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What does Web 2.0 Mean to Nonprofits?
Web 2.0 means various things, but a recent post to the NTEN Discussion list by Noemi Millman offers a good definition of the "evolution" of web tools: "If static webpages are Web 1.0, I'd consider basic forms and pages that let you interact with a database...to be a sort of "Web 1.5", which certainly has a zillion applications, and which is underutilized still by most nonprofits and probably bears discussion on its own merit.
Web 2.0 means various things, but a recent post to the NTEN Discussion list by Noemi Millman offers a good definition of the "evolution" of web tools:
"If static webpages are Web 1.0, I'd consider basic forms and pages that let you interact with a database...to be a sort of "Web 1.5", which certainly has a zillion applications, and which is underutilized still by most nonprofits and probably bears discussion on its own merit.
"Web 2.0" to me is the building of community and collaboration on a website -- wikis, social-networking, user-created content, repurposed content, people interacting publicly through a website, users interacting with staff and with each other."
Arguably, Web 2.0 isn't for every nonprofit organization. There are, however, Web 2.0 tools that can be useful not just for engaging and interacting with your constituency, but improving the efficiency of an organization's internal systems. RSS and tagging, as examples, help me easily track valuable information that is important to me, my organization and, in turn, to my constituents.
In "The Myth of the Bleeding Edge," Tate Hausman of dotOrganize offers an excellent reality check about what most nonprofits really need with regards to tools and technology. According to a recent survey, "The 400 individuals we polled stuck to the basics. Between 70% and 95% either used or wanted to use standard tools like email alerts, online donation tools, and content management systems. Emerging technologies like text messaging, social networking tools, and wikis scored in the 30% to 40% interest range. Rates of people actually using those newer tools were in the single digits.
We learned that the more bleeding edge the tool, the less it has perceived value. This inverse relationship isn't at all surprising given what we discoverd from the rest of the survey. Today's technology isn't meeting social change organization’s basic needs. Nearly 60% of respondents said that their satisfaction level with their tools was somewhere between "frustrated" and "it's a disaster." Only one percent of respondents said they were completely satisfied with their tools."
We recently presented the session "Information and Community Tools You Actually Need (and Why)". Our recommendations with regards to Web 2.0 tools can be summarized as follows:
DO use “new” tools in your work if:
- you understand how they will help you achieve a specific goal or outcome
- you have tested the tools and compared them to other products
- you have the resources to sustain their use
- you have an audience or target constituency that will use these tools
DON’T use “new” tools in your work if:
- you want to use them because they are “cool”
- you don’t have the leadership or commitment to really integrate them in your organization
- you think just because something is “free” it won’t cost you time and money
- your target constituency won’t use them
With those rules in mind, our Web 2.0 Resource Sheet offers some examples of the types of tools nonprofits are starting to consider and how they are putting them into practical, everyday useage. Lots of potential--but make sure you have the basics covered and that you know why you are using these "Web 2.0" tools.