WordCamp Boston, 2011

I spent yesterday and will spend today at WordCamp Boston, a conference for WordPress users. I have wanted to add WordPress to my web design toolbelt but just haven't had time to sit down and really play with it. Conferences like this are a great way to shorten the learning curve.

I typically use Joomla! for web design, but WordPress has come a long way in the several years since my initial research led me to adopt Joomla! as my preferred platform. I'd like to be able to offer clients a choice or, if necessary, make a choice for them with whichever tool seems right for them.

From the minute I walked into the registration area, I was impressed with the organization and planning of this conference.  The Registration "badge" was a complete portfolio for the conference -- including the information to log in to the network, a complete schedule on the inside (still readable even though it was comparatively small), whether or not you'd ordered a T-shirt, etc.  With hundreds of attendees, it was relatively quiet and very organized.

Speakers have been top notch too.  One speaker had only one year's experience using WordPress, but he gave a great presentation of Top 10 tips he'd learned in that year.  As an experienced web designer, I came away with some "Ah Ha's" from it.  That's quite good in my book. What I appreciated was that many sessions focused on web design and not just how to use WordPress.  That creates a good mix for people who may know one or two tools but need to create better content, enrich their site, or grow into a more sophisticated use of thie websites (marketing outreach, SEO tools, etc.). 

I go back today with a better idea in my mind beforehand of which sessions I'll attend.  There is a stream of "how to" sessions specific to WordPress that I plan to attend, as well as some focusing on the freelancer (that's me -- or, as I prefer to say Solopreneur). 

This has been a great way to spend the weekend; I'm glad I made it this year.  The BU location has also been quite nice.  

By the way, if you're a Joomla! user in the Boston area, our monthly user group meeting is this Wednesday (7/27/11) from 7-9 PM at the Cyber Cafe @ Malden Square.  Preregistration is preferred although not required; since it's summer, I'd check the website to make sure the meeting is still on before showing up!

I Love it When Things Come Together!

I get really excited when I've been able to figure out the answer (or an answer) to a problem that's been bugging me.  When it comes to technology, figuring out those answers usually means I've learned the tool at a deeper level of understanding than I had before -- and that's a good thing. 

So I was really excited this morning when I made one change to a website I've been working on and the "fix" did exactly what I hoped it would do.  I had figured out the answer a few days ago but didn't have time until today to actually test it out.  Now I can tell the client to take a look and we can move on from here.

I've been using the Joomla! web development tool for a while now, but don't get to work with it all the time.  I have to do it early in the morning (before my day job) and on the weekend.  But I've gradually grown to understand it at a much deeper level and can often figure something out fairly quickly.  I'm not a coder, but know enough html, and now even a bit of css, to work with it and set things up to work the way I want. 

But every once in a while I get stumped.  And I was stumped for about a week with this last problem.  I use the same template on another site, so started to look at the css files of both, comparing what was different between and found the "offending" plugin that was stumping me.  Turning that off cleared up my problem and I have decided I don't want/need that plugin.  Next step is to uninstall it so my site stays clean and only has features and plugins installed that I want or need. 

I think that my many years of fixing computers (hardware and software) have helped me be a good troubleshooter.  And this skill transfers to non-technology projects and problems.  I find I can look at the problem fairly dispassionately and review the surrounding environment (circumstances, issues, players involved, etc.) and localize the source.  That's essential in good problem-solving.  Too many people put band-aides on problems rather than taking the time to figure out the source.  Problem is -- the problem keeps coming back if you don't get to the source and eliminate it!

That's my thought for this morning.  I think it's a great way to start my day.

Joomla! Boston Users Group

Last night the Joomla! Boston Users Group met and had a long-distance presentation by Nick Antimisairis (nickname Nant on Joomlapolis), one of the core developers of the Community Builder (membership management) and CBSubs (subscription management) components.  We used Skype to talk with Nick and DimDim to see his desktop presentation.

Learning how Community Builder and CBSubs can be used together to help manage an organization's memberships, subscription, and even sales of items was great.  CBSubs seems very well integrated into Joomla! and many of the most widely-used extensions.  Being able to use multiple tools without any code hacking demonstrates good core component-building and integration.

