Last week I attended NTEN's 2007 Nonprofit Technology Conference and sat in on a wonderful session entitled Nonprofit Communications 2.0: Seven Steps to Transform Your Organization. Led by Lauren-Glenn Davitian of the CCTV Center for Media and Democracy, the session provided a strong framework for nonprofits to better communicate in an increasingly networked society.

(crossposted from my personal blog)

I am also very lucky to serve with Lauren-Glenn on the editorial board of the Community Media Review.

The video itself is approximately 1 hour, 24 minutes long and worth every second, but I included my notes from the session below.

Community building talent is the single most important resource in the modern world.

How to engage and mobilize members

A Communications framework for thinking about how organizational objectives are met through interaction. The correlating Development framework is in parenthesis.

1. Welcome (Prospect)
2. Educate (Cultivation)
3. Ask (Involvement)
4. Thank (Stewardship)

The Seven Steps

1. Assessment: Defining your goal (What behavior are you trying to change in undertaking a communications strategy?), audience (an explicit, targeted "who" and their values), evaluating your infrastructure (orthodoxies, structure, time, leadership)
2. Awareness: Start by searching NTEN, TechSoup, Idealware, etc. (Link Research)
3. Training: A discipline of doing things. How are stories told, infrastructure built and actions communicated to regular people?
4. Content Production: "The currency of the new world"
5. Technical Support: An example: how to know when to build and when to buy
6. Partnerships: Who is going to stand up for you?
7. Planning: What are the components that revolve around your goal?

Other Links

• Strategic Communications Plan Generator from The SPIN Project
• Tech Savvy Communications Toolkit from NPower Seattle
• Storytelling: Andy Goodman, Seth Godin, The Gilbert Center

I shot this video with a Casio EX-S600, which shoots full-frame (640 x 480) MPEG-4 video. With a two gigabyte SD Card it can shoot approximately an hour and a half of video at medium quality before its battery dies. The Casio's AVI wrapper is incompatible with iMovie (or any Quicktime decoder), so I first used VisualHub to repackage the video as an MP4 before importing into iMovie to add titles. I exported from iMovie as DV and then converted that with VisualHub into MPEG-4. Compressed and at quarter-frame (320 x 240) the entire video was 105 MB. This time I uploaded to Google Video since Blip.tv stalled out.

In the late 1970s and through all of the 1980s, unequal access to computers, the internet, and other forms of communication technology were seen as distant problems of a space-aged 21st century, if they were even thought of at all. In the 1980s and before, home computers were rare, expensive, and an esoteric pastime of enthusiasts. The internet was merely a pay-per-email facilitation device used by scholars and top government officials, and cordless phones were all the rage. The World Wide Web (WWW), multimedia computers, and fiber optic networks were all still under construction by computer technicians, engineers, and Al Gore.

It was not until the High Performance Computing Act passed on December 9, 1991 that mass internet access in the United States became a possibility. Aimed at bolstering the economy of the coming millennia, this bill proposed the creation of a high speed fiber optic network or what was called the National Information Infrastructure (NII). The bill’s effect on internet access was enormous. In the Fall of 1990 there were approximately 313,000 computers online throughout the United States, and by 1996 that number exploded to 10 million (Campbell-Kelly and Aspray 1996). Coupled with the introduction of the Mosaic web browser and the user-friendly Windows Operating System, fascination and wonder in the internet began to take off in American culture.

In the latter half of the 1990s the internet phenomena captured the imagination of many. The internet was what the railroad, the automobile, and the telephone were in their respective eras. The internet was a revolution, and it was going to change the economy, communication, society, and create an ever-shrinking planet. The internet was thought to be so full of possibilities that anyone who was left out of the revolution was doomed to a life of unconnected alienation, missed opportunity, and information poverty, while those basking in the glow of a Yahoo! flashing computer screen were thought to be sophisticated, chic, and informed individuals making a prudent choice by getting connected. Nobody, it was thought, should be deprived of the internet, its alternative plane of existence (cyberspace), and the endless possibilities of its infinite human network.

