• Media Matters - Fox News airs altered photos of NY Times reporters
  Oh man. These people really are incredibly stupid.
• Mapstraction - mapping-service-indepentent mapping apps
  Provides an "abstraction layer" for client-side mapping, letting developers build mapping apps that can utilize multiple mapping services or switch between mapping services.

Between my work on NewsJunk and PDF last week, I???ve been mulling over the state of political campaigning and technology. On the Dean campaign, the campaign???s blog ??? Blog For America ??? was a critical communications implement. We built a big daily readership and we thought of it like our own cable channel or major newspaper. There was an explicit understanding that it was our media outlet, and that Matt Gross, Zephyr Teachout, and Joe Rospars (among others) were our ???reporters on the ground???, covering the campaign ??? inside the headquarters and out on the road.

Dean desperately needed alternative sources of media. When I joined the campaign, every single news story about the presidential primary started something like: ???John Kerry, Dick Gephardt, Joe Leiberman and five other presidential candidates?????? Dean never got any press of any kind. But Trippi noticed that the blogs were writing about Dean. There was even an unofficial Dean campaign blog. Now here was a way to get ink, even if it was the virtual, blog kind of ink! Trippi started by posting on the unofficial Dean campaign blog as the campaign manager. And then there was an explicit decision: if the mainstream press isn???t going to write about us, then we???ll cover our campaign ourselves. Our rallying cry became: To the blogs!

Recognizing the power of new media to build our own work-around the ???gatekeepers??? of the modern political process gave the Dean campaign critical fuel, and the energy of the entire blogosphere was gasoline on the fire of Dean???s growing grassroots momentum. I???ve long thought that the secret sauce of the Dean campaign were the monthly in-person Meetups that Michael Silberman managed, but watching this election unfold I???m realizing that our blog???s end-run around traditional media (with the help of the rest of the blogosphere) was equally important.

All of which leaves me mystified why the campaigns haven???t built their own media operations. And I don???t mean just blogs. Why not a 24-hour newsroom, with anchors and field correspondents and commentators? The technologies needed ??? and even the distribution ??? are not expensive any more. You can buy a lot of consecutive time on cable with the kind of budgets we???re seeing this election cycle. Presidential campaigns of either party could attract top talent to create and manage the content. Not to mention the grassroots power of utilizing your supporters to create content.

Feeding NewsJunk over the last few weeks has made me recognize some of the gaps in media coverage ??? and the opportunities the campaigns are missing. There remains a mysterious and much revered relationship between the political campaigns and the political press corps, but I???m unconvinced that it serves the people well. And in all honesty, I???ve been disappointed by most of the blog coverage and commentary of the election; that???s why on NewsJunk you see mostly mainstream news sources. The blogs seems to mostly repeat items from the mainstream press ??? not just the news, but the commentary as well.

And it???s not just political news, commentary, and policy debates. Have you ever listened to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell sportscast one of the Eagles??? football games? It???s fun. Give Al Gore a show on how to go green. Who would host ???Deal or No Deal??? on Obama???s network?

The great challenge of creating a news organization ??? or if it???s going to be broader than news, let???s call it a media organization ??? the great challenge is honesty. Campaigns are famous for spin and obscuring the hard questions. Even on our Dean campaign blog, it was hard to find an accurate and serious accounting for our loss in Iowa the morning after. But the radical transparency and honesty of your own media outlet would say volumes about the kind of President you might make, and the opportunities to set the agenda seem enormous.

I noticed that Linda Douglass, a major television journalist for ABC News, joined the Obama campaign as senior staff. [Full disclosure: EchoDitto does unrelated tech work for Linda???s husband, John Phillips.] It???s time to kill the 30-second spot and instead focus on the exciting opportunities and possibilities of the next generation of Fireside Chats. It???ll be fun. I promise.

• Bike-friendly mapping directions in NYC
  This gives starting point/destination directions in NYC, tailored for bikes. That means it routes you on "bikeable" streets (not highways). Neato.
• Neat video of a train that doesn't need to stop to board
  With a secondary entry/exit car on a raised platform, this train is designed not to stop for boarding or existing passengers. Pretty neat.

