the netCorps blog

2008: The Year of Miracles — by Sean Watson — last modified January 30, 2008 12:43

As the Information Age becomes old news, we find ourselves and our world dramatically different. Countless tools, heaps of information, and massive communications systems have created a society that is more connected than ever. Now What? Now we get to cause the next age....The Inspiration Age. In this age, humanity will create breakthroughs in the human condition, through the application of technology. The viral spread of peace, understanding, and knowledge has begun!

Green IT: Minimizing the Environmental Footprint of Your Technology Systems — by Matthew Latterell — last modified January 30, 2008 01:54

A significant source of energy consumption--and one that individuals, nonprofits and businesses can directly impact--is computer usage. If you assume that the typical desktop computer draws about 100 watts of power and you run that every day (even leaving the computer in "idle" mode at night and on the weekends uses power), the environmental and financial costs of an individual computer quickly add up--to the tune of $100 a year or more, and that doesn't include a monitor, printer or other peripherals.

How RSS Feeds Changed My Life--for the Better? — by Matthew Latterell — last modified October 20, 2007 10:53

The upside of creating RSS feeds (of your own content or content of interest to your constituents) is you instantly have a new fantastic way to "push" content to your constituents, including both the content you want them to get as well as content they are specifically interested in receiving.

Mediation Works: An IT Success Story from Southern Oregon — by Matthew Latterell — last modified October 17, 2007 05:36

netCorps’ relationship with Mediation Works began in the Fall of 2003. Picture a situation where everything is much harder than it needs to be and the technology in use is only making things worse. Computers weren’t networked. Users ran between machines to find information. Each computer ran different versions of software, so sharing documents was difficult Because information was spread around it was impossible to back up. The whole office shared one email account so the office manager printed everyone’s emails and put them on their desks. The donated phone system was not fully functional. Plus there was only one voicemail box for the entire organization so no one could easily get messages. There was no database of constituents. Instead, each person had their own Excel sheet on their own computer with their own contacts. It was a situation generously described as “frustrating”.

Cool Tools I Like This Week — by Matthew Latterell — last modified July 19, 2007 03:10

Sure, technology is more than the tools--but it is usually finding the right tool at the right time for the task at hand that makes all the difference.

Technology is a Long Term Investment, or, Why Building a Website is like Growing Tomatoes — by Matthew Latterell — last modified June 28, 2007 08:44

The daily morning dog walks in my Portland neighborhood would make me believe that folks around here could feed themselves (and then some) with the fruit trees, the berry bushes of every variety, the edible plants growing from any available space and the raised beds thick with greens, tomatoes and more. Always a gardener myself—I remember planting my first bush beans in a small rock garden at age five—the mild winters and temperate summers of this part of the Pacific Northwest have elevated my seasonal hobby into a near obsession to plant, grow and harvest every possible inch of our tiny urban lot.

What does Web 2.0 Mean to Nonprofits? — by Matthew Latterell — last modified June 28, 2007 08:45

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.

Streaming Google and YouTube Video in Plone — by Matthew Latterell — last modified March 04, 2008 01:42

So you think you want to add streaming video to your website. YouTube and Google Video now make streaming video a snap to share, although they can't magically turn us all into award winning videographers. If, however, you have meaningful good quality video that you want to get out to your constituents, streaming video from a service like Google Video or YouTube onto your website is a quick and easy way to go.

Nonprofit Technology 101 — by Matthew Latterell — last modified June 28, 2007 08:45

Rules? Guidelines? Twenty five rules covering Infrastructure, Training, Support, Information and Communication Management that every nonprofit should consider.