What web 2.0 tools should you be using now and in the future? The answer is simple: Many.

Why?

Your site needs to be diversified in order to appeal to a variety of people. The readers that may not read your blog may be interested in taking an on site quiz or adding their own volunteer experiences to your site in your testimonials or on your forums.

A website that effects people’s emotions will be effective at drawing your readers in and it will have them coming back for more information and stories. The example used by John Kenyon at the 2008 NTEN conference, stated that the website that has a short one minute video describing how of a former homeless person that your organization helped to get a job, and he expresses what your organization did for him, is a lot more effective then you writing his story and posting it on your site. Video touches people and puts faces with the story.

Use flickr to pull in photos for your site, or have a youtube channel for your nonprofit. There are even online games that teach people about social issues like Darfur at darfurisdying.com The future for new online social media tools will continue to grow. If you start now to build your online networks, known as “friends”, it will be easier for you to jump into the new Web 2.0 tools that will be here before we know it.

Start small and keep building. You don’t have to add six different features to your site at once. I’m just seeing the value of Twitter, but it took me almost six months to see it’s capabilities. (But I’m old school and I still text or even call my friends.) I truly understood the value of twitter at the NTEN conference as it was being used in full force, and it was both valuable and fun. For instance, during the second day plenary talk, a lot of us couldn’t hear the speaker, and several people posted their concern on Twitter and it was taken care of within a few minutes. Also, when the speakers were talking about how we could all help with the issues involved in rebuilding New Orleans several people sent “tweets”, a.k.a. messages, with links to our government officials so that the audience could take action.

How do you judge the effectiveness of your Web 2.0 endeavors?

Frogloop.com has an extensive ROI calculator has you put in your variable to determine the effectiveness of you Web2.0 endeavors.

There’s no doubt about it, partaking in the various Web 2.0 techniques takes time. When you put time and effort into anything you want to have a positive return. Beth Kantar spoke about building your online presence through “Network Weaving.” You must follow the 3 R’s listed below to have a positive ROI on your Web 2.0 efforts.

Network weaving:

• R = Relationship Building – you don’t get immediate results from the time you spend on Facebook and posting comments on colleague’s blogs, but you have to have faith, and trust that it works.
• R = Rewards – write post about others on your “friends list” and people will give back to you. Ask people to spread the word about your cause, and give them ideas and talking points to help get them started.
• R = Reciprocity - give to others who give to you, you can’t ask everyone you know to donate money to your cause, if you don’t donate to their cause.

Being a friend online is really not any different than being a friend in person. It’s still networking, but the tools are just different. I think we all know that they will be changing and growing each year.

Speaking of networking, Beth pointed out that it’s still important to keep in touch and use the older forms of networking used by our parents. She calls it the “Little Ladies with Tennis Shoes.” These ladies have a lot of networks established through the church and civic groups. When you’re looking for donations or volunteers you have to tap into those circles as well. Just because many of us are networking online you there it still doesn’t’ take the place of the traditional networking done at lunches, PTA meetings and on the golf course. It’s necessary to tap into all resources available to us when we have an important message or cause.

List of Current Web 2.0 options:

This site, judybrown.com, provides a list and brief description of the latest Web 2.0 possibilities, and they even break them down into areas of interest.

Bottom Line

The game is the same, but there are new and exciting tools that you should take the time to learn and to explore while not forgetting about the old school techniques.

Carve a little time every few days to build and grow your online networks. Although we don’t know what the future holds in web 2.0, we can be sure that it will change and grow.

The NTEN Conference (Nonprofit Technology) is in full force.

I've already learned a lot in the first full day of sessions, including why we should all be using Google Analytics, and how to determine the ROI on the latest Web2.0 techniques. I've also learned about the new, at least to me, open source tools available.

All of these topics, and more, will be discussed in my upcoming blogs.

Stay tuned...

Check back later this week for live updates from the NTEN Conference in New Orleans.

I'll be discussing the latest ideas and tools that will help your nonprofit succeed.

Customer feedback is a key element in any business. Online surveys are a great tool for obtaining valuable information from your clients, In this blog I’ll review three online survey sites, including, SurveyMonkey, SurveyGizmo and Zoomerang. I chose these three survey sites because they are all popular sites, and SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang have been in business since 1999. I decided to also review SurveyGizmo since lately they have been getting a lot of good press, so I wanted to see how they would measure up to the tried and true survey sites.

All three sites offer a free version of their product which includes basic survey features. Each of the company’s basic service has their own set of limits, so I’ve outlined them below so that you can quickly analyze their features. For the research purposes, I created a survey on each site with the same ten questions. All three sites are user friendly, and it only takes about twenty five minutes to set up a quick survey that you can post as a link on your website or send out in your emails. I also reviewed what discounts each survey site offers to nonprofit organizations, and I provided links to each sites subscriptions rates and features.

