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NetSquared is an initiative ofTechSoup
NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.
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What's *really* new on the Web, as opposed to buzzwords and soundbites?:
The Washington Post reported this week (Week of Feb, 5, 2006) that all age groups from 17-70 have a majority represented online. That means more than 60% of folks 65-70 are online. This is great. How all those people from all those age groups utilize the web is an unknown but we can guess everyone is on email and a number of them are searching and buying stuff.
So - what's new to the web - a whole bunch of folks who weren't there last week it seems!
Which tools best embody the new opportunities from your point of view and why?:
I'm not a huge fan of social networking tools - I don't date or go to bars and find little time to surf and tag what I find. I do think organizations working together - where once they competed is a very good thing and something more and more are trending toward.
The hard part is going to be getting people over the fear of use technology to further their goals WHILE collaborating with each other.
Who's doing the best work with the new tools (technically or in terms of social benefit or both)?:
I don't think anyone is doing a particularly good job. Most big organizations seem focused on me as a pocket book and not me as an agent of social change. Most political organizations are disorganized and fear technology more than not ... though that is changing slowly.
Organizations and their technology are such new acquaintances and the adoption of technology for social change organizations is so frought with misgiving, fear and missteps it is too soon to say anything is making a big difference for people.
What's the bad news? What are the greatest barriers preventing web-based technology from producing social change?:
Organizations still see their technology as a means - not as central to their core objectives. They might give it lip service but they don't push it to do what they need it to do. They don't demand that it be easy - not easy if they have a webmaster, or easy if that volunteer doesn't quit, oor easy if that consultant is always around - just easy.
The public, you and I (and the people who work inside organizations) demand so much from organizations - automated and clear messaging, online donations, ecommerce, event management — not to mention definable and measured results ... and organizations can't, wont, or don't put the same demands on their technology.
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