Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Joseph Porcelli
Joseph Porcelli wears a lot of hats. He's been a coordinator of the Neighborhood Crime Watch Unit of the Boston Police Department, the executive director of Neighbors For Neighbors, the founder of the Name Tag Project, and is now with the Be The Change Foundation. In all his work, he has been an innovator in using online tools to increase social capital in local communities, so we're very excited that he'll be the featured guest in October at the Ethos Roundtable.
Please join us at the table!
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Reservations are never mandatory to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you in October!
Thursday
Change of format for the September 16th Ethos Roundtable session
Unfortunately, our featured guest for Tuesday, Jeff Wood of eHope, will not be able join us as scheduled. He will be with a critically ill patient and his family. Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with them all. We have rescheduled Jeff's presentation at the Ethos Roundtable for Tuesday, December 16th.
However, the Ethos Roundtable will definitely meet this Tuesday, even though Jeff will be unable to be there.
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Instead of the scheduled presentation, we will be having an "open mike" Ethos Roundtable session.
This doesn't actually mean that there will be a microphone or that anyone will be asked to perform; it does mean that it's an open discussion of any ideas that attendees might want to bring to the table. These ideas might pertain to your own projects, or to presenters that you'd like the Ethos Roundtable to invite to future sessions.
John Hopkins has very graciously agreed to kick off the session on September 16th with a brief presentation about HubUnity, a web-based service that provides tools to collect, organize and manage connections with everything local, such as local schools, groups, businesses, events, and news.
If you'd like to give a brief presentation on an concept or ongoing project that is relevant to ethos and technology for positive social change, please feel free to email us at ethos.roundtable (at) gmail (dot) com. Or just show up!
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
As always, there's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
See you on Tuesday!
However, the Ethos Roundtable will definitely meet this Tuesday, even though Jeff will be unable to be there.
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Instead of the scheduled presentation, we will be having an "open mike" Ethos Roundtable session.
This doesn't actually mean that there will be a microphone or that anyone will be asked to perform; it does mean that it's an open discussion of any ideas that attendees might want to bring to the table. These ideas might pertain to your own projects, or to presenters that you'd like the Ethos Roundtable to invite to future sessions.
John Hopkins has very graciously agreed to kick off the session on September 16th with a brief presentation about HubUnity, a web-based service that provides tools to collect, organize and manage connections with everything local, such as local schools, groups, businesses, events, and news.
If you'd like to give a brief presentation on an concept or ongoing project that is relevant to ethos and technology for positive social change, please feel free to email us at ethos.roundtable (at) gmail (dot) com. Or just show up!
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
As always, there's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
See you on Tuesday!
Tuesday
eHope at the Ethos Roundtable
September's featured guest will be Jeffrey Wood, the president and founder of eHope .
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest, Jeffrey Wood, eHope
eHope's mission is "to form caregiving communities which provide non-medical physical, social, spiritual and emotional support, for a loved one who faces a life-threatening illness." Their innovative use of online tools to support caregiving communities is very much in the spirit of the Ethos Roundtable, and we hope that everyone who is interested will join us for this session.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Reservations are never mandatory to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteously to let them know how much to order.
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest, Jeffrey Wood, eHope
eHope's mission is "to form caregiving communities which provide non-medical physical, social, spiritual and emotional support, for a loved one who faces a life-threatening illness." Their innovative use of online tools to support caregiving communities is very much in the spirit of the Ethos Roundtable, and we hope that everyone who is interested will join us for this session.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Reservations are never mandatory to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteously to let them know how much to order.
Sunday
Please join the team from Speakeasy and Asian CDC at the Ethos Roundtable on August 19th
August's featured guests will be the team from Speakeasy and the Asian Community Development Corporation.
Tuesday, August 19th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Jeremy Liu, Speakeasy and Asian CDC
Speakeasy is a service that offers non-English speaking individuals convenient, free and easy access to a network of well-informed, multilingual “Guides” who would be able to provide on-demand, confidential language interpretation via the telephone. Aside from their interpretation services, Guides would also be able to effectively address callers’ concerns and needs as they are more familiar with the social service options available in this country. In practice, Speakeasy is not a new concept as many multilingual individuals are already serving as informal interpreters for their family members and friends, but often with uneven or inappropriate results. Instead of having to depend solely on this informal social network and to ease some of the unduly burdens placed upon family members and friends, Speakeasy would be able to take advantage of the ubiquity of cell phones and connect non-English speakers to Guides promptly.
Technically, Speakeasy consists of three components – a web service for Guides’ registration and scheduling, a telephone server for call routing and conferencing, and a database that stores Guides’ phone numbers, language capabilities and available times. Callers – any non-English speakers, including immigrants, refugees and other limited English proficiency individuals – would place a call to Speakeasy from any telephone and then be greeted by pre-recorded messages and prompts in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. After callers navigate the voice menu by pressing the appropriate buttons, Speakeasy then queues their calls through the database, and connects them to available Guides who would act as “linguistic liaisons” to city service agencies, community organizations and local businesses via their cell phones. In that sense, Speakeasy transcends geographic, spatial and temporal boundaries as it allows Guides to provide assistance wherever they may be and whenever they are available.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Reservations are never mandatory to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Tuesday, August 19th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Jeremy Liu, Speakeasy and Asian CDC
Speakeasy is a service that offers non-English speaking individuals convenient, free and easy access to a network of well-informed, multilingual “Guides” who would be able to provide on-demand, confidential language interpretation via the telephone. Aside from their interpretation services, Guides would also be able to effectively address callers’ concerns and needs as they are more familiar with the social service options available in this country. In practice, Speakeasy is not a new concept as many multilingual individuals are already serving as informal interpreters for their family members and friends, but often with uneven or inappropriate results. Instead of having to depend solely on this informal social network and to ease some of the unduly burdens placed upon family members and friends, Speakeasy would be able to take advantage of the ubiquity of cell phones and connect non-English speakers to Guides promptly.
Technically, Speakeasy consists of three components – a web service for Guides’ registration and scheduling, a telephone server for call routing and conferencing, and a database that stores Guides’ phone numbers, language capabilities and available times. Callers – any non-English speakers, including immigrants, refugees and other limited English proficiency individuals – would place a call to Speakeasy from any telephone and then be greeted by pre-recorded messages and prompts in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. After callers navigate the voice menu by pressing the appropriate buttons, Speakeasy then queues their calls through the database, and connects them to available Guides who would act as “linguistic liaisons” to city service agencies, community organizations and local businesses via their cell phones. In that sense, Speakeasy transcends geographic, spatial and temporal boundaries as it allows Guides to provide assistance wherever they may be and whenever they are available.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Reservations are never mandatory to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Saturday
Please join Quintus Jett at the Ethos Roundtable on July 15th for a discussion about the Gentilly Project!
Please join us for the next Ethos Roundtable event!
Tuesday, July 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Quintus Jett, Gentilly Project
The Gentilly Project uses a prototype mapping system designed to deploy after neighborhood devastation, follow progress, and pinpoint what aid is needed where. By using this new public mapping system, everyone—researchers, developers, politicians, and local citizens—will be able to see what has been done, and what needs to be done, with the sole purpose being to accelerate rebuilding.
