Archive for October 2012
“Peer Progressivism” and FUTURE PERFECT: A Review
With next week’s election, we will be choosing the person who will be setting the agenda for the next few years. We’ll be setting our national agenda….and part of the success has been tapping into decentralized networks.
One of the great ideas proposed on Steven Johnson’s Future Perfect is the idea that a new kind of politics is emerging – one focused on driving civic engagement and building community via social networks. The primary focus of the book, admittedly, is on politics and culture – Johnson’s idea is that, much like Kickstarter, utilizing a decentralized network of individuals can lead to small – but significant – changes in our political and civic sphere.
His main thesis is that a new kind of political advocate – the “peer progressive” – is emerging. One that sees how using networks to advocate for change goes beyond simply being liberal or conservative – it means that driving collaboration and social change has become much easier. Using technology and social networks to collaborate helps move social change organizations from a simple marketing/fundraising perspective. In short, Johnson argues that being able to tap into networks provides for smaller, more localized results because people with a very strong interest are engaged on a deeper level.
It’s a radical idea – the fact that using online tools can lead to very localized results – but there are some great ideas in the book. However, the tone at times can be a little too academic, and sometimes Johnson seems to overstate his case. However, as we’re looking to drive digital excellence in Chicago, there’s plenty of food for thought in this book.
It’s a pretty short read, and available from the Chicago Public Library. As we head into the election, it might be a great motivator for many of us regardless of the results.
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. If you wish to contact me, you are more than welcome to send me a note via Linked In (just mention Chicago Now in your note) and my web site.
As always, thanks for reading.
Building Better Government One App At A Time
One of the many ways in which tech can impact our communities is when citizens and software coders collaborate on apps that improve government effectiveness and/or allow greater access to public data. Recently, I received notice about a really great opportunity for people to get engaged.
Code For America is a relatively new non-profit with a radical idea – that regular citizens, web coders, and others can collaborate on projects that make government more efficient, transparent, and which really create a more engaged citizenry. With an upcoming election, no matter what your political shading, this is a great opportunity to serve your community, and work on projects that could improve state and city government.
Their current initiative, the Race for Reuse, is focusing primarily on deploying (or redeploying) particular apps in a particular community. Admittedly, I haven’t been as aware of Code for America’s efforts as I would like (short answer – family health issues have prevented me), but quite honestly, this sounds like a great opportunity, and one which I think many readers might find exciting.
This is also one of the great ways in which we can use technology to improve our neighborhoods – for many of us, knowing how to get involved without necessarily doing the “usual” activities can be a challenge. It’s also an opportunity for becoming more familiar with tech and web-based tools, especially for those who may not consider themselves “hackers”.
In short, this is a really great initiative, and which really deserves greater support and awareness.
Have questions or comments? Please leave them down below, and you’re more than welcome to reach out to me via Linked In (just mention Chicago Now) and my web site.
As always, thanks for reading!
Blog Action Day: The Power of We
(This post is part of Blog Action Day, a global effort to bring awareness about the social good. For more information, please visit http://www.blogactionday.org)
The Power of We.
A simple phrase, but one which has very obvious implications.
It’s especially true here in Chicago, where we are developing an incredibly diverse tech scene, with non-profit social media consultants vying for business; social entrepreneurs realizing that benefiting the social good has positive results on their bottom line; volunteer organizations mobilizing the professional community to make an impact; and grassroots coalitions struggling to find allies.
And the challenge facing our city is an excessive focus on “me” rather than
the power of we.
It’s a challenge that I find of great interest as the main (and currently, sole organizer) of Net2Chi (or Net Tuesday), an initiative out of Tech Soup looking to build collaborations focused on bringing tech resources to underserved agencies and communities. (As my Linked In profile suggests, I have a really strong background in community mobilization). City government has made digital excellence and access to technology a priority, and for six years, Net2Chi has been active in driving working collaborations. However, the challenge is daunting, especially with many non-profits, community groups,
and other organizations feeling isolated or – worse yet – that somehow they are uniquely gifted and/or charged with driving change.
But the work doesn’t just extend to one particular agency – it extends to those communities all over the city. Areas like West Lawn (my neighborhood) where efforts are being made to drive areas near Midway Airport into a major business corridor. Places like TRC Senior Village in Bronzeville, location of a new Community Technology Center (CTC), helping grandparents and their grandchildren learn to connect online. So many of these efforts are being made….and too many people are doing it alone. Collaboration gives us power, since the blending of a multitude of skills and tasks can lead to greater results and accomplishments in a shorter period of time.
In the light of a well-deserved winter break, Net2Chi is reestablishing its partnership with the Chicago Digital Access Alliance (CDAA), and rededicating itself to digital excellence in our communities. Both our groups have successfully collaborated in the past, and with DexCon (a digital excellence conference) happening on November 10th, it seems like there’s less a renaissance, and more a renewal – a commitment to the idea that access to technology and digital literacy aren’t just “good things to have”, but are fundamental rights of every Chicago resident, advocating the idea that a more digitally literate populace better solidifies Chicago’s growing reputation as a hub of technological innovation.
