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The Alphabet Soup of Data Exchange

In private circles, I've expressed some frustration recently with the attention that certain nonprofit software vendors have received for finally adopting some sort of open API. My frustration isn't that they shouldn't be praised for doing the right thing, it's that this falls into the typical pattern of late movers getting most of the credit. Anyway, if you're interested in learning what the fuss is about and how interoperability is actually managed these days, I highly recommend Peter Campbell's recent Alphabet Soup of Data Exchange, published by the incomparable Idealware. Posted: 10/23/07; 6:06:16 PM #

Management By Conjury: The Persistent Mystery of High-Impact Nonprofits

White Courtesy Telephone is one of my favorite philanthropic blogs (one of those I wish were part of our network), because it doesn't shy away from taking a stand. If you can get used to the relentless irony, you will find the posts thought provoking and timely. I recommend a recent one entitled Management By Conjury: The Persistent Mystery of High-Impact Nonprofits, which tears apart a recent article describing the supposed six practices of successful organizations. (The popularity of such numbered lists is really tiring, don't you think?) The author argues persuasively that the "six practices adduced by the study's authors are epiphenomena with little predictive power when compared with the qualities of a nonprofit's leadership". Posted: 10/23/07; 6:00:08 PM #

Is The Net Good For Writers?

It goes without saying that writing is a powerful tool for civil society and social change and I've been involved in numerous programs in support of writers, including our Author's Network and the Keystrokes Workshop. I took great pleasure from the varied opinions expressed in RU Sirius's recent interviews: Is The Net Good For Writers? The answer of course is that this depends on which writers you mean, but given the explosion of writing online (the usual overwhelming proportion of which is bad) and the complaints from publishers (rather than writers), I think it's safe to say that if you were dependent on bits being expensive to copy, then you are probably out of luck. That doesn't apply to most writers I know. It will be fun to watch new business models hatch! (Link is now using Google cache, since original article disappeared mysteriously.) Posted: 10/23/07; 5:03:51 PM #