use of the internet in an environmental campaign, and it
was wildly successful. In the end, 270,000 comments were collected
supporting the campaign and the media just loved it. The campaign�s
rallying cry, �Keep Organic Organic� became a national rallying cry,
and in the end the USDA put out better organic standards. That was the
beginning of Jim�s use of online tools in his activism.
After the successful campaign, Jim decided to go home to Chicago and do a buy local campaign. Unfortunately, he started shopping around at all the locally owned shops and � well � there was absolutely nothing to local to buy. It was summer, the perfect time for local farmers to supply local shops, so Jim knew something had to be done. He launched his local organic campaign, which eventually morphed ino FamilyFarmed.org, and the momentum has been building ever since. Now a lot of food is being grown organically in the region, and Jim is greatful for it. Comments[0] |
Wed, 16 May 2007 Randy Roberson, founder of HELP (Humanitarian
Emergency Logistics & Preparedness), describes how HELP organizes
mobile medicine clinics around the world during humanitarian disasters.
Three years ago, HELP incorporated telemedicine into their response to
the Tsunami disaster, and it was incredibly successful. Randy describes
the success of telemedicine and also their innovative new model for
transparent individual donations. In this new model, individual donors
can direct 100% of their funds to a specific program and actually
witness the work being done through a live webcast. Randy also
describes some dishonest practices used by some disaster organizations,
that this radically transparent model is a response to. Comments[0] |
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NetSquared: Remixing the Web for Social Change News and interviews about nonprofits and NGOs using the social web for social change.
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