I’ve been a happy, if in infrequent user of the presentation service ever since.

Not only have I uploaded and shared another 17 sets of slides but I’ve been alerted to some awesome new content created by people whose work I really respect.

As I can only see the number of views, embeds, downloads and favourites, I don’t really have a sense of how much value people are getting from accessing my slides. Are people attending any of the workshops I run actually accessing my material? Are people getting anything out of it?

I’m pausing to think about these types of questions as I’ve just become aware of a change in SlideShare’s pricing structure.

The free membership tier works for smallish presentations (ie up to 10MB) but you have to pay a monthly fee if you want to upload larger files.

As my presentations are contain lots of graphics they tend to be fairly hefty. So I need to upgrade to at least the first tier of the ‘Pro’ service. Based on today’s exchange rate, it’ll cost me NZ$24 per month (or NZ$222 per annum).

Obviously the ‘market’ for the presentation services offered by SlideShare is fairly well heeled. I draw this conclusion as the company (which has just been bought out by LinkedIn) have not opted for a ‘notional’ or cup of coffee priced charge. I tend to make smaller payments without hesitation.

The prices of a cup of coffee approach is adopted by services like Wikispaces, whose charges start at $5 per month for it’s “Plus Plan”, and LastPass, which charges $12 per annum for “Premium”.

Is it worth it?

On the positive side: SlideShare is an easy to use service, attractive and has many good features to promote sharing. If I move I’ll probably want to move my presentations, which will take a fair chunk of time. Moving is no guarantee of security, as another service may also start free then introduce a charges. Along the way people following my work could be lost.

On the down side: it is actually a fair amount of money, which I’m uncertain about the real value I’m receiving. SlideShare can gussy up all marketing hype it likes, but it remains hot air until I generate some tangible benefit.

The dilemma is not unique to my decision about using SlideShare. It applies to virtually ever aspect of having a web presence. Inertia generally takes over. Mostly once things are set up I don’t tend to regularly re-evaluate the benefits.

Until I’m forced to, that is. Right now I don’t have an instant response to whether it is worth paying for SlideShare Pro. I’m going to sit on the fence while I think it through. Part of this is about finding out the pros and cons of any alternatives I can find.

Hmm, what should I do?

Photo credit: joygantic

The torrent of opportunities and demands unleashed through the web is just too much. Could we just return to the uncomplicated days pre-Facebook, pre-twitter, pre-everything web!

This attitude was most evident in a keynote address by fundraiser and management consultant Kitty Hilton. Enumerating the many sins of an always-on, always connected world, Kitty emphasised the many bugbears she has with new-fangled technology (sigh).

Truthfully, deep down, I am not surprised by such views. Yet I still feel dismayed when I hear them. Here I am, listening to a bunch of prejudices at a supposedly forward-looking community technology conference.

The murmurs of agreement at Kitty’s outpouring suggested not everyone is taking the disruptive nature of the web in their stride. Admittedly it takes a fair bit of effort to get your head around the changes being wrought by an increasingly networked world.

Since I got home I’ve been thinking and talking about what will help people to grapple with the transformation going on screens around us. I’d suggest stepping back from the ever expanding flood of tools and the early adopter success stories to consider the underlying dynamics.

I’d probably skirt around to the classics, such as the “The Cluetrain Manifesto”, “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything” or Clay Shirky’s “Here comes everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations”.

Instead I’d jump straight into “The Networked Nonprofit” by Beth Kanter and Alison Fine (see my review from December 2010). It’s a helicopter view of the social media enabled, hyper networked society for good causes, with the configuration of tools left to others. Some two years after its release, Beth continues to share the concepts in the book around the globe, most recently in Pakistan.

As well as an understanding of the web world, Beth’s work supposes a set of literacies for getting by online. Without them the internet sweeps people away, time and time again, as if relentlessly dumped by breakers pounding into St Kilda beach. Rather than being knocked over by the incoming tide, we need to develop skills and knowledge to stand firmly.

A starting point for understanding the literacies required to thrive online is neatly provided by online denizen Howard Rheingold. The insights from this 64 year old virtual community pioneer are more than enough to start with.

