I admit it. I’m a Craigslist addict. Like thousands of other people, I turn to Craigslist almost daily instead of heading to the local shopping mall. It’s kind of like Grocery Gateway without the guilt of home delivery; or like shopping on Amazon but knowing that you’re part of a community of people committed to not buying something new if you can find it second hand.

Craigslist in their own words is “Local classifieds and forums for 450 cities worldwide - community moderated, and largely free.” Basically, you can buy and sell almost anything, locally, for free. Craiglist is a “non-corporate” corporation that earns revenue by “charging below-market fees for job ads in 7 cities and for broker apartment listings in NYC.” The founder — Craig Newmark — is a committed philanthropist and set up the Craigslist Foundation in 2001, which helps to develop the skills of emerging non-profit leaders.

Last year I wrote a bit about the implication of “The Syndicated Web” for non-profits and mentioned the use of services like Craigslist as a simple way to push useful information out to a community, e.g., job ads, free stuff, volunteer opportunities, etc. This year I was lucky enough to be able to help a few organizations implement some of these ideas … but, alas, that’s another post. Right now, we’re talking about my personal Craigslist addiction! ;-) read more »

This report-back from a St. Lawrence Market merchant caught my eye today on the Wireless Toronto mailing list:

Just a quick update, using Pay-Pal and Wireless Toronto combined has had a dramatic effect on my sales. Other merchants are dropping by and asking how it works. One is purchasing a macbook on Friday and has set up the same type of account.

Also I had a visit from a banker out of Unionville, I think it may prompt some Canadian banks to examine more closely their small business practices and procedures.

All in all so far a positive experience.

It’s great to see efforts like setting up free wireless in the St. Lawrence Market having a real impact. Yet another reason why free municipal wireless is a good thing (especially when supported by volunteer-run groups like Wireless Toronto.

If you caught my earlier post about CivicSpace On Demand service — a Web-based solution for content management, contact management, e-mail communication, and fundraising directed at progressive non-profits — you may be interested in this note from David Geilhufe and the Civicspace team:

We are happy to announce the open public release of the CivicSpace On Demand service, offering a complete, integrated solution for your community website, online donations, blast email, and supporter database needs.

Based on your past interest in our services, we’d love it if you would be among our first customers to get Groundswell Professional, an integrated fundraising, email, website and database solution at $50 per month with your first 30 days free.

There was talk of a Canadian version of the service, hosted in Canada, but it seems that those conversations have stalled. Hopefully the fine folks at Civicspace will find a friendly Canadian partner soon! In the meantime, go check out what they’re offering in Groundswell Professional.

Looks like one of my fav online publications, Grist, is deepening their CRM commitments with an RFP for a Salesforce expert:

Hello all.

Grist uses Salesforce, but needs a hand at optimizing our instance. Instead of attacking this in a piecemeal fashion, we’ve decided to bundle this into a little RFP, and put it in front of our favorite people: you. Having been on either end of many arrangements of this kind, I understand how hard it can be to pin-down hours, so getting ballparks and an hourly rate will help us make our decision.

We look forward to hearing from you.

-Dean

As long as I’ve known the folks at Grist, they’ve had ambitious aims for data on their readers, supporter, and online community. Dean and I had a chance to talk a a bit about their push to integrate Salesforce back in September, so I’ll be excited to hear where this latest push takes them. Go Grist!

Looks like long-standing friend of Web of Change and post-President of Donor Digital has decided to change the face of online advocacy and fundraising (again!). Madeline Stanionis announced today that she’s started a new company the remove the “talk. talk. talk” and “hype. hype. hype.” from e-dvocacy. She’s also signed up The Watershed Company to be the first sponsor of the 2007 Web of Change gathering. This is all very exciting! The announcement is below … and, if you haven’t read her book, you really should get a copy. read more »

I received the following (cleverly crafted) e-mail from the NDP team on Saturday:

Can you believe these Liberals?

Watching the Liberal convention, it’s clear these Liberals haven’t learned a thing. Arrogance and backroom deals are alive and well in the Liberal party.

On a better note, we’ve almost succeeded in our campaign to buy an ad on theglobeandmail.com. We just need about $2000 more to make it a go. Can I count on you to make it happen? Please donate online now by clicking here.

When people log on to theglobeandmail.com on Monday, let’s make Jack Layton and the NDP the first thing they see.

Éric Hébert-Daly Federal Secretary, Canada’s NDP Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

And, upon visiting the theglobeandmail.com this morning, found Jack Layton staring me right in the face. I’ve screen captured the page for posterity: a nice example of very solid online campaign strategy. read more »

I received this e-mail recently it got me thinking (again) about the possibility of living and working out of the city:

Hi Friends

10 cords of firewood and a month later we have contact between Killaloe and Anik F2!

I often struggle with the tension of loving what this city has to offer, but not having enough time to enjoy it. Many folks I know have taken to living and working in smaller communities — can’t say that it doesn’t have its appeal. That said, I’m just back from a few days in Independence, Missouri — where I celebrated my first US Thanksgiving and saw the Community of Christ world headquarters — and can’t say that I’m ready to move to a town that small just yet.

What are your strategies for making the most of your urban existence? Or for staying sane in the rural experience?

Just watching a handful of the segments listed on PR Watch’s Fake TV News site is enough to make my head swirl:

Fake News Flash: Global Warming Is a Myth!

At least that’s what residents of hurricane-ravaged Mississippi were told > when a local newscaster aired a fake news segment earlier this year. One > problem: the anchor at WTOK didn’t tell viewers that the segment was bought and paid for by ExxonMobil.

The problem doesn’t end in Mississippi. Free Press and the Center for Media and Democracy today released a second groundbreaking report that exposes more corporations placing propaganda as news on television stations across the country .

This deception is illegal under federal rules and must be stopped.

Tell the FCC to Crack Down on Fake News

In one of the world’s most consolidated media markets, I can only imagine what’s happening up here…

Is there anyone watching out for this in Canada?

It’s totally inspiring to see someone like Steven Clift — a person dedicated and passionate about the possibility of more accessible global democracies — be recognized by an organization like Ashoka. He writes:

The Ashoka fellowship will allow me to dedicate myself full-time to E-Democracy.Org for at least the next three years - no more subsidizing my passion with my often exhausting consulting work while trying to juggle the wonderful obligations of a new father and husband. read more »

After stumbling on the new Civicspace On Demand demo late last week, I got this public announcement from the Civicspace team:

CivicSpace On Demand, our CivicSpace service (ASP), is in production with customers and offers:

Turnkey online fundraising, email marketing, website and supporter database. No installation and upgrade hassles. All Drupal/CiviCRM upgrades are automatic. No servers to maintain. You access CivicSpace On Demand via your web browser. Blast email & donations up and running in minutes. read more »