Blog posts

More people are visiting charity websites, according to research - Communications - Third Sector “The proportion of people visiting charity websites has leapt by a third in the past nine months, according to research by think tank nfpSynergy.” (tags: charity nptech statistics thirdsector traffic web) Adapt to the web or lose donors, voluntary sector warned - Communications - Third Sector “The research report says that information technology has not increased the amount given to charities each year, but it is changing the way people give – and handing control of giving methods to the donor.” ...

When running a campaign a good strategy always used to be to ask your supporters to write letters to their local newspaper. Local newspapers are far more widely read than their national equivalents, you’re much more likely to get your photo published in them, and because of their more tightly defined audience they present a much greater chance to contextualise your message and suggest options for local action. In many ways, that is the campaign tactic that a strategy for web 2.0/social media should build from. It’s not about having a presence on flickr, delicious, facebook, upcoming, myspace, or any of the dozens of other “web 2.0” sites, though an official presence may be useful in some cases and personal experiences with all of them is a good idea. Instead it’s about resourcing your key supporters to be there for you, just as they would in their local papers. ...

David Byrne Journal: 12.06.2007: Embedded (at the New York Times) David Byrne recounts an exploration of the new New York Times building and muses on the future of newspapers. (tags: davidbyrne forblog futureofmedia newspaper) Dopplr Blog » Dopplr launches at LeWeb3 in Paris Dopplr is out of beta and open to all. I keep using dopplr as an example when writing about how social network sites can be done right. Now everyone can try it. ...

David Byrne Journal: 12.06.2007: Embedded (at the New York Times) David Byrne recounts an exploration of the new New York Times building and muses on the future of newspapers. (tags: davidbyrne fordevblog futureofmedia newspaper)

Since moving from a house (in Michigan) to a flat (in London) I’ve had a number of occasions to get frustrated with delivery people who don’t make sufficient effort to leave notes where they won’t be trampled underfoot, or with myself for forgetting to include the flat number when entering a delivery address. With my In Rainbows discbox taking a while longer than expected to reach me I was worried that that was what had happened to it, and then very impressed with a text I received this lunch time. ...

Whether or not you should build your own social networking site and/or make use of sites like facebook is currently a hot topic within the not-for-profit web developer/consultant world. The launch of sites like Amnesty International’s “unsubscribed”, which bears many hallmarks of a social networking site, combined with growing attention for facebook campaigns and tools like SuperBadger bring the options and potential into clear focus. Elizabeth Dunn’s post last month " social networks, walled gardens, and decision trees" makes a compelling argument that non-profits should be focussing on these questions now even if they’re not key for their current audience: sooner or later they will be and you don’t want to be playing catchup. ...

Saturday saw us out in the rain for the National Climate March. Given the appalling weather and the minimal level of publicity the turn out of 7,000 or so was respectable, and the rain didn’t seem to prevent people from turning out in plenty of costumes and high spirits. It’s probably too optimistic to think that the march had anything to do with this announcement, but it’s still good to hear it so soon afterwards. ...

Caught in the flash | Observer Music Monthly meets Radiohead Radiohead are finally breaking their radio silence. This interview is based on fan questions, which works fairly well thanks to careful editing. Good to hear the band talk about all the fuss around the release of In Rainbows (tags: forblog interview music observer radiohead) Morethanseven » Insert Dojo and YUI bookmarklets Between Jash and these, it’s getting easier and easier to insert your javascript toolkit of choice into arbitrary pages and explore/change to your heart’s content ...

Caught in the flash | Observer Music Monthly meets Radiohead Radiohead are finally breaking their radio silence. This interview is based on fan questions, which works fairly well thanks to careful editing. Good to hear the band talk about all the fuss around the release of In Rainbows (tags: fordevblog interview music observer radiohead)

A number of people have been linking to Jeremiah Owyang’s presentation at the Web Community Forum (I think I found it via Beth Kanter). It’s a good overview of the pros, cons and options for using facebook to promote a cause, campaign or brand, and well worth some time if that’s your focus. There are two pieces from his presentation that I wanted to pull out. The first appears to be a recurring theme in his work on web strategy, centered on the acronym POST. That breaks down into: ...