Captured within the 272 pages of “Net Smart”, released March 2012, is a set of interlaced literacies we need to hone. These are: infotention/ attention; crap detection (after Ernest Hemingway); participation; collaboration; and network awareness.

I’m finding even a jaundiced long-time internet addict such as me can learn from Rheingold’s approach. Of course, you don’t necessarily need the book, which I’m reading on my Kindle, as you can go online to find a tonne of stuff from Mr Rheingold, including articles, videos and even course curriculum.

It’s taken a few good sleeps and being back at my desk to put two and two together. Pondering out loud, I wonder if people could gain more control of their organisation’s online presence by understanding the networked environment social media operates in, along with the practical literacies needed to thrive.

I’ve already dabbled a toe in this pond. Last April I ran a workshop that touched on some of the material Rheingold so adroitly outlines (see the notes from my Harvesting information online workshop).

The next time I meet on the topic of community and ICT, I’m hoping we’re not dragged into wondering if a free and untamed web is a good thing. I’m much more excited by the idea of discussing topics raised by reporters such Wael Ghonim in “Revolution 2.0” who believe that the power of the people is greater than the people in power. Lets shift the focus forward, and ride along the wave of this ever so unruly medium.

We’ve touched lightly on a heap of topics, and dug into depth on a few. Hot topics include choosing a content management system, email newsletter distribution options and analytics. At yesterday’s session Julian provided an overview of instant website builders Weebly and Google Sites – opinions were mixed.

Getting out from behind the computer to swap notes in person seems valuable for those that participate. What is obvious to me is that many more people could benefit from the korero. Plus the topics people touch on range far wider than just websites.

Watching the recent broadcast of the online Nonprofit Technology Conference beamed in from San Francisco I caught a short lunchtime interview with two local organisers of NetSquared networking events.

One of them was the enthusiastic and friendly Elijah van der Giessen who I conversed with at the Connecting Up conference in Melbourne last year. His vivid description of how the regular Net Tuesday Vancouver networking events really benefit NGOs convinced me to look into the net2 movement further.

Bringing together people with an interest in using technology to promote social benefits is at the core of NetSquared. It’s an initiative of the TechSoup software donation and capacity building organisation. They promote innovative uses of the web to help NGOs through challenges and events, along with support for loose, local networking events (called Net Tuesday).

Seeing all this makes me wonder if we could run NetSquared here in Wellington?

It would mean broadening the scope of the nascent webmaster network. This is probably no bad thing as few people in the NGO sector identify as being a webmaster. As well as those working in NGOs, Net Tuesday would be open to interested professionals, people going online for things other than websites (which is most people), and individuals with a passion for social justice.

NetSquared aims to support people “to connect locally with all those interested in the intersection of social technologies and social change”. This definition is a good description of what participants coming to the existing networking events are actually doing.

I like the idea of a network where the philosophy is centred on network members organising stuff for themselves. As well as a monthly Net Tuesday meet up (which I’ll happily convene along with any other willing organisers), people could run other events. NetSquared pay for a Meetup subscription to support spontaneous networking.

I notice in Vancouver there is a Salesforce sub-group. So webmasters or any other specialist group could keep meeting under a broader umbrella. And of course events could be run in weekends or over breakfast (no thanks!!).

When I raised this idea at the networking event yesterday, there were nods of support and a few good questions. I promised to canvas more widely before arriving at a conclusion.

So, Wellingtonians wanting to remix the web for social change, what do you think about the idea of setting up a NetSquared network? Your thoughts?

Within a succinct 288 pages Heinberg provides an update on the Club of Rome’s 1972 critique of the ludicrous oxymoronic notion of perennial economic growth. He also covers at length the impact of resource scarcity on society (not only fossil fuels but other resources including precious minerals, water and soil) and the negative impacts of pollution on the biosphere.

As the book contains page after page of depressing statistics, I couldn’t bring myself to slog through it during my summer break. It was only over Easter that I finished the book.

I’m pleased I did as it is in the last two chapters that Heinberg sets out his prescription for citizens to respond to the end of growth.

