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I found this article to be interesting. In the past few elections we have seen the use of social media soar. I think this is a great opportunity for an average person to be able to get the opportunity to ask questions that are meaningful to the general public. Prior to YouTube and Facebook it would seem nearly impossible for a question that we have to be answered by the President of the United States in a live news conference. Technology makes this possible.

For what it's worth, I always find snippets like this in the news to be interesting because everyone thinks the same thing: What are they talking about? A dozen tech execs attended a private dinner hosted by President Obama in California. With Zuckerberg to his right and Jobs to his left, one can't help but wonder what was discussed. Being a poli sci major, I feel the Obama administration certainly needs the Silicon Valley tech giants to help get re-elected in 2012. Nonetheless, i guess investment in Silicon Valley is obviously worth a dinner with the President.

This article was good at showing the different ways blogging can inflict cost. You can choose the method which matches your flexibility to pay. $12000 annually will still be more than some can afford to pay. Carrying a full-time employee to manage the blog is the bulk of the cost so some may consider adding this as a responsibility to someone capable in the organization in the interim.

National Unplugging day is where people put away their phones, computers and any kind of social networking devices for one day. The day was very successful and people liked it because it helped them reconnect with each other because it forced them to communicate one on one. Ironically, they are going to develop an app to get the word out about National Unplugging Day.

YouTube is teaming up with non-profits for the Dogooder awards to award non-profits for their work. Cool way to get your organization's name out there

An article about how youtube gives grant money the most creative non profits making use of their videos

Some helpful tips for if/when you have to register a domain name for your nonprofit's website, and it's already taken. Creative names are worth money, and people are happy to squat on them for as long as possible. These are just a few ways to help get around it.

I think Egypt may have been a trend setter in Africa. It seems that many dictatorship regimes are getting nervous when it comes to an uprising from the grassroots. I think it is fair to say that the internet, especially social media, is playing a huge role in the peoples ability to overthrow their governments. Technology has become such an important part of the culture in the world that something that previously required wars and months of planning can happen so quickly nearly overnight. Perhaps it is this very idea that leads Libya's government to make the decision that this article explains.

This article discusses the new and different ways people now get their information about things that are happening in the news. It is all about using social media to do this. Cities, towns and counties are taking advantage of these social media websites and it is helping them reach out to more people. People are already on these websites daily, so it is more convenient. It helps to engage the citizens. These new social media tools have also helped lower many costs.

Did you know? FUN statistics. * 35% of mobile local news consumers feel they can have a big impact on their community (vs. 27% of other adults) * 65% feel it is easier today than five years ago to keep up with information about their community (vs. 47% of nonmobile connectors) * 51% use six or more different sources or platforms monthly to get local news and information (vs. 21%) * 75% use social network sites (vs. 42%) * 15% use Twitter (vs. 4%)

A very interesting tutoring tool for younger students and mathematics. It's an electronic lecturing tool being pioneered in Los Altos, California. Bill Gates has nothing but compliments and holds this new program in high regards. Through this electronic lecturing, teachers are able to monitor their student's progress without having to get up and check on each student individually.

Amazon launched it's Cloud Player and Cloud Drive service today, which lets you store files online and stream music to your computer or Android phone. We spent some time with it this morning, and despite some missing features, the service is an amazing value and pretty easy to use. Right off the bat, Amazon gives you 5 GB of free storage, which is already more than the free 2 GB Dropbox has.

Survey tools automatically collect and tally responses in "real time," which means you can watch the results come in as they're being submitted. Results are often organized and presented graphically using charts and tables. Most tools will even produce reports based on the survey results. You can share the results with members of your staff, and even with survey respondents. post date:  Feb. 1, 2011

This article shows non-profits how to build a website step by step, as well as how to get donations set up.

Google has a new "Google for Nonprofits" program that offers discounted and free tools, apps and other resources. They even have the opportunity to get grants for up to $10,000 a month in advertising through using Google Adwords. They have created online resouces like educational videos and case studies to help nonprofits.

I think this is a really good incentive for nonprofits to get out there and use the technology available to them.

This article explores nonprofit fundraising with a strong regard for the passion of the process. If you don't believe in your cause who will?

Technology has been dramatically improving relief efforts in places like Haiti. For example, "crowd sourcing" can be used to get information on any medical emergencies and to track trapped victims and then it can be used to create an online map that can be used by relief workers. Volunteers have been using GPS on their phones to help them through unfamiliar areas.