Katrin Verclas, NTEN

In the NTEN community there has been much critique lately of the Web 2.0-hype that has taken on shrill proportions in the mainstream press. In the end what is this all about? Whatever you think about Web 2.0 tools, what we are seeing is creative expression made a whole lot easier than ever before. This admittedly creates a lot of junk but also some innovative gems. It's about conversations between and within communities and constituents and that is scary and

Alexandra Samuel, Social Signal

Alexandra gave a presentation on this topic at last year's Nonprofit Technology Conference. You can see what's scheduled for the 2007 NTC here. (And yes, Alexandra will be there with an update.)

Yes, businesses hype Web 2.0. But nonprofit organizations and advocacy and community groups are in an even better position to take advantage of the move towards bottom-up,
user-driven,

Beth Kanter, Beth's Blog

There's something different about these campaigns. Take a closer look. You'll notice that marketing staff and professional graphics designers didn't create the content - the organizations' supporters did. All of these campaigns use Web 2.0 tools like tagging and social media websites to reach out beyond their known constituent base to raise awareness and in some cases dollars for their causes.

• To mark premature birth awareness month in November the March

We've heard from the vendors, now we want to hear from you! If you have strong opinions on open APIs or want to respond to something you heard in Friday's debate, write it up and send it to us. We're collecting rants on open APIs from people involved in nonprofits and technology. We'll post select rants in our upcoming newsletter and here on our blog.

Simply sum up your thoughts in 150 words to less and send it to us by 5 pm today - and don't forget to send a photograph of yourself that we can post with your rant. Or write about open APIs on your blog and send us the link, and we'll feature that.

If you

Our debate on open APIs officially starts tomorrow at 10:00 am Pacific (click here for details on how you can listen in and participate) but like our panelists, some of our nptech blogger friends couldn't resist getting the discussion started. Here's what they're saying:

From Zen and the art of Nonprofit Technology

"I think that APIs are an expression of the best of what the internet is about. The free sharing of information in ways that allow for new innovation. It allows nonprofits free access to data that they would normally not have access to (like mapping data), or would have to pay a lot for. And if

Our Open API Debate doesn't officially start until Friday but our panelists are already getting into it over email. One point they're nailing down is what are APIs and who is meant to use them. You can read some of their points below, but to kick this off I want to share with you an example of what can be done with open APIs.

Steve Wright from Salesforce gave this example as one way that open APIs led to the creation of a new entity, well a mash-up really. It's one many of you might be familiar with - HousingMaps.com. It's a mash-up of Google Maps and

Have an opinion on the state of APIs - application programming interfaces - or just want to know what the heck all the discussion is about? Then join us this Friday for a live debate between the major players in nonprofit software and find out what's going on with APIs and what it means for nonprofits.

You'll hear where vendors on the panel are moving and what the tangible benefits will be for nonprofits. The speakers will also give their opinions on why openness matters and what open APIs mean for the open source movement.

Mark Bolgiano from the Council on Foundations will moderate the debate and our panelists will include

Tom

Or - Reflections on Spring Cleaning

It's that time of year again - time for spring cleaning. At home, I've been cleaning out closets, leaving things neatly organized so I can find everything I need again. I find this ritual irresistible because it gives me the chance to wax nostalgic (and I am not a nostalgic person by nature - this is my one indulgence). I remember where I was

By TJ Griffin, Advocacy Manager for Kintera

The success and standing of a nonprofit organization ultimately lies in its ability to steward the relationship with its supporters. Through the engagement, involvement and action of supporters, a nonprofit organization:

• Raises funds to support its cause and further its mission

• Recruits volunteers and members that help further the success of its mission

• Inspires action and activism among its constituents to enhance legislation affecting its mission

• Grows its network of

Begin your preparations by asking, "What do I want to say?" and you have already made your first mistake.

[The following is an excerpt from Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes, which can be ordered at www.agoodmanonline.com.]

A common mistake in planning a presentation is asking the seemingly innocent question, "What do I want to say?" Unfortunately, this places the initial focus on you and your material instead of where it actually belongs: on the audience.