Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

As many of you know, I’m about to make a big move: to the left coast, to the big city of Oakland (or thereabouts). This is a good move for me, in many ways. In one particular way, I’m psyched to get to be in one of the hot spots of my field, and actually have a casual beverage with lots of colleagues I’ve gotten to know over the years, but have only seen once a year (or less often, even.) 

I’m driving cross country, leaving Friday, and arriving sometime during the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September. Taking a slow, leisurely drive. I won’t be blogging here, and I know that my work will be cut out for me in terms of catching up when I land. 

I’ll be blogging on my personal blog as I drive (well, not while I’m driving) and tweeting as well. 

I just joined identi.ca. identi.ca is a microblogging service based on an open source project, Laconica, and all of the updates are copyrighted by a Creative Commons (Attribution) license. You can log in using OpenID. All really great stuff. I imagine, too, because it’s based on an open source platform, developers will begin to code in data portability (or have they already?)

The documentation is a bit lacking, and it’s clear that it’s a very new project. There are an increasing number of third party apps that can use it (it supports the Twitter API.)

So I’m on identi.ca now (follow pearlbear). Like all social networks, they are only as usable as people in your social graph use it, and it’s pretty sparse for me right now. But hopefully that will change.

Yet another great NTEN project is happening, spearheaded by Beth Kanter, to develop a Social Media toolkit for Nonprofits. It’s called “WeAreMedia.” I have been really slow on the uptake with this project (it started while I was on vacation, and I never caught up after I got back,) but I hope that I will be able to keep up, and participate more fully in it as it evolves and grows. The first set of modules, on the “Strategic Track” are already done. The next set of modules, that are more tool based (with case studies) are next to be developed. The project took a short break to catch its collective breath, and Beth has some thoughts and ideas that came out of that conference call.

I’m excited about this project - it’s gathering the knowledge and expertise of a great group of folks, and it will provide a free source of information and case studies so that nonprofits can best figure out how to step into the frothy waters of social networks.

A note: Most people will notice that I have pretty much lost my curmudgeonly approach to social media. A year ago, I was bear-ish on Facebook, and said I wouldn’t Twitter. Now, I tell my clients that they really have to think about a Facebook strategy, and that nonprofit staff can gain a lot from networks like Twitter. I’m up to 1,700+ updates on Twitter, and keeping up with my lifestream on FriendFeed is about as difficult as knowing where I’m moving to next.

No, I didn’t go soft in the head (well, some people might think so.) What has happened is basically a sea change in the landscape. Not only are Gen Y and Millenials engaged in these social networks, but a wider and broader range of people are. It’s fairly clear to me that going forward, increasingly, social networks are a major way people are interacting on the web - and nonprofits need to understand how to engage their constituents given those changing realities.

Of course, I’ve been a wiki fan since the very beginning, and I haven’t lost the desire for true data portability, and open source alternatives to the current social networks.  however, as you all know so well, I’m a realist.

I love these tidbits blog posts. I come across a lot in my varied net wanderings, and people send me stuff, so it’s a nice way to talk about some of it, without having to go into too much detail.

• I was profiled on Linux.com. That’s kinda fun! I “live the open source lifestyle.” That must have been before the iPhone.
• This blog is rated 8.2 (very good, they say) on Blogged.com. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I guess that’s a good thing. And why is this in “social issues” and not “technology”? But, anyway,  I’m not putting the silly badge in the sidebar, sorry.
• MPower has started to generate some community-driven development. These look like pretty interesting, and useful applications. But I still haven’t seen much activity on the sourceforge page, nor does it seem that the code for these new projects is available. So the reality is still pretty far behind the hype. I sure hope the reality catches up.
• This news is so old it’s embarrassing - NPR opened up their content API. Way to go, NPR!
• Some really interesting things are brewing with CiviCRM. First, they are putting the wraps on a new version, and there are some interesting projects happening, like integrating voter files, phone banking, and my favorite, case management. I’m excited to see what community-driven development can do!
• A new site was launched called “Green Nonprofits.” It looks interesting. It looks to be a joint venture by a group of nonprofit-focused for-profits, none of which I’ve heard of (which doesn’t mean a thing, really.) Something to watch.

I once joined the “iPhone non-buyers” group on Facebook. I swore up and down I wouldn’t get one. I said:

I will not be buying an iPhone until they sell an unlocked version that doesn’t need to be hacked to use third party applications.

Well, the iPhone 3G changed the equation, some. The iPhone 3G does have 3rd party apps, but they have to be vetted, etc. by Apple, which is a mixed bag. The iPhone 3G had some compelling features and 3rd party apps (like Pandora, which, I have to admit, is about 1/2 the reason I got the phone.)

