Themes so far: Change and Costs and Benefits

Thanks to the first 10 posters so far. I hope that we also have had a few lurkers who've come to take a look not just at the posts but also at the comments.

BTW if you need a guide to how to post, Amy's directions are thorough and useful (click on the word directions or scroll down to the last post -- and there they are).

So far, I would say we have two themes:

• Change--which folks are open to
  
• Questions about the costs and benefits

One of the things I love about working with nonprofit folks is our tendency to be ruthlessly and relentlessly pragmatic!

Just wondering if anyone in this group blogs personally, or has a story about how blogs and the Internet generally have changed your work in the past couple years? I have to think that with such a hot-button topic as child abuse lots of wild comments are flying around the Web all the time.

Instructions for PCA America ED Meeting Blog

1.) Don’t panic when you see the length of this list! It’s not too complicated, I just wanted to be thorough and clear.

2.) Go to http://www.pcadirectorsmeeting.blogspot.com

3.) You will see the only posting on the page, which is titled “Invitation to comment!”

4.) Once you’ve read that, you’ll see right under it, in very small font it says “posted by Gordon Mayer at 9:42am” and “[number] Comments” (right now it says “2 Comments” but that will change when new ones are posted)

5.) To leave your comment, you first need to click on “[number] Comments”

6.) Now you’ll have a new window opened up. On the left, it will have all the comments that have been posted so far. On the right, there will be a section that says “Leave Your Comment.”

7.) Type whatever you want to say in the box. Underneath the box, it will say “Choose an Identity” and you want to select “Other.” Then, right under that, just put in your name. You can also put in your web page address if you want. Then just click on the orange button that says “Publish Your Comment.”

8.) Your comment has now been posted, and you will see it along with the rest of the comments (you may have to refresh the page to see your comment added).

9.) Come back to the page often, so you can see responses to your comments and what questions and concerns you may have in common with your colleagues!

Invitation to comment!

Hi PCA Executive Directors,

I'm Gordon Mayer, your new media/technology workshop leader right after lunch Tuesday, October 16.

Now I have to do a delicate balancing act of starting a conversation here for those of you with the time and inclination to go a little deeper into new media without stealing any thunder from our session!

I hope you will offer a comment here on the blog, even if it's only to say, "what is this?" Here are a couple of useful types of comments I'd love to hear:

• What are the on-line resources you can't do without (in your work life, that is. Unless there is something so awesome that you use at home you just have to share it)? Share your tips?
• What is one thing you wish your organization could do on the Web right now that a lack of resources or know-how is stopping you from accomplishing?
• What pieces of Web jargon do you most wish you understood better?
• What's one program goal for the coming 12 months that you or your staff have imagined using the Web to make it happen?
• Which of your staff is most adept at using the Web, do you think?

If there's one thing I know about new media, it's that it needs to be experienced concretely. One blog post by you will tell you so much more about using Web 2.0 than many a training.

So I hope will have an interesting pre-discussion here. On the other hand, if you get bored you can always go and look at stuff on a cat.

One more thing: if you are trying to post and it's not working for some reason, do me two favors:
1. check the help notes for blogger, they are not the best but not the worst either, and see if they explain what you need to do.

2. if it still does not work, I invite you to either drop kick your machine, or, if you prefer, email me.

See you soon!