Collaboration is never easy – it means losing some of our uniqueness (or as many in the tech scene would say, “our awesomeness” and moving forward with familiar – and unlikely – allies. It means that there is no such thing as “too corporate” or “too radical” or even “not awesome” – every person involved is part of a greater community. We give up the perceived authority of being the sole gatekeepers, and that we willingly acquiesce our perceived “power” in the hopes of accomplishing a greater good.
In short, it means adopting the idea that “we” is “me” turned upside down…and that great things result when we become more inclusive and willing to work with others. When we adopt an open, community-based philosophy independent of agendas, we accomplish greater things and have a longer-lasting impact upon the community.
The time is ripe. It can be done. I’m glad that two organizations are reaffirming their commitment to make Chicago an innovative place for tech and the social good. But it will take time, and work, and a commitment to taking an active role in driving change.
Plenty of organizations do various tasks – from building apps to creating special events. But that’s not enough – if we want a better Chicago, we need to turn “me” into “we”. Two organizations have already started….let’s see what the future can bring.
If you have any comments, please feel free to leave them below – otherwise, you are more than welcome to contact me via Linked In (Just mention “Chicago Now” in your note) or via my web site’s contact page.
As always, thanks for reading!
Making At-Risk Motherhood Easier Via Mobile
A colleague once asked me why I attended corporate networking events rather than just stick with networking in the non-profit/social good field. From my perspective, “social good” is an all-encompassing idea, and I believe that any opportunity to engage the larger community can result in learning about something wonderful.
I was fortunate enough to volunteer at last week’s MobiU2012 conference, which was organized by Heartland Mobile Council. One of the afternoon presentations I attended was by Corey Bieber of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois, who spoke openly about a mobile application they created for expectant mothers.
Arising from the realization that taking a preventative approach for their members’ health can have a positive impact on their bottom line (and help build trust), Blue Cross/Blue Shield looked at a variety of information about who an app could help. Expectant, potential ask-risk mothers were chosen because they not only had a definite start and end point, but also had a finite period in which they were dealing with their health concerns. A smartphone app was developed in order to assist and connect mothers with specific information and guidance provided via Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
There were several insights presented, and the presentation will be posted at the Heartland Mobile site. What follows are a series of bullet points taken from the #MobiU2012 Twitter hashtag:
- Expectant fathers who take an active role in helping often bring a significant reduction in risk, and tend to use app features such as timing contractions.
- Twenty-four (24) percent of mothers involved in Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s program used the mobile app, as opposed to one (1) percent accessing the same information via the member portal (or home page)
- This particular smartphone app streamlined processes, taking a 45 minute phone interview and converting it into a 22 point procedure.
- First-time mothers will acquire a large amount of information and cross-validate, building trust in a provider. This is a process that is necessary in order to properly outreach to them.
Now you’re probably wondering….how does this impact the social good? Simply put: although it’s easy to focus on non-profits and more community-based organizations as ideal audiences for promoting the social good, “community” includes everyone….and the private sector can provide some really good examples of how socially beneficial thinking can benefit both the greater community and the bottom line.
Please feel free to leave comments and questions down below – in addition, you’re more than welcome to connect with me via Linked In (just mention Chicago Now in your referral note), or drop me a line via my web site. As always, thanks for reading!
One Cause At a Time - Archive 
Facebook’s Flawed Promotion
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For many non-profits and other agents of social good, Facebook is a key channel, allowing many organizations to build their communities, foster online communication, and tap into other networks….with a minimum of cost. In fact, both Hubspot and Tech Soup pointed to great guides that can inform non-profits about how to use Facebook more effectively.
However, Facebook also tends to change its policy and “add” features which – especially in light of going public – may not be necessary, and could be hurtful to them in the long run. The first was switching users’ e-mail addresses over to a Facebook.com address, resulting in many articles (like this one) encouraging people to adjust their settings.
But ultimately, Facebook’s most recent gaffe has been the idea of “promoted posts”, or charging fan pages for the opportunity for their posts to be seen by a wider range of people. Most posts are only shown to 15% of a page’s members, and so Facebook will – for a small fee of $7 per post – promote it.
Of course, for many non-profits and organizations, this can be a budget killer. But like my colleague Scott Kleinburg of the Chicago Tribune points out, it’s not only a waste of money….but there are some great strategies for giving posts more exposure. Including photos, knowing your network, and staying brief are all great ideas.
And one final idea – ask your network to engage with Facebook posts. It’s relatively simple, and you can even cut-and-paste this example (which I’ve used on some of the pages I run):
Right now, this seems to be a massive misstep on Facebook’s part….but one which non-profits and agents of social good can easily avoid, getting the same impact with different emphasis.
Have comments – then please leave them below. If you would like to contact me, please feel free to send a note (with a mention of Chicago Now) via Linked In or my web site contact page.
And as always, thanks for reading!
Written by gordondym
October 29, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Posted in Commentary, Digital Excellence & Literacy, social media, Uncategorized
Tagged with community, facebook, networking, social media, web, web-based tools