Website demos can be a doddle with twiddla

Live real time web demo & collab with twiddla - doodles and chat too....

Yes, live website demos, doodling & chattin is a doddle with twiddla, oh and did I mention it was free?





Yes, yes, my wonderful charity chums and little charity chums helpers and buddies! - I bring you another fab free online collaboration review! - have no fear, - Twiddla is here!!!!

kiss good bye to thumb twiddling when asked to support charities, colleagues or invidiuals with web platfomrs/technologies! - this is a tool that is very, very useful and easy to use! If you know how to use drawing tools in microsoft word or powerpoint and can use a browser - then you re 90% of the way there with twiddla! - it's that easy! - really!

Shapes, text bubbles, free style pencil drawing, adding images - it is all possible with twiddla. You can even chat with colleagues, or if you have skype you can talk to them explaining verbally what you are doing. It's that simple.

So check out the video I have prepared below - and get familiarised with the possiblities.

What is even better is that after contacting the twiddla team as a charity, they told me that anyone with a '.org' or '.edu' email can be upgraded for free. What's the difference? - Well, when you demo a site for people you can do so under the privacy of a "private" - "password protected space".

You can email the unique and customisable password and URL to your audience, so no clown can come in and start grafftiying your work and loading other sites. If you want to get your free upgrade then, send an email to info[at]twiddla.com, put into the subject free 'charity' or 'education upgrade' - and in the body tell them that william doust sent you. So now turn the lights down, get your popcorn and get ready to watch the twiddla show.

Ressource(s)

twiddla website & sandbox
http://www.twiddla.com

twiddla free upgrade email contact & details
email: info[at]twiddla.com
subj: free 'charity' or 'education upgrade'
body: william doust told me & sent me
terms & conditions: must have a '.org' or '.edu' for free upgrade
(to password protect your sessions)

skype
http://www.skype.com

Charity Chums - social bookmarks sharing group for charities & non-profits
(share annotated web resources with our little group on diigo)
http://cli.gs/rJ4y91

Charities-from virtual tools to real world collaboration

Charity Chums - linking charities to collaborate smartly and build a better future together ;o)
Through lovely conversations I've encouraged charities to start talking and helping each other with the use of free web and communication tools. It started all with Skype, and web disoveries were then added to the mix - and these are now shared with the use of diigo - bookmarking and web annotation on a web platform.

What's even better is that these initial conversations that were started with free technologies, will now lead to face-to-face meeting to exchange best practice. Thanks to the NCVO's connect scheme they should be able to get together - fingers crossed. This is the scheme where £250 are shared for the day's expenses. £150 - goes to the host and £100 for the visitor. Agh ;0)

Could dabbling in communicating and collaborating via fee web-tools create evidence - to piggy back off other funding? - who knows, but it is worth a cheeky try! - specially when the NCVO connect Scheme has several round fo funding. Next round in June.

Why you could save time - and time is money in the charity sector - by using web tools and social bookmarking
Two of my charity chums, charities which I work with and try to inspire are sharing my passion for learning and making life easier with the use of free web technologies and appliactions to collaborate and save time & money during these credit crunch times.


In this post we will cover the use of Diigo, and in a future blog post we will cover Twiddla with Skype. Stay tuned, and I do hope you enjoy this post.


Using Diigo to share sector discoveries, insights, and great resources - tap into the collective power of soical bookmakring and web annotation
How many people have you met in conferences, events and in other face-to-face circumstances who tell you about great resources on the web that could have helped your project? - If, only, if only you knew?

If only the information of this resource had done a Hudini, and broke free from the confines of your favorites (on your browser) or the silo of your inbox. So many links waiting to help you!

This is where Diigo comes in. Diigo allows you to save, annotate and share the web - on the web! people can search and discover what you want to share! as simple as that. Take a look at the video and I'll see you in a moment.

What do you think?
Check-out the bookmarking screenshots on diigo for a fab review

Don't ask what you can do for diigo but what diigo can do for you
You saw how quickly you can expand your efforts by tapping into "communities of common interests", create/join groups, track keywords and phrases related to your interests and share. Go ahead, join us in diigo and let us share our journey of discovery.

This video only scratches the surface of what diigo allows you to do and connect to
There's much more, stay tuned! - and why not join our family learning and sharing group?