As the internet’s mystique grew, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) disseminated a report in July 1995 called Falling Through the Net: a Survey of the “Have Nots” in Rural and Urban America. Although not mentioning the exact phrase “digital divide”, this report found that poor people in general have the lowest penetration rates of NII, while those who were poor and actually had access to the internet in their homes were more likely to engage in “on-line services that facilitate economic uplift and empowerment” (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ ntiahome/fallingthru.html). Assumed in the report was that the internet was a driver of empowerment and marker of equity. The hype behind the usefulness of internet was picking up steam.

Months after the NTIA’s initial report, the exact phrase “digital divide” began to surface along the American Psyche. According to chat room legend, Amy Harmon, a journalist at the Los Angeles Times, wrote a story in 1996 about a split between a husband and wife regarding the husband’s preoccupation with the internet. The wife, feeling ignored and unloved by her husband’s seemingly perpetual computer use, was threatening to leave him if he did not comply with her wishes. She described the rift between the husband and wife as a “digital divide”. Hence, the digital divide phrase became coined.

A short time later, Allen Hammond, a law professor at New York Law School, and Larry Irving, a political appointee at the Department of Commerce, began using the phrase “digital divide” much differently. Hammond and Irving used the phrase often in public speeches to describe a binary divide between the computer and internet haves and have nots. Much in the spirit of the NTIA’s initial Falling Through the Net report, Hammond and Irving pointed out that many classes of Americans such as women, African Americans, American Indians, low-income Americans, and the disabled all had disproportionately low computer and internet penetration rates compared to those who had computers and internet access in their homes. This marked the beginning of the current meaning of the phrase today.

By 1999 the phrase “digital divide” became a common slogan for policy makers, non-profit organizations, and others involved in the high-tech sector. Its simplistic and alliterative tone gave decision makers something to rally behind as the public still began to adapt to the lightning fast progress of information communication technology (ICT). During this time, while the internet became exceedingly ubiquitous and prevalent within American society, households with internet access were becoming the norm. Gaps in access to the internet remained along racial, income, and geographic lines; however the NTIA and others suffered from a serious lack of data and inadequately demonstrated their argument.

The NTIA’s first three Falling Through the Net reports of the 1990s really represented the government’s awakening to the ICT gap. Relying solely on Census data, the NTIA was only able to gather data on computer, telephone, and modem ownership, and did not account for other forms of internet access. Additionally, monitoring and demonstrating how the internet was actually used by the privileged and under-privileged was a near impossible task for the NTIA at the time. Focusing solely on ownership of ICT and ignoring how the technology was actually used prevented the NTIA and others from an in depth analysis of inequitable technology access (http://www7.nationalacademies. org/cstb/wp_digitaldivide.pdf).

As more information became available, experts began to rethink the digital divide and expand it beyond the binary haves and have not concept. As early as 2000, right before the dot.com bubble burst, author Steve Cisler began questioning the preciseness of the digital divide slogan and reframed the issue of internet access. He and others felt the term was over-simplistic, demeaning, and took “on a very different caste in an international context where problems are so much greater than in the United States” (Cisler 2000).

He felt that the internet connection existed on a spectrum rather than a binary relationship. It was apparent to them that the line of thinking: “You are online or offline; you have a computer or you are without one; you are trained for the digital future, or you are in dead-end low paying work” was inconsistent with reality and condescending at the same time. He felt that people fall on a spectrum of connectivity where some benefit from high-speed access in their personal homes, others have slower cable-modem access, others have access in schools, libraries, or other public places, while others still choose not to be connected in the first place. Cisler reasoned that many people choose to be offline for many different reasons and to assume that someone remains offline is doomed to a life of hardship and disgrace is arrogant and techno-centric.

