In the online world, 'the things you care about' define who you are. They say as much about your personality as the clothes you wear and Facebook updates you share.
Social networks have changed the way that people support charities, promote causes and view their own ability to change the world. And, it's more possible THAN EVER for individuals, groups and charities to change the world by leveraging social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Ready to change the world? If so, I've got two resources you need to get started: 'Causewired' by Tom Watson ($18.45) will inspire you to act; and 'It's Your World, So Change It' by Tom Head ($10.79) will get you started.
Causewired is required reading if you want to understand the influences that social networking and other technology have had on activism and engagement. People's engagement level with charitable causes and activism have grown as quickly as Facebook itself, according to Watson.
"New technology and the human urge to communicate will create the basis for a golden age of activism and involvement, increasing the reach of philanthropy and improving the openness of politics, democratic government, and our major social institutions," said Watson. "the public commons is changing; it's being rewired and supercharged with the powerful fuel of information and instant conversation."
In Causewired, Watson (an experienced journalist and publisher of the causewired.com website) shares his 25-year obsession with advocacy and technology. He provides the context to today's philanthropic environment - where microloan websites like kiva.org and microdonation sites like donorschoose.org - are able to achieve success and social change by seeking direct funds from individual donors.
The Donors Choose website helps teachers get funding for items that aren't provided by public schools. According to the site, an average public school teacher spends $458 of their own cash each year on their students - and remains wanting. Here's a timely example: Despite a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle that proclaims "Stimulus Cash Keeps Students Well Supplied" I found more than 1,000 bay-area requests for public school donations on the Donors Choose website. It included requests like this one from a San Francisco teacher seeking $365 to purchase recess balls for her students:
"Many students do not get to play outside of their homes, the streets are busy with traffic congestion and people. The only outdoor activity they may get are through recesses, and that's only 20 minutes long," the teacher writes. "As I watch my students play at recess, I notice that many lack the skill needed in the sport to be successful... Students are hitting each other, grabbing the ball, shooting without jumping and not abiding to the court's lines. I cringe as I watch them improperly play. I grew up playing basketball and realized that basketball taught me so much, team work, balance, physical activity and being proud of myself." So far, the teacher has raised more than $104 from private donors.
At the same time, I learn that a teacher in my children's school district is seeking $437 for new lab coats to "protect the students from potentially hazardous materials." The teacher explains that the best chemical to use for studying DNA can also mutate a students' DNA if they're not properly protected.
As a parent, I'm compelled to act. I donated $50 (enough to cover three lab coats) and posted a note to more than 400 Facebook friends asking for them to contribute.
Watson demonstrates in Causewired (like the personal examples above) why causes matter to consumers, communities, and companies. He also describes how increasing the reach of philanthropy improves the openness of nonprofit organizations, government, and social institutions.
It's Your World, So Change It provides experienced and would-be advocates with a prescription for using technology to achieve social change. It's a quick-start manual for advocacy to includes helpful content like "The Seven Deadly Sins of Online Activism," tips for "Keeping Allies Informed (Without Annoying Them Too Much)," and "10 Common Online Activism Mistakes and How to Avoid Them." It provides all of the 'How to' info that Causewired lacks and doesn't go deep into context (where Causewired excels).
"Using online tools for activism sounds fancy," said Head. "Don't believe it, and don't let anyone intimidate you into believing that you can't use these tools effectively to support your cause. Online activism isn't some new, controversial form of activism; it's activism with new tools."
Credits: Cartoon by Hugh McLeod, GapingVoid.com.
Return of the NerdFighers
A year ago, I blogged about NerdFighters. This is a timely update. John and Hank give a brief overview of the first three years of the vlogbrothers youtube channel, nerdfighters, nerdfighteria and more.