The first application of this mapping system is the mapping of the entire district of Gentilly, a severely flood-damaged area in New Orleans, home to over 40,000 residents pre-Katrina. The project's public mapping of over 12,000 homes is the most current, and comprehensive look at the rebuilding progress in the city.
Here are some links to more information about the project:
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Laura Jaseviciute of TechFoundation (lauraj AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you in July!
Tuesday, July 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Quintus Jett, Gentilly Project
The Gentilly Project uses a prototype mapping system designed to deploy after neighborhood devastation, follow progress, and pinpoint what aid is needed where. By using this new public mapping system, everyone—researchers, developers, politicians, and local citizens—will be able to see what has been done, and what needs to be done, with the sole purpose being to accelerate rebuilding.
The first application of this mapping system is the mapping of the entire district of Gentilly, a severely flood-damaged area in New Orleans, home to over 40,000 residents pre-Katrina. The project's public mapping of over 12,000 homes is the most current, and comprehensive look at the rebuilding progress in the city.
Here are some links to more information about the project:
- New Orleans Rebuilds
- Gentilly Neighborhood Mapping Center
- Open-source organizing
- Door-to-Door Map-making
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Laura Jaseviciute of TechFoundation (lauraj AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you in July!
Friday
Good2gether at the Ethos Roundtable on June 17th
Please join us for the next Ethos Roundtable event!
Tuesday, June 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Greg McHale, Good2Gether.Com
Good2gether is a social enterprise that mashes up mainstream media web sites with content provided by mission-based organizations. Nonprofit organizations can participate at no cost.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you in June!
Tuesday, June 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Greg McHale, Good2Gether.Com
Good2gether is a social enterprise that mashes up mainstream media web sites with content provided by mission-based organizations. Nonprofit organizations can participate at no cost.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you in June!
Tuesday
The Stargazer Foundation is coming to the Ethos Roundtable on May 20th!
If you're interested in free resources for emergency management, please join us at our May session:
Tuesday, May 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Art Bushkin, Stargazer.Org
It is our great good luck that Art Bushkin is traveling up to the Boston area to talk about the Stargazer Foundation's online resources for emergency preparedness.
Stargazer has devoted millions of dollars (and untold amounts of effort and expertise) to creating this absolutely free resource for nonprofits, families, and individuals. The foundation's slogan is "online services for social good," which could not be more congruent with the spirit of the Ethos Roundtable. Art will share his vision with us, and will also be available to meet with nonprofit professionals and community leaders who are vitally concerned with emergency management and disaster relief.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Laura Jaseviciute of TechFoundation (lauraj AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you in May!
Tuesday, May 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Art Bushkin, Stargazer.Org
It is our great good luck that Art Bushkin is traveling up to the Boston area to talk about the Stargazer Foundation's online resources for emergency preparedness.
Stargazer has devoted millions of dollars (and untold amounts of effort and expertise) to creating this absolutely free resource for nonprofits, families, and individuals. The foundation's slogan is "online services for social good," which could not be more congruent with the spirit of the Ethos Roundtable. Art will share his vision with us, and will also be available to meet with nonprofit professionals and community leaders who are vitally concerned with emergency management and disaster relief.
At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Laura Jaseviciute of TechFoundation (lauraj AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you in May!
Thursday
Social Capital Inc at the Ethos Roundtable
Please join us at the April Ethos Roundtable session!
Tuesday, April 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guests: David Crowley and Mike Sances, Social Capital Inc.
Here's what Mike and David have to say about the upcoming session:
'We are in the age of the network yet we don't know our neighbors. The connective capabilities of the evolving computer technologies and the internet are fostering incredible growth in communication networks. The "social" networks abound with millions of users exchanging information through such entities as MySpace, Facebook, and craigslist. There is tremendous potential to harness this communication energy and technology to enhance community involvement, civic engagement, and social capital.
'However the verdict is still out whether the new technologies and the internet can foster civic engagement or isolate and reduce it. As Robert Putnam put it in his book, "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community ", "The Internet may be part of the solution to our civic problem, or it may exacerbate it, but the cyber-revolution was not the cause." In fact, Putnam indicts an older technological innovation—the television—as one of the primary reasons for declining social capital. In Bowling Alone, Putnam also reports a: 25% decline in voting rates; a 40% drop in people attending meetings on town/school affairs; a 50% drop in membership rates in 32 national organizations; and a 45% drop in frequency of having friends over for dinner.
'We need to reverse the tide and build community and civic engagement – now more than ever. SCI believes that the evolving networking technologies can be used as powerful tools for crafting stronger, more
vibrant communities.'
Online reading recommended by Mike and David:
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.- Putnam, Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital, Journal of Democracy 6:1, Jan 1995, 65-78
- Ellison, Nicole B. et al, The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites
David B. Crowley (President and Founder, SCI) brings over fifteen years of leadership in the nonprofit sector to the founding of SCI. Prior to starting SCI, David served as Executive Director of Generations Incorporated, which under his leadership grew into a national model for intergenerational programming. He also started and directed the Kentucky Community Service Commission, a state entity appointed by the Governor responsible for AmeriCorps and other service programs. David graduated from Harvard College in 1991 with an A.B. in Government, and from Woburn High School in 1987.At the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
Mike Sances (Network Coordinator, SCI) has been with SCI since August 2006, starting as an AmeriCorps*VISTA and continuing as Network Coordinator in September 2007. Mike is assisting with the development of SCI's Network Sites, and also provides Drupal support for SCI's community websites. Mike graduated from UMass Amherst in 2006 with a B.A. in political science.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
See you in April!
Tuesday
May, June, and July at the Ethos Roundtable
We hope that you'll join us for these upcoming sessions:
Tuesday, May 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Art Bushkin, Stargazer.Org
Tuesday, June 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Greg McHale, Good2Gether.Com
Tuesday, July 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guests: Quintus Jett, Gentilly Project
Details on the topics of each date will be forthcoming, as our featured guests send in their blurbs.
At the conclusion of each of these Ethos Roundtable sessions, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
Tuesday, May 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Art Bushkin, Stargazer.Org
Tuesday, June 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Greg McHale, Good2Gether.Com
Tuesday, July 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guests: Quintus Jett, Gentilly Project
Details on the topics of each date will be forthcoming, as our featured guests send in their blurbs.
At the conclusion of each of these Ethos Roundtable sessions, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
Monday
Robin Chase at the Ethos Roundtable, March 18th
Please join us at the next Ethos Roundtable session!
Tuesday, March 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Robin Chase, GoLoco
Addressing sustainability and climate change will require changes in the way we do things in both the immediate and long terms. Robin Chase will talk about the unique role businesses can and must play as providers of goods and services, as consumers of goods and services; and as roles models to employees and other companies.Links recommended by Robin:
Here's a little bit about our honoured guest:
See you on the 18th!