Resource(s)

Diigo website
http://www.diigo.com

Diigo - bookmarking screen shots
http://help.diigo.com/How-To_Guide/Bookmarking

Diigo help - screenshots - everything u need to know
http://help.diigo.com/

Diigo - presentations on slideshare
http://tinyurl.com/diigopresents

Diigo in Education wiki
http://tinyurl.com/diigo-ed-wiki

Diigo toolbar for firefox
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2792

Diigo intro video
http://tinyurl.com/diigoquick

Charity Chums Group (new- as of this post)
http://groups.diigo.com/groups/charity-chums

Existing Accelerated Family Learning Group
http://tinyurl.com/willdiigogroup

NCVO connect scheme
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/?id=7278

stories:perception, values, behaviour and strategy

I've listened to wonderful heart warming stories - and these contain shorcuts to building strategies and shaping behaviour

I feel that I have been blessed to have the opportunity to work front-line supporting the wonderful charities I came in contact with in my role at campaign for learning. Currently working in London & South East has seen me support my charity chums face-to-face, on skype and on the phone.

The stories I hear so clearly represent the caring values that have become invisible to these organisations, because it is not scripted or rehearsed! - it comes straight from the heart! So my role is to listen and raise a mirror so they can see the building blocks behind their stories that make them so, so unique. Have you seen what lives behind your charity's or group's story? Yes, no?

From this starting point we can build a foundation and uncover vision, mission, strategy and values. You really do need these strong building blocks, because they will shape your choices, your behaviour and everthing you do as an organisation. Once documented and communicated it helps staff and service users see what you are all about. In fact, why not ask your service users if what you think of yourself - is what they think of you? - as they say, your brand is not what you say it is, it is what your publics say it is!

Here are a couple of fantastic free reads - check them out and let me know what you think! - I would love to hear from you...

Story Telling & Story Selling

Talking Strategy & stories






Resources

talking strategy diigo anotated link (access to free PDF)
http://www.diigo.com/04yo8

telling stories, selling stories diigo annotated link (access to free PDF)
http://www.diigo.com/04ypb

Amazon related & useful books (my associates links)

Crowdsourcing with the arts council artjobs mailing list

This post is dedicated to Julian Miller from the Gorilla Organization
I met Jilllian at the Third Sector PR and Communications network event in London Last Thursday 19th of Feb. Someone was asking about the impact of working with bloggers, and what was the ratio of effort and related outcome/benefit of engaging. The question was posed by someone who worked in PR/Comms. As an evangelist and fan of virtual volunteer and philanthropist collaboration with artists and creatives I mentioned that getting people involved - crowd sourcing gave positive results.

I met Jillian at the pub bar when she heard me asking the bar maid to tease a Colombian from Cali to mention the word "Barranquilla". She heard the rolled 'r' and repeated it back to me which got the conversation going. Jillian's organization, gorillas, works to help to ensure the well being of gorillas. in Congo. If you can adopt a gorilla and donate.

How the arts council artsjob mailing list can help you connect and co-develop great visual communications
Whilst doing my usual volunteering - prior to working in the sector, I assisted Survivors of Depression in Transition to reach out and transform the group's creative writing into a calendar.
The power of the group's words were re-interpreted into corresponding images by volunteer artists. The result was a fantastic calendar that was laid out, digitally printed, and sold at the venue - Sheffield's winter gardens. In addition the artists were asked if they wished to donate their artwork as originals or digital prints, to help the charity fund-raise. They did. Their artwork was also exhibited nest to the poetry. This happened in the last quarter of 2007.

You too can get artists to help your charity and help them too - here's the sweet recipe
1. go to the arts council website
2. subscribe to the arts council arts job mailing list
3. check out the postings relating to requests for volunteering
4. get a feel for how briefs/appeals are put together
5. write a brief
6. send it out and be ready to receive ;o)

Things to think about (brief, managing artists,managing contributions/content)

1. are the contributions going to end in print or just on the web? - this has an impact on resolution and dimensions.
   
2. have you told your contributors explicitly enough that you want them to donate their work?
   
3. can you get a written ok from contributors to continue printing their work - to help you with fundraising after the event? - if you choose to.
4. have you thought about the fact that you could make that content more flexible and redeploy it in printing on demand products? (no sunk costs, see article here)
5. have you thought about getting an agreement with the artists so that you can use their work in things such as mugs, mouse pads, umbrellas, t-shirts? (printing on demand)
6. have you thought about showcasing your artists/contributors in your publications/website? - they have given their time to make a difference!
7. are you going to ask them for samples of their work to see if it fits with your values or will you visit their portfolios online?
8. will they send you a low-rez version (if the project is visual) and did you make sure they were aware of final dimensions and resolution?
9. have you got a friendly printer that will do digital printing and low runs? - if you choose not to go with printing on demand.
   
10. have you got colleagues who will help you decide which donated work you will include
11. has the brief included a short and sweet backgrounder that links to the collaborators values , appeals to their philanthropist values and also demonstrates how they will benefit too?
    

