Internet/Online Communities/Discussion Groups
In Which I Participate

 
Online discussion groups, online bulletin boards, online fora, online networks, etc., are fantastic places to talk with others interested in the same things in which you are interested, to share and find resources, or to just lurk and learn about a particular subject or demographic. These groups provide places to get suggestions and feedback, ask questions, test ideas, or just observe conversations by others. In addition, participating in online discussion groups can be essential to your professional development, no matter what your job responsibilities.

I treat newsgroups, interactive e-mail lists, YahooGroups, GoogleGroups, web-based discussions, and, to a degree, online social networking platforms and their professional counterparts, as communities, as real as a physical neighborhood or an audience at a workshop or a meeting in real-time where everyone is in the same room. Just as with onsite, face-to-face gatherings, sometimes I take a leadership role, sometimes I ask questions or make comments, and still other times I am "in the back," just watching and listening and learning.

Because so many people ask me about the online communities I am a part of when I refer to them in workshops or in postings to an online group, I offer the following list. In addition to my offline work, it has been my involvement with these and other online groups that have lead to the development of many of the resources on this Web site, and to most of my employment over the last 15 years. I am also posting this list to encourage you to look for online discussion groups for professional issues related to your work or interests, to find help you need, to create new collaborations, to share your own expertise with others, and for you to learn from particular groups you are hoping to reach or learn from.

In addition to professional-related groups, I read many groups that are not necessarily directly related to my work endeavors. However, to illustrate how the Internet builds community both online and offline, to illustrate the intricacies of online culture, etc., I sometimes talk about these experiences in workshops, and I often get asked about these lists. So some of these personal groups are listed here too.

There are MANY more groups relating mission-based/public sector management, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, computers and their effect on communities, netactivism, volunteerism, etc. (and there's even a few more that I read occasionally than I've listed here), but below are the groups I frequent.

If you want to receive updates about the resources I create or promote without having to subscribe to all of the lists below, then subscribe to these two resources:

• TECH4IMPACT is my free monthly e-mail newsletter, which provides information on:
  • how technology is used effectively by mission-based organizations -- nonprofits, public sector agencies, NGOs, schools -- and their supporters to benefit individuals, communities and the environment;

  • what tech and online tools, resources and practices are proving most valuable to these organizations and their volunteers;

  • what cultural and financial conditions, legislation, and other factors are that can and do influence tech use by these groups.

  • news and resources relating to all of the above

  • updates to the Coyote Communications web site.

  To sign up to receive Tech4Impact, visit: the Tech4impact YahooGroup or send a BLANK e-mail to: tech4impact-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

• The Jayne Blog, featuring suggestions about resources and issues relating to mission-based organizations (nonprofits, non-governmental organizations/NGOs, civil society, and public sector agencies), and notices about when the non-technical parts of my web site are updated (such as the section on volunteerism or development. The blog provides a way for readers to post comments as well.

Interactive Email-based Groups and Web-Based Groups
I Read Regularly

Most of these email-based groups provide you with the option of receiving messages in "digest" mode, which means you receive all of a day's messages for a list in one email. If you are subscribing to more than one list, you will probably want to enable this option (check the "welcome" message you receive after you subscribe for directions on how to receive the list in digest mode). OR, create filters, so that all messages from a particular list go into their own folder within your e-mail program.

Some of these groups are also, or alternatively, offered as web-based discussions as well, meaning that you must go to a particular web site to read and respond to messages. This keeps messages out of your email inbox (and it's my preferred way to subscribe to any group that offers this option).

 
ARNOVA
Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action
Discussions are a blend of theoretical and applied interest to help scholars gain insight into "real world" concerns. It provides practitioners with academic perspectives and data relevant to their work. To become a part of ARNOVA's discussion group, send this message to
listserv@wvnvm.wvnet.edu

SUBSCRIBE ARNOVA-L

Do not write anything else in the body of your message, and do not use commas in between your name and organization name.

 

Yes, I have my own online community! It's a place where you can post about your own activities, resources and events, ask questions, or comment about my web site or my blog. And you can use an account you already have, on Yahoo, Google, AIM, OpenAccess, whatever, to participate!

