This past Tuesday evening President Obama gave his 2012 State of the Union Address. During his speech he touched on many hot button and important issues that resonate with American citizens and corporations alike, one of these being the environment.
Beyond Nuclear and "Into Eternity"-A Haunting Look at the Future of Radioactive Waste Screenings
Google maps is an easy to use tool to use that requires just a little imagination to create amazing maps that will really excite your members. I’m sure that you have used Google maps. You probably use it to create driving directions or map a specific location. I use it to find local businesses; but Google maps is a very powerful tool and has many other practical purposes.
Networks and Advocacy
Today, policy and social change advocates are more interested than ever in the new ways to connect to the hidden power of networks in order to move an issue or drive a campaign. Networks can be used to distribute messages and collect donations.
I had the opportunity to attend the Planning and Conservation League's annual Symposium this past weekend. There were many sessions to choose from but one in particular caught my attention. The topic was using maps to persuade and mobilize. The presenters were Larry Orman and Tim Sinnott from GreenInfo Network and Rebecca Moore from Google Earth Outreach.
Larry Orman started off with a great point: we're overloaded with geographic information. We've got access to road maps, mash ups, interactive maps, climate change maps, election maps, and geotagged photos. But Larry pointed out that mapping is about having a point, not just about showing data.
Why are maps a popular choice for displaying cross-sections of information? One reason is that data is not an obstacle. It's available and much of it is free. Also, computers and mapping software are less expensive. And new generations of folks are map-savvy.
GIS (geographic information system) is one mapping tool that marries data and places. GIS can be used to analyze information, such as land use, commercial development, pollution impact, and to define alternative outcomes.
Maps, in general, can be used to tell a story or convey a message. Mapping tools let you unfold data in layers to reveal parts of the story. It is important, Larry emphasized, that you think about mapping as communications. Technology is whizzy and great, but it is still critical that you have a good story. You need to know who your audience is, what your message is, how much time people will have to view your map as well as at what distance and in what context.
Rebecca Moore reinforced that maps can be very effective for telling a story or delivering a message, particularly when you don't have much time to deliver it. She noted that maps can change an abstract concept into something personal for people. When done right, maps can show what is at stake instead of just telling what is at stake. They can inspire action, influence decision-makers, reach the media, and impact public policy.
If you are interested in using maps as part of your outreach strategy, there are a number of tools to try:
-- Google SketchUp
-- Google Earth
-- ArcExplorer
-- Interactive mashups
-- GeoPDFs
While there are many examples, two in particular you may want to view are:
-- Ocean Conservancy's "A Preventable Tragedy"
-- Appalachian Voices' "I love Mountains" campaign
And finally, if you want to read more, try these resources:
-- Google Earth Blog
-- ESRI Conservation Program
Happy Mapping!
Bobbi Russell
Ruby Sinreich, who blogs at OrangePolitics.org and lotusmedia.org, recently re-posted her top 10 social networking tools for activists on the Netcentric Campaigns website. This list is especially useful for those organizations who are just getting into the world of social networking and want to know the best tools to use.
Ruby lists Bloglines as an aggregator to use. "Collect and organize RSS feeds. See how many other users subscribe to each feed. Now you can read (or at least skim) lots of blogs and other sites with feeds." I use Bloglines and think it's very easy to use and great way to organize all your feeds in one place.
TechSoup has also posted their Top Ten Cool Tools in their blog. Check these out to see the top 10 Web2.0 tools your organization should be using right now. One of these includes LinkedIn (which GMT staff is currently on), where you can "connect to a network of other professionals, recruit employees, or even post your own resume online."
-Yvonne Archer
Are you using an RSS feeder? If not, then watch the video below to find out why you need one. Common Craft created the video to show people why an RSS reader is so important and what you are missing out on by not having one.
netCorps is accepting applications from Southeastern U.S. environmental organizations wishing to build their technology capacity.
According to netCorps' Executive Director, Matthew Latterell, this project, supported by the Mott Foundation’s Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystems in North America program area, will provide selected organizations with comprehensive technology plans, assistance and funds to implement key technology priorities. Priority items funded in the past include websites, database, computers, servers and more.
Twenty organizations from across the Southeast have participated in this project since 2005. netCorp will be selecting up to ten more participating groups this time around.
"netCorps helps groups find funding and in-kind support, implement technology solutions appropriate to their mission, programs and organizational resources, and help groups with budgeting, training, support, consultant selection and all the other aspects of sustaining their technology investment."
To obtain the application materials, send an email to techproject@netcorps.org and you will receive an automated reply with links to the application materials. Applications must be emailed or postmarked by June 8th, 2007 to be considered.
Go here to learn more information.
