Admittedly, I haven't fully digested the article, but as Michael Gilbert usually does, his most recent piece on RSS Grant Channels (http://news.gilbert.org/2004RSSGrantsChannels) is helping me reframe and focus the very fuzzy and ungrounded ideas in my head.

He is taking a model that exists in other areas (content aggregation sites)and packaging the language in a way that is accessible to many different people (the concept of channels). He then backs it up by making a very strong case for how it would add value to the work of grantmakers.

Marnie, I think that you are headed in the right direction with collecting nonprofit blogs in the format that you are using. To me, each of these could possibly be a sub-sector "channel" which in turn each could generate their own feed (re: feedster).

I think what is needed, is making a very tangible case to the intented audience (nonprofit staff?, donors? foundations?) of how such a tool/site or "Nonprofit Channel" as the case may be, would add value to their work and knowledge.

Thanks for continuing to push an actionable agenda...you know I've very appreciative of that.

For those of you with a geek bent and a penchant for RSS and other acronyms, I've made an OPML file of the weblogs listed on the Nonprofit Blogs workspace page. If you click download at the npoblogs.xml page, you can then import the feeds on that page (most RSS aggregators have a way to let you import feeds from a URL). I've tested it in three different aggregators so feel some confidence that it will work. I'll update the OPML file periodically.

Oh yeah, I've also keep the organization scheme -- the folders are the top level NTEE codes.

Sonny Cloward said: "Admittedly, I haven't fully digested the article, but as Michael Gilbert usually does..."

I'm another fan of that loveable (and lucid) contrarian, Michael Gilbert. Has he been invited into O.Net and/or into this discussion?

Michael's a smart guy and would have a lot to add here if he had the time/inclination to do so. He's not listed as an omidyar.net user. By all means ping him, Deborah, and ask him to stop by. Thanks.

Thanks for the encouragement! I have just invited Michael.

Just want to capture the other blogging conversations going on Omidyar:

• Blog coaches for human rights
• Blogs are good for business
• Travel bloggers unite!
• Investigative Blogging
• Collaboration vs. Blogging

BloggerCorps has been launched. Rebecca McKinnon proposed it about a week and a half ago.

The thing I worry about here has to do with my feeling that there are a lot of nonprofits who could benefit from blogging but they don't know why they should start. They need a very specific reason to engage and the ability to track the success of what they are doing.

I could certainly see communicating success stories as being a key part of BloggerCorps. It would also be great to have a way to record the blogs that have been launched.

http://www.humanrightstools.org/

Something I came across by chance today and thought here would be a good place to mention it, assuming it's not already known about.

Jeff,

thanks for posting this. I didn't know about it!

Just found this and seems like this and the workspace on blogs should be connected with http://www.omidyar.net/group/act ion/news/25/ for networking purposes.

I am just beginning to understand the power of the Blog and technology. Also liked this http://www.squidoo.com/org20 which gave the top 59 organizations online and what they are doing that is smart. Blogging is one of them.

I'm glad that so many of you are so web savy that I can learn from.

TechSoup does a great job of reviewing all the many technical aspects around blogging, innovations, etc. However, I think that, for the majority of nonprofits, much more basic information is needed, as are more concrete examples that they can relate to, in order for them to "blog" more. Plus, the whole jargon thing is a huge turn off -- when I talk about blogging but never use the word to nonprofit audiences, there's a much stronger, more positive reaction than when I throw the term out right from the bat.

I wrote some very basic tips for nonprofits about blogging, posted to my web site. I'm sure you all will find it too basic, but it's gone over really well with the nonprofits I work with. The comments I've heard have usually been along the lines of, "oh, THAT'S what it is!"

Jayne,

thanks for sharing the resource with us.

It can be challenge to get rid of jargon (and, with some audiences, counter productive) but I've had experiences like yours to really show the benefits.