Between my work on NewsJunk and PDF last week, I’ve been mulling over the state of political campaigning and technology. On the Dean campaign, the campaign’s blog – Blog For America – was a critical communications implement. We built a big daily readership and we thought of it like our own cable channel or major newspaper. There was an explicit understanding that it was our media outlet, and that Matt Gross, Zephyr Teachout, and Joe Rospars (among others) were our “reporters on the ground”, covering the campaign – inside the headquarters and out on the road.

Dean desperately needed alternative sources of media. When I joined the campaign, every single news story about the presidential primary started something like: “John Kerry, Dick Gephardt, Joe Leiberman and five other presidential candidates…” Dean never got any press of any kind. But Trippi noticed that the blogs were writing about Dean. There was even an unofficial Dean campaign blog. Now here was a way to get ink, even if it was the virtual, blog kind of ink! Trippi started by posting on the unofficial Dean campaign blog as the campaign manager. And then there was an explicit decision: if the mainstream press isn’t going to write about us, then we’ll cover our campaign ourselves. Our rallying cry became: To the blogs!

Recognizing the power of new media to build our own work-around the “gatekeepers” of the modern political process gave the Dean campaign critical fuel, and the energy of the entire blogosphere was gasoline on the fire of Dean’s growing grassroots momentum. I’ve long thought that the secret sauce of the Dean campaign were the monthly in-person Meetups that Michael Silberman managed, but watching this election unfold I’m realizing that our blog’s end-run around traditional media (with the help of the rest of the blogosphere) was equally important.

All of which leaves me mystified why the campaigns haven’t built their own media operations. And I don’t mean just blogs. Why not a 24-hour newsroom, with anchors and field correspondents and commentators? The technologies needed – and even the distribution – are not expensive any more. You can buy a lot of consecutive time on cable with the kind of budgets we’re seeing this election cycle. Presidential campaigns of either party could attract top talent to create and manage the content. Not to mention the grassroots power of utilizing your supporters to create content.

Feeding NewsJunk over the last few weeks has made me recognize some of the gaps in media coverage – and the opportunities the campaigns are missing. There remains a mysterious and much revered relationship between the political campaigns and the political press corps, but I’m unconvinced that it serves the people well. And in all honesty, I’ve been disappointed by most of the blog coverage and commentary of the election; that’s why on NewsJunk you see mostly mainstream news sources. The blogs seems to mostly repeat items from the mainstream press – not just the news, but the commentary as well.

And it’s not just political news, commentary, and policy debates. Have you ever listened to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell sportscast one of the Eagles’ football games? It’s fun. Give Al Gore a show on how to go green. Who would host “Deal or No Deal” on Obama’s network?

The great challenge of creating a news organization – or if it’s going to be broader than news, let’s call it a media organization – the great challenge is honesty. Campaigns are famous for spin and obscuring the hard questions. Even on our Dean campaign blog, it was hard to find an accurate and serious accounting for our loss in Iowa the morning after. But the radical transparency and honesty of your own media outlet would say volumes about the kind of President you might make, and the opportunities to set the agenda seem enormous.

I noticed that Linda Douglass, a major television journalist for ABC News, joined the Obama campaign as senior staff. [Full disclosure: EchoDitto does unrelated tech work for Linda’s husband, John Phillips.] It’s time to kill the 30-second spot and instead focus on the exciting opportunities and possibilities of the next generation of Fireside Chats. It’ll be fun. I promise.

• That Violet Blue thing - Boing Boing
  Even the greatest proponents of online transparency aren't always so hot at it...
• polarization in blog readership by political ideology
  Everyone tends to stick to their own echo chamber, but conservatives are particularly bad about it. Post contains link to PDF academic paper w/ detailed methodology & results.

I'm just back from co-leading a 3-day social technology training in Toronto for some incredible nonprofits and social enterprises across North America. And almost everyone attending could be described as their organization's lonely internet person, struggling to get web strategies implemented. If this sounds like you, read on.

Refreshingly, after the strategy and tools conversations on day one and two, we spent almost a full day on the organizational dynamics and "change management" needed to implement smart web strategies.

Here are some key take-aways from a workshop I led entitled, "Getting Web 2.0 Resourced at Your Brick-and-Mortar Organization."  As I see it, the biggest challenge with all this new media and technology stuff is getting it implemented; there are too many smart and well-meaning staffers at organizations and businesses who have their car but can't seem to get the engine started or shift into the fast lane.  

