Technology is not the question or the answer

My friends Tim Walker and Michael Silberman have been doing some thinking about the long-term problems with many of the approaches to date about social change + technology and have popped out a provocative (and very welcome!) manifesto about the need for “web thinking.”

http://www.echoditto.com/insights/webthinking

I was honored to contribute some thoughts on the early drafts, and while I don’t think it’s perfect, the final version is a must-read if you’re serious about changing how change happens.   It’s great to see people engaging in serious, big-picture critical thinking like this.  The conversation’s already going on in the comments.  You should join in.  See you there in five.

Nonprofits, Open Source and Leadership: ONE/Northwest and the Plone Community

My colleagues and I at ONE/Northwest have been spending a lot of time engaging with an Open Source software development community (the folks who make Plone) over the past two years. It’s been an amazing learning experience.

The following essay summarizes our experiences and attempts to tease out someulearnings both for nonprofits and for Open Source communities

This is a really rough first draft. I invite your thoughts, feedback, questions and criticisms. Tell me what parts (if any) ring true with you. Tell me what to cut. Tell me what I missed, or what I just plain got wrong.

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Ready to Rock the WoC!

Ok, can I just say that I am officially Very Excited about heading up to Web of Change 2007?  Jodie and Sarah and the whole WoC crew have been doing a tremendous job of pulling together an fantastic agenda and and amazing group of people.  I can’t wait to meet all 90 of them!

I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to once again drink in the delights of Hollyhock and to spend face-time with so many old and new friends.

And for those of you who don’t yet know what ovenracking is: be prepared! :-)