That’s right. I’m hitting the road again to bring the “Web love” to magazine folks in Vancouver. This is the second-last stop on a cross-country tour that started in Toronto, got snowed-in in Halifax, and will conclude its first circuit in Edmonton at the end of March. So far, it’s been a hell of a lot of fun — the faculty is top-notch and the participants are reporting back that they’ve embarked on new Web initiatives already. What more could one ask?

So here are the details for Vancouver:  read more »

Do me a quick favour. Take a moment and think of the exact opposite of a traditional Web portal — conjure up something like AOL or, in the non-profit space, something like TechSoup — and then think of the opposite and tell me what comes to mind? If you come up with something concrete, pop your thoughts in the comments below.  read more »

In case you missed the note in my last newsletter (hint, hint — you should sign-up!), Magazines Canada and Centennial College are putting together a “Web Weekend” on Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25 at Centennial College in downtown Toronto.  read more »

It has been a hectic couple weeks since we returned from out west; catch-up sure can be a killer. Either way, I’m not letting my overly-tired ass stay put tonight, tomorrow, or Friday, as Toronto becomes ground zero for some of the most exciting conversation in online news, citizen journalism, and media democracy.

Thanks to Lisa Rundle, I’ve got ring-side seats for what is sure to be one of the week’s more exciting events: CBC’s The Future of the Future of News forum. Sparks are sure to fly when Andrew Keen and Leonard Brody go head-to-head on the topic of citizen journalism. Andrew is the author of The Cult of the Amateur — a book that refuses to accept that the Web is changing the rules — and Leonard is the founder of Now Public, a Vancouver-based citizen journalism start-up that is catching mainstream attention.  read more »

Over the last couple of weeks, I was thinking a lot about “network leadership,” and the role of innovative technology, and how it all becomes part of a movement here in Canada that could change the field of innovation. The last burning question for me is: How can Canadian grant makers play a bigger role in catalyzing the necessary networks, and helping innovators build the necessary relationships?

Lots has already been said about the opportunities for a more holistic approach to financing non-profit technology initiatives. So, when it comes time to explore new ways of financing social innovation, I hope that foundations and grant makers will invest some time to integrate the “old” ideas too. But, when I return to the question “how can Canadian grant makers play a bigger role in ensuring that technology projects are successful and sustainable,” I always come back to the same conclusion: the funding model needs to be innovative too. read more »

A couple of months ago I got to share my feelings about “digital editions” with a room full of unsuspecting publishers at the (first ever) MagNet conference in Toronto. The title of the session was Digital Editions: New Medium for an Old Magazine? and, in preparation for the session, I really had to do some research. The thing is that the session title and description got handed to us presenters (a complaint I heard across the board from other presenters) and we had to do our best. In my case, doing the research helped me to build a more complete argument for why I feel digital editions — in the traditional meaning of the term — just aren’t a good investment for publishers. Here’s why… read more »

One of the questions that I’ve struggled with over the last couple of years is: What systemic changes are necessary to help catalyze innovation around social technology? I came back to this question the other week as the conversation swayed toward the opportunity for progressive organizations — and social innovators — to integrate social software, social networks, and the ideas of Web 2.0 into their work. I think for most of us who work in the non-profit technology space, the sparkle is off the Web 2.0 starburst, as we see organizations struggle to fully “get” what this new technology movement is all about.

What I do think is cool about Web 2.0 — especially when it comes to non-profit organizations and social innovators — is the operational style (business model if you must). Having a usable, interactive, data-exposing, read/write Web site is, in my opinion, more a function of a new approach to problem solving than a tectonic shift in the way the underlying technology works. read more »

I have to admit that when I first heard of Internet-based virtual worlds like Second Life some years ago, I didn’t rush out to sign-up and create an Avatar. Given that I’ve never even found the time to play a video game on a computer that I’ve had for three years, it certainly wasn’t high on my list. And, when Web of Change alumni Darren Barefoot created the satirical site Get a First Life, I was laughing pretty hard.

However, the last few months has started to make me re-think my position. Not entirely, but a bit.  read more »

It’s no secret that the software known as a Wiki has managed to change the world. The obvious examples like Wikipedia have shown that it is possible to hand over editing power to distributed teams of researchers, editors, and “gardeners” — but can any organization leverage this approach? Maybe.

Many of the organizations that I work with have asked about the potential of using a Wiki as part of their technology strategy, and eventually they ask for some good examples — not quite at the Wikipedia scale — that they can use to sell the idea to their co-workers. So, having answered that question a few times now, I thought I’d just do a short run-down here and — hopefully — keep it updated (with your help!).  read more »

After a couple of weeks of fighting off pneumonia — antibiotics, inhaler, and all — I’m finally feeling like I’m getting back on my feet. Though I never feel very productive when I’m sick — I did have time to jot down a few Web sites of recent note:

Total accident that I stumbled on Fog Creek Copilot: Wow! What a great little subscription-based application for remote desktop assistance. Works on Windows or Macintosh computers. It looks simple to set-up, and the price is right.

I think that OpenCongress caught everyone’s attention recently. Yet another great “Politics 2.0” project from the Sunlight Foundation. OpenCongress brings together official government data with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind each bill.

stikkit just stuck for me during a little Web 2.0 application search. This is a crazy little Web-baed productivity application that David Wheeler — the lead Bricolage developer — is involved in.

Of course Brad — my fun-loving BSD friend — pointed me to the BSD Network CLI. It’s one of the most interesting “themes” for Wordpress that I’ve come across. The world of Web 2.0 never ceases to amaze me. Basically, this is a command-line interface for reading a blog via a Web browser. Type “help” to get a list of available commands.

I can’t remember where I first saw One Percent for the Planet — but it seems to be catching on. One Percent for the Planet is an alliance of companies that recognize the true cost of doing business and donate 1% of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide.

Adam tipped me off to CheatNeutral — a good satirical campaign about carbon offsetting. And Colan Schwartz tipped me to RetailMeNot in SILC.

So, there you go: being sick is totally boring. ;-)