In the year 2001 after the dot.com bubble burst and the initial enthusiasm of the digital age began to wane, computers and the internet started to reach the majority, while their cost became cheaper and their ease of operation improved. As ICT became more commonplace, many observers believed that the digital divide had been exaggerated or would eventually be closed due to a Reaganesque trickle down principle. By 2004, the NTIA’s A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age report highlighted the growth of ICT access and just fell short of declaring the issue of the digital divide closed. Michael Powell, then chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), mocked the digital divide issue by declaring, “I think there is a Mercedes-Benz divide, I’d like one, but I can’t afford it” (http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/digitaldivide.pdf). The digital divide, for so long perceived as that binary divide between the ICT haves and have nots, was losing its spot on America’s agenda, while the true victims of the digital divide remained unattended to due to the belief that the market would work its magic and fix the problem on its own.

In response to the NTIA’s new stance on the digital divide, many authors took up the challenge to reopen the debate by reframing the issue and picked up where Steve Cisler and others left off. Currently, many authors recognize that ICT does in fact play a critical role in the American economy and society, and that access to ICT plays a part in determining marginalization and inclusion in society. However, with a critical eye on the initial excitement and exuberance over the internet phenomenon, they are quick to point out that technological gadgets are merely a means to social connectedness rather than the solution to all the problems of the under-privileged. Furthermore, these authors place heavier emphasis on social inequality rather than pure technological inequality; emphasis on access to public resources over access to computers; and overall skills and abilities rather than just computer skills.

Some have even considered dropping the term altogether. Bill Callahan, a community organize in Cleveland has argues the term digital divide “is too constructed, too alliterative, too Al Gore; eventually we’re going to need a pithier, more evocative, more specific name for the thing we’re fighting” (Cisler 2000). Accordingly, others do offer alternative catch phrases, such as ‘Technology and Social Inclusion’ and ‘the deepening divide’ (Warschauer 2003 and Van Dijk 2005). Irregardless of what you call it, the problems of under-privileged receiving inadequate computer training, improving social services for the under-privileged through technology, and improving ICT access throughout the nation remain to this day. 

I Went to the NTEN CONFERENCE in Washington DC...it was awesome and i got to see the entire Vista crew from Beantown...Paul dont forget my americorps hoody....one love!!!

Comment from danielle martin on April 9, 2007 - 10:07am

Hey Larry,

With your permission, I'm going to add to your long blog post with a photo posted of you on Flickr!

Don't think you're getting off that easy for blogging, sir!

-Danielle

Comment from Peter Miller on April 10, 2007 - 12:10pm

It was an excellent conference for CTC VISTAs, lots of good energy all around, and with the VISTAs there especially. VISTAs were treated very well — lots of free drink tickets, and admission to the parties (which was good sense of the party organizers' parts since VISTAs were the life of them). Between our workshops, session at the Science Fair, being a recipient of Grassroots.org's "Techie" award, our new posters, as well as having a good contigency, we had an excellent presence. More photos at
http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/~miller/NTEN07photos/ — and, thanks to Karl H for asking, a supply of AmeriCorps pins for those who want 'em. -----peter

Peter Miller — CTC VISTA Project — www.ctcvista.org

Just uploaded an Access 2000 Donor Database Template.

Feel free to pick it apart, put it back together, or use it.

Here's the link:

Access 2000 Donor Database Template

Hope it proves useful/helpful.

Comment from Mike Moore on April 4, 2007 - 7:50pm

For designing and building databases.

Here's the link to my post and to the website:

Database Answers

As my subject says I'm trying to stay up with this. I have been doing more with the Gateway project now that I'm free from the front desk and able to set up more meetings. The tax site is going well and we are almost done with our first year. We have helped many clients with tax prepoation and so far none have come back incorrect. Wheeeew. Still keeping up with the online stuff, added some new links to trackstar.4teachers.org  so if you want to check it out feel free. Thats it for now and I will see you at the area meeting.

You're invited to a unique opportunity to combine hands-on multimedia training and community program capacity building. The program is called Spreading the Stories (sponsored by MassIMPACT) and it's a 3 full day hands-on workshop where you'll create a digital story and discuss how to implement it in your own organizations. The workshop will be held at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center on May 1, 8, & 9th from 9-5pm (with an orientation on Friday April 27th from 10-12noon).

