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Current News

Whose Vision of an Information Society?

Today is the last day of official meetings of the World Summit on the Information Society being held in the censorship-rife country of Tunisia. There have been parallel events, protests, and highly critical commentary about the Summit, much of which makes for interesting reading. I'm encouraged by the connections that have been made between civil society actors in the context of this event, as much as I am discouraged by the content of the event itself. So, rather than a pile of links to this particular issue or that particular outrage, I will point you to Ajit Pyati's excellent piece in First Monday earlier this year: WSIS: Whose vision of an information society? Posted: 11/18/05; 4:17:01 PM #

Police Still Harassing New Orleans Relief Workers

So it looks like the New Orleans police are still harassing relief workers. It's sad to me how the engines of authority seem to be increasingly at odds with the most basic actions of a compassionate civil society. I have become accustomed over the years to reading these sorts of stories (and far worse) in other authoritarian countries, but to be reminded once again of the direction the United States has taken is deeply discouraging. Posted: 11/18/05; 4:10:04 PM #

Common Knowledge

Nonprofit professionals are not always well rewarded for sharing their knowledge with others, but there is a growing understanding that such sharing is valuable. In 2000, Nancy Dixon wrote Common Knowledge: How Companies Thrive by Sharing What They Know. Although it's not at all focused on nonprofits, the books five models of knowledge transfer -- serial transfer, near transfer, far transfer, strategic transfer, and expert transfer -- are practical tools for helping an organization create systems for ramping up learning. Posted: 11/18/05; 4:04:20 PM #

Forging Nonprofit Alliances

Jane Arenault's Forging Nonprofit Alliances is a book that has only become more important since its publication in 1998. The author takes a close look at four models of alliances -- joint ventures, MSOs, parent organizations, and mergers -- and offers a framework for exploring and pursuing such alliances that respects the realities of the nonprofit world. Her ideas on cultural integration are particularly valuable, as is her step by step guide to negotiation and new governance. Posted: 11/18/05; 3:56:20 PM #