Our mission: figure out the top obstacles and solutions to developing and implementing smart, integrated online strategies and campaigns.

Common Obstacles

1. Money :: budget for online operations too small to support the goals/objectives
2. Staff :: not enough people (or the right people) to support the goals/objectives
3. Unrealistic expectations :: Incomplete knowledge or acceptance of appropriate timeline or resources needed to implement online strategy or technology solution
4. Multiple stakeholders :: too many cooks in the kitchen delays or impedes implementation
5. Commitment to old investments / sunk costs :: inability or unwillingness to replace earlier investments in staff or infrastructure that are no longer good matches to the work ahead
6. Incomplete knowledge, lack of education :: Decision-makers making bad decisions (or refusing to make decisions) due to incomplete breadth of knowledge
7. Lack of buy-in :: Despite approvals, organization lacks will to fully engage in change
8. Shiny object syndrome :: Ability to implement coherent strategy is derailed or overshadowed by obsession with latest tools or buzzwords (e.g. "my boss just read an article about someone using [insert web 2.0 tool or website] to [raise money / build list / get traffic] so now we have to do that instead")
9. Mixed/competing priorities :: Other major organizational priorities, campaigns, or fire-drills getting in the way of progress toward implementing components of online plan. Or it's not clear how your online objectives map to your organizational priorities.
10. Thinking tech will solve all / one size fits all :: Avoiding larger strategizing or decision-making in hopes that new website or other tech tools will solve broader challenges with communications, organizing, fundraising, etc.
11. Silos preventing shared, integrated internet approach :: Despite cross-cutting impact of internet strategy, departmentalization (e.g. communications, field, policy, development) prevents genuine collaboration toward an integrated approach, limiting potential impact.

Solutions!

1. Accepting your warrior role :: As the online guy or gal, it's not in your job description to educate the entire organization on the basics of online strategy or Web 2.0, but let's be honest, you're probably going to have to spend a percentage of your time fighting for resources or helping others understand the connection between effective internet strategy and fulfilling the organization's mission.
2. Setting realistic budget and objectives :: There's lots of free stuff on the 'net, but the internet is not free.  Don't confuse sending free emails via Outlook with the real costs of bulk email tools needed to manage your  list.  Sure, there are plenty of free tools and applications emerging every day, but they don't replace the need for staff or technology infrastructure.
3. Establishing a "Change Team" :: Identify a diverse group from across the organization to work with you in developing your organization's Web 2.0 plan or online strategy. Your team might include a consultant or two, but the majority should be staff. Find out who your internet allies are across the organization, and invite them to join you. This will help educate the rest of the organization, and establish some useful buy-in -- and hopefully take some of the weight off of your shoulders. The change team should also invest time in showing departments how the internet can serve and bolster their efforts.
4. Educate :: Bring your organization with you on the journey, and help others get conversant with the online world.  The internet affects all aspects of your organization, from communications/marketing to fundraising/sales, so don't let it get isolated or relegated to a sideshow. Consider sending weekly summaries of your web and online engagement stats out to the entire staff; share blog posts mentioning your organization or your work with the rest of the staff and explain why they matter; and claim a few moments at your staff meeting to share something interest and relevant from your web or online community building work that's relevant to the entire group.
5. Strategy over tools ::  Focus on the great potential of an effective online strategy that fully supports your mission, then figure out what's needed to get there. Don't let the available tools drive the decision-making.
6. "Power mapping" :: Who holds the power within your organization, and who's whispering in the ears of the decision-makers?  Who do you need to target to get their buy-in and support? Who are your natural allies? If you do advocacy work, you're probably familiar with this from running public campaigns, so now you need to turn those same campaigning skills inward.
7. Hire the right staff (vs consultants) :: Sounds like a no-brainer, but it's easily overlooked even as the workload for your online person expands exponentially.  Make it a priority to figure out who you need to support your online operations, what their titles and job descriptions should be, and how to properly budget for them.  Be clear about what work can or can't realistically be done without those additional staffers. (See our guide, "Building a Successful Online Team")

• Meet the new DRM, same as the old DRM
  Great discussion of DRM in the early days of analog video. Guess what? The content companies haven't gotten any smarter.
• The OFFSystem - OFFWiki
  Wishful thinking, fellas...