Tuesday, March 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Robin Chase, GoLoco
Addressing sustainability and climate change will require changes in the way we do things in both the immediate and long terms. Robin Chase will talk about the unique role businesses can and must play as providers of goods and services, as consumers of goods and services; and as roles models to employees and other companies.Links recommended by Robin:
Here's a little bit about our honoured guest:
Robin Chase is founder and CEO of GoLoco, an online ridesharing community. GoLoco helps people quickly arrange to share car trips of all lengths between trusted friends, neighbors, and colleagues, and handles online payments from passengers to drivers for their share of the trip costs. GoLoco's innovative combination of social networks and online payment systems recasts how we think about car travel, making it a time for socializing and with a new emphasis on trip efficiency, in order to reduce per passenger costs.
Robin is founder and former CEO of Zipcar, the largest carsharing company in the world. Zipcar’s use of the Internet and wireless technology enables rental cars to emulate personal cars. Zipcar's disruptive technology gives its members on-demand access to cars by-the-hour, revolutionizing people's relationship to their cars and improving the quality of urban life for all.
Robin also founded and leads Meadow Networks, a consulting firm, where she is frequently consulted by transportation and planning departments, city and state government agencies, and NGOs about wireless and mesh networking applications in the transportation sector, and impacts on innovation and economic development. She served on the Boston Mayor’s Wireless Task Force, and the Governor-elect’s Transportation Transition Working Committee.
Robin lectures widely and has been frequently featured in the major media including the Today Show, The New York Times, National Public Radio, Wired, Newsweek and Time magazines, as well as several books on entrepreneurship. She has received many awards, including the Massachusetts Governor's Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit, Start-up Woman of the Year, Business Week’s top 10 designers, Fast Company's Fast 50 Champions of Innovation, technology and innovation awards from Fortune, CIO, and Info World Magazines, and numerous environmental awards from national, state, and local governments and organizations.
Robin graduated from Wellesley College and MIT's Sloan School of Management, and was a Harvard University Loeb Fellow. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and three children.
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.
See you on the 18th!
February 19th at the Ethos Roundtable: "Is Wikipedia Helping or Hindering Social Change?"
Please join us at the next Ethos Roundtable session!
Tuesday, February 19th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Jayne Karolow, LocaModa
Here's the word from our featured guest:
See you on the 19th!
Tuesday, February 19th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Jayne Karolow, LocaModa
Here's the word from our featured guest:
'Last roundtable, I spoke about Wiffiti, in particular its goal of encouraging organic, proactive conversations amongst people who would typically never interact with each other; it's been a highly successful social model. Now I'd like to take a look at the flip side of community media... When information comes into the mix, are we doing more harm than good by venerating "groupthink"?'
Online reading recommended by Jayne:
A brief biography of our featured guest:
Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food and drink, it's courteous to let them know how much to order.A brief biography of our featured guest:
'Jayne Karolow is the Director of Community at LocaModa, Inc, a technology company in Cambridge, MA, focused on connecting people and places. She is also a part-time instructor and Emerson Colleage, currently teaching a course entitled "Studies in Digital Media and Culture." In her free time, she enjoys running marathons and cooking in her tiny Somerville kitchen.'
See you on the 19th!
Friday
Please save these dates for the Ethos Roundtable!
We hope that you'll join us for these upcoming sessions:
Tuesday, February 19th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Jayne Karolow, LocaModa
Tuesday, March 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest:: Robin Chase, Goloco
Tuesday, April 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guests: David Crowley and Mike Sances, Social Capital Inc.
Details on the topics of each date will be forthcoming, as our featured guests send in their blurbs.
At the conclusion of each of these Ethos Roundtable sessions, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Tuesday, February 19th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest: Jayne Karolow, LocaModa
Tuesday, March 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guest:: Robin Chase, Goloco
Tuesday, April 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Featured guests: David Crowley and Mike Sances, Social Capital Inc.
Details on the topics of each date will be forthcoming, as our featured guests send in their blurbs.
At the conclusion of each of these Ethos Roundtable sessions, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Monday
What's Up, Boston? Join the Boston History & Innovation Collaborative at the Ethos Roundtable on January 15th!
Please join us at at the next Ethos Roundtable session:
Tuesday, January 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Special Guests: David Feigenbaum, Rick Borovoy, Meaghan Smith (Boston History & Innovation Collaborative)
"What's Up, Boston," which is a project of the Boston History & Innovation Collaborative, makes innovative use of text messaging to encourage civic engagement in Boston. We are thrilled that three members of the team will be joining us at the Ethos Roundtable to talk about their work.
Here's a summary from the Boston History & Innovation Collaborative's web site:
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Tuesday, January 15th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Special Guests: David Feigenbaum, Rick Borovoy, Meaghan Smith (Boston History & Innovation Collaborative)
"What's Up, Boston," which is a project of the Boston History & Innovation Collaborative, makes innovative use of text messaging to encourage civic engagement in Boston. We are thrilled that three members of the team will be joining us at the Ethos Roundtable to talk about their work.
Here's a summary from the Boston History & Innovation Collaborative's web site:
As part of efforts to jump-start civic conversations and get people “talking” live and publicly about important topics of common interest, the What’s Up Boston task force has developed an innovative way to facilitate more public dialogue. The pilot public conversation medium, an "electronic whiteboard" though which participants can share their experiences and solutions in real time by sending text messages to a publicly located screen, will be part of the Oct. 4 IdeasBoston conference.At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Thursday
Recommended reading from Michelle Murrain
I hope that you're planning to join us at the Ethos Roundtable on December 18th, when Michelle Murrain will lead a discussion about open source software for nonprofits!
Here's the reading that Michelle has recommended:
"Chapter 4: Philosophical Considerations" (from the NOSI primer for nonprofits)
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others!
Here's the reading that Michelle has recommended:
"Chapter 4: Philosophical Considerations" (from the NOSI primer for nonprofits)
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others!
Monday
Michelle Murrain on the ethical and philosophical implications of open source software for nonprofits
Tuesday, December 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Michelle Murrain, Nonprofit Open Source Initiative
The Nonprofit Open Source Initiative (NOSI) recently launched an updated version of its excellent guide, "Choosing and Using Free and Open Source Software: A Primer for Nonprofits." Michelle Murrain, who is coordinator of NOSI and a strategic technology consultant, will lead a discussion on the ethical and philosophical implications for nonprofits. She describes her approach to technology as "conscious, minimalist, neo-luddite."
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Please join us!
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Michelle Murrain, Nonprofit Open Source Initiative
The Nonprofit Open Source Initiative (NOSI) recently launched an updated version of its excellent guide, "Choosing and Using Free and Open Source Software: A Primer for Nonprofits." Michelle Murrain, who is coordinator of NOSI and a strategic technology consultant, will lead a discussion on the ethical and philosophical implications for nonprofits. She describes her approach to technology as "conscious, minimalist, neo-luddite."
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Please join us!
Sunday
Nolan Bowie at the Ethos Roundtable
On November 20th, Nolan Bowie, lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School, and senior fellow emeritus at the Berkman Center, will be giving a presentation at the Ethos Roundtable on his vision for global telecommunications.
Tuesday, November 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Please join us!
Tuesday, November 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Please join us!
Keith Taylor, founder of Modest Needs, presents at the Ethos Roundtable on October 30th
Tuesday, October 30th*
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Keith Taylor, Modest Needs Foundation
If you're not familiar with Modest Needs Foundation, which uses the web to empower us all as micro-philanthropists, please check out the Modest Needs web site and blog, and prepare to be blown away.