Squidoo put out their list for 2006 listing the 50 Smartest Online Nonprofits. So what can we learn from the best of the best? Is there a common thread between the diverse group of nonprofits? How does your nonprofit’s online activity compare to the top fifty? You can view the article at the end of this blog.

The article states, “These charities were chosen for their excellence in online storytelling and collaboration with their donors. We didn't play favorites to one cause over another, nor did we look at their fundraising goals or number of members. Instead, these organizations are winners because of their web 2.0 smarts and a willingness to engage their constituents far beyond asking them to dig into their pockets.

These are organizations that give their volunteers and members a voice and get out of the way. They're pros at mobilizing awareness online. They're experimenters. Innovators. On a mission. They're fearless.”

What can we learn from the Best? Listed below are four common tools that the “smartest” using on their websites.

1. Why are they considered the “smartest?” They are creative and current, they keep their goals and ideas fresh and change as new technology and new tools emerge. You don’t have to be a large nonprofit organization to be successful. Take for instance #6 on the list, Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter in Cleveland, Ohio. They are using the web to generate awareness and interest. Their site is interactive with a discussion group, and they use entertaining fundraising tactics, such as a Bowling Benefit and they host gift wrapping at a local bookstore during the holidays. They advertise their Ferrets Unlimited Mall on their homepage, and their director writes a blog to keep their readers up to date on their foundation’s latest events and concerns.
2. Blog. Why should you have a blog? It keeps interested parties informed and it draws readers back to your site. All of the successful nonprofits are blogging. It’s not as though someone is telling you to jump off a bridge, so if someone tells you should have a blog, maybe you should listen, and I promise, it won’t hurt! Here’s a few of the “smartest” who maintain a blog:
   • #5 World Changing
   • #9 Doctors Without Borders
   • #17 Rainforest Action Network
   • #30 Interplast
   • #33 TakingITGlobal
   • #36 Center for Church Communication
   • #56 CivicSpace
3. Use Online Social Media sites to generate donors, volunteers and awareness. MySpace, YouTube and similar sites have created specific areas for nonprofits. It’s time to add your organization on their sites. Here’s a list of the “smartest” that’s using online social media:
   • #8 ASPCA
   • #17 Rainforest Action Network
   • #19 Ad Council
   • #40 PETA
   • #47 Grameen Foundation -Fighting Poverty with Microfinance
4. Podcasts, Radio Shows and RSS Feeds are another way to keep your site engaging and current, which in turn has your readers coming back for more information and ideas. Listed below are the “smartest” organizations that are having success with these types of web 2.0 format.
   • #31 World Vision
   • # 37 Sierra Club
   • #42 Mayo Clinic: Medical Treatment and Research Centers
   • #46 NPR’s Science Friday

   If you are already using blogs, RSS feeds, MySpace and podcasts you can still learn from the “Smartest 59 Online Nonprofits.”

   Below are listed New Tools and Ideas that are being used by a few of the “smartest.” You never know when someone else has already figured out the latest and greatest online tool, so it’s a good idea to explore other nonprofit’s websites for new ideas.

   • # 55 PledgeBank – a project of mySociety.org – “a new marketing tool that allows people to pledge online and take action to make a difference, but only if others will also agree to take action.” For example, “I’ll pledge to volunteer at my local soup kitchen for 8 hours a month, if six other people agree to do the same.” It reminds us of our youth, and “I’ll do it if you do it.” It also reminds us that it’s nicer to have a friend join us in our adventures.
   • #35 Bookcrossing – “At BookCrossing, you can register any book you have on the site, and then set the book free to travel the world and find new readers. Leave it on a park bench, at a coffee shop, at a hotel on vacation. Share it with a friend or tuck it onto a bookshelf at the gym -- anywhere it might find a new reader! What happens next is up to fate, and we never know where our books might travel next. Track the book's journey around the world as it is passed on from person to person.” It combines recycling with a treasure hunt.
   • #44 Share Our Strength – They hold volunteer events throughout the country to raise funds to end hunger in America. Their next big event is The Great American Bake Sale where anyone can host a bake sale and send their proceeds to Share Our Strength. This year’s bake sale will launch on March 1, 2008. Any individual or group can participate in the Bake Sale. This event is a creative spin on the timeless idea that focuses on, and if we all work together for a common goal we can be successful.

   I hope you are inspired to add a few new tools to your website. Ask for feedback from your readers and staff, and you never know, your site might be listed on next year’s “Smartest 59.” We have also learned that new ideas are sometimes creative twists on old ideas.

   What will they think of next?