Earlier this week, at the Personal Democracy Forum in New York, a coalition of media, policy, and advocacy experts launched a new initiative that calls on Congress and the president to act in the public interest by enacting a plan for the wired and wireless Internet built upon the following principles. The project is called Internet for Everyone (http://internetforeveryone.org/)

NOTE: The organization that launched this project, Free Press, is a client of EchoDitto -- but we do not currently play a role in this initiative.

I won't try and summarize all the important points made during the session. Andy Carvin from NPR did an excellent job of capturing everyone's remarks, so you can see as close to a transcript as you'll find on his Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/acarvin) - look for the #pdf2008 tag, and keep digging because he transcribed much of the content from the conference.

Let me quickly summarize the project:

An open, free, and accessible internet is critical -- not just to those who do things online (like myself) -- but to all aspects of our economy, our governance, and similar. The future of the internet is the future of all media. It is also the future of education, commerce, philanthropy and politics. And it is pretty clear (to me anyway) that leaving the development of a national broadband policy to the cable and telecommunications industry, who have controlled much of the policy making around this issue, is not a good idea.

The initiative is trying to get this point across through four critical points:

Access: Every home and business in America must have access to a high-speed, world class communications infrastructure.

Choice: Every consumer must enjoy real competition in online content as well as among high-speed Internet providers to achieve lower prices and higher speeds.

Openness: Every Internet user should have the right to freedom of speech and commerce online in an open market without gatekeepers or discrimination.

Innovation: The Internet should continue to create good jobs, foster entrepreneurship, spread new ideas and serve as a leading engine of economic growth.

They haven't agreed on the specifics of the policy behind this yet -- and probably won't for a while -- but a broad, bi-partisan, multi-disciplinary group of experts from business, policy, entertainment, and more have come together to help support the effort. For starters, look at the group that they pulled together for the announcement:

Josh Silver, Executive Director, Free Press
Brad Burnham, partner at Union Square Ventures
Robin Chase, CEO of Meadow Networks, co-founder Zipcar
Van Jones, president, Green for All
Michael Winship, president Writers Guild of America - East
David All, co-Founder Slatecard.com and TechRepublican.com
Tim Wu, Columbia Law professor
Jonathan Adelstein, FCC commissioner
Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder, Berkman Center for Internet & Society
int Cerf, chief technology evangelist of Google
Larry Lessig, Stanford Law professor

Going forward, the group will be hosting public forums across the nation to get citizens involved. They will be highlighting the challenge that real people face in rural (and other) areas where they don't have access to broadband. And they will be soliciting input and inviting supporters to take ownership over aspects of the campaig, so that this becomes a true citizen movement.

This is a tremendously important issue. This initiative deserves national attention - not just within policy circles, but at kitchen tables, in schools and libraries, and among friends over a beer or coffee. This will be the darling of the wonk establishment, and the media (ironically) will almost certainly help carry the torch. But, more needs to be done.

This issue is complex. People don't make an association between this issue and their daily lives. The people who don't have access to broadband probably don't fully realize why its such a big deal. And the people who already have it take it for granted.

So, for this effort to be successful, we have to own it. By we, I mean the people who appreciate the opportunities created by free and open access to high speed internet. The people who recognize and value a spirited exchange of ideas, the opportunity to grow community and conduct business from anywhere, anytime. By we, I mean you.

We can't leave this cause to the groups already immersed in this issue, the professional organizers, nor the legislators who will ultimately craft the specific policy. If needed, we should go door-to-door, recruiting our neighbors and friends. We must take responsibility for answering all the questions that people have and pushing content out - online and through traditional means - so that word spreads and people make this issue their own. Most importantly, we can't fall into the trap that so many organizations have fallen into with the rise of the internet, where the activity happens online (but never reaches the real word), we focus on the tools (blogs and wikis and such) and not on the outcomes, and where the same people are talking to each other as they always have (and few new voices finding a place in the discussion).

I'll make that case to my clients, colleagues, friends, family, and really anyone else who wants to listen. I hope you will also.

NOTE: This was cross-posted on my blog at FastCompany.com (http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/24266)

Earlier this week, at the Personal Democracy Forum in New York, a coalition of media, policy, and advocacy experts launched a new initiative that calls on Congress and the president to act in the public interest by enacting a plan for the wired and wireless Internet built upon the following principles. The project is called Internet for Everyone (http://internetforeveryone.org/)

NOTE: The organization that launched this project, Free Press, is a client of EchoDitto -- but we do not currently play a role in this initiative.

