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NetSquared is an initiative ofTechSoup
NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.
widgets
The GreenerOne Project - our working widget
So we've created a widget for the GreenerOne site that will allow a member to display how many people they've helped make a green decision while shopping for a product.
We mashuped a few technologies to make this happen. The widget is a dynamic image (PNG) generated from a image library to display how many people you've assisted with your reviews.
- vinnie's blog
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Facebook developer needed for GreenerOne Widget
We're developing a widget for GreenerOne that will allow members to display how many people they've helped to make a 'green' decision during their purchase.
We need the help of a facebook developer.
We're building out the backend to intergrate with GreenerOne product reviews and need somebody who can help us intergrate the widget on facebook. The widget is pretty straight basic, it's just a dynamic PNG generated when somebody loads a page and has info about the GreenerOne's reviews.
- vinnie's blog
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Vancouver's 3rd Net Tuesday: Welcome to the Widget Revolution!
Vancouver had its first Net Tuesday in February and its second in March. Its third and latest event happened this past Tuesday and was a great success! Presenters included Jason Mogus of Communicopia.com, Scott Nelson of FearlessCity, and Keith Grennan of Sprout. Our host for the evening was Sarah Pullman.
Use Web2.0 Tools to Raise Money for Your Organization
Before committing resources to particular milestones & objectives for a fundraising campaign that employs groups, events, and applications on Facebook, OpenSocial, and other platforms, test (AB testing) the relative appeal of various assets (themes, messages, actors, stories, text, images, video, wikis, audio, speakers) and tools for your campaign on a representative sample of your target audience/engaged membership.
Some set of elements fit together and perform as a whole better than others. Find out which combinations create the best results.
Once testing is complete, estimate:
- Rich Reader's blog
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SixDegrees.org
Challenges Entered:
SixDegrees.org taps into the small world phenomenon made popular by Kevin Bacon that we are all connected. The vision is for www.SixDegrees.org to be more than a game or a gimmick; it's social networking with a social conscience.
Location
Bethesda, MD
United States
See map: Google Maps
How Do You Use Social Networks to Build One?
Supporting organization:
Cauzoo
URL:
http://www.cauzoo.com
Location:
Los Angeles
Project Description:
If you're building a social network, mailing list, or other social tool, how do you break through a crowded market? With MySpace, Facebook, and a host of new niche social sites popping up, how can you beat the competition?
Simple- you don't. You work with them to go places you never could before.
Cauzoo.com had a problem that most new sites had- gaining traction in a crowded field. For us, the challenge is making clear that we don't want to supplant MySpace or Facebook, but supplement the social experience by adding a new angle. Undoubtedly, most of your non-profit sites are the same. You aren't asking for all a person's time, just a bit of their attention. But how can you do this without scaring them away? In addition, how can you make a better site from it?
Our answer was simple- instead of fighting the competition, we promoted it.
If you look at the bottom left corner of a sample profile page, you can see "Social Me", an exciting example of our tool. We know that people have countless different social identities- so why not use them? It helps our users recognize that Cauzoo is a place to show part of yourself, not all of yourself. That lowers the barrier to entry and clarifies our concept. Secondly, it simply makes for a better site. Our pages have more utility if users know more places where they can reach their friends.
The great thing about "Social Me" is that it's not our idea- we used code from the Open Source site here- http://dbachrach.com/showyourself/. It wouldn't be tough to figure out anyway, but this is a good reference point for some of the social networks out there that your users might have. Naturally, we're not sure how many sites/non-profits this will help, but we'd love to definitely take a step to say one thing: you are on Social Networks for a reason- promoting them!
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...
Netsquared has returned to Austin for the SXSW Interactive Festival-- and this year we're hosting a panel. It's called "NPO 2.0: Widgets for Good Challenge," and it features Silona Bonewald (http://assistorg.org/), Zack Rosen (http://civicspacelabs.org/, http://chapterthreellc.com/)and Rosalyn Lemieux (http://neworganizing.com/). If you happen to be here, too, join us at our panel on Monday, March 12 from 5-6 pm.
Would anyone like to gather for an informal Net2 meet up directly after the session...?
If I'm not posting here or on the sxsw site, you can find me on twitter at http://twitter.com/jenschlegel
- jennifer schlegel's blog
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Widgety thoughts... and the coming of the smart widget
I admit it. I get excited about widgets. I think they are beginning to show their potential as one of the most dynamic ingredients in the emerging Web 2.0 toolbox.
Widgets - or badges, gadgets, whichever you prefer - can prove a winner for not-for-profits. Two reasons. Actually, there are probably many more, but two is a good start:
- You move beyond the single website model and turn the entire web into a distribution system for your content / stories
- Smart widgets will (hopefully soon) allow you to report back on how you are making a difference
Over on nfp 2.0 I've written a long (to long?) piece about 18seconds.org, Justgiving, Carebadges, smart widgets, the potential of networks for extending the reach of your widget and for communicating success. Quite a lot really.
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