After bidding Nick good night (at 3:45 AM his time), we talked and helped one member resolve a design issue she is having with her sight.   For the past several months, we've been able to fix at least one member's site each meeting.  Other members have had a chance to showcase their sites and some of us have then been able to adopt some of the extensions and techniques to improve our own sites. 

If you are experienced or a novice, join us and share in the experience.  We meet monthly on the 4th Wednesday, 7-9 PM, at the Cyber Cafe @ Malden Square, 100 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148.  For more information, check out the Joomla! Boston Users Group.

The Networked Nonprofit - book review

I eagerly awaited the virtual launch of The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change, by Allison Fine and Beth Kanter and bought my copy during their virtual launch party two weeks ago.  I read it this week, when I could read it in one sitting.   It took patience to wait that long, but I am tired of starting something I really want to read and having to put it aside for days. 

Fine and Kanter are leaders in the social media (SM) movement for nonprofits.  They are the people that people like me go to for advice; we follow their blogs, tweets, FB pages...they are our virtual guides in this world of getting our non profit organizations connected to clients in a meaningful way beyond the borders of our organizations' walls.

Beth Kanter introduced me and the Cyber Cafe @ Malden Square, back in 2005, to how easily SM tools can be used for various purposes.  A tool designed for blogging quickly became our Community Resource Guide, giving us a powerful way to share many resources among staff, volunteers, clients, and...the world.  She doesn't just think outside the box; she thinks beyond the box.  The box does not exist -- there is no barrier.

Straightforward, Practical, and Proven
Both Fine and Kanter are energetic, knowledgeable, and engaging.  The Networked Nonprofit is what you'd expect from them.  Straightforward advice, tested and with proven examples, on how nonprofits need to change their view of the world to survive and flourish in the digital world.

I won't say compete in the digital world because one of the points they make is that nonprofits have to stop seeing other nonprofits as competitors.  Networking is not about competition; it is about collaboration.  I think this is one reason I have never liked the chamber of commerce meeting model, where businesses in the same industry are not supposed to sit together because they are competitors.  Even when I was consulting a lot in the for profit world, my "competitors" were my colleagues.   We often worked collaboratively because it made more sense; my skill set would complement a colleague's from another organization and vice versa. 

I have one foot in the networked nonprofit world at the Cyber Cafe.  I have another foot in the not-so-networked world with my major organization.  They do network with other organizations, but they are not so ready for the digital foray.  (Young padouan must practice patience daily while straddling this dichotomy.)

What's in the Book?
The Networked Nonprofit introduces and defines this concept of the networked nonprofit, describes the social media revolution, and examines the myths surrounding it.  These myths, along with lack of a comfort level (shall we say skill?) with SM, is what prevents many non profits from embracing a set of digital tools that could help them with their mission.  Fine and Kanter then examine the challenges and trends that non profits face, which creates an urgent need to confront their own lack of understanding in this area and make the transition into becoming a networked nonprofit.  The remaining book is divided into how organizations can become a networked nonprofit and how they would operate as one.

Why is this so important?  

...because doing so will help them achieve their mission. 

Resources
Kanter has set up a wiki for The Networked Nonprofit where people can share ideas on how put this book into action.  You can help them develop curriculum and instructional materials to help nonprofits learn at a pace that makes sense for them.  Several years ago, I developed a simple model and then a presentation based on the premise that community building in the nonprofit world is like creating a jigsaw puzzle.  Collaborations are enabled and enhanced when you view each organization like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle.  To find the right fit, turn it around and over - examining all the angles - until you see how there might be a fit between your organization and others.  Naturally, I call this the JigSaw Puzzlin' Approach (c).  I'll work on adding that to the wiki later.

Have You Tried Ask Your LawMaker?

Last night, Melinda Wittstock, Burueau Chief/Executive Director of Capitol News Connection (CNC) was featured at the Ethos Roundtable. An award-winning broadcast and print journalist, Melinda's experience in New York, Washington, and London spans BBC Radio and TV News, ABC News, National Public Radio (NPR), MSNBC/CNBC, as well as London's Times, Guardian, and Observer newspapers.