When I consider that Modest Needs gives one-time grants to folks who are at risk of poverty and homelessness, and that 65% (Yes! Sixty-five percent!) of grant recipients become Modest Needs donors, I just want to swoon. Sorry about these rhetorical excesses, but I can't seem to help myself.
* Please note that this date does not coincide with the Boston 501 Tech Club event on October 16th. We changed the date of the Ethos Roundtable event to accommodate Keith's schedule, since he is coming up from New York City.
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Keith Taylor, Modest Needs Foundation
If you're not familiar with Modest Needs Foundation, which uses the web to empower us all as micro-philanthropists, please check out the Modest Needs web site and blog, and prepare to be blown away.
When I consider that Modest Needs gives one-time grants to folks who are at risk of poverty and homelessness, and that 65% (Yes! Sixty-five percent!) of grant recipients become Modest Needs donors, I just want to swoon. Sorry about these rhetorical excesses, but I can't seem to help myself.
* Please note that this date does not coincide with the Boston 501 Tech Club event on October 16th. We changed the date of the Ethos Roundtable event to accommodate Keith's schedule, since he is coming up from New York City.
Tuesday
Please join us for Josh Shortlidge's InterEthos presentation on September 18th!
Tuesday, September 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
When you meet someone on the Internet, how do you know what they are really like? Are they trustworthy? Knowledgeable? Also, how do you share your impressions of them with everybody else? You could go to Facebook and MySpace and LinkedIn and any number of other social networking sites, Google their name and so on. But that's a lot of work! Couldn't there be an easier way? Wouldn't it be nice if you could get to know people right away, right when you encounter them, and with no conversations or clicks required?
On September 18th Josh Shortlidge will present a new technology designed to "catalog and share the character of internet users in real time".
Ethos Profiles are comprised of pointers to documentation on all internet locations. For instance a person's Ethos Profile can include pointers to articles they authored in a local newspaper, to web pages documenting their membership activities in certain activist groups, to their MMOG gaming standings, to their good standing as an EBay seller, to their Myers Briggs personality profile, to their profile on CouchSurfing.com, etc.
These Ethos Profiles will be stored in a shared "ethos" data layer, which will be accessible by everyone, from everywhere on the net, with no clicks, and at zero cost. Ethos profiles will be created for all users, and by all users. We will share our spirit and passions more seamlessly, and thereby more easily forge life-changing relationships.
The basic concept of InterEthos is that whenever you meet a new person via the internet, then you should be able to instantly learn that person's core character, or ethos. Getting to know someone shouldn't require hours of face-to-face conversation or extensive internet searches. Rather, you should be able to glean their ethos at the exact place and instant that you meet them.
For more details please visit the InterEthos wiki. The wiki is public, so you can add your ideas to any page by clicking the "Edit This Page" button. Also, if the topic grabs you, then please click "Join this Space."
Josh Shortlidge's contact information (and old-style profile) can be found on the wiki.
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
When you meet someone on the Internet, how do you know what they are really like? Are they trustworthy? Knowledgeable? Also, how do you share your impressions of them with everybody else? You could go to Facebook and MySpace and LinkedIn and any number of other social networking sites, Google their name and so on. But that's a lot of work! Couldn't there be an easier way? Wouldn't it be nice if you could get to know people right away, right when you encounter them, and with no conversations or clicks required?
On September 18th Josh Shortlidge will present a new technology designed to "catalog and share the character of internet users in real time".
Ethos Profiles are comprised of pointers to documentation on all internet locations. For instance a person's Ethos Profile can include pointers to articles they authored in a local newspaper, to web pages documenting their membership activities in certain activist groups, to their MMOG gaming standings, to their good standing as an EBay seller, to their Myers Briggs personality profile, to their profile on CouchSurfing.com, etc.
These Ethos Profiles will be stored in a shared "ethos" data layer, which will be accessible by everyone, from everywhere on the net, with no clicks, and at zero cost. Ethos profiles will be created for all users, and by all users. We will share our spirit and passions more seamlessly, and thereby more easily forge life-changing relationships.
The basic concept of InterEthos is that whenever you meet a new person via the internet, then you should be able to instantly learn that person's core character, or ethos. Getting to know someone shouldn't require hours of face-to-face conversation or extensive internet searches. Rather, you should be able to glean their ethos at the exact place and instant that you meet them.
For more details please visit the InterEthos wiki. The wiki is public, so you can add your ideas to any page by clicking the "Edit This Page" button. Also, if the topic grabs you, then please click "Join this Space."
Josh Shortlidge's contact information (and old-style profile) can be found on the wiki.
Please join us for our fall presentations: 09/18, 10/30, and 11/20/2007
Please join us this fall for our series of discussions about technology for positive social change!
September
Josh Shortlidge, founder of InterEthos and co-convener of the Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, September 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
October
Keith Taylor, founder of ModestNeeds.Org
Tuesday, October 30th*
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
* Please note that this date does not coincide with the Boston 501 Tech Club event on October 23rd.
November
Nolan Bowie, lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School, and senior fellow at the Berkman Center
Tuesday, November 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
This is really an extraordinary fall line-up, so please mark your calendars now. There's no need to make a reservation if you want to attend; please come if you can, and feel free to invite others.
September
Josh Shortlidge, founder of InterEthos and co-convener of the Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, September 18th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
October
Keith Taylor, founder of ModestNeeds.Org
Tuesday, October 30th*
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
* Please note that this date does not coincide with the Boston 501 Tech Club event on October 23rd.
November
Nolan Bowie, lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School, and senior fellow at the Berkman Center
Tuesday, November 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
This is really an extraordinary fall line-up, so please mark your calendars now. There's no need to make a reservation if you want to attend; please come if you can, and feel free to invite others.
Thursday
Open mike at the Ethos Roundtable on August 21st - please join us!
Tuesday, August 21st with be an open mike session at the Ethos Roundtable, and we hope that you'll join us.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday,August 21st
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
This doesn't actually mean that there will be a microphone or that anyone will be asked to perform; it does mean that it's an open discussion of any ideas that attendees might want to bring to the table. These ideas might pertain to your own projects, or to presenters that you'd like the Ethos Roundtable to invite to future sessions.
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday,August 21st
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
This doesn't actually mean that there will be a microphone or that anyone will be asked to perform; it does mean that it's an open discussion of any ideas that attendees might want to bring to the table. These ideas might pertain to your own projects, or to presenters that you'd like the Ethos Roundtable to invite to future sessions.
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Sunday
Please join us for the SocialMarkets.Org presentation on July 17th
The next Ethos Roundtable event will be on Tuesday, July 17th, and is scheduled to complement the Boston 501 Tech Club gathering that will follow immediately afterward. Allan Benamer and Jeff Tuller will be giving a presentation on SocialMarkets.Org, their newly founded nonprofit initiative.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, July 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
SocialMarkets.Org embodies a new model for going online to channel untapped charitable dollars from individuals and organizations in the financial services industry. Nonprofit organizations that are serious about funding both programs and outcomes measurement will be particularly interested in Jeff and Allan's approach to transparency and accountability.
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org).