If you don’t want to read through all the hard stuff, you can view a dazzling infographic presenting the book’s core thesis. Allow six minutes to get to the heart of “The End of Economic Growth” on YouTube.

It might seem alarmist, but I’m convinced that if we (ie humans) don’t consciously plan for a no-growth future, we’ll hit a wall. I’m not terribly keen to witness a crisis unfold, so I was particularly interested to understand what Heinberg rates as the top priority for action by citizens.

Number one is everyone making and sustaining meaningful connections with neighbours, friends and family in the area where they live. In other words, build social capital. Heinberg also suggests there are some big picture policy oriented measures within global financial markets that could buy some time, and things for individuals and families to do to get prepared.

For those committed to playing an active role in social change he suggests a number of areas to build connectedness. This isn’t really a prescriptive list of things we must do. It’s more an offering from a seasoned thinker, and doer.

The main initiatives he proposes are:

• joining or setting up initiatives like Transition Towns, Resilience Circles, Common Security Clubs
• supporting or running local, independent people-centric initiatives, which are described as Community Economic Laboratories. A few of these types of initiatives are already operating in different ways, for instance Toronto’s Social innovation center.

Given the magnitude of the changes confronting us, I find it hard to hold at bay my cynicism about relying on community initiatives.

From past experience I know how much it takes to successfully run things at the grassroots. There tends to be an over reliance on a core group, who won’t be taken for granted forever. Despite easily used, free tools, it takes a lot of effort to communicate within loose groups or networks. All this happens in a context of people with full-on home and work lives.

Yet, deep down I know this is the way to go. I’m drawn back to Mark Roseland’s work on sustainability, which I’ve quoted before:

To a considerable extent, the environmental crisis is a creativity crisis. By soliciting the bare minimum of public ‘input’, rather than actively seeking community participation from agenda-setting through to implementation and evaluation, local and senior-decision-makers have failed to tap into the well of human ingenuity”.

(Quoted in a think piece I wrote in “An e-government response to the climate change crisis: tapping into citizen creativity”, 2007.)

Getting to the bit about where these global concerns intersect with what I can do. It’ll come as no surprise, but to sustain and inspire my creativity I go online. Through the web I get fresh ideas, get challenged see things from all sides and learn from projects, successful or not. Examples I’ve come recently include The Story of Stuff and Do the green thing.

Part of the reason I decided to write this (long) post was an increasing sense of urgency about taking action. This is particularly so given the current political climate which I’d describe as being about BAU until our head, neck, torso, legs and feet are all in the sand.

I’d be the last person to urge anyone to read such a difficult book as “The End of Growth”. However, I’d say it’s important to engage in the ideas, Heinberg presents. Have you had the a chance to think about where we (ie humans) are heading? What does it mean for you? your family? friends? Is building social connectedness the key, or other there other priorities? This conversation didn’t start with this book (or post), but I hope it carries on with some vigour.

PS I’ve half a mind to share inspiring and hopeful projects, ideas and creativity I find on my travails travels on the web. Series working title: “Reasons to be optimistic”.

The one-minute digital stories from the winners are mostly pretty slick. They’re like mini TV commercials. Not ads for products but calls for action from pretty big NGOs who are well known and well resourced.

It’s the more humble, quirkier stories that appeal to me. Norton Public Library share 12 things to do in a library by turning the pages of a beautiful, handmade book filled with hand-drawn illustrations and pop-outs. A take on Bob Dylan’s “Subterrenean Homesick Blues” uses flip cards held up by a dozen people sharing what the Alliance Center for Independence does.

The full list of 200 digital stories are still available on YouTube. Amongst these is the “Diversity” entry featuring residents from WCC housing at the Arlington computer hub run by Wellington ICT. I also noticed Amnesty International NZ submitted an entry, but ‘m not sure if there were any other New Zealand entries?

Amidst all the solemnity of the causes featured, there are are lighter moments too. A good thing for a Friday.

PS I couldn’t help sharing a digital story which tickled by sensibilities. You’ll see period costumes from “The Charles Dickens Bicentennial Birthday Ball!” run by the The Period Events and Entertainments Re-Creation Society:

There’s something about printed resources being self-contained and complete. After getting to the final page it’s almost like a statement rings out: there’s nothing more you need to know. Unlike reading online where links lead in all sorts of directions, and nothing seems definitive.