   Do you want to add the list of the top 50 to your website? Just click on the link to the article and then click on “grab the list” to make a widget or to add the RSS feed on your website. Here’s what the widget will look like:
   Click through to see the plexo

With the spirit of good will all around us during the holidays, it seems fitting to write about making charitable donations. Times sure have changed, and our donations don’t only consist of putting our spare change in the Salvation Army’s red bucket outside our local grocery store during the months of November and December. Thanks to creative new ideas, the internet has become a great resource for finding new donors.

You can help your favorite charity year round by placing a charity badge on your website, which is a catchy name for a widget on your site that lets others who visit the site have the opportunity to donate the charity with just a few clicks of their mouse. Network for Good explains a charity badge by saying, “A Charity Badge allows you to raise awareness and money for any cause you care about with a badge on your blog, social networking site or web page. You can personalize the badge with a photo, video and/or text and then link to the charity that you want to support. The badge tracks in donations in real-time.”

Where to start:

Locate a Free Charity Badge Site: There are several sites that make developing your own Charity Badge simply. They also show you examples of badges.

• Network for Good has partnered with Yahoo! for good to offer badges.
• SixDegrees.org
• ChipIn.com
• Care Badges - Care Badges are used on websites, blogs and social networking sites, but they cannot be used in emails. Care Badges are free to obtain, but they do ask you to donate $2, $5 or $10 for a more visually appealing badges. The free badges only let you use the default colors in your badge.

Visit Green Moon Solutions' Charity Badge that benefits the Center for Educational Design and Communication to see how a badge looks when it's displayed on a web site.  It was set up in five minutes using SixDegrees.org.

Helpful Tips:

Make it Personal. SixDegrees.org lists the following tips that are essential in building a great badge:

Personalize It:

A great a badge has to stand out and grab the reader. Network for Good suggests that you add a photo or a video link to your badge. This allows you to show and to tell your readers why you think your charity deserves their donation. Does your niece, nephew or neighbor suffer from an illness, or has your hometown been hit with a natural disaster? If so, add a photograph or video so that you can put a face with the charity.

Donate:

“People like to feel they are part of a larger effort. It’s not inspiring to see zero donations on a badge, so donate to your own badge to get fundraising momentum started for your cause.”

Post:

Add your badge to your website, email signature, MySpace page, blog, etc. The more people who see your badge, the more donations your favorite charity will receive. Invite people to make their own badges. Let viral marketing work in your favor and more importantly, your charities favor.

Link:

Send the link to your badge to your contacts in your email address book, and ask people donate and then forward your badge to their friends. And so on, and so on. Do you see a pattern developing here?

Reach Out:

“Ask Bloggers to Join Your Cause. Go to Technorati.com and search for blogs that are focused on your issue. Tell bloggers about your campaign and ask them to post on your efforts. They have a circle of active readers who are likely to care about your cause.”

Let Organizations Help You to Help Your Cause:

Collecting the most money doesn’t always win, sometimes you just have to be creative, or use all the resources that are available to you.

SixDegrees.org and Parade Magazine is currently collaborating to provide a great resource. They are having contest, entitled “America’s Giving Challenge” to help people get excited about their charity and to promote awareness. Your charity can receive $50,000. Parade is giving away a total of $500,000. As long as you’re a U.S. citizen who is over thirteen years old, you can participate in the challenge. You just have to develop creative ways to find donors. Their challenge runs until January 31, 2008 at 3:00 pm.

Here’s more information from their site:

“With our partner the Case Foundation, Parade Magazine is presenting America’s Giving Challenge and awarding $500,000 to charities whose supporters have attracted the most unique donors to their cause using new and innovative online tools.

Who can participate?

Anyone with access to the Internet, a willingness to try something new, and the passion and commitment to advocate on behalf of a cause they care about. The entire Challenge is designed to take place online, involving the use of such everyday activities as e-mailing, blogging, and social networking.”

See their official rules.

Build your badge today. It only takes a few minutes, and let the spirit of the season help you be a champion for your cause.

• Don't forward an email from someone you don't know to a list of people.
  
• Before you join a list, make sure the list owner or Web master will not sell your address.
• Use a complicated email username.
  
• If your organization has an IT department, forward any spam that gets through to it.
• Make sure your privacy settings are set so you don't receive marketing from other sites in your AOL and Yahoo profiles.
  
• Never use your email address as your screen name in chat rooms.
  

Blogs are a great way to reach many people, just review the data listed below as per BlogWorld Expo. The hardest part of blogging is getting started, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll become a professional. One of the most important attributes your website should possess is an instrument to keep it progressive and inviting. When a customer or a client visits your website they should become drawn in and in turn, they’ll want to come back and visit more often. Having an inventive blog can bring people back to your site time and time again.

Blogging software is an essential tool that will make your blogging endeavors easier. There are many to choose from, so in this article I’ll go over the main attributes of the most popular blogging software titles.

