I have a recurring dream where I'm at work. In a meeting. And we're talking about a new technology project and everyone's excited, even the managers who don't know all that much about tech.
Or maybe I'm not remembering it right. Maybe the managers are skeptical and annoyed, even though they do know a little about tech. Or maybe no one's excited, and we have to explain the whole plan again from scratch. And I'm dressed in a towel. It's all blurry and I can't remember if people think the new tools are a great idea or some overhyped add-on that makes no sense.
And that's when I realize: I am wearing my clothes, but it's not a dream.
If there are enough interviews like this one with Romney strategist Stuart Stevens, maybe wrong-headed social media thinking by insiders will be laid bare faster and die out sooner.Stevens comments on reader-driven narratives reveal some of the bad social media assumptions that weaken traditional institutions. When crowds use social tools to become more than consumers of news, institutions that think like this will be blindsided every time.In today's environment, Stevens said, "news is whatever people decide news is." "I don't think that there is a legitimacy litmus test that you can put on it," he said. "The question that news organizations have to ask themselves and do ask themselves every day is what kind of news do we want to validate?"Stories like the "47%" video and Romney's "binders full of women" fumble "took on lives of their own online," according to CNN's Reliable Sources interview of Stevens. They definitely did, and social media…
This HuffPost account choked me up. Proud to have supported Elizabeth Warren. Barbara Mikulski barely came up to Elizabeth Warren's shoulder as the two embraced on the floor of the upper chamber. Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, released Warren and attached an official Senate pin to the lapel of the incoming Massachusetts senator's all-black pantsuit. Think of it, Mikulski said she told her, "like the croix de guerrefor all the battles we women have fought." "Congratulations," Mikulski told her, with her eyes watering as she beat her hand against her heart. "You stand here now in the footsteps of so many women who for so long would have liked to have been here, should have been here, but didn't get the shot. You've got the chance. You have a band of sisters. And we're going to not only make history, we're going to change history."
cross-posted from the Transparency and Accountability Initiative blogThe TABridge network promotes dialogue across gaps of expertise and geography, but also across sectors. We were fortunate to have several donors attending from foundations that support fiscal and natural resource transparency around the globe.Because of the spirit of trust and equality among participants, donors and non-donors were able to have forthright conversations. Too often, the traditional requirements of foundation giving and the practical realities of grassroots advocacy leave donors and grantees straining to meet each other's expectations. This is especially true in technology projects, where many donors are less familiar with online tools and many NGOs are experimenting for the first time.One NGO participant reminded the colleagues that, while foundation officers must make grants in accordance with foundation missions and their boards' expectations, community based organizations are answerable to communities on the ground, and the vision that created an organization in the…
Solid strategies, the wisdom of peers and an upbeat realism were the themes driving last month's Bridging Session for international advocates and technology groups promoting transparency. Like our 2011 session, the event sought to build bridges between policy and technology experts. Participants from five continents met in Glen Cove, New York from November 27 through November 30. The attending NGOs shared a commitment to improving disclosure and citizen knowledge about government budgets and natural resource wealth, but many of the week's lessons turn out to apply across all forms of advocacy. Web sites and mobile tools can help citizens and leaders improve governance and uncover corruption, but the full potential of these tools often remains untapped. Through the "TABridge" project, the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (T/AI) seeks to improve collaboration on tech projects by identifying gaps in knowledge and improving funding strategies. Some presentations were highly structured, to expose people…