That’s part of why like Idealware’s compact “Field guide to software for nonprofits”. It suggests online applications useful to community organisations fit within an ordered universe.

I liked the fieldguide so much I’ve bought copies to share around. You can enter a draw for a one of five copies of the fieldguide by signing-up to my (irregular) email newsletter by 6 April 2012.

I’ve been dipping into the fieldguide for a while now, so I thought my views are somewhat biased. To address this lack of objectivity, I invited a couple of independent minded community folk to share their thoughts on the fieldguide.

(NB The 2012 version is due out any day now.)

Review by Peter Mitchell, Communications & Fundraising Manager, Wesley Community Action

This handy 139 page guide targets useful software information for the not-for-profit sector covering topics such as; accounting, office management software, case management software, social content websites, event management, donation management and much, much more.

Based on the Idealware web-site www.idealware.org the information is up-to-date and current, however it is its origins from a web-site or from blogs that is to my mind the book’s downfall. Put simply, the inter-connectivity of an on-line web-site version would be much better than this rather one-dimensional book version, (and it hurts this book loving reviewer to say that!)

If the reader/viewer was able to click on all the many web-sites and links detailed and highlighted in the book and instantly explore the options mentioned, then the experience would be much richer. The printed version left me having to absorb names and take a note of web sites for a future ‘on-line’ session in order to explore them further.

Another shortcoming is a heavy bias to USA based software options, for example the discussion of accounting software (a key need for the not-for-profit sector,) mentions the USA favoured Inuit software, but fails to mention worthy Australasian alternatives such as MYOB and Xero. The absence of the later is particularly sad, as this NZ ‘Cloud’ based service is widely thought of as ‘the next best thing in accounting systems,’ not just for NZ, but internationally.

So, a handy guide, yes, but not as handy as an on-line version could be.

Review by Julian Apatu, FiveStroke Web Solutions

I’m going to start this review with a couple of cautions.

This book doesn’t set out to be comprehensive in terms of depth, with its single page descriptions and lists of software in many categories. However, it will be very useful for many NGOs looking at organisation wide technology integration as it has a very broad scope.

With guides of this nature, it will always be impossible to keep up with the latest and most popular software in each of the areas covered. I noticed that many of the current and recent software applications that I have personally used and am interested in are not mentioned.

As the Field guide is written for the North American non-profit market, some software options mentioned are not available here. Nonetheless, a fair amount of the concepts can be easily transferred to apply to New Zealand situations and conditions.

Where this book does well is covering the breadth of applications available and describing how they can be used by organisations. There is also advice on how to go about introducing new technologies. Organisations are encouraged to be very clear on what they want before introducing new technology.

So, who should read this book? The book is aimed more at Information Technology managers and similar decision makers, but can still provide useful insights to end-users as well. Decision makers will find some good background into each of the categories and what solutions are on offer (even if the products lists only provide a starting point).

As well as product listings, there are case studies that provide a more practical approach and real-life issues. Take note of the (large) budgets available to the organisations featured.

The software applications that are mentioned in each of the main sections have been covered in varying degrees of detail, but are generally described to a level where comparisons could be made. I do like how the five main sections are started with headings “Strongly consider”, “Keeping ahead of the curve” and “On the cutting edge…”. These sections summarise things that need to be considered when making a decision on software.

I wouldn’t rely on this book alone when making a decision on software or applications. As the book is written for a US market there may be significant differences or subtle issues with how some of the terms of the software can be used in New Zealand. You’ll need to find other sources of information.

If possible, find someone who has implemented a solution for the same problem and see what real life issues they have had. Use online search engines to do some research on options. You could also ask friends and colleagues if they know of any useful technologies that might be worth considering. Keep an open mind, but have a core list of requirements for the system you need.

All in all, I feel that the book provides a great baseline for any decision makers in NGOs who are considering an investment in software to support their organisation. Use the book as a reference and seek additional advice to rationalise a decision.