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Current News

ProPublica - Journalism in the Public Interest

I'm very excited about the launch of ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative news organization. I'm not surprised to learn that the project is backed by some of the very same grantmakers whose vision has opened up opportunities for nonprofits and the Internet. Investigative journalism is clearly at risk and while I am intrigued by the choice of a former Wall Street Journal editor as its leader, I have a lot of hope for ProPublica. They understand exactly what role they could play in the renewal of democracy in the United States. I hope they take full advantage of the fact that one of the few remaining sectors of society where the spirit of investigation is alive and well is among civil society organizations. The possibilities for partnership and leveraging resources are profound. Posted: 10/30/07; 7:29:36 PM #

NRCCUA College Admissions Website Report

The National Research Center for College & University Admissions commissioned a survey of college or university admissions websites. I like their methodology, which involved a very effective combination of opinion survey (of students) and functional criteria (related clearly to communication objectives). The main conclusion? As the expectations of students for engaging communication flow increases, colleges and universities are falling bahind. Posted: 10/30/07; 7:19:17 PM #

Actics: A Social Site for Rating Actions According to Values

I am not yet sure what I think of Actics, so I'm very interested in the analysis of my readers, if you care to offer some. In essence, it's a site where you publicly document your own or your organizations values and actions, and then receive feedback or ratings from others. Like most sites these days, it has a social network aspect and a widget that you can use to share your "rating" and get feedback (which presumably markets the site). I have to say, I can't quite wrap my head around this. Could it be a platform for other community's rating systems? How easily is it gamed? What does it really even mean? Posted: 10/30/07; 6:51:08 PM #

Global Environment Outlook
	Always on the lookout for frames of references that can bring many organizations into closer collaboration, I have sometimes found global reports of many kinds to serve that purpose. The most recent Global Environment Outlook from the United Nations Environment Programme is no exception. Posted: 10/30/07; 6:40:44 PM #