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News for August 2002

27 August 2002

The Human Right to Communicate
	William J. McIver argues that, in bringing the online world into the conversation about human rights, we should move toward a Human Right to Communicate. Posted: 8/27/02; 11:24:54 AM #

The Rich People's Computer?
	In The Rich People's Computer Michael Dertouzos looks at how computers threaten to widen the gap between the rich and poor, rather than narrow it. Posted: 8/27/02; 11:24:43 AM #

EarthYouth.net
	With United Nations and other support, Taking IT Global has launched EarthYouth.net in conjunction with the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Posted: 8/27/02; 11:24:33 AM #

Housing Works IT story
	The story of how New York's Housing Works built their IT infrastructure on a shoestring budget is an interesting one, but there aren't really any cost figures to back it up. Posted: 8/27/02; 11:24:21 AM #

20 August 2002

Staff Recommendation to ICANN Board on .org Registry
	The Staff Recommendation to ICANN Board on .org Registry has been released. The public comment is by no means closed, but this gives nonprofit stakeholders something to react to. The evaluation reports, particularly the one from the noncommercial constituent organization, are actually fairly interesting reads. Posted: 8/20/02; 12:26:35 PM #

16 August 2002

Indicators of Effectiveness
	The Center for Effective Philanthropy has released Indicators of Effectiveness: Understanding and Improving Foundation Performance (PDF file). I'm intrigued by the fact that there really are some common indicators, such as the amount of time between an application and funding or the ability of a funder to leverage other resources. Posted: 8/16/02; 11:18:30 AM #

How much knowledge is on the web?
	Librarian Marylaine Block estimates that less than 15% of all knowledge is on the web. This is in response to tech focused activists and students who head online for answers to every questions. I would go so far as to say the number is much smaller than that. Most knowledge is tacit and completely undocumented. Posted: 8/16/02; 11:18:18 AM #

15 August 2002

The Digital Disconnect
	The Digital Disconnect: The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their schools is the latest report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. It found that teachers, not students, are the stumbling block for the use of online resources and tools for education. I respect the teachers' reticence, but this is an interesting outcome. Posted: 8/15/02; 5:03:17 PM #

More patent lunacy from Activebuddy
	A company called ActiveBuddy has been awarded a patent on robots that respond to chat messages. Something is broken in the patent office, because that technology has existed for a long time. And in case you think this patent lunacy doesn't apply to nonprofits, just wait. It's coming. Posted: 8/15/02; 5:02:51 PM #

14 August 2002

Linuxworld Expo 2002
	This week, I'm at Linuxworld Expo in San Francisco. I'm particulary interested in today's track on how open source solutions are being used in developing nations, often by NGOs. Posted: 8/14/02; 7:24:30 AM #

4th Africa Computing & Telecommunications (ACT) Summit
	Africa faces a huge digital divide. The 4th Africa Computing & Telecommunications Summit was held a few days ago to continue to address that challenge. A summary is available. Posted: 8/14/02; 7:24:01 AM #

10 August 2002

The Power of Names: Why the .org Registry Matters
	In The Power of Names, my first feature in nearly four months, I tackle the issue of why the .org registry bids matter and I offer readers some guidance in choosing among the bids for purpose of public comment. This is way more important than it sounds. I hope you'll consider the implications and offer up your opinion. Posted: 8/10/02; 2:24:57 AM #

9 August 2002

Proceedings of 3rd Intl Conference on Networked Learning
	The Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Networked Learning are available online. The conference was held in March 2002 in the U.K. and the proceedings are quite rich and varied. Posted: 8/9/02; 12:52:17 PM #

Social Enterprise London Feedback Sought
	Social Enterprise London is seeking feedback on a thought provoking planning document related to the health of charitable organizations in their community. Posted: 8/9/02; 12:51:53 PM #

Ephilanthropy Foundation
	The Ephilanthropy Foundation is supporting validation of an entity as a legitimate nonprofit as part of the new .org registry. In other words, they believe that people registering .org domains should go through a process to prove they are actually a noncommericial entity. Posted: 8/9/02; 12:51:39 PM #

5 August 2002

Links to sites that prohibit linking
	Stupid Linking Policies compiles links to web sites that "prohibit" links. Good for them! I just hope no nonprofits show up on that list. Posted: 8/5/02; 11:11:02 AM #

2 August 2002

NASCO 2002 Conference Agenda
	The U.S. National Association of State Charities Officials will be holding their conference in Minneapolis in October, 2002. They have announced their agenda which includes a look at what I would call the "stress test" that's been faced by U.S. charitable donation systems after September 11. Posted: 8/2/02; 10:47:42 AM #

1 August 2002

Public Comment on .Org Registry
	The deadline for public comment on the .org registry bids is fast approaching. In the next few days, I encourage you to examine the proposals, ask questions, and say a few words on which ones best meet the long term interests of the nonprofit sector. I'll be weighing in myself quite strongly in the next couple of days. Posted: 8/1/02; 2:06:07 PM #