Full disclosure of financial relationship: I serve as a paid consultant to SocialMarkets.Org, so I'm not exactly a disinterested party. However, I am also an avid fan in my own right.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, July 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
SocialMarkets.Org embodies a new model for going online to channel untapped charitable dollars from individuals and organizations in the financial services industry. Nonprofit organizations that are serious about funding both programs and outcomes measurement will be particularly interested in Jeff and Allan's approach to transparency and accountability.
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
There's no need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org)
Full disclosure of financial relationship: I serve as a paid consultant to SocialMarkets.Org, so I'm not exactly a disinterested party. However, I am also an avid fan in my own right.
Monday
Update on our plans for June 19th
Norris Prevost will be presenting at the Ethos Roundtable at 4:30 pm on June 19th, and is planning to speak about his "E-One Carribbean" program. He has very graciously allowed us to make an executive summary of E-One Carribbean available online through this blog; to review it, please click here.
Our Ethos Roundtable event will conclude at 6:00 pm. The Boston 501 Tech Club will not be meeting on that evening. Instead, all who are interested in the Mass NPtech Working Group will assemble at 6:00 pm in the Charles Hotel conference room where the Ethos Roundtable meets, and then stroll into Harvard Square for an informal dinner together.
Our Ethos Roundtable event will conclude at 6:00 pm. The Boston 501 Tech Club will not be meeting on that evening. Instead, all who are interested in the Mass NPtech Working Group will assemble at 6:00 pm in the Charles Hotel conference room where the Ethos Roundtable meets, and then stroll into Harvard Square for an informal dinner together.
Thursday
Deepening our local nonprofit technology conspiracy
I love the word "conspiracy". I'm a mediocre Latinist, but by my reckoning, to conspire is "to breath together," or possibly "to be in spirit together." Therefore, I like to refer to the local (or international) network of nonprofit technology advocates as a conspiracy.
As I've previously mentioned in my blog, Michelle Murrain and I have been brainstorming about creating a regional school for circuit riders. It's important to think of a range of options for ensuring that nonprofits in our region get the tech support that they need, and this is a conversation I've had at various times with Khalid Mustafa of the Urban Leaguee, Steve Backman of Database Designs Associates, and Wayne Glynn of Third Sector New England.
At the Boston 501 Club's May event, a few of us began to talk seriously about spinning off a working group for those who are interested in the future of tech support for nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts. Khalid, Steve, and I all felt ready to schedule a meeting, and Claire Murray joined in enthusiastically with offers to find us a good space for convening.
We have now created an email distribution list, "MassNPtechWorkingGroup," for nonprofit technology advocates who are interested in strategic discussions, and we'll see where it goes from there.
Several years ago, I sat in with a group that explored the possibility of a statewide nonprofit technology capacity building network in Massachusetts. The guiding spirits were extremely smart and dedicated people, and it was a noble effort, but the plan did not come to fruition. Alas. If that previous group was unable create an infrastructure and a formal network for service delivery, I doubt that the MassNPtech Working Group can do it - and in fact I don't think we should aspire to do it.
Instead, I think that our working group will probably remain a kind of forum and peer learning community, somewhat akin to the Ethos Roundtable in scope. Perhaps we'll gather for presentations and discussions, and perhaps we'll be "in spirit together." If various members of the group are able to discuss new strategies and forge collaborative relationships, then it will be a modest success.
Related blog articles:
This item is based on an article that was originally posted to my blog, "Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector."
As I've previously mentioned in my blog, Michelle Murrain and I have been brainstorming about creating a regional school for circuit riders. It's important to think of a range of options for ensuring that nonprofits in our region get the tech support that they need, and this is a conversation I've had at various times with Khalid Mustafa of the Urban Leaguee, Steve Backman of Database Designs Associates, and Wayne Glynn of Third Sector New England.
At the Boston 501 Club's May event, a few of us began to talk seriously about spinning off a working group for those who are interested in the future of tech support for nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts. Khalid, Steve, and I all felt ready to schedule a meeting, and Claire Murray joined in enthusiastically with offers to find us a good space for convening.
We have now created an email distribution list, "MassNPtechWorkingGroup," for nonprofit technology advocates who are interested in strategic discussions, and we'll see where it goes from there.
Several years ago, I sat in with a group that explored the possibility of a statewide nonprofit technology capacity building network in Massachusetts. The guiding spirits were extremely smart and dedicated people, and it was a noble effort, but the plan did not come to fruition. Alas. If that previous group was unable create an infrastructure and a formal network for service delivery, I doubt that the MassNPtech Working Group can do it - and in fact I don't think we should aspire to do it.
Instead, I think that our working group will probably remain a kind of forum and peer learning community, somewhat akin to the Ethos Roundtable in scope. Perhaps we'll gather for presentations and discussions, and perhaps we'll be "in spirit together." If various members of the group are able to discuss new strategies and forge collaborative relationships, then it will be a modest success.
Related blog articles:
- The New England School for Circuit Riders
- The Riders Movement
- Why you need to download and read the eRider Starter Kit
- Heroes, pioneers, technology for positive social change, and the Dirk Award
- A region's nonprofit digital divide
- Where have all the developers gone?
- Career paths and career ladders in nonprofit technology
This item is based on an article that was originally posted to my blog, "Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector."
Saturday
Please save the date for our June 19th meeting
Norris Prevost, member of parliament from the Commonwealth of Dominica (and a Kennedy School of Government affiliate), will be giving a presentation on E-One Carribean. This is a nonprofit project that seeks to link nongovernmental organizations in the Carribean with the intellectual, financial, and human resources of the region and its diaspora.
We are eager to learn about Norris's vision of how internet tools can help immigrant communities maintain strong ties with their home cultures and contribute to sustainable economic development.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Please join us!
We are eager to learn about Norris's vision of how internet tools can help immigrant communities maintain strong ties with their home cultures and contribute to sustainable economic development.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
There's no need to make a reservation if you'd like to attend any of the Ethos Roundtable meetings - just come if you can, and feel free to invite others.
Please join us!
Thursday
SJ and the One Laptop Per Child Project: Recommended Links
Here are some links that you may want to review before SJ Klein's presentation about the OLPC project on Tuesday:
One Laptop Per Child Wiki
One Laptop Per Child
Wikipedia: $100 Laptop
SJ Klein, Director of Content, One Laptop Per Child project
SJ's Longest Now
OLPC News
NY Times: Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops
Microsoft Windows and the $100 MIT Laptop
Indian Engineers Aiming for USD 10 Laptop
U.S. Schools May Receive 'One Laptop per Child' Notebooks
"$100 laptop" project adds $75 and Windows
Potential for Windows reveals complexities in nonprofit's effort to spread '$100 laptop'
Uruguay youngsters receive batch of OLPC XOs
OLPC Game Jam Coming in June
OLPC and Microsoft: Happy Together?
OLPC Project Rollout Begins In Uruguay
Inside the OLPC
OLPC rundown: XO gets naked, project detailed
XO Laptop: Child's Play: One Laptop Per Child product deemed basic but useful, as initiative to spread affordable technology
Friday
More links from Gary Goldberger
As a follow up to his Ethos Roundtable presentation on Tuesday, Gary Goldberger has sent along links to the various projects that he mentioned:
* By the way, Gary's Second Life avatar is "Gerrick Gordimer." (Mine is "Deborah Replacement.") Please feel free to post your avatar's name in a comment here.