I won't try and summarize all the important points made during the session. Andy Carvin from NPR did an excellent job of capturing everyone's remarks, so you can see as close to a transcript as you'll find on his Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/acarvin) - look for the #pdf2008 tag, and keep digging because he transcribed much of the content from the conference.

Let me quickly summarize the project:

An open, free, and accessible internet is critical -- not just to those who do things online (like myself) -- but to all aspects of our economy, our governance, and similar. The future of the internet is the future of all media. It is also the future of education, commerce, philanthropy and politics. And it is pretty clear (to me anyway) that leaving the development of a national broadband policy to the cable and telecommunications industry, who have controlled much of the policy making around this issue, is not a good idea.

The initiative is trying to get this point across through four critical points:

Access: Every home and business in America must have access to a high-speed, world class communications infrastructure.

Choice: Every consumer must enjoy real competition in online content as well as among high-speed Internet providers to achieve lower prices and higher speeds.

Openness: Every Internet user should have the right to freedom of speech and commerce online in an open market without gatekeepers or discrimination.

Innovation: The Internet should continue to create good jobs, foster entrepreneurship, spread new ideas and serve as a leading engine of economic growth.

They haven't agreed on the specifics of the policy behind this yet -- and probably won't for a while -- but a broad, bi-partisan, multi-disciplinary group of experts from business, policy, entertainment, and more have come together to help support the effort. For starters, look at the group that they pulled together for the announcement:

Josh Silver, Executive Director, Free Press
Brad Burnham, partner at Union Square Ventures
Robin Chase, CEO of Meadow Networks, co-founder Zipcar
Van Jones, president, Green for All
Michael Winship, president Writers Guild of America - East
David All, co-Founder Slatecard.com and TechRepublican.com
Tim Wu, Columbia Law professor
Jonathan Adelstein, FCC commissioner
Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder, Berkman Center for Internet & Society
int Cerf, chief technology evangelist of Google
Larry Lessig, Stanford Law professor

Going forward, the group will be hosting public forums across the nation to get citizens involved. They will be highlighting the challenge that real people face in rural (and other) areas where they don't have access to broadband. And they will be soliciting input and inviting supporters to take ownership over aspects of the campaig, so that this becomes a true citizen movement.

This is a tremendously important issue. This initiative deserves national attention - not just within policy circles, but at kitchen tables, in schools and libraries, and among friends over a beer or coffee. This will be the darling of the wonk establishment, and the media (ironically) will almost certainly help carry the torch. But, more needs to be done.

This issue is complex. People don't make an association between this issue and their daily lives. The people who don't have access to broadband probably don't fully realize why its such a big deal. And the people who already have it take it for granted.

So, for this effort to be successful, we have to own it. By we, I mean the people who appreciate the opportunities created by free and open access to high speed internet. The people who recognize and value a spirited exchange of ideas, the opportunity to grow community and conduct business from anywhere, anytime. By we, I mean you.

We can't leave this cause to the groups already immersed in this issue, the professional organizers, nor the legislators who will ultimately craft the specific policy. If needed, we should go door-to-door, recruiting our neighbors and friends. We must take responsibility for answering all the questions that people have and pushing content out - online and through traditional means - so that word spreads and people make this issue their own. Most importantly, we can't fall into the trap that so many organizations have fallen into with the rise of the internet, where the activity happens online (but never reaches the real word), we focus on the tools (blogs and wikis and such) and not on the outcomes, and where the same people are talking to each other as they always have (and few new voices finding a place in the discussion).

I'll make that case to my clients, colleagues, friends, family, and really anyone else who wants to listen. I hope you will also.

NOTE: This was cross-posted on my blog at FastCompany.com (http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/24266)

• Laptop Searches in Airports Draw Fire at Senate Hearing - NYTimes.com
  Having your laptop seized at the airport your worst nightmare? Probably you shouldn't read this.
• Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid - NYTimes.com
  Why blogs are important
• Mobile Campaign Case Studies from Advocacy, Service Delivery, and Fundraising | NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network
  Good mobile case studies
• More than 75% of youth go online for election info
  "According to a new survey, 64% of 18- to 35-year-olds rely on digital communication for their election-related news because the Internet is the easiest way to access and share information. The survey, released by PR firm Waggener Edstrom Worldwide..."