My experience has shown that as long as you are open, clear and speak from the heart of what you want and why you wish to collaborate - all will go well. Remember some budding collaborators who want to be involved will be doing so for various reasons. If the heart warming feeling can be supplemented by additional benefits where the body of work is recognized, appreciated and showcased to many, all the better.

I leave you with a quick video I prepared for you that has been sped up to quickly show the calendar that was made for Survivors of Depression in Transition.




Crowdsourcing and Arts Council Arts Job mailing list from william doust on Vimeo.

This is a video showing a calendar that was developed thanks to the collaboration of virtual volunteers who were recruited via England's arts council jobs mailing list.



All of the fab artwork was printed onto a calendar that was sold during mental health week in 2007. The artwork was exhibited and auctioned in Sheffield's contemporary winter gardens - right next to the city's gallery and creative industries.



Thanks to all those who participated.

wikis to use for-ever with no strings?

One of the guys from pbwiki.com emailed me today and said that they are launching free wikis in two weeks! Surprise, shock and horror ;-O I found out about these guys (pbwiki.com) accidentally when I went to sign-up for a bloggers event that is taking place in London, very, very soon - for those in the charity sector. The event is being run by the fab gang from charitycomms - see the group on facebook! - share, learn, and join the conversation! So...sign up to the event was via pbwiki.com - so, i setup an account in order to add myself to the list. After I couldn't help but have a nosy round. In the sales blurb bit, I saw nothing about charities! - so I dropped them an email and they said thy are to launch a new free service in two weeks! - don't believe me? check out the email they sent (minus personal details).



Wikis are fab - cos they free up knowledge that is locked up in emails, systems, and laptops Information wants to be free and wants to be your helpful friend...but it can't be, when it is caged up in office systems that are not very accessible to remote workers..or when it is in laptops or swimming in a sea of webmail - even with mail search it's a blimmin nightmare!

That's right those of us on the coal face of delivering services to other charities sometimes duplicate efforts
Wikis (wikipedia definition of a wiki) provide an editorial platofrm where we can share knowledge. What ever we want it to be: funding sources, grants, case-studies, best practises, tools, tips, etc. The perfect web platform for remote collaboration. This is where wikis come in to rescue us. If you are not to comfortable with technology, then check out the fab and accessible video from the nice people at common craft who explain everything in plain english ;D

Common Craft's Wikis in Plain English...

Resources/References Wikipedia's definition of what a wiki is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

Benefits & pitfalls of wikis
http://tinyurl.com/dm96qw

Wikis at work: benefits & practices
http://tinyurl.com/b8jh9c

Wikis in higher education: teaching and learning with
http://tinyurl.com/crubfd

Just three major employee benefits?
http://tinyurl.com/bby786

wiki software - wikipedia compilation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki_software

free wikis for life - comin soon pwiki.com
http://pbwiki.com/

Business Surplus Goods given away to charities

Konnect 9 Charity redistributes unwanted goods to charities via givingworldonline.com

Konnect9 is arranging the re-disribution of unwanted goods from firms with surplases to charities who register on the site. It is on a first come first serve basis. No costs - absolutely free. So if you're a business or a charity, what are you waiting for ;) go to givingworld.com.

Resources/Links



About Konnect9

http://www.guidestar.org.uk/gs_summary.aspx?CCReg=1105883



Givingworldonlline website

http://www.givingworldonline.com/



ThirdSector Magazine artilce on givingworldonline & konnnect9

http://tinyurl.com/ctfjr6



Online procurement site supplier direct europe features this charity (pdf link)

http://tinyurl.com/supplierdirectpdf

be a better leader have a richer life: integrate your life

work, home, community and self: prescribed integration possible according to Harvard Business Review interview

Those who have follow this blog have tended to notice how I gather evidence that lavish praise on fulfillment, passion and happiness as part of your way of being and working. Indeed in a recent blogpost on branding - I embedded a slideshare which had as a headline, happiness as a business model, and another one on research by MTV - relating to happiness, engagement, and connection to peers.

Past re-incarnations of Harvard Business Review Articles (ah those were the days when I was a student) relating to leadership and management always talked about balancing acts, and managing trade-offs. But I guess that the tide has been turning over the years, and thank God they are now talking about "integration" - if Starbucks is about 3 places (home,coffee place,work), new leadership/management is about integrating: work, home, community and self.

Stewart D. Friedman, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, states that addressing these integration of our four physical and psychological places and spaces will enable us to enjoy better: mental health, physical health, spiritual growth & development and leisure.

This is what we learned in the third sector years ago ;)

Check out the video
If you can't see the video then please click on this link

This video interview has practical implementation in the fantastic book and workbook called, "becoming a resonant leader" - (amazon link) - develop your emotional intelligence, renew your relationships, sustain your effectiveness by Annie McKee, Richard Goyatzis, and Frances Johnstone.