- FableVision
- Games for Change
- Research Centre for Media Psychology
- The Lia Project
- Darfur is Dying
- A Force More Powerful
- Community Organizing Toolkit
- CyberBudget
- PeaceMaker
- OilGod & Airport Security
- Second Life*
* By the way, Gary's Second Life avatar is "Gerrick Gordimer." (Mine is "Deborah Replacement.") Please feel free to post your avatar's name in a comment here.
Wednesday
Please save the date for our May meeting
Samuel Klein, also known as "Sj," will be speaking about his work with the One Laptop Per Child project.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Business center conference room
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Our meetings are scheduled to complement the monthly get-togethers of the Boston 501 Tech Club, which begin at 6:00 pm at the Charles Hotel. All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at Boston 501 Tech Club events, and vice versa.
Please join us!
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Business center conference room
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Our meetings are scheduled to complement the monthly get-togethers of the Boston 501 Tech Club, which begin at 6:00 pm at the Charles Hotel. All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at Boston 501 Tech Club events, and vice versa.
Please join us!
Sunday
Please save the date for our April meeting
Gary Goldberger will be speaking about his work with Games For Change, Fablevision, and the Research Centre for Media Psychology.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, April 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Business center conference room
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Our meetings are scheduled to complement the monthly get-togethers of the Boston 501 Tech Club, which begin at 6:00 pm at the Charles Hotel. All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at Boston 501 Tech Club events, and vice versa.
Please join us!
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, April 17th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Business center conference room
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Our meetings are scheduled to complement the monthly get-togethers of the Boston 501 Tech Club, which begin at 6:00 pm at the Charles Hotel. All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at Boston 501 Tech Club events, and vice versa.
Please join us!
Wednesday
Next Ethos Roundtable event: Tuesday, 03/20, 4:30 pm
The next Ethos Roundtable event will be on Tuesday, March 20th, and is scheduled to complement the Boston 501 Tech Club gathering that will follow immediately afterward.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, March 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Business center conference room
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Stan Labovitz of Infotool will be presenting on Tuesday. He is the designer and CEO of the Infotool Organizational Analysis Tool, and lawyer by trade. He was formerly an active OD consultant for 15 years with Organizational Dynamics, Inc (ODI).
InfoTool is a shared online tool used by OD consultants to measure and coach organizations worldwide. It facilitates the detailed analysis of cross-silo operations, interactions across multiple external stakeholder groups, and 360-degree reviews, just to name a few.
In just 2 short years Infotool boasts clients such as Liberty Mutual; Insurance, Staples, Yale, Harvard, Dannon, Nextel, The Cotton Industry, CSC Consulting, and many others. Infotool has resellers in India, South America, Australia, Central America and throughout the US.
Infotool was founded in Boston, Massachusetts by a team of organizational research consultants that needed an effective tool to measure and analyze key organizational business drivers in a simple and cost-effective manner. The team needed a web-based application that was dynamic, interactive and intuitive enough to empower clients to analyze the root cause needs of their employees and their customer's perceptions, as well flexible enough to meet the changing requirements of the marketplace.
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Ethos Roundtable
Tuesday, March 20th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Business center conference room
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett Street
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Stan Labovitz of Infotool will be presenting on Tuesday. He is the designer and CEO of the Infotool Organizational Analysis Tool, and lawyer by trade. He was formerly an active OD consultant for 15 years with Organizational Dynamics, Inc (ODI).
InfoTool is a shared online tool used by OD consultants to measure and coach organizations worldwide. It facilitates the detailed analysis of cross-silo operations, interactions across multiple external stakeholder groups, and 360-degree reviews, just to name a few.
In just 2 short years Infotool boasts clients such as Liberty Mutual; Insurance, Staples, Yale, Harvard, Dannon, Nextel, The Cotton Industry, CSC Consulting, and many others. Infotool has resellers in India, South America, Australia, Central America and throughout the US.
Infotool was founded in Boston, Massachusetts by a team of organizational research consultants that needed an effective tool to measure and analyze key organizational business drivers in a simple and cost-effective manner. The team needed a web-based application that was dynamic, interactive and intuitive enough to empower clients to analyze the root cause needs of their employees and their customer's perceptions, as well flexible enough to meet the changing requirements of the marketplace.
At the conclusion of the Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, food, and drink at the 501 Tech Club that is so generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.
All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa.
Thursday
Where have all the developers gone?
These days, it seems like the constant refrain in the Boston area is, "Deborah, can you find us a database and web developer who is highly qualified and willing to work with small nonprofits?"
It's really difficult right now, but I'm not surprised, because it's part of a larger trend that I started to worry about two years ago.
We've had a real dry spell in funding for nonprofit technology in our region. In the past few years, a lot of extremely talented young techies, who would have been thrilled to take jobs with organizations that strive to make the world a better place, have searched in vain for work. I hear from the ones who have become embittered and taken jobs in other regions or other sectors. It isn't difficult for them to find work, because they have solid skills in the proprietary web and database platforms that are used in every sector.
Fortunately, the developers who have stuck around (in the region and in the nonprofit sector) are very good. Unfortunately, even the most brilliant web and database developer, no matter how utterly devoted to serving the nonprofit sector in Massachusetts, only has 24 hours in any given day.
Meanwhile, the new cohort of young idealists is emerging. These folks tend to be recent college graduates who want to make the world a better place, through open source software. (The latter is variously known as free, libre, FOSS, and FLOSS.) They aren't waiting for nonprofit organizations to create staff positions for them as web and database developers; they are starting their own development and consulting firms, and working on the FLOSS projects that interest them.
This new cohort of idealistic techies - and the tools that they are developing for use in the nonprofit sector - comprise an amazing boon to our work. In the future, we will probably reap benefits that we can't begin to foresee right now.
However, in the meantime, the nonprofit sector in our region is stuck with an embarassing problem of our own making. Most of the FLOSS tools currently under development are not mature enough to serve the immediate, every day needs of nonprofits. So we have a cohort of idealistic young techies who don't want to develop databases or web sites with the platforms that we are currently using, and a cohort of embittered techies who have the skills to work with the platforms we use but have already fled the scene.
What are we going to do? I'd like to encourage my colleagues to brainstorm about this.
(This item is based an article from my blog, "Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector.")
It's really difficult right now, but I'm not surprised, because it's part of a larger trend that I started to worry about two years ago.
We've had a real dry spell in funding for nonprofit technology in our region. In the past few years, a lot of extremely talented young techies, who would have been thrilled to take jobs with organizations that strive to make the world a better place, have searched in vain for work. I hear from the ones who have become embittered and taken jobs in other regions or other sectors. It isn't difficult for them to find work, because they have solid skills in the proprietary web and database platforms that are used in every sector.
Fortunately, the developers who have stuck around (in the region and in the nonprofit sector) are very good. Unfortunately, even the most brilliant web and database developer, no matter how utterly devoted to serving the nonprofit sector in Massachusetts, only has 24 hours in any given day.
