Social networking 101

You would think as an employee at InSTEDD I would be a tech wizardress! I am one of the people who came here with an NGO background to be a liaison between our tech visionaries and the communities/governments we serve. Now that I finally have some time to breathe after spending nearly 5 months of last year in Cambodia, I am really delving into the tech world and wanted to share (for those who are non-tech) resources I am finding useful.

InSTEDD introduces collaboration technologies tailored specifically to the needs of the public health and humanitarian communities. So what is collaboration software, I had to ask myself? Collaboration software, according to our CTO Robert Kirkpatrick, helps people work together to solve a problem or challenge. Social networking software can help collaboration by helping you identify potential people to help you solve a problem, but it does not in and of itself lead to collaboration.

Here are a few interesting maps to help you understand the social networking ecosystem:

• The Social Media Starfish by Robert Scobble (improved by Darren Barefoot) is a good beginning overview;
• The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas is more recent and detailed.

The domain of tech for social good is skyrocketing, and many great sources are emerging. One of my favorite tech for good bloggers is Beth Kantor, who I actually discovered because she helped put on the first blogger forum in Cambodia. She helps non-profits learn how to use social media, and while her blogs are more geared towards internet users, I find them very interesting. She also posts useful twits (I mean "tweets") compared to those I find myself typing.

A few other great places to learn about tech for good:

• MobileActive: a network of engineers and activists working to use mobile technology for good. They are a great place to start if you are wanting to research what is already happening. Subscribe to their blog too.
• Kiwanja mobile application database: FrontlineSMS creator Ken Banks has a great database to look for mobile projects around the world.

Tech newbies need not be afraid. Once we overcome the lingo, in the end it is all about how we help people improve their lives and their communities.

p.s. UNICEF's Web4Dev "Innovation for Access" runs in New York February 11-13 (our CTO will be moderating a panel on Monitoring and Evaluation the morning of Feb 12). Parts of the conference will be streamed live if you are interested. Ok, I am officially a geek.