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April 2006 Edition

Nonprofit Online News Journal

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Apr. 15th, 2006: We're pleased to bring you more articles than in any previous issue. Our opening piece on "Applying Tools for Maximum Impact" offers some of the best advice on virtual work that we have read. Geov Parrish offers us a realistic perspective on boycotts as a strategy for influencing corporations. If you have an interest in politics or weblogs, you will love Lakshmi Chaudry's thoughtful analysis about the relationship between them in the coming years. We wish Guy Kawasaki's 12 tips for becoming an "Effective Emailer" were more widely practiced and maybe you can help them become so. Keith Robinson's "Guide to Email Triage" will help you develop a system for email responsiveness that you can trust. And finally, we have compiled several articles covering the 2006 SANGONeT conference. The Quicksheet this month complements the recent one on choosing between email newsletters and weblogs. Whereas the last one looked at content production, this one assesses the channels in terms of the relationships and messages. We have the usual collection of annotated resources, 23 in all, in the categories used by the Internet Nonprofit Center. We also have three reviews of books you might consider for your professional library.

Table of Contents

 
Letter From the Editor ... 9
Contributors ... 10

Articles:

Applying Tools for Maximum Impact .....12
By Robert Jones, Robert Oyung, and Lise Pace
Based on deep experience, this thoughtful analysis looks at all the different contexts of group work and identifies what tools are appropriate for facilitating constructive working relationships, in a virtual setting.

The Futility of Boycotts ..... 26
By Geov Parrish
Many common activist strategies mislead participants into thinking they are having a bigger impact than they are, leading to greater cynicism in the long run. Boycotts are often such a strategy.

Can Blogs Revolutionize Progressive Politics? ..... 28
By Lakshmi Chaudhry
This is a sharp, critical look at the popular assertion that weblogs can revolutionize progressive politics, including positive signs of the effect of personal publishing on the world of U.S. politics, as well as legitimate concerns about privilege, access, and impact.

The Effective Emailer ..... 37
By Guy Kawasaki
Following these twelve tips will save you hours every week and make your work life and that of your colleagues clearer and happier. It?s sad that we need these, but email has exposed people?s communication skills, or lack of, to many more people than before.

A Guide to Email Triage ..... 41
By Keith Robinson
The convenience of email means we all have to be more mindful about our communication practices and habits. The recommendations included here will help you do that, and result in more timely and productive responses as well.

8 Articles from Lwati ... 44
From the 2006 SANGONeT Conference
With the conference announcement as an introduction, these articles touch on some highlights of this year's SANGONeT Conference, including reports on several workshops by Michael Gilbert and the results of the SANGONeT web site awards.

Other Resources:

Blogs & Newsletters Quicksheet: Assessing Relationships & Messages ... 56
News ... 57
Book Reviews ... 89
Classifieds ... 91

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