I'm just back from co-leading a 3-day social technology training in Toronto for some incredible nonprofits and social enterprises across North America. And almost everyone attending could be described as their organization's lonely internet person, struggling to get web strategies implemented. If this sounds like you, read on.

Refreshingly, after the strategy and tools conversations on day one and two, we spent almost a full day on the organizational dynamics and "change management" needed to implement smart web strategies.

Here are some key take-aways from a workshop I led entitled, "Getting Web 2.0 Resourced at Your Brick-and-Mortar Organization."  As I see it, the biggest challenge with all this new media and technology stuff is getting it implemented; there are too many smart and well-meaning staffers at organizations and businesses who have their car but can't seem to get the engine started or shift into the fast lane.  

Our mission: figure out the top obstacles and solutions to developing and implementing smart, integrated online strategies and campaigns.

Common Obstacles

1. Money :: budget for online operations too small to support the goals/objectives
2. Staff :: not enough people (or the right people) to support the goals/objectives
3. Unrealistic expectations :: Incomplete knowledge or acceptance of appropriate timeline or resources needed to implement online strategy or technology solution
4. Multiple stakeholders :: too many cooks in the kitchen delays or impedes implementation
5. Commitment to old investments / sunk costs :: inability or unwillingness to replace earlier investments in staff or infrastructure that are no longer good matches to the work ahead
6. Incomplete knowledge, lack of education :: Decision-makers making bad decisions (or refusing to make decisions) due to incomplete breadth of knowledge
7. Lack of buy-in :: Despite approvals, organization lacks will to fully engage in change
8. Shiny object syndrome :: Ability to implement coherent strategy is derailed or overshadowed by obsession with latest tools or buzzwords (e.g. "my boss just read an article about someone using [insert web 2.0 tool or website] to [raise money / build list / get traffic] so now we have to do that instead")
9. Mixed/competing priorities :: Other major organizational priorities, campaigns, or fire-drills getting in the way of progress toward implementing components of online plan. Or it's not clear how your online objectives map to your organizational priorities.
10. Thinking tech will solve all / one size fits all :: Avoiding larger strategizing or decision-making in hopes that new website or other tech tools will solve broader challenges with communications, organizing, fundraising, etc.
11. Silos preventing shared, integrated internet approach :: Despite cross-cutting impact of internet strategy, departmentalization (e.g. communications, field, policy, development) prevents genuine collaboration toward an integrated approach, limiting potential impact.

Solutions!

1. Accepting your warrior role :: As the online guy or gal, it's not in your job description to educate the entire organization on the basics of online strategy or Web 2.0, but let's be honest, you're probably going to have to spend a percentage of your time fighting for resources or helping others understand the connection between effective internet strategy and fulfilling the organization's mission.
2. Setting realistic budget and objectives :: There's lots of free stuff on the 'net, but the internet is not free.  Don't confuse sending free emails via Outlook with the real costs of bulk email tools needed to manage your  list.  Sure, there are plenty of free tools and applications emerging every day, but they don't replace the need for staff or technology infrastructure.
3. Establishing a "Change Team" :: Identify a diverse group from across the organization to work with you in developing your organization's Web 2.0 plan or online strategy. Your team might include a consultant or two, but the majority should be staff. Find out who your internet allies are across the organization, and invite them to join you. This will help educate the rest of the organization, and establish some useful buy-in -- and hopefully take some of the weight off of your shoulders. The change team should also invest time in showing departments how the internet can serve and bolster their efforts.
4. Educate :: Bring your organization with you on the journey, and help others get conversant with the online world.  The internet affects all aspects of your organization, from communications/marketing to fundraising/sales, so don't let it get isolated or relegated to a sideshow. Consider sending weekly summaries of your web and online engagement stats out to the entire staff; share blog posts mentioning your organization or your work with the rest of the staff and explain why they matter; and claim a few moments at your staff meeting to share something interest and relevant from your web or online community building work that's relevant to the entire group.
5. Strategy over tools ::  Focus on the great potential of an effective online strategy that fully supports your mission, then figure out what's needed to get there. Don't let the available tools drive the decision-making.
6. "Power mapping" :: Who holds the power within your organization, and who's whispering in the ears of the decision-makers?  Who do you need to target to get their buy-in and support? Who are your natural allies? If you do advocacy work, you're probably familiar with this from running public campaigns, so now you need to turn those same campaigning skills inward.
7. Hire the right staff (vs consultants) :: Sounds like a no-brainer, but it's easily overlooked even as the workload for your online person expands exponentially.  Make it a priority to figure out who you need to support your online operations, what their titles and job descriptions should be, and how to properly budget for them.  Be clear about what work can or can't realistically be done without those additional staffers. (See our guide, "Building a Successful Online Team")

