The Case Foundation, Facebook Causes and PARADE Publications just launched the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge, a competition designed to raise both awareness and funds for charitable causes. From now through November 6, they’ll be giving away a total of $170,00 in prize money to participating U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charities who raise the most donations through the Causes application on Facebook, with daily and overall awards ranging from $500 to $50,000. What I find most interesting is that the Challenge…(read more)

   Even if it’s virtual!
This past week my world was stretched…

The Lazy Leader Road Show was finally starting.
About to leave for the airport.
Got call Dad was on way to hospital.

I had no choice.

I had to fly.
I was worried about Dad.
And needed a strong debut of the Road Show.

Before leaving, I mentioned something on Facebook about being torn.

It took a [...]

Like many people (based on quite a bit of searching), I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Facebook. For the past few days, what has really gotten to me is the way that Facebook pages work.
Here’s the rundown:
It is possible to create a “fan” page in Facebook that enables you to promote an individual or organizational [...]

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Facebook has just announced that it will be offering custom usernames (“vanity URLs”) for Facebook Profiles and Pages, starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 13, 2009. Custom usernames are a big deal for many Facebook members, who have long been frustrated by hard-to-remember Page and Profile addresses made up of random strings of numbers. Directing people to your Facebook page can be as easy as telling them your username. For organizations who want to publicize their Facebook presence in a…(read more)

I’ve just been listening to a podcast of Lee Weinstein’s conversation with public relations consultant Donna Gibbs on how non-profits are successfully using social media right now, where Gibbs shines a light on the social media marketing activities — on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter — of two charities she’s involved with personally. The power of the Internet means that even smaller amounts by individuals can make a big difference because of (a) the sheer volume of givers and (b) tools that are readily…(read more)

• Twitter. But not excessively. But I’m still not really “getting it” outside of conferences, where I can DEFINITELY see the benefit.
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• The new Hourglass Blog, particularly the post about Gen-x and leadership. Very active comments – go weigh in!
• Posts about changes to FB pages and terms of service. Is your organization on FB? Educate yourself.
• Speaking of FB, Maddie’s rant is hilarious. How do you know FB is over? When your mom sends you a friend request. Wish I could take credit for that, but it’s a paraphrase of a recent tweet by @BstTwt.
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