Missoula, Montana got a taste of what it means to have one of the nations leading online communications providers have an office in town.

DIA recently launched our new WiredRockies Field office by offering 3 sizzling events in our “Missoula Summer Series”.

The premier event, “Mobilizing Online: Raising Money and Awareness on the Internet” , was presented by NewWest, one of the West’s largest online daily news sources. It was attended by over 50 people (a great turnout for August) and was held in our newly remodeled art museum, where drinks and appetizers were served. It was one of those events that made you feel smart, cutting edge and inspired to join the online conversation.

Jason Zanon , DIA’s Outreach Director, did a fabulous job presenting on fundraising and was remarked at being particularly interesting and engaging at this smart swanky event.

Below are some handy suggestions I pulled from the presentation Age of YouTube: Using Video Online to Reach the Masses which was presented at NTEN’s Technology 2007 Conference.

The Serial Approach - Consider offering a series of short videos (2-3 minutes) that explain your issue, instead of making an expensive project video (or in addition to). See how I Love Mountains features short videos about the destructive practice of mountaintop removal on their homepage.

* By Jeanette

If you asked me why Web 2.0 is becoming so popular before reading Lakshmi Chaudhry’s article, Mirror, Mirror on the Web, I would have said something like, it let’s users shape media, campaigns and give voice to world affairs, etc.

Now I would add that Web 2.0’s popularity allows people to assert their individuality, which is partially fueled by the idea that users believe they are special.

For organizations, this lends insight to the experience some supporters are seeking when participating in Web 2.0 activities such as contests, blogs and user-generated websites.

Here’s a thought provoking "what if" video that connects user generated content and interactive commercials with the massive consolidation of power in only seven years.

"In the year 2014, The New York Times has gone offline. The Forth Estates fortunes have waned. What happened to the news? And What is EPIC?"

Sound like futuristic fiction? The advertising industry and corporations such as Tivo are already developing technologies (digital TV) that will give broadcasters similar capabilities as the web. This will allow them to gain detailed consumer information through interactive commercials and purchases.

The Knight Brothers foundation is awarding $5 million in grants for projects that will "improve the flow of information and news in the public interest." Individuals, organizations and businesses that demonstrate how their ideas will transform community life are encouraged to apply.

This could be an interesting opportunity for the progressive nonprofit tech community -- if you've got a toe in the news-breaking or -management field, your fundraising team will love you for this last minute grant opportunity before the holidays!

MoveOn's new report, Election 2006: People Powered Politics, is worth serious consideration for several reasons.

First and foremost, they helped take back the House and shake up key Republican strongholds, through their impressive use of on-line and off-line organizing.

The result:

Moveon's 3.2 million volunteer made 7 million phone calls, organized 7,500 house parties, and launched 6,000 in-district events. They also raised and spent $27 million in this two-year election cycle, with mostly small donors. The list continues.

How did they do this?

It's not often I have the opportunity to connect computers, biomass and
national forest protection.

Bryan Bird, National Forest
Protection Alliance board member and blogger for BLOG IT, DON'T LOG IT, writes:

There’s
a train leaving the station, and it may be hauling your chipped-up
national forest away to a power plant. The biomass express is gaining
steam from politicians, private industry, alternative fuel advocates
and even some in the conservation community.



Someone had better pull the emergency brakes quickly before our shared
forest heritage is sacrificed to the modern consumer lifestyle.



Biomass energy generally comes from three sources: wood, waste, and
alcohol fuels. Wood energy may be produced from harvested wood as a
fuel and from wood waste streams. What is at issue here is virgin woody
materials produced from public forest lands for the sake of energy
production.



Trees can fuel our energy needs, but what are the consequences for our
forests, the wildlife they support and the clean water they produce?