Adium X

I’m an instant messaging junkie. Mostly I use the IM in Skype but I can also be seen on the AOL IM platform through iChat. I know lots of folks that also use GoogleTalk, Yahoo’s IM offering, and so forth. This means, in general, these folks will have many different IM clients open.

Adium (sound like a new cholesterol drug) allows you to access many services in a single client rather than having multiple windows open.

Adium does not support video or audio–no calling home on the cheap using it. However the handiness of NOT having multiple applications seems like it might be good.

Adium is only for MacOS X.

Written by: Creech

Change in the NPSL Host

Due to significant downtime on NPSL’s old host provider, the Management team made the decision to move NPSL to Brownrice Internet, a hoster that I am very familiar with. Brownrice has agreed to host NPSL for free. If you want to let them know that you appreciate the donation, let me know and I’ll pass your comments onto the President of the company.

Please let me know if you see any strangeness on the site. Migrations rarely go perfectly (check out this COMMENT for an example) so help me out and send me a note if you see something broken.

Best,

Creech Antwerp/Matthew Saunders

Written by: Creech

Plaxo

Plaxo is a social networking tool that allows you to dynamically update your address book. I’ve written a couple of posts on my personal blog about how the tool can be used.

It recently started allowing synching from LinkedIN. It would be interesting if it allowed for additional synchs from other social networking sites like SecondLife. Increasingly people are using SecondLife avatars to make connections (business or otherwise) and as tools like LinkedIN and Plaxo continue to be open to one another I think we will start to see a blending of tools where we use the best tool for a certain purpose to access the same information.

Written by: Creech

Change In Focus

In my intersection with other nonprofits through the NPSL group and on the TechSoup site I am expanding my focus to deal with emerging technologies in general and how they can be utilized by the nonprofit community as a whole.  My background is in the arts, so expect to continue to see some bias for that industry but my personal experiences over the last two years have shifted my sense of self toward social justice (although being Canadian probably has something to do with that too.)
So, while the focus has been shifting over the last six months, expect it to be more apparent–including the updated header on http://dogstar.org .

Written by: Creech

Furnishing No No’s

I was working on trying to furnish the WESTAF office last night. I looked into the "object" containing all manner of lamps and lights and quite by accident clothed myself with a myriad of lighting objects in one fell swoop. This was the outcome…

Snapshot_025.bmp

Written by: Creech

Aggregators

Aggregators are tools that allow you to access the RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feeds from different sites.  You can tell that a site has a feed if you see this icon on the page.  Aggregators allow you to mix the feeds from many sites into a single place.  In other words, no need to surf when an aggregator can deliver the content to your desktop.
Some of my favourite aggregators include:

  1. Drupal has its own built in aggregator.  I’m including it because of the overall utility of Drupal as a content management tool
  2. Netvibes is a truly fabulous aggregation site allowing for all kinds of mixing and matching of information
  3. NewsLife is an OSX 10.4 only aggregator that tries to simplify the interface and make reading feeds more intuitive.
  4. Bloglines is a great aggregator/organizer of feeds.
  5. Feeddemon is a desktop application that costs a little money (about $30), but is one of the most powerful and sophisticated readers out there.

If you spend much time reading news sites, blogs, and wikis and want to save some time, a reader is an invaluable tool.

Written by: Creech

Marketplaces and Web 2.0

Social networking sites are gathering places.  When they are successful, they build community.  That community can interact through chat, forums, blogs and comments, virtual environments, text messaging and wikis. 
Those who are 18-35ish are rarely far away from these communities due to the prevalence of cell phones with text messaging and browsers.  In fact, many young people use the texting functions on cell phones more than the phone itself.  I understand this.  I use texting to keep in touch with my wife.  Often a quick text is a faster way to communicate with people. 
I also use texting with the programmers we work with at work.  It is fast and I don’t need a computer to do it. In Asia text messaging has become enormous.  Broadband services on cell are common place in Asia.  They will become common place here as well.  The trend for people to be online almost all the time will not diminish.  In fact, those who are between 18-25 spend more time online than watch TV and it is a vast amount of time–over 80 hours a month.
This trend has far reaching implications.

  1. Entertainment choices are shifting–the computer has become a primary source, perhaps THE primary source of entertainment.
  2. Where people "hang out" is changing.  Physical place has become less important.  If you see a teenager texting on a Sidekick, they are hanging out with friends.  Perhaps not at the mall, but it isn’t any less valid.
  3. Virtual spaces like Second Life will become more influential.  Second Life already has over 6 million residents and the GDP of a small country.  Commercial advertisers have already figured this out and have begun using the space to that advantage.
  4. The marketplace has begun shifting and will continue to do so.  If you want to reach the younger consumer you must meet them where they gather.  That is online.

Nonprofits must embrace the new marketplace.  If the community chooses to ignore how monumental of a tectonic shift this will represent the community will fail.  Theatres won’t have people in the seats.  Service organizations won’t be able to easily recruit volunteers.  Sales will plummet.  Grantmakers will lose opportunities to fund quality applicants
So, where is your best marketplace and has it moved online yet?  If it has started, don’t ignore how young people are gathering.  Find your way to where they hang out and you can find a place to plant a seed.

Written by: Creech

Just Updated Permissions

> Docent_Alturas
> Bluewave
> rikomatic
> msirkin
> Xin
> janimyriam
> tuesday
> Johnny_Austin
> bfelice
> mrmaroney
> ange
> Susan_Tenby
> Glitteractica_Cookie
> kanter
> Creech

I’ve updated all of these accounts to be able to post comments–some already could. If you want to be able to blog or post comments let me know.

Written by: Creech

NEA Funding Increase Approved by House Committee

Today, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, approved a budget for the National Endowment for the Arts of $160 million. This is a proposed increase of $35 million over funding in FY 2007. This represents the largest increase in many years.

This is great news for Arts nonprofits in the United States.

The American Arts Alliance has posted a summary and a way to say "Thank-you" the committee members.

Written by: Creech