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Aid Agency Blogging: Seizing Opportunities, Minimising Risks

On July 24, 2008 Reuters AlertNet hosted a workshop in London, on the topic of blogging by nonprofit aid agencies. They wrote up the session notes in the form of a short report entitled Aid Agency Blogging: Seizing Opportunities, Minimising Risks (6 page PDF). Aside from the fact that we don't know the source of opinions and experiences (and that the publishers printer driver puts a logo on every page of this PDF), this report has a lot to offer. The main theme can be captured by the observation that aid agency blogs don't much resemble the aspirations that gave rise to the decision to blog in the first place. In other words, there is not much of these qualities: transparency, immediacy, freedom of speech, interaction, accessibility, and giving a voice to beneficiaries. The report is filled with more solid recommendations than I should list here, but which also come down to this: Don't be boring. Do it right. Posted: 8/18/08; 4:57:53 PM #

Public Confidence in Nonprofit Groups Slides Back, New Survey Finds

I mentioned this study by Paul Light recently in an article of mine, so I felt that I should properly link to this article by Suzanne Perry in the Chronicle of Philanthropy: Public Confidence in Nonprofit Groups Slides Back, New Survey Finds (4 page PDF). The results are discouraging. For example, the percentage of people saying that nonprofits do a "very good" job helping others has dropped by almost a third since 2006. Posted: 8/18/08; 4:42:18 PM #

Community Power and Grassroots Democracy: The Transformation of Social Life

I read Community Power and Grassroots Democracy: The Transformation of Social Life (edited by Kaufman and Alfonso) several years ago, but it was just recently that I discovered it was made available for free online by the International Development Research Centre. Originally published in 1997, the book is an examination of popular participation, local democracy, and grassroots organization. In particular, its case studies look at the role of community organizations as guarantors of meaningful participation in decision-making; in economic development; in challenging traditional discrimination and oppression; in the development of a new social consciousness; in the provision of social services; in reducing sectarian political tensions; and, in some cases, in the provision of community self-defense. Posted: 8/18/08; 4:37:52 PM #

100 Advertising, Marketing, Media & PR Blogs

Spotlight Ideas has published a list of 100 Advertising, Marketing, Media & PR Blogs. I haven't vetted all of them, but so far I can say that most of them are relevant to civil society work and, based on past experience, many are excellent. Note that the title actually uses the phrase "top 100", but since they provide absolutely no methodology for their selection, I can assume that the title represents either habit or linkbait. Still, the list is worth a few minutes of exploration. Open a few tabs and see what you can find. Posted: 8/18/08; 4:28:51 PM #

The Legal Issues with Comments

If you're a blogger or you have some kind of site with comments on it, you might find this useful. The Blog Herald has one of the calmest, most even-handed descriptions of the Legal Issues with Comments that I've found in some time. They cover libel/defamation and intellectual property issues from a largely U.S. perspective. Unlike most such guides, it can be read in one brief sitting and it has links to deeper resources, should you need them. Posted: 8/18/08; 4:14:50 PM #