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The VolResource newsletter flagged up the "Blog Exchange" which ran recently. Here 's a link to the latest posting on this:
Nonprofit Blog Exchange: Next Steps
The blogs that participated in the pilot version of the blog exchange were added to both Bloglines and del.icio.us listings which are linked via this piece. Mainly American, unsurprisingly, but the item above does indicate that even there, there is little actual viewing of blogs (and use?) by the sector.
Posted on Wednedsay 21st by Global Voices Online: Handbook for Bloggers & Cyber-Dissidents
"Reporters Without Borders has given Global Voices a sneak peak at the Handbook For Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents before its official Thursday release. .... It is a valuable gift to the world’s bloggers."
Or go direct to the download page:
Reporters sans frontières - Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents
Interestingly Reporters without Borders, which is based in France, has had some funding for this from the French government.
Quote from First aid on your iPod from Guardian Unlimited: Newsblog:
Often spotted at major events providing first-aid support to anyone who feels feint [sic] or cuts their hand, but St John Ambulance would not be most people’s pick for an organisation at the cutting edge of technology, writes David Callaghan.
In a radical departure from its cosy traditional image, St John has made downloadable first-aid tips in audio format available for owners of iPods and MP3 players.
Some people involved in IT or information areas may be interested in the following event.
World Summit on Free Information Infrastructures
London 2005
* When: Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd of October
* Programme: see the programme page
* Where: Limehouse Town Hall, 646 Commercial Road, London, E14 7HA (Map)
* Registration: http://www.wsfii.org/register.php
* Wiki: http://www.okfn.org/wsfii/wiki
One of Britain's larger charities revamps public website, along with e-training and other facilities for their volunteers:
New RNLI web site to make a splash - IT Week
"The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is overhauling its web site so that it can increase donations and recruit further volunteers.
The organisation has signed a deal with ISP Pipex to host the new system, which is intended to go live in November."
I don't think I'll be taking part in any charity cycle rides in Devon or Cornwall after 2 reports in 2 days on BBC news web pages:
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Devon | Officer dies on charity bike ride: A police officer has died after collapsing during a charity cycle ride in north Devon.
BBC NEWS | England | Cornwall | Charity cyclists injured in crash: Police in Cornwall said two charity cyclists have been seriously hurt in a collision on the A30 near Camborne.
From Computer Weekly: Technology charity boosts supply chain for New Orleans aid
"A technology charity is using supply chain management software to manage the delivery of desperately needed aid to people from New Orleans and other areas devastated by hurricane Katrina.
Aidmatrix, a US not-for-profit organisation, supplied a system to track and manage relief supplies stored in a chain of specially set up. disaster response warehouses, which are run by Adventist Community Services (ACS) on behalf of a coalition of major US charities."
It is good to see that developing charity technology by and for non-profit bodies in the States doesn't just mean fundraising facilities, as it seems to here in the UK. Where oh where in the ICT national hub (job adverts throughout the sector press this week) is anyone doing anything about improving the lack of decent, tailored and affordable IT facilties, for real life back office and frontline action?
From Reinventing Accountability for the 21st Century Simon Zadek - openDemocracy, on openDemocracy
"........The corporatist professionalism of many transnational civil society organisations embraces the very same undemocratic tendencies that brought them into being in the first place. Today’s “smart mobs” of internet-based, networked campaigners, have inherited the genes of self-centred, unaccountable individualism that has undermined traditional forms of collective action."
The article argues that there needs to be continuing accountability innovations to keep accountability of governments (and other insititutions) alive. Accountability21 conference seeks to explore new approaches.
There have been off and on arguments about the need for greater accountability of NGOs - not just about filing accounts. So may be one to watch.
Finally after 17 years CFDG, the body for charity finance directors, has dumped its ridiculous logo of a prancing knight. I never understood what that was meant to convey, other than an organisation stuck in the past (which is wasn't particularly).
To replace it they've gone for a moth eaten purple blob:
An improvement but hardly inspirational or memorable.
Community and voluntary groups in Neath Port Talbot have recently gained access to a new small grants scheme.
Neath Port Talbot County Voluntary Service Community Development Fund has £100,000 per year for the next three years from the Welsh Asembly's Community Facilities and Activities Programme (CFAP). Local groups needing relatively small amounts of financial support will be able to access funds in the scheme rather than apply directly to the Welsh Assembly Government for help
xPRESS Digest: New grants for community and voluntary groups in Neath Port Talbot
VolResource has used and recommended Google as a search tool since almost our first appearance back in 1999. It's still a good search engine and is quick to answer simple stuff such as finding an organisation's website. But there are others out there developing search further, in various directions.
Clustering can be particularly helpful when a search term brings up results from various different areas. An example can help. We've just been pointed in the direction of Exalead by the article linked below. On typing in 'voluntary sector', a 'tree' appears on the left with which will refine this to 'voluntary sector organisations' or Council for Voluntary Service, for instance.
Read more about why Google is "so last week":
EContentMag.com
Or try the Exalead search for yourself: Exalead Search: voluntary sector
(Note to self: this may be refined into a newsletter item at some point.)
It may be rather an extreme example, but the loss of crucial documents by the Justice Center in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina shows the importance of thinking wide (even ''outside the box') when creating or updating a risk management policy. They may have not been able to do anything in practice due to lack of resources, or perhaps they could have come up with a way of protecting key material? Or maybe it was just down to a lack of urgency on such issues.
Read Clive Stafford Smith's piece in today's Guardian at this link:
Article from this week's Computing newspaper:
Grid computing is increasingly moving out of the research and academic environments ... One of the highest-profile examples of grids being used in a commercial situation is the infrastructure for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day online fund-raising efforts, a system which this year was also called into action to support the Live 8 anti-poverty concerts.
Read more:
Grid computing does a lot of work for charity - Computing