Melinda touched on a number of Web 2.0 topics with the guests as she demonstrated Ask Your Lawmaker and its widgit*. Ask Your Lawmaker provides ordinary people, like you and me, the opportunity to raise questions to our nation's lawmakers. The site's viewers vote on which questions they'd like to see answered; those with the highest votes get asked by CNC staff with the answers posted to the website.

The site includes podcasts, a blog, a widigit, and the Ask Your Question opportunity. There's a daily 2-minute Power Breakfast Podcast, which gives you a preview of what CNC expects to be covering during the day -- a preview of the day's news coverage!

While the website is being further developed, to improve functionality and smooth out the interaction between you and the site, it's fully functional and deserves your attention. If there's a question you've wanted asked on Capitol Hill, a burning issue you believe is being neglected, or maybe you want to find out if you're the only one who thinks they way you do about a particular national topic or trend, then pose your question and see what develops.

Capitol News Connection is owned by the nonprofit multimedia organization Pundit Productions, Inc. CNC provides nonpartisan news reporting and operates the Ask Your Lawmaker website.

*widgit = a web-based applet that provides ongoing content or permits user interaction; the Ask Your Lawmaker widgit permits anyone to run its feed on their website

NonProfit Conversation

So many of my friends are in the non-profit world, this blog, NonProfit Conversation, hosted by Bunnie Reidel is a good resource...

Reading the articles made me reflect on my own volunteer management experiences. I've been in volunteer management for more than 20 years; and I've been a volunteer much longer than that. When you find a good resource, you hang onto it. Web 2.0 makes it so much easier to hang onto those valuable resources but what's even better is that they're typically updated frequently so the resources are more relevant than old handouts and paper-based information.

If you're not making use of Web 2.0 tools, maybe you should take a closer look and see if you're missing out on some time-saving efficiency tools that would make your professional life a bit more manageable!

...to do your best, you have to be at your best...

Barriers to Web 2.0 in Schools

"Teachers and students are largely driving the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in schools, but human and technological barriers are holding back the use of these as learning tools in many classrooms, according to a new study..."

From an article in eSchool News.

Here's an area where many of us can make a difference. We can connect with teachers and officials in our local schools and help improve their understanding and use of Web 2.0 tools.

Why would I recommend this? Educating students utilizing the ways that they learn today requires using the tools they use today. Web 2.0 tools can bring an "immediacy" to the classroom that outreaches traditional textbooks and other tools.

However, teachers are at a huge disadvantage in our classrooms; so are the students. It's a two-pronged problem that has nothing to do with Web 2.0. You can continue to read to see what I think about some of them (just the tip of an iceberg--it's early morning and I have to get to work). But you may be able to help your local schools in their understanding and adoption of Web 2.0 tools that improve teacher and student access to information that is relevant to their learning.

Unrelated to Web 2.0, what are some barriers to learning?
Teachers often are disadvantaged by the students themselves. Admittedly, and thankfully, it's not all students. But so many are disrespectful and disruptive in the classroom. Some don't want to learn. Some resent being in school. Some just don't know how to behave because no one has ever expected them to behave in a manner that's conducive to learning. Teachers end up becoming peacekeepers and disciplinarians. It reflects on the phrase, "When you're up to your ass in alligators, it's difficult to remember that the objective was to drain the swamp." It's difficult for the teachers and for those students who want to learn.

Students are also at a disadvantage. Some teachers don't know how to control a classroom. Some don't know how to engage youth in the learning process. Many of today's teachers cannot read and speak properly themselves. I am not talking about teachers who learned English as a second language. I'm talking about teachers who grew up in the American school system and never learned the basics themselves. They don't correct students' grammar because, "I'm not an English teacher," or some other silly reason.

Educational materials often create problems. Students bring homework home with instructions and worksheets. But if you read both, you'll see that the instructions use different terms than the worksheets. So the students are being taught one thing in school, but are bringing home assignments that use different terminology which they don't understand. I blame the publishers for this problem; they're so busy creating new editions of books each year to make money that they don't proofread and cross-reference properly before they publish. Again, it's not all of them, but it's enough of them to be a problem.

So, read the article and add your thoughts. Can you help your local schools in breaking down Web 2.0 barriers or any of these other barriers?

...Read, Think, and Discuss...