 
Digital Divide Network
a moderated, very high traffic email-based discussion group, with an affiliated web site forum, to discuss the wide range of issues related to bridging the digital divide. There are thousands of list members from over 75 countries. To subscribe via email, send an email message to

digitaldivide-request@mailman.edc.org
In the first line of the body write the following:
subscribe
You can also join the list via the Web.

 
Eldis Community
A free online community for people involved in international development. The Community is web-based, but members can also choose to receive email notifications from the site when new content is added (and can also post messages to group discussions by email). Eldis is an online effort that shares full-text documents free to download, subject-focused guides, country profiles, email newsletters on 35 topics, newsfeeds, and other information to help those working in development policy, practice and research.

 
E-Voluntas
Un espacio en red de intercambio de experiencias, información, reflexión y buenas prácticas de voluntariado.

 
International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR)
ISTR is a major international association promoting research and education in the fields of philanthropy, civil society and the nonprofit sector. ISTR reflects the growing worldwide interest in Third Sector research and provides a permanent forum for international research, while at the same time building a global scholarly community in this field. The discussions are usually quite academic.

 
Online Volunteering (in German only)
This is a German-language online discussion group (no English!) for organizations in Germany (and, I guess, any German-speakers anywhere) who use the Internet, or want to use the Internet, to recruit, involve or support volunteers. I suspect that basic discussions about volunteer management in general will also come up, since there is no other online group that discusses this.

 
NetSquared
I often get asked where online volunteering is headed. I think the peek into the future is via NetSquared -- so much so that I dedicated an entire page on my own site to its efforts. The organizations posting here rarely talk about volunteers by name (instead, they talk about community involvement, client interaction, citizen engagement, constituent relationships, etc. -- which, ofcourse, means volunteering!), but the tools and methods they talk about are, to me, the future of volunteerism. The conversations can be highly "techie", but the group is mostly very kind to people who ask for clarifications.

 
OZVPM - Australasian Volunteer Management
Questions, resources and some healthy debate about volunteerism in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and throughout the broader Australasian region. To join, visit the OZVPM web site or send a blank email to ozvpm-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

 
riders-news
Information of interest to those who work with nonprofit organizations and NGOs to help them with computer issues. Not a discussion group, but open to members to post announcements. To join, visit riders news web site.

 
soc.org.nonprofit
For the discussion of all issues relating to nonprofit organizations. I used to post to this group more than ANY other. This is the first online group in which I was every involved with, and my involvement with it lead to employment regarding online volunteering. soc.org.nonprofit used to be the mostly widely-read online discussion group relating to nonprofits (back in the early 1990s). I even moderated the group for a few years. However, it's over-run with a couple of trolls and off-topic posts, and I read and post to it quite irregularly. Its origins are in USENET; most USENET newsgroups are now available via GoogleGroups, however, they are NOT owned by Google.

 
TechSoup Community
I'm the moderator for the Volunteers and Technology branch of the TechSoup forum. I also occasionally read (and post to) the boards on the Digital Divide, Virtual Community, Tech Planning, Fundraising, and Nonprofit Tech Careers on the TechSoup boards.

 
The Thorn Tree
An online platform by Lonely Planet. I contribute mostly to the Afghanistan, Responsible Travel and the Gap Year & RTW travel branches.

 
UKVPMs
A "lively, friendly and participative" networking and communication resource for all Volunteer Programme Managers working in the United Kingdom. UKVPMs mission is to increase the scope, scale and quality of both voluntary activity and the management of volunteers, by bringing Volunteer Programme Managers together in a virtual community to develop their skills and knowledge for the purpose of taking action towards our common goals. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to:
UKVPMs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
or visit the UKVPMs web site.

 

 
Also see what blogs are in my RSS reader

Added fun: put the URL of the page you are reading now into the WayBack Machine at archive.org; it's interesting to see the different versions of this page, and how my online reading habits have changed (no really, it's interesting!).

Return to the index of resources for "Community Relations, With and Without Technology"

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