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See photo at top left of article showcasing one of their high-tech, computer laden facilities on display for this article "What are the most significant security threats? What do we know about them? What don't we know? What is just around the corner that we should be preparing for now? These are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves every day. It's part of our intelligence-driven, threat-based, future-focused approach to defending the country from a range of national security and major crime threats. Today, the FBI combines its investigations and intelligence operations to be more predictive and preventative-more aware of emerging threats and better able to stop them before they turn into crimes. "

Open APIs (application programming interfaces) are VERY important to look for when considering cloud-based solutions. Think about the implications for nonprofits selecting an online solution... would you want one with an API or not? (BTW... take a look at the APIs for both Google Apps online and Microsoft Office365 online. Let me know what you find.)

This is the video I showed during the 1/31 class re: APIs. (Cards vs. Candyland)

It is increasingly apparent that finding the perfect cloud platform is a lot like getting married. The perfect partner if hard to find. Yes there are 5 major players as of today that include Google, Oracle, Microsoft, Amazon but even they aren't identical in this field. A better bargain might be found with one of these baby clouds so it appears to be worth the look. All of the usual IT issues are what will last, what's next and how much did that cost? The clouds are coming no matter what though....

Thanks to technology, email accounts, social networking sites, and cell phones are now prime marketing real estate. In order to strike the right balance between marketing to the masses and generating revenue, organizations should do two things right away. First, establish communication guidelines that reflect the organization's vision, mission, short and long-term objectives (collectively, the brand)-not what the business Joneses are doing. Second, ask constituents what matters to them.

"Social media! I seriously think it's "the" buzz word. According to Omniture, over 200 million searches are conducted every single day and 78% of people trust recommendations by peers. But how should nonprofits track their social media? What tools should they use?"  Understand What You Want to Track.

The emerging business structure applicable to nonprofits. You will have to pay taxes but the confusion is in the donation structure. There is a link to that information contained within

Was seeking answers to what is an L3C?

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 report indicates what trends dominate older users of social media. The main argument here is whether or not using social media to interact with NPO volunteeers and clients is worthwhile. The research indicates that it is a worthwhile endeavor. The important thing to bear in mind as far as older users are concerned, is making organizational web sites extremely accessible and user-friendly.

I think to a certain extent it is important to incorporate new social media into npo's its a easier way to reach out to volunteers and clients, its mostly about how you as a supervisor manage the usage from your employees.

Relatively comprehensive set of links for nonprofit organizations interested in using social media tools to monitor what is being said about the organization.

This site has at Top 10 list for paid social media monitoring services specifically designed for nonprofits. I found it to be very helpful because it had descriptions of each type of service along with costs, and what size nonprofit it would be most beneficial for. This could be useful for a nonprofit trying to organize contacts while also receiving feedback on how they are progressing through social media.

Great example of crowd-sourced question site to help answer a specific question about a CRM (client relationship management) solution for a small nonprofit.

This article answers some questions about Twitter. What is a Twitter profile, it's value, and how will you use it??

If you want to understand what the cloud platform is really about then read this. The connectivity of all computers is going to a new level. This might help you understand the vision.

This is a good example of what we descussed in class a couple of weeks ago regarding a cooperation of both private and public health organizations.

good explanation of web 2.0 video. Social media is one of three central parts of web 2.0

If you want to know what web 2.0 is then watch this video

If you setup a file server at non profit this article outlines a good strategy for your files structure. The use of outside backup and a partition of disk drives should be done from the start. It is a good idea to determine what the activities will be and make the structure match to avoid over searching... Some seemingly simple structures can be a nightmare for maintenance.. A good file server setup promotes sharing which can produce efficiencies..

This is really server basics for some of the less technical but it's good advice

This article suggests what the telecommunications solution should look like. A secure VPN to share files, Instant messaging to cover long distance calling, web conferencing for a more personal long distance interaction if and when needed , VoIP and PBX which might be the most prominent. Keeping the workforce strongly connected over long distances makes people more productive and happier.

I think this best represents the standard platform but there is much more available now ( look to mobile for growth )

New Brunswick isn't worrying about high unemployment in their information techonolgy sector. What NB is really struggling with is there lack of skilled workers in the field and not being able to attract such workers. Low population growth and low post-secondary graduation rates is a big factor, but NB Information Techonolgy Council C.E.O. says that making IT more attractive to students when they are in high school and earlier is the key to getting skilled workers in the sector.

When most businesses and non-profits start using social media, they start with "small talk" with their communities. They politely reply to tweets, express appreciation to donors, respond as quickly as possible to customer support issues, and generally try to add value to their network. But all to often, they fail to move beyond the "small talk" and create meaningful discussions that their communities are dying to have

The disasterous earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that is being experienced in Japan has had some policymakers in the US crying for reexaminations into our own infrastructure to make sure that if we were struck by some sort of natural disaster our infrastructure would fair better than Japans. Earthquake detection, as well as a tsunami warning system are two things on the top of the list as to what should be done or examined.