• Should Vertical Response Be the Default Mass Emailing Tool for Nonprofits?
  free 10,000 sends/month for c(3) orgs
• Modeling The Real Market Value Of Social Networks
  If you are nerdy about numbers or ever wonder, could facebook *really* be worth $15 billion, this article is for you.
• Neave Television ...telly without context
  Most original idea I've seen on the internet in a while
• Loopt | Your Social Compass
  location-based mobile networking
• Can McCain compete with Obama online? - Ben Adler - Politico.com
  politico piece by ben adler

• Self-Publish Your Own Magazine With MagCloud - ReadWriteWeb
  who wants to make a magazine?

• Key differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0
  academic article: "Although largely a marketing term, some of the key attributes associated with Web 2.0 include the growth of social networks, bi–directional communication, various ‘glue’ technologies, and significant diversity in content types."
• Pew Internet Report: 2008 Election
• MacGDBp - Native Mac PHP Debugging
  This is a very promising debugging app which runs natively on OS X. It's hot off the presses and written by a young, Open Source Superstar...but I do wish I could get it working.

• Making Light: AP to negotiate with sham "Media Bloggers Association"
  The AP decides to meet with the chief of all bloggers! There's just, uh, one problem...
• Elections '08 Map Gallery (Google Maps)
  primary results, twitter, search queries, campaign stops, etc
• Total Online Giving In USA Reached $10.44 Billion in 2007
  slide by Ted Hart
• GIRL TALK - FEED THE ANIMALS
  trans-mashup artist Girl Talk takes the Radiohead approach (but at a higher bitrate, and with a FLAC option)

• TimesPeople FAQ - The New York Times
  Interesting model for a micro social network. Might be something worth looking at for clients.
• WebGoat Project - OWASP
  A deliberately insecure webapp designed to teach lessons about secure design. Neat idea.
• The Secret of My.BarackObama.com? eGroups!
  the importance of email to grassroots online organizing

I've been working on a new project with Dave Winer -- Newsjunk.com. For the last few months, I've been annoyed at how hard it is to follow the political coverage. News pops up in a lot of different places, and having single source to follow what's happening throughout the day has been an itch that needs scratching. Dave remembers the briefing books we had on the Dean campaign, a fixture of many campaigns. So NewsJunk.com started as a way to scratch the itch of the political news junkie, and a way to begin to build an open briefing book.

The eight ways to follow NewsJunk:

1. Refresh the home page periodically.

2. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

3. Follow it on Twitter.

4. Read it on your iPhone.

5. Befriend it on FriendFeed.

6. Receive emails through Google Groups.

7. Add it as a friend on Facebook.

8. Watch for developments on the NewsJunk weblog.

You can include NewsJunk headlines on your blog or site.

I've been working on a new project with Dave Winer -- Newsjunk.com. For the last few months, I've been annoyed at how hard it is to follow the political coverage. News pops up in a lot of different places, and having single source to follow what's happening throughout the day has been an itch that needs scratching. Dave remembers the briefing books we had on the Dean campaign, a fixture of many campaigns. So NewsJunk.com started as a way to scratch the itch of the political news junkie, and a way to begin to build an open briefing book.

The eight ways to follow NewsJunk:

1. Refresh the home page periodically.

2. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

3. Follow it on Twitter.

4. Read it on your iPhone.

5. Befriend it on FriendFeed.

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• SproutCore » home
  Apple's new Javascript framework. Color me unconvinced -- jQuery already kills at DOM manipulation, and this doesn't look to be a Flash killer. I think we're stuck with rich client libraries for a while longer.
• NameThis :: projects
  crowd-sourced product naming -- get paid to come up with good names, or pay to get your thing named

• What's in a (Concocted) Name?
• Political Giving by Occupation - MotherJones.com
  Interesting and funny!