Important Blogging Statistics according to BlogWorld

• Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog.
• More than 147 million Americans use the Internet.
• Over 57 million Americans read blogs.
• 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog.
• 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years.
• 9% of internet users say they have created blogs.
• 6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog.
• Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs.
• over 120 thousand blogs are created every day.
• there are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day.
• 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs.
• 120,000 new blogs are created every day.
• 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006.
• 51% of blog readers shop online.
• Blog readers average 23 hours online each week.

A comparison chart is an easy way to see what each software product has to offer, depending on your needs. Some of the popular software titles are compared here.

I've researched a few different software titles and I've provided links to their features and themes. Wikipedia has an extensive list of weblog software outlined in the following categories:

• Free/Libre/Open-Source software
• Proprietary software
• Unknown License and
• Developer-hosted software

Below are summaries of features for several popular blogging software products.

Wordpress features:

• Lessons
• Getting Started with Wordpress:

A new feature added in Wordpress: Blog by Email. ”WordPress can be configured to use an email account to post to your blog. In order to enable this functionality, you need to set up a dedicated email account, configure WordPress, and configure your web server such that WordPress can check the email account periodically.

Customize wordpress to your individual needs with Wordpress Plugins:

TypePad is software that you purchase.

• See their key features.
• TypePad Pricing.

So why should you pay for blog software when you can get it for free elsewhere? According to TypePad they promise better customer service 24 hours a day/365 days a year. They also state, “It’s easy to get started, and grows with you. Want a great looking blog? Start with one of our professional designs and customize it over time. You have complete control of your design. Want an active community of readers and commenters? TypePad has the tools you need to manage the conversation. Want to spread your message far and wide? With TypePad your blog can live on your domain name, and we automatically support feeds, podcasting, and video casting.”

Blogware

“Blogware is the better way to blog.

• Communicating is easy: Our superior interfaces make blog simple. Posts are created in a Rich Text Editor, also known as a WSYWYG (What You See is What You Get) environment. And you can preview and edit your entries, photos before you publish them.
• You Control Who Sees Your Content: Blogware’s security model allows you to control who sees what content by restricting permissions to various content folders. Your private information remains private.
• Post Anything, From Anywhere: You do not have to login to a website to update your blog. Add content from your cell phone, email application and more.
• Create your own blog personality: You are not limited to pre-defined templates like other applications. You can create custom components. And, it is advertisement free – unlike other blogging services.
• You Can Grow with Blogware: You have the ability to enable and disable functionality depending on your blogging needs.”

  Where to get Blogware: They list retailers who carry blogware.

  Blogware provides quick and easy online tutorials that teach you how to post, customize your blog, track your statistics by the hour, such as most viewed blog and the blog with the most comments. You can also learn how to import your blog from another blog site to Blogware in just six clicks of your mouse.

  b2evolution is a “multilingual multiuser multiblog engine.”

  “b2evolution includes all the features of traditional blog tools, and extends them with evolved features such as file & photo management, advanced skinning, multiple blogs support as well as detailed user permissions.”

  This free blog tool that is installed on your own website. Their site includes an online demo so that you can try it out before you download it on your computer. It’s simple to use and it comes with one of the largest selections of themes/skins, so that you can customize your blog to your taste. If you don’t find one that fits your needs you can also edit the CSS files, and they give the instructions on their website.

  Click here for a complete list of themes/skins.

  Blogger

  Blogger is a free blog hosting site where you can create your own blog with its own domain. It only takes three easy steps to have your own blog up and running. (Create an account, name your blog and choose a template) It took me under 15 minutes to create my own blog. The hardest task was coming up with a catchy name and then selecting one of the ten templates. They also make it easy to change your template whenever you decide to change the look of your blog. You do have to register on their site to view the available templates.

  Blogger’s key feature is its simplicity. If you want to start blogging today, then I’d start with Blogger because you can focus on your blog’s content, because the content is what will be the deciding factor in a successful blog. If you find that you want or need more attributes in your blog, then I’d choose any of the other software titles that fit your needs.

  Integrating your Blog into your Website

  If your organization’s website is built on a content management system (CMS) such as Drupal, Joomla, Plone, or Community Server, then blogging software is built into your CMS. You may need to flip a couple of switches to get it to appear, but that is usually pretty easy to do. The nice thing about using your CMS’s blogging feature is that your blog will be seamlessly integrated into your website.

  If you are not using a CMS, you can always use one of the above blogging tools and link to your blog from your website, use iframes to pull the blog in, or use the blog’s RSS feeds to list the recent titles of your blogs on your website.

  Summary

  Blogs are popular and are good for keeping your site content fresh. I’ve discussed a few of the blogging tools. They are generally quick to set up. And, it is important to integrate them into your organization’s website.