TechSoup.org - The Technology Place for Nonprofits
Tech Soup is a technology resource Website for non-profit organizations. It offers technology articles, a forum, links to free software downloads and technology donation programs, and TechSoup Stock, a service for connecting non-profits with technology donations.
Tech Soup, maintained by CompuMentor, a well-established nonprofit technology assistance agency, is a technology resource Website for non-profit organizations. The Website has 5 main components:
The Learning Center features articles, how-to's, templates, case studies, and other informational resources, covering a variety of technology topics of interest to non-profit organizations. Articles are organized by subject: Accessible Technology, Consultants, Community Tech Centers, Databases, Funding, Hardware, Internet Connections, Networks, Software, Technology Planning, Training, Using the Internet, Volunteers, and Web Building. Recent Articles related to educational web development Include the following:
Five Principles to Design By
- Technology serves humans: the user is always right
- Design is not art: design is about solving problems, and how something is used, not about self-expression
- Great design is invisible: great design works so well it is taken for granted, and we forget the effort put into it. Bad design is obvious.
- The experience belongs to the user: the designer doesn't create the experience, the designer creates things for the user to experience. The user owns it.
- Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication: design is more about knowing what to take away than what to add, so that complexity is not transferred to the user
Nonprofits Celebrate New Home in Second Life
An announcement for the mixed-reality Grand Opening Gala for the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life. Audio and Video will be streamed between a live event in San Francisco and the Nonprofit Commons virtual space. The Nonprofit Commons is a nonprofit-only space for a community of organizations from around the world. It has created a community blog and wiki, and it has held events, workshops and a weekly town meeting.
Essential Posts that Every Blogger Should Know
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page7391.cfm
A list of blog post "types" to help bloggers with writer's block:
- The Speedlinker: an annotated list of links to other blogposts you think your readers will be interested in
- The Quoter: quoting another blog post, editorial, or news story and providing a bit of commentary
- The Entertainer: posting something amusing you've found.
- The Questioner: posting a relevant and conversation-starting question for your readers to answer in the comments
- The Updater: progress report on an ongoing project or topic thread
- The Newsreader: relaying an interesting news story.
- The Recycler: reposting old posts with new thoughts or commentary
- The Guest-Poster: invite an expert, a fellow blogger, or insightful reader to write a post
- The Announcer: making an announcement about your blog.
All of the above should be used with caution, and only when they actually provide value to your readers, rather than simply padding your blog.
The TechSoup Community section features a forum and a blog. Forum topics include Introduce Yourself, Digital Divide, Emerging Technologies, Hardware, Networks, Nonprofit Tech Careers, Open-Source Software, TechSoup/TechsoupStock Help, Software, Technology Planning, Tech for Fundraising, TechSoup Town Hall, Virtual Community, Viruses & Security, Volunteers & Tech, Web Building, and Wireless Connectivity. The section also provides an Events Calendar, Information about TechSoup in Second Life, TechSoup Surveys, and a Member Spotlight.
The Products section lists Free Downloads, and links to recycled hardware donation programs.
The Find Services section is a directory of technology product and service providers
TechSoup Stock is an online product donation service for connecting non-profit organizations with a large number of of technology donation providers. The service charges an administrative fee from between 4% to 20% of the retail price of the donated products. The fee pays for handling, shipping and customer support.