Digital stories are a tremendous resource for community-based organizations. Most community efforts use stories to build relationships, to connect with others, and to advocate for themselves. Often, those who are effecting change on the ground lack knowledge of basic media skills that can capture and represent the images and voices behind these stories.

Spreading the Stories is a four-day intensive professional development workshop, where participants create digital stories -- brief multimedia narratives combining voice, imagery and video. Through the creation of digital stories, organizations can reflect upon, learn from, document, and share stories that emerge through their practice. The workshop is free, and is intended as both a production and a train-the-trainer event, where participants leave with their own digital stories and the skills necessary to teach others the process.

To expand the reach of digital storytelling, MassIMPACT, along with Creative Narrations, launched Spreading the Stories in the fall of 2005. Twelve organizations’ staff from the Boston area was trained in 2005-6, and many of these organizations have since used digital storytelling to self-produce promotional materials, enhance programming, and secure grant funding. In addition to gaining practical skills, participants found inspiration in the creative process and unique networking opportunities among the participating organizations.

In this next phase of the program, MassIMPACT intends to focus workshops on new communities, including (but not limited to) Asian, Latino, Cape Verdean, & Haitian groups and others in Western Massachusetts. In coalition with Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion (IBA) and Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, the workshop in March 2007 focused on incorporating digital storytelling into community programs in the South End to foster partnerships and inter-organizational programs and events.

The workshop is FREE for selected organizations, contingent that you vow to go back to your organizations and share 3 stories you help create over the next year. You can down the application here or on the MassIMPACT website http://www.massimpact.org/projects/digital_storytelling/spreading_stories.shtml , due by April 17th.

It's been a while since I've done a blog. Here at Tincan, I've been refining the INMP website. And brainstorming new projects and how to increase our contributors and school involvement. INMP is an online archive of Inland Northwest History. http://history.tincan.org

Check it out those who are interested. I know it's not like many of the websites others are working on but its still cool - if you like history.

Well wishes to all

Hey everybody! Long time, no blog.

Things have been crazy around here as of late, but now that it is spring break, I have one week without OLLIE gigs to catch up on everything that I have been neglecting. That means four short movies to edit, some DVDs to create, and a website to build. We'll see how much I actually get done.

In other news, I managed to put together another Kirsten Academy class (after nearly 3 months without one). The topic this time was stop-motion animation! Check out the movies we made here. We used a program called iStopMotion, which can be purchased online for about $40. Recently, however, I was talking with Andrew of YVXN/NYMAP fame, and he recommended a program called FrameThief, which is actually free!

So if any of you want to make some stop-motion movies as well, download FrameThief, find yourself a digital camcorder and a firewire cable, and get to it. It's as easy as that. If you watch all 5 of our movies (which are all very short), you can see that we used a variety of materials; construction paper, magazines, clay, coloring books, buttons, etc. It was really easy and lots of fun. In fact, there have been requests for an encore lesson. If I ever get around to teaching a second class, I'll try to put together a tutorial video as well, so that all of you can see how easy it is to make your own animation.

After which, I might declare a cross-country CTC VISTA supershort animation contest! Anybody interested?

Comment from danielle martin on March 27, 2007 - 12:21am

Hey Gariet,

Good to hear you're getting a breather.

Did you catch the stop motion animation we made with the new CTC VISTA mascot, the robot at a MA area meeting a couple months ago? (Did you get yours?) Julie edited it and posted it on her blog.

I'm SO in for a robot inspired animation show-off!

-Danielle

Comment from gariet cowin on March 27, 2007 - 1:20pm

I can't believe how many robots you have! This is just like when I was a kid, and I could only afford 1 stormtrooper figure. And my friend Matt had a whole army of them! I want more robots!!!

And yeah, I got the robot. And it arrived on my birthday, so that was pretty sweet. I thought it was a birthday robot at first, actually. But I guess everybody got them.

 

I can across an application that allows for community built apps.  I'm considering its appropriateness for some of the mapping functionality for CUWiN. 

http://communitymapbuilder.org/display/MAP/Home