Meanwhile, the new cohort of young idealists is emerging. These folks tend to be recent college graduates who want to make the world a better place, through open source software. (The latter is variously known as free, libre, FOSS, and FLOSS.) They aren't waiting for nonprofit organizations to create staff positions for them as web and database developers; they are starting their own development and consulting firms, and working on the FLOSS projects that interest them.
This new cohort of idealistic techies - and the tools that they are developing for use in the nonprofit sector - comprise an amazing boon to our work. In the future, we will probably reap benefits that we can't begin to foresee right now.
However, in the meantime, the nonprofit sector in our region is stuck with an embarassing problem of our own making. Most of the FLOSS tools currently under development are not mature enough to serve the immediate, every day needs of nonprofits. So we have a cohort of idealistic young techies who don't want to develop databases or web sites with the platforms that we are currently using, and a cohort of embittered techies who have the skills to work with the platforms we use but have already fled the scene.
What are we going to do? I'd like to encourage my colleagues to brainstorm about this.
(This item is based an article from my blog, "Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector.")
Please save the date for our February meeting
The next meeting of the Ethos Roundtable will be on Tuesday, February 20th, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm at the Charles Hotel.
Shava Nerad, executive director of the Tor Project, will speak about how tools for online anonymity can facilitate civic engagement. This may seem counter-intuitive, but in settings where freedom of expression leaves the speaker open to reprisals, anonymity is a crucial safeguard.
We hope that you'll join us for Shava's fascinating presentation and for the discussion that will follow.
Shava Nerad, executive director of the Tor Project, will speak about how tools for online anonymity can facilitate civic engagement. This may seem counter-intuitive, but in settings where freedom of expression leaves the speaker open to reprisals, anonymity is a crucial safeguard.
We hope that you'll join us for Shava's fascinating presentation and for the discussion that will follow.
Wednesday
Thinking locally and acting globally with Ethan Zuckerman
We are very much obliged to Ethan Zuckerman for coming to the Ethos Roundtable to speak about Global Voices Online yesterday! Geeks and non-geeks alike were enthralled with the stories about the work that he and his colleagues do.
If you have follow-up comments, links, or suggestions that are inspired by GV, please feel free to post them here as blog comments.
If you'd like to join the GV team, the good news is that they are currently seeking to hire an advocacy director!
If you have follow-up comments, links, or suggestions that are inspired by GV, please feel free to post them here as blog comments.
If you'd like to join the GV team, the good news is that they are currently seeking to hire an advocacy director!
Sunday
Next steps for the Commonwealth Civic Roundtable
The Commonwealth Civic Roundtable's next meeting will be on January 26th, and the agenda is centered on prioritizing ideas for creating sustained civic engagement.
If you are interested, please send an email to John Schneider at jschneider (at) massinc (dot) org .
If you are interested, please send an email to John Schneider at jschneider (at) massinc (dot) org .
Thursday
Links recommended by Ethan Zuckerman of Global Voices Online
Ethan Zuckerman, co-founder of Global Voices Online, will be giving a presentation at the next meeting of the Ethos Roundtable, and has been kind enough to recommend some links for us to review:
We hope that you will feel free to comment here about these links or about the presentation. If you have ideas, recommendations for further reading, or suggestions about other resources, you are welcome to share them!
We hope that you will feel free to comment here about these links or about the presentation. If you have ideas, recommendations for further reading, or suggestions about other resources, you are welcome to share them!
Now online: MassNonprofitNet.Org
Monday
Sunlight, local politics, and information in the internet era
Last week, I was very flattered to receive an invitation from the Sunlight Foundation to participate in a working meeting about local politics and information in the internet era at the Berkman Center.
Nisha Thompson of the Sunlight Foundation emailed me to say:
I'm ready to assist the Sunlight Foundation and others with internet strategies, if it means that we'll all be better informed and more deeply engaged in local politics, but I'm a little vague when it comes to having a platform or a slate of candidates to call my own. In this, I feel some kinship in to W.H. Auden, who apparently said, "We are here on earth to do good for others. What the others are here for I don’t know."
Related blog articles:
This item is based on an article that was originally posted to my blog, "Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector.")
Nisha Thompson of the Sunlight Foundation emailed me to say:
Today the Internet provides access to candidate information which was unimaginable a decade ago, and yet citizens still have trouble finding the basic information they need concerning candidates in their districts. The problem is a result of data that is scattered or difficult to understand, and when a good resource does in fact exist, it cannot be found easily. Your work in making this knowledge accessible is exemplary, and we would like to take the time to discuss methods with others in the field.
Actually, I would say that my work in this area is hopelessly goofy and idealistic, rather than exemplary. Still, I do care very deeply about deepening civic engagement, promoting inclusiveness in discourse and decision-making, and using technology to increase knowledge in the public interest. In the last few years, I've greatly enjoyed belonging to and volunteering my time with the Commonwealth Civic Round Table, the civic engagement advisory group of the "What's Next?" seminar series, the "Hello Boston" campaign, and the Ethos Roundtable. However, I have to admit that while I'm all for supporting civic engagement by taking public information online, I'm not that much of an expert on local politics.I'm ready to assist the Sunlight Foundation and others with internet strategies, if it means that we'll all be better informed and more deeply engaged in local politics, but I'm a little vague when it comes to having a platform or a slate of candidates to call my own. In this, I feel some kinship in to W.H. Auden, who apparently said, "We are here on earth to do good for others. What the others are here for I don’t know."
Related blog articles:
Growing Enthusiasm for Online Tools for Civic Engagement in Massachusetts
What's Next? Can We Foster Civic Engagement and Leadership Development with Online Tools?
New Civic Leadership and Machine Dreams
What's Next? Can We Foster Civic Engagement and Leadership Development with Online Tools?
New Civic Leadership and Machine Dreams
This item is based on an article that was originally posted to my blog, "Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector.")
Saturday
Social bookmarking with the Ethos Roundtable
If you have web links that are relevant to the Ethos Roundtable's interests, it's easy to share them online by using Delicious.
That's all it takes! The web link that you are sharing will (eventually) appear on this blog - in the right hand column, under the heading "From the Ethos Roundtable del.icio.us tagstream."
- If you've never used Delicious before, register for a free account first. Otherwise, go directly to login.
- Post the link that you'd like to share with members of the Ethos Roundtable.
- Type in the name of the link in the "description" field, and some brief notes about why it's of interest in the "notes" field.
- Type in ethosroundtable in the "tags" field, and hit "save."
That's all it takes! The web link that you are sharing will (eventually) appear on this blog - in the right hand column, under the heading "From the Ethos Roundtable del.icio.us tagstream."
Thursday
Please save the date for our January meeting
The next meeting of the Ethos Roundtable will be on Tuesday, January 16th, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm at the Charles Hotel.
Ethan Zuckerman, one of the co-founders of Global Voices Online, will discuss this facinating non-profit global citizens’ media project, sponsored by and launched from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School.
Its motto is "The world is talking. Are you listening?"
I can't imagine an initiative more congruent with our interest in using technology to expand ethos and support positive social change.
Please join us!
Ethan Zuckerman, one of the co-founders of Global Voices Online, will discuss this facinating non-profit global citizens’ media project, sponsored by and launched from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School.
