At my blog, studio 501c, I asked readers to point me toward examples of nonprofits that have engaged young people in blogging. I also asked for examples of safety guidelines the nonprofits used as a result. I started this research, on behalf of a friend who works for a youth-engaging nonprofit, by emailing Britt Bravo, Beth Kanter, and Marshall Kirkpatrick, all of whom I want to be like when I grow up (and all of whom I finally met face-to-face at Blogher in Chicago this past summer). I'm grateful to them for getting the ball rolling.

Jim Fruchterman was named a MacArthur genius yesterday.  You can find links to his blog and to a couple of bloggers who know him at my blog, studio 501c.

Read about Asi Sharabi's call for ideas and a good suggestion from Seth Godin in the blog of Dave Weinberger (a co-author of the Cluetrain Manifesto, a must read for those interested in using the web to effect change).

While recommending a new study on blogging from the University of Massachusetts, my most recent post at studio 501c also discusses some of the limitations of the research, and cautions nonprofit bloggers to beware of absolute "truths."

So says a study by the Nielsen Norman group, which I wrote about in my blog, studio 501c.

On May 31, my favorite all-around blogger Jason Kottke wrote that "The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is exploring the use of satellite imagery to detect and prove human rights abuses."

Forbes.com discusses the lucrative nonprofit software market being pursued by Blackbaud, Convio, and Kintera in an article entitled "No Charity Cases."

The Strategic Public Relations blog has a good post on how "Missing and Exploited Children Gain Awareness on Flickr" (via the del.icio.us links feed of PR blogger Kami Huyse of Communication Overtones).

Emily, creator of the Nonprofit Blog Exchange, asks why nonprofits don't blog. I think it's because blogging is too often touted as a radical, new end in itself, not as a tool in a larger strategy for building relationships with donors, volunteers, members, and clients.

Relatedly, we need to engage more nonprofit communicators and fundraising professionals in the conversation. No matter how well intended they may be, techies and Web gurus often promote blogs and the like without regard for sound principles of nonprofit fundraising and relationship building -- principles that apply online and off. 

In a recent interview conducted by nonprofit blogging guru Marshall Kirkpatrick, marketing guru Seth Godin calls nonprofits "so so clueless" for not jumping on his Squidoo bandwagon. Squidoo.com is Seth's new Web service. For no charge, it allows anyone to create a Web page -- with links, reviews, photos, products for sale -- about any particular topic. But as Seth told Marshall, "Most non profits are so so clueless. My favorite example: more than a quarter of a million people have used Squidoo since December. Any idea how many non-profits have emailed me and asked to be listed as a charity or to get promotion? ZERO....It's not like I'm hard to find."