Category Archives: reviews

Clay Shirky captures the essence beyond the hype

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Reading “Here Comes Everybody” by Clay Shirky is a reaffirmation of the brilliant thoughts he shares during his keynotes all over the place.

This book is not about specific technologies, though you will find many enabling platforms mentioned and exemplified. Neither does it offer a framework for businesses and individuals to follow, to embrace Web 2.0 and the new social internet, though his chapter titled “Promise, Tool, Bargain” comes close to offering a roadmap for the times ahead.

In “Here Comes Everybody” the essence beyond the hype, the fundamentals that make this technological revolution we’re in the middle of a turning point in history. I highly recommend it.

Los Amigos Invisibles – Mentiras

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El nuevo album (“Commercial“) de Los Amigos Invisibles sigue mas o menos la misma linea del trabajo anterior de la banda. Combinando un sonido sabroso que sirve de puente entre musica latina y acid jazz, el grupo sigue creando material para bailar y disfrutar.

El album ofrece alternativas a la voz de Julio, el cantante de siempre tales como el chileno Jorge Gonzalez, de Los Prisioneros y la mexicana Natalia Lafourcade, lo cual refresca un tanto el sonido de la banda .

Tracks memorables: el del video que comparto a continuacion (“Mentiras“) y “Oyeme Nena”. Seguro mas temas iran saltando y volviendose nuevos clasicos.

Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets

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Great introduction and intermediate-level resource for Twitter
I ran into this title by coincidence while browsing at a local bookstore. I was glad to find a book about Twitter, a phenomenon well on its way to become the next Facebook in a matter of time.

The author takes the time to walk the reader through the basics of properly setting up a Twitter account, finding and following others, tweeting, re-tweeting, finding information on Twitter: in short, all that you need to make the most of Twitter.

He moves on to explore numerous clients and web-based applications to help you maximize your Twitter experience: as far as I can tell, he leaves nothing out. If you have been using Twitter extensively for a while, you still stand to learn a few things from it: having been using using Twitter for 2 years now, I found a number of useful resources that I was unaware of. But if you are new to Twitter, Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets will get you up to speed after you are done with it.

Fundraising When Money Is Tight

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Timely and highly relevant! A must-read for all nonprofits in times of crisis

“Relevant” and “timely” fall short as terms to describe Mal Warwick’s latest book. After going through a brief analysis of what history has taught us in terms of philanthropy in times of crisis and putting forward three scenarios for economic recovery, Mr. Warwick presents three possible fundraising strategies to take us through the period of economic recovery.

He then embarks on a detailed nine-step approach to what he calls “peace of mind”:
* Step 1: Reassess the Whole Ball of Wax – to make sure your organization is around long enough to make a lasting impact, he proposes efficient management practices, something that is good even in times of abundance.
* Step 2: Strengthen your Case for Giving – donors don’t care about you as much as they care about the issues you work on. Focus on those.
* Step 3: Be Content with One in the Hand -Forget the Two That May Be in the Bush – he questions the importance of creativity in tough times.
* Step 4: Cut Costs with a Scalpel, Not an Ax – he shares sixteen cost-cutting recommendations that impact the whole organization and fourteen more focused on cutting costs in print production. Here, I found his invitation to draw the line between major and small donors @ $1,000 very interesting.
* Step 5: Fish Where the Big Fish Are – this chapter deals with donor segmentation in as much detail as you need to “get” the idea and why it’s important for you to do.
* Step 6: Stay Close to Your Donors – say thanks! And then, say thanks again!
* Step 7: Get Personal With Your Donors – collect and use data about your donors as a means to appeal directly to their cherised values and beliefs.
* Step 8: Step Up Your Efforts Online – lots of things you need to do to maximize your fundraising efforts by developing a comprehensive online strategy.
* Step 9: Break Down the Silos – a phenomenon that not only affects nonprofits but can hurt them badly, silos are discussed in this chapter.

In short, Fundraising When Money Is Tight: A Strategic and Practical Guide to Surviving Tough Times and Thriving in the Future packs SO MUCH in so little space that, if you haven’t taken pages of notes or if you have marked less than 10 pages to revisit again, I can guarantee you missed on lots of things: go back and read it cover to cover. You will thank me for it!

Riceboy Sleeps – Daníell In the Sea

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Today, I learned about Riceboy Sleeps, a spinoff project of Jonsi from Sigur Ros with his partner, Alex Somers. I was listening to Dark Was The Night, a double-album to raise funds for HIV/AIDS and was instantly drawn into the track titled “Happiness” by Riceboy Sleeps started to play.

They play a very ethereal form of ambient music. Here is the video for the song “Daníell In the Sea.”