Its motto is "The world is talking. Are you listening?"
I can't imagine an initiative more congruent with our interest in using technology to expand ethos and support positive social change.
Please join us!
Wednesday
The M. N. Adamov Memorial Fund: Bridging language, culture, governments, and (not so incidentally) the digital divide
The Ethos Roundtable is much obliged to Harris Sussman for yesterday's presentation on the work of the M. N. Adamov Memorial Fund.
The Adamov Fund's efforts to bring computers to blind university students in Saint Petersburg, Russia are especially intriguing.
If you have suggestions for the Adamov Fund or links to resources, please post them here as blog comments.
The Adamov Fund's efforts to bring computers to blind university students in Saint Petersburg, Russia are especially intriguing.
If you have suggestions for the Adamov Fund or links to resources, please post them here as blog comments.
Sunday
What's it all about, Ethos Roundtable?
Here are some questions that I've been asked recently about the Ethos Roundtable, along with some answers:
Q: Is the Ethos Roundtable a nonprofit organization?
A: No, we are just an informal group.
Q: What do you do?
A: As a group, we meet once a month for discussions and presentations. As individuals, we are actively involved in a wide range of projects.
Q: How did your group form?
A: Four of us (Josh Shortlidge, Naava Frank, Anne Marie Bellavance, and Deborah Elizabeth Finn) had lunch together. We did some brainstorming about topics that interested us, and had such a positive experience that we decided to gather on a regular basis, and to invite others to join the conversation.
Q: What does "ethos" mean?
A: Please see the bottom of this web page for both a brief and an extended explanation.
Q: With what other organizations are you affiliated?
A: TechFoundation underwrites our meeting space, and our meetings are scheduled to complement Boston 501 Tech Club events. However, these arrangements are all very informal, so please don't assume that any official endorsement is involved.
Q: Can you give me money for a project?
A: We don't have an operating budget, let alone a grant program. Sorry about that.
Q: Can you help me with my computer or my web site?
A: As a group, we do not offer technology support services to individuals or organizations. Sorry about that.
Q: Can you give me advice about how to expand ethos or use technology for positive social change?
A: If you have a project in mind, and would like to solicit feedback by presenting it at an Ethos Roundtable meeting, we may be able to put you on the agenda. Please send us an email at ethos.roundtable (at) gmail (dot) com.
A: No, we are just an informal group.
Q: What do you do?
A: As a group, we meet once a month for discussions and presentations. As individuals, we are actively involved in a wide range of projects.
Q: How did your group form?
A: Four of us (Josh Shortlidge, Naava Frank, Anne Marie Bellavance, and Deborah Elizabeth Finn) had lunch together. We did some brainstorming about topics that interested us, and had such a positive experience that we decided to gather on a regular basis, and to invite others to join the conversation.
Q: What does "ethos" mean?
A: Please see the bottom of this web page for both a brief and an extended explanation.
Q: With what other organizations are you affiliated?
A: TechFoundation underwrites our meeting space, and our meetings are scheduled to complement Boston 501 Tech Club events. However, these arrangements are all very informal, so please don't assume that any official endorsement is involved.
Q: Can you give me money for a project?
A: We don't have an operating budget, let alone a grant program. Sorry about that.
Q: Can you help me with my computer or my web site?
A: As a group, we do not offer technology support services to individuals or organizations. Sorry about that.
Q: Can you give me advice about how to expand ethos or use technology for positive social change?
A: If you have a project in mind, and would like to solicit feedback by presenting it at an Ethos Roundtable meeting, we may be able to put you on the agenda. Please send us an email at ethos.roundtable (at) gmail (dot) com.
Saturday
Social capital "factoids" from the Saguaro Seminar
The Saguaro Seminar is headquartered at the Kennedy School of Government, right next door to the Ethos Roundtable's customary meeting place.
I was browsing through the seminar's web site, and came upon a page devoted to social capital "factoids." Here's a sample:
What a great excuse to join the Ethos Roundtable! Our next meeting is on December 19th. If you stick around and attend the Boston 501 Tech Club, which meets immediately after the Ethos Roundtable, you can easily boost your life expectancy in the next year by another 25%.
I was browsing through the seminar's web site, and came upon a page devoted to social capital "factoids." Here's a sample:
- Joining one group cuts your odds of dying over the next year in half. Joining two groups cuts it by three quarters.
What a great excuse to join the Ethos Roundtable! Our next meeting is on December 19th. If you stick around and attend the Boston 501 Tech Club, which meets immediately after the Ethos Roundtable, you can easily boost your life expectancy in the next year by another 25%.
Wednesday
Links recommended by Harris Sussman of the M. N. Adamov Memorial Fund
Harris Sussman of the M.N. Adamov Memorial Fund will be making a presentation at the next meeting of the Ethos Roundtable, and has been kind enough to recommend some links for us to review:
We hope that you will feel free to comment here about these links or about the presentation. If you have ideas, recommendations for further reading, or suggestions about other resources, you are welcome to share them!
We hope that you will feel free to comment here about these links or about the presentation. If you have ideas, recommendations for further reading, or suggestions about other resources, you are welcome to share them!
Friday
Coming soon to the world wide web: MassNonprofitNet.Org
Odd but true: Unlike most states in the U.S., Massachusetts does not have an association for nonprofit professionals or the organizations that employ them.
The historical reasons for this are too complex for my mind to encompass, but my best guess is that the biggest obstacle is what has been called "a fractious and exclusionary civic culture."
Fortunately, things are changing. The Nonprofit Working Group (sometimes known as the Nonprofit Strategy Working Group) is making steady progress toward an association that will be known as the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. The Boston Foundation is providing substantial funding, Third Sector New England is providing fiscal sponsorship, and a whole host of local worthies are bringing their knowledge and influence to bear on this project.
Susan Nicholl has been brought on as the project manager, and I've had a few conversations with her about MassNonprofitNet.Org, the web site that is currently in development. Although a great web site is no substitute for a spirit of collaboration, I'm hoping that the new spirit that exists in Massachusetts can be supported by an online presence that makes use of Web2.0 (or NetSquared) tools. I also hope that if you have ideas you'll share them by emailing Susan at nonprofitstrategygroup (at) gmail (dot) com.
The historical reasons for this are too complex for my mind to encompass, but my best guess is that the biggest obstacle is what has been called "a fractious and exclusionary civic culture."
Fortunately, things are changing. The Nonprofit Working Group (sometimes known as the Nonprofit Strategy Working Group) is making steady progress toward an association that will be known as the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. The Boston Foundation is providing substantial funding, Third Sector New England is providing fiscal sponsorship, and a whole host of local worthies are bringing their knowledge and influence to bear on this project.
Susan Nicholl has been brought on as the project manager, and I've had a few conversations with her about MassNonprofitNet.Org, the web site that is currently in development. Although a great web site is no substitute for a spirit of collaboration, I'm hoping that the new spirit that exists in Massachusetts can be supported by an online presence that makes use of Web2.0 (or NetSquared) tools. I also hope that if you have ideas you'll share them by emailing Susan at nonprofitstrategygroup (at) gmail (dot) com.
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