In my intersection with other nonprofits through the NPSL group and on the TechSoup site I am expanding my focus to deal with emerging technologies in general and how they can be utilized by the nonprofit community as a whole. My background is in the arts, so expect to continue to see some bias for that industry but my personal experiences over the last two years have shifted my sense of self toward social justice (although being Canadian probably has something to do with that too.)

So, while the focus has been shifting over the last six months, expect it to be more apparent--including the updated header.

Over the last few days we have been holding TourWest panels.  TourWest is WESTAF's Touring and Presenting grant program.  It is funded through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as a way of promoting performing tours.  Each of the Regional Arts Organizations (RAO) have a similar program.

One of the unique things about the TourWest program is how online the process is and the length of time it has been online.

A number of years ago I spearheaded the design of CultureGrants Online Basic (CGO).  It is a shared grant making system that allows agencies to create and manage their own grant activities including building grant applications.  Currently Basic is in its second iteration.  The first version of Basic was very much a wire-frame system.  TourWest makes use of the Basic system in its application, paneling, and final report process.

For some time now I have been working on a Folklorist's project for the Colorado Council on the Arts called, "The Ties That Bind". The project is getting very close to completion. You can get a preview of it at dogstar.org/ties.

The site brings folk arts to the classroom and is an update of a project started in the 1980's

The site was originally conceived to be a static site--very simple and straight forward. Through a series of twists and turns it has become deceptively more complicated that how it looks on the surface.

The site was put together using Drupal utilizing book and page for the most part. Four audio tapes were digitized using Audacity. In mid-sampling of some pretty old tapes--they were produced in the 1980's, my tape deck broke. I ended up getting a new deck from the local thrift shop for a little over $5. The cables to get it to connect to my iMac were more expensive! All told, seventy tracks were ripped as MP3s. A video, produced by the Colorado Council on the Arts, was digitized from an old VHS tape using a ReplayTV and DVArchive. These were resampled to provide a small and large version of the offering.

I am setting up Organic Groups in an instance of Drupal 5.1 for a project I'm working on with a largish group of non-profit organizations.  While I've set up, configured, and managed several Drupal sites--they have all been 4.7.  I've dabbled with 5.1 a bit and it is very slick.  It probably is far better suited to non-profit use than the older version of the software.  The reason is intuitiveness. 

I've written in the past that for Arts non-profits (and non-profits in general) to adopt Web 2.0 applications heavily, the interface must be highly intuitive.  To date, many are simply to confusing.

Once again, the cable and telecom industry are quietly trying to do away with open-ness, fairness, and equality on the Internet. We were successful at scuttling Ted Steven's wacky plan to allow the big guys throttle through put based on what ever criteria they deemed fit.

That's the good news. Thanks to all who emailed, faxed, or called a congress person.

The phone and cable companies have started lobbying congress again to try and topple the idea of Net Neutrality.

Why is Net Neutrality SO important to the Arts and to the non-profit industry as a whole? Any of our organizations that rely on the Internet for marketing, if you sell products or online services, if you use the Net in any way to further your agenda then it is critical to keep it flat. The telecoms and cable companies want to dictate HOW FAST content is served up based on criteria that has never been explained. Personally I think that they plan on charging a surcharge--protection money--for you to ensure your content is served in a timely way.

Web 2.0 offers an amazing way to post, collaborate, and engage a user base. The Arts Industry is fertile soil for a potential explosion of Web 2.0 usage. One of my favourite NPT companies, Compumentor, is a leader in the push to promote these kinds of technologies out to Non-profits. I have come to believe that Web 2.0 will become so entwined in the non-profit experience that our community will forget what it was to be stuck in Web 1.0. Those who don't embrace it will find themselves resonating less and less with target communities.