Internet Communities/Discussion Groups In Which I Participate
Online discussion groups, online bulletin boards and other online networks 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, "online social networks, First Class Client conferences and what not as communities, as real as a physical neighborhood or an audience at a workshop. Just as with face-to-face gatherings, sometimes I take a leadership role, sometimes I ask occasional 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:
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
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
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.
NetSquared
I often get asked where online volunteering is headed. I think the peak 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.
TechSoup Message Boards
I'm the moderator for the Volunteers and
Technology message boards. 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.
Yahoo!Answers
I frequently answer questions (or try to) posted to Yahoo!Answers Community service and Yahoo!Answers Careers & Employment/Government & Non-Profit. Most of the people posting to the community service section are American teens, and if you are interested in promoting volunteerism to teens, this message board is a MUST read. These aren't discussion boards, really; someone posts a question, and other users post answers. However, these bulletin boards offer incredible insight to how people perceive nonprofits and volunteerism.
soc.org.nonprofit
For the discussion of all issues relating to nonprofit organizations. I used to post to this group more than ANY other. It used to be the mostly widely-read online discussion group relating to nonprofits (back in the early 1990s). I moderated the group for a few years. However, it's over-run with trolls and off-topic posts, and I don't go there much anymore -- mostly for sentimental reasons, since this is the first online group in which I was every involved with, and my involvement with it lead to employment regarding online volunteering.
comp.human-factors
For people who work in Human-Computer Interactions (HCI), which deals with userability of software and hardware. About a dozen messages a day. The members of this group usually talk way over my head, but given their focus on usability, I find some of the information quite valuable. There is an FAQ for the newsgroup. There's also a comprehensive index of newsgroups and lists relating to HCI -- cognitive engineering, hardware & software for facilitating group interaction, user interface, etc.
soc.answers
My favorite resources for answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on a variety of subjects, focused mostly on culturally-related topics (Celtic history and culture, various religious groups, cult-TV shows like "The Prisoner", etc.). No discussions on this newsgroup -- just postings of resources and information. Not sure how much it's still updated, but the basic information remains incredibly helpful.
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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