So, I got one, about two weeks ago. And it’s been a combination of sheer joy, and sheer frustration. In general, the phone actually works quite well. The phone interface is great, visual voicemail rocks, reading email is really good, and surfing the web is decent - way better than on a blackberry.

But the apps, and the app store (where to get apps) have been the cause of crashes, iPhone lockup requiring multiple restorations (which, luckily, are relatively painless.) There are some great apps and games, some really good for really cheap (or free.) But getting them onto the iPhone, or getting them to work, is sometimes a pain.

Syncing is way slower than on a regular iPod, and backups can take 1/2 hour, which is absurd. There are multiple threads on multiple sites about problems with the iPhone 3G - clearly, some software fixes need to happen, and the faster they happen, the happier I’ll be.

But driving down the highway, listening to my favorite Pandora stations is the best thing since sliced bread.

My suggestion: if you like gadgets, are addicted to being connected at all times, and you feel like you need reading glasses to read email or the web on the Blackberry screen, the iPhone might be a good bet, but I’d wait until software version 2.1 comes out. And if you are eligible for an upgrade, it’s cheap (relatively speaking for smartphones.) I know some folks are holding out for an Android phone, which, from what I can tell, are going to be pretty similar.

You’ve likely heard a lot about “cloud computing“. And what’s true is that the sales-talk about computing in the cloud certainly makes the conceptual issues behind it, honestly, well, cloudy. So I’m going to try and lay out the details of what  cloud computing is, and how it’s useful for nonprofit organizations.

Quick definition

Cloud computing is basically running applications on the web via “Software as a Service (SaaS)”. That includes applications from Google Documents, to Salesforce.com, to Gliffy.com, (the service I used to create that graphic.) It also includes applications that you might develop (or have developed) that are hosted outside your network.  That’s really all it is - there isn’t anything fancy about it. It still requires the hardware and operating systems, and databases that more traditional applications that are inside your network require, but, generally, you hand off that responsibility to the folks that host your application, and access the application through the internet.

Advantages to cloud computing

The basic advantages are that you don’t have to maintain infrastructure for applications, saving you labor costs, as well as electricity costs. Also, you can access the applications anywhere you go.

Disadvantages to cloud computing

Depending on the vendor and the application, you are dependent on them to keep the application up and your data intact. Changes in the application happen without your knowledge or consent. Your data is not directly in your hands, but in the hands of a third party. You are dependent on your internet connection - which could be a problem for mission-critical applications.

What makes it possible

Cloud computing is made possible and easier by two trends, two that have happened closely in parallel, one that is relatively recent: High bandwidth to the curb and massive data centers.

High bandwidth to your home or office is a necessary requirement to cloud computing. Cloud computing just doesn’t make any sense, or work in any reasonable way without it (have you ever tried to use Gmail on dial up?) As the bandwidth available increases (via FiOS, and other methods) cloud computing will get even more attractive to organizations and people.

Huge data centers are being thrown up everywhere, and more and more companies are getting into the business of providing hosting for SaaS developers. Companies such as Amazon are creating massive grid storage and computing services for applications in the cloud.

What makes it usable

Newer applications are using AJAX and Flash, to give the kinds of functionalities we’ve come to expect with desktop applications - so it’s just like having a desktop application with our data - except it’s “in the cloud” not on our desk. As the limitations of both AJAX and Flash are overcome (and as both develop further) expect even more usability for online applications. And, further, efforts like Adobe AIR, and Microsoft Silverlight, are bringing full-fledged desktop application functionality to applications in the cloud.

What you should do

• Make an assessment - will using this online tool really save money or time, or facilitate collaboration in ways that is not possible with local apps?
• Always read the privacy policy - if you have sensitive data, this might be a deal-breaker
• Always maintain your own backups. If the provider goes belly up with your data, you’re toast.
• Make sure access is secure. Read up on the security of the application

I have been thinking for the last few days about what it means to “keep up” with the technology field, particularly ‘net technology. I’ve been helping a client hire a temporary project manager, and so in the interview process one of the questions I ask is how people keep up with change in the field.

In some ways, I have been blessed with the gift of osmosis. I’m a fantastic book learner, which means I’m a great blog/twitter learner, too. Also, one of the things I do is blog - so I regularly have to process and digest information to write decent blog posts. One of the prompts for this post was also that I’m preparing a post on “cloud computing”, just reviewing what it means, and what it is, and why it’s important - and that will undoubtedly help me to keep up with that whole set of things.

How do you keep up? And, in a bigger picture way, how important do you think it is for people who work with nonprofit organizations on technology issues to keep up? How bleeding edge do we need to be?