I remember when I was four or five years old having a shovel and an idea. A dangerous combination at any age, to be sure. I had learned that the earth was round, and that had prompted the big dig in a corner of the backyard. I wanted to dig all the way to China, and I made enough progress that my father glanced out into the backyard and couldn't see me anymore, just some clumps of dirt flying in the air.

He came out and asked me what I was up to and I explained my grand plan. I may have told him that I'd dig the hole big enough for him too if he didn't tell mom about it. He explained to me that a) mom would find out, b) China isn't a straight path from North America, c) the earth's core would require sturdier tools to get through and, most importantly, d) that there were easier ways of finding my way to China.

Years later, I still haven't been to China, but do agree that my toy shovel would have been inadequate for the job. I should have made him take me to Sears for a Craftsman shovel. Or something bigger.

I feel the same way sometimes when I'm slogging through search engine results looking for information on a topic near and dear to my immediate concerns. Sometimes I want the latest news, what's happening right now about a topic. Other times I want information that has been vetted by people who care about the topic.

This is where bookmark sites like Digg and del.icio.us come in handy. They utilize the intrinsic power of community to bring the most relevant sites or stories to your attention. Or, if you are posting to del.icio.us, Digg or another social bookmark site, you can help get your stories about social entrepreneurs into the hands of other folks with similar interests who might not come across your site otherwise.

What I am interested in learning is what bookmarking sites does the Social Edge community utilize? Is there a site that you use that might be useful to the rest of the community, or that you would like to see integrated into the Social Edge site? Is there enough interest in stories about social entrepreneurs for Digg to add a category for us?

After all, there are always easier ways of finding what you want, as well as sharing what you find with others.

Last week I blogged about posting video to your website or blog using Google Video or YouTube. What I failed to mention was how to get the video recorded on your computer in the first place. I used iMovie on my MacBook with a built in iSight webcam, which was very simple, and allowed me to add an opening title screen without much thought. Don't worry, I'm not about to say "I'm a Mac" and how everything just kind of works out of the box. Even if it did, kind of, just work. Right out of the box.

We don't all have the latest and greatest toys from Apple to help turn us into web video stars. (And if you're of a certain age, I'm sorry if that Buggles song I included in last week's post is now playing in your head.) Some of us have Windows, Red Hat Linux or Ubuntu running on our desktops. Or even pre-OSX Macs. (Perish the thought!) I know at my house, I have a Mac that is candy colored still instead of sleek aluminum. Sure, it's older than broadband, but it works.

So, what's the easiest way to record and post video directly to the web? If you have a webcam, an internet connection, and a Flash-enabled browser, you might want to give Hellodeo a try.

Last week, Amazon unveiled their Unboxed video download service, and today Apple took the wraps off of their updated iTunes video store. Big budget studio flicks are now available for downloading onto your computer. Legally.

I'm no Steven Spielberg, so I doubt that my movies will ever show up on either service. My vacation videos just really aren't that intriguing. But let's pretend that I did have video that I wanted to share with the world. It doesn't need to be a slick, professionally produced movie in order for you to share it with your audience on your web site or blog in order to enhance the message you want to get across to your audience.

YouTube is the most talked about video service out there that allows you to share your videos with the world. They have a nice disclaimer on their upload page that a lot of people seem to be ignoring:

Do not upload any TV shows, music videos, music concerts, or commercials without permission unless they consist entirely of content you created yourself.

Which is why you can find plenty of copyrighted material on the site. I'm not above tracking down music videos from my MTV-influenced childhood:



But I only get sucked into the viral marketing campaigns once they're revealed as such:



So how hard can it be to upload a video to the site and share it out to you legions of adoring readers?



Not that hard. Granted, making the video attractive can be difficult, but once you have the Quicktime or MPG file, getting it up on YouTube is a snap. You need to create a user account, verify your email address and then upload your file along with a title, description and some tags or keywords to help others find your video. The above video is tagged SocialEdge. In order to put the video onto your site or blog, there is a string of code provided for you to copy and paste into your site. The video sits on the YouTube site allowing you to save on hosting and bandwidth costs.

So what other options are there? How about Google video?

The Long Tail, as described and analyzed by Chris Anderson, is fun to apply to all kinds of markets that are affected by technology. The most obvious sector is the media and entertainment industry, as its products are easily digitized and are consumed in a very high profile manner. TV re-runs have been commodotized to the point where a pilot for a show based on the Aquaman comic book character hit the top of iTunes video charts. Obscure musicians can find a large enough following to justify following their muse.

Other markets are changing, and becoming deeper as well. Everything from the grocery store to the financial sector is being affected. Sometimes the changes are harder to discern, but they're there nonetheless. So what about the social sector?

Big "hits" exist in the social sector market. That much is obvious when the Gates Foundation makes the headlines on a regular basis, and the Jerry Lewis telethon raised a record $61 million over the weekend for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The head of this market is easy to spot and understand.

So what's in the tail?

I would argue that the long tail of the social sector is the domain of social entrepreneurs, and the work that they do is often enhanced or made possible by advances in technology that allow them to reach a targeteed audience of benefactors to make a focused impact on their cause of choice. From microfinance organizations such as Kiva to the targeted charity of GlobalGiving to entrepreneurs in the field giving their time and energy to make changes both large and small, the long tail is at work making it easier for individuals to make a measurable difference.