This Brave Nation

June 9, 2008

Dear Reader,

Permit me a personal moment. Like you, I often wonder why I do what I do. And because I’ve done it for so long, I sometimes wonder whether it all was worth it. Well, make no mistake. It was and is. Especially when the reasons are so graphically and emotionally recorded on film. Let me explain.

Last night I watched — online — the second episode in a remarkable series co-produced by The Nation magazine and Brave New Foundation. The site where you’ll find all this is This Brave Nation. At a time when nearly everyone’s blaming the internet for sapping civic spirit and the desire to learn, rather than play games, on the part of today’s young folks, here is a remarkable counter argument.

This Brave Nation, in the words of The Nation editors, "brings together the most intellligent, passionate and creative voices of one generation with the activists, journalists and artists of the next to dialogue on loves, lives, politics and history."

Here at The Agitator we write a lot about techniques, trends, accountability and other important stuff for non-profit CEOs, comms people and fundraisers. But, at the end of the day our intention is only to offer the insight and advice necessary to support missions and content. And, regardless of whether you’re a die-hard leftie like me or some other form of zealot (you’re forgiven in advance), here’s a classic example.

Print married with film. Film and print married with the internet. Internet married with text, audio and video. Text, audio and video married with ACTION.You don’t need a user’s manual to get the beauty of all this integration. Beginning on June 1 the first episode of a five part video series — eventually to be produced in a DVD boxed set — aired.

Regardless of your ideology — or maybe especially because of your ideology — I urge you to watch ‘em all. Last night’s episode was a moving interchange between singer-songwriter-activist Bonnie Raitt and union organizer-humanitarian-feminist par excellence Delores Huerta.

For the next generation — today’s 18 to 35 year olds– it’s important to understand the roots and motivation of modern social change and why the agitators and sparkplugs behind that change do what they do. You’ll find it here, especially in the conversation between Bonnie Raitt and Delores Huerta. Not only is their colloquy of how they got into the movements and what drove them emotionally moving; their explanations will surely attract the next generation.

 

And to make sure there’s an opportunity, This Brave Nation is sponsoring a contest to name today’s future movement leaders — limited only by age. Past 30 you’re out of luck. Featured in these five episodes are Carl Pope longtime leader of the Sierra Club, Van Jones, founder of the Ella Baker Center, of course Delores Huerta and Bonnie Raitt, activist and folk singer Pete Seeger, along with environmental justice organizer Majora Carter, ACLU executive director Anthony Romero along with teenage peace activist Ava Lowery, and activist/politician Tom Hayden along with Nation columnist Naomi Klein.

Whoever at The Nation or Brave New Films came up with this concept, so beautifully executed, to inspire us all, you deserve a raise!!!!

Roger

Posted by rcraver | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, You Deserve a Raise, communications, demographic trends, innovation, issue fundraising, latinos, online advocacy | 1 Comment 

More Social Networking

May 29, 2008

Sorry, but I’m on a social networking roll this week.

Some interesting articles and sites to ponder as you chart a course for your nonprofit …

Is there a future in setting up your own proprietary social network … indeed, will the prospects of Facebook and MySpace fade as folks head to more niche sites as they follow their main passions, hobbies, causes, localities? Read what blogger Catharine Taylor, a digital media and advertising veteran, has to say.

While you’re at it, check out the Social Media Insider blog. It’s aimed at commercial players, but still lots of relevance.

If you’re a subscriber, Ad Age offers nine profiles of consumers using social media and where they are.

Here’s a white paper from RepNation Media and mr.youth (an agency) on Consumer 2.0: Five Rules to Engaging a New Breed of Consumer. Though not specifically on social media, this paper offers insights as to why social sites and networks will be so powerful at influencing consumers (donors) in the future.

  • My favorite rule: Niche is the new norm.
  • My favorite factoid: 14-24 year olds have on average 53 people they consider to be online friends, and all are considered real friends despite not having met many in person … a decade ago, that number would have been 5-10 and they would all be face-to-face. Think about that in terms of grassroots fundraising or cause proselytizing.
  • My favorite observation: "As consumers increasingly gravitate to more efficient means of communication, they will expect the same from those trying to communicate with them." Case in point … my 14-year-old daughter refuses to accept calls from her parents on her cell phone … it’s text or forget it!

Speaking of teens … It’s been around 8-9 months now, have you looked at Think MTV, the music channel’s social activism and community site? You might want to, if your concerns include discrimination, environment, politics, substance abuse, faith, health, education, human rights, relationships & sex, war & peace, poverty or crime. Whew!

Time to take my Geritol!

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, innovation, new media, online advocacy, online fundraising, social networking | 1 Comment 

Ideacide

August 10, 2007

Guy Kawasaki, original marketer of the Mac, is my favorite collector of thinking about innovation and innovators.

In this post, he's relayed the “seven sins of solutions” as articulated by Matt May, author of The Elegant Solution.

May seems to have coined the marvelous term “ideacide” to describe the process of killing innovative thinking.

Here, according to May, are seven ways ideacide is commonly committed:

1. Shortcutting

2. Blindspots

3. Not invented here

4. Satisficing

5. Downgrading

6. Complicating (my favorite … May says we're hard-wired to overthink)

7. Stifling

It seems to me that the real trick is to NOT shortcut, blindspot, or satisfice and NOT complicate at the same time. That separates true innovators from the wannabes!

We and our organizations (which are, after all … us) all commit ideacide at some time or another. But some are more gifted at it than others. How does yours rate?

Tom

Posted by admin | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, creativity, innovation | Leave a Comment 

How Does Innovation Occur?

July 2, 2007

It's Monday Mind Stretch time again.

Here's an interview, courtesy of Guy Kawasaki of Mac marketing fame, with Scott Berkun, author of The Myths of Innovation.

Interesting points:

  • “Epiphanies” or “magic moments” are really the culmination of dozens of smaller observations, inquiries, mistakes and comedies that occurred to make the “Eureka” possible.
  • Finding support for a big new idea depends on abilities — like persuasive skills and emotional endurance — that have nothing to do with intellectual prowess or creative ability.
  • People who earn the label “creative” are really just people who come up with more combinations of other ideas, find interesting ones faster, and are more willing to try them out.
  • Innovation is a practice, a set of get-out-there-and-try-it habits, not fantasizing in an ivory tower.
  • Often new ideas come from re-defining or reformulating the problem — asking new questions — rather than searching for solutions.

Good stuff. We'll try the book.

Roger & Tom

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