Welcome to our inaugural event, “Why Social Edge?” I’m glad you’ve joined us for this interactive, five-day discussion.

As moderator of the event, I encourage you to participate often and creatively. We want Social Edge to be the place where you enjoy meaningful exchanges with the social sector community.

Jeff Skoll and Sally Osberg are the hosts for this week's event, and will remain with us as active participants going forward. We hope you’ll do the same! I want to encourage you to introduce yourself, ask questions and share your ideas during this online event. It is with great pleasure that I introduce Sally and Jeff who are excited to have you here as founding members and eager to learn about your vision for this community.

Host: Jeff Skoll - Jun 23, 2003 10:28 am (#1 Total: 84)

Thanks Keely, online communities are unique reflections of the people who create and shape them. Even though it's our common interest in the social sector that brings us together, the Social Edge community will become whatever you make it. This will be your community—one which I’ll participate in just as you do, one where we can ask each other questions about all sorts of things (including but not in any way limited to social entrepreneurship!), one where we can share what matters to us—whatever that is!

As the Skoll Foundation, our role is to nurture this seedling and to respect and pay attention to all its members. I’m most excited about Social Edge’s potential as a grassroots community—where everyone has something to contribute, where knowledge is freely shared, where all voices are equal, and equally respected.

Throughout this week, I plan to be online to discuss your hopes for Social Edge and to share what I’ve learned over the years about what makes communities like this work, and what doesn't.

But now I’d love to hear from you! Welcome to the Social Edge community!

Host: Sally Osberg - Jun 23, 2003 10:35 am (#2 Total: 84)

Welcome to “Why Social Edge?” our first online event! We’re so glad you’ve come.

As the CEO of the Skoll Foundation and as someone who has worked most of my life in the social sector, I know the power of learning that happens informally-from people sharing their experiences, their challenges, their hopes and dreams. It’s our hope here at the Foundation that Social Edge will facilitate that kind of exchange, that it will be informal rather than formal, lively, provocative, and useful.

I’d like to hear often from you during this event and after. Feel free to tell us what will make Social Edge work for you, what you’d like to see, and what will bring you back. This will be your community; our role at the Foundation will be to facilitate and empower, never to control or dominate. We are fortunate to be working with partners such as Ashoka, Alliance Magazine, Compasspoint and the Foundation Incubator, and would like to thank them for their contributions thus far.

This week, along with Jeff-whose vision inspired creation of Social Edge and whose values will keep us honest in nurturing this fledgling community-I’ll be your host, keen to hear and learn from you. I look forward to our exchange, this week and in all the weeks and months to come.

Keely Stevenson - Jun 23, 2003 11:24 am (#3 Total: 84)
Royal Bafokeng Economic Board


Thank you Jeff & Sally. As everyone can see, we are eager to hear from the community, so let's begin by asking Social Edge founding members and others here today to introduce themselves, ask questions and tell us what their hopes are for this community.

Don't be shy, we want to hear what you think about the possibilities ahead of us.

london calling - Jun 23, 2003 3:43 pm (#4 Total: 84)

My hope is to see some new ideas and tangible results from the discussions that take place. It would be great if this also generated greater public knowledge of nonprofits and social sectors (since most people are still relatively vague about the ins and outs of the sector).

monaji - Jun 23, 2003 3:53 pm (#5 Total: 84)
Charity Focus


Hi, My name is Monica and I am a volunteer at CharityFocus (http://www.charityfocus.org). I read Sally's trust article on Social Edge and I want to hear more about what sparked their interest in building trust via this tool called Social Edge. What was the evolution of their thinking? This is very interesting and I am excited about learning more on this .

Ken Goldstein - Jun 23, 2003 3:55 pm (#6 Total: 84)
Goldstein Consulting


I'm very anxious to see Social Edge be a great success, and pleased to be here to see it from the start.

Prior to joining CompassPoint I spent a few years with HandsNet as the Director of Online Community Development. HandsNet is no longer with us, but the idea of creating an active online community for the social sector is something that I'm still very interested in.

Over in the "Social Sector Soapbox" discussion area (of Social Edge) there's been some talk about the pending legislation regarding foundation payout rates (CARE Act). Another issue I think is vital for us to talk about, and crucial to the future of our sector, is the permanent repeal of the inheritance tax. Social Edge has launched at a crucial time when the ability for us to gather, even if virtually, to discuss these things can have lasting consequences.

The Skoll Foundation has given us this space where we can discuss these issues and formulate and consider responses. Of course, the next step is to make sure that the ideas generated here don't remain here. "Advocacy is Good Management" and hopefully the members of Social Edge will be able to carry what we learn here to the greater community outside of these pages.

Thanks for the welcome - I'm ready to participate!

Jeff Skoll - Jun 23, 2003 4:05 pm (#7 Total: 84)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


Hi Ken -

In its development as an online community, my team at eBay studied many online communities for tips and pointers. I believe we looked at HandsNet too, but my memory is fuzzy.

One of the biggest concerns I have about SocialEdge is that it isn't "transaction driven"...unlike eBay where the underlying basis for the community is transactions / trade. On eBay, you knew people would return again and again and there was some consistency about the community and why people were there. On SocialEdge, I would be very interested about what you think will keep people coming back and forming relationships.

What were some of your takeaways from your HandsNet days? What worked and what didn't work?

Thanks! Jeff

sally osberg - Jun 23, 2003 4:11 pm (#8 Total: 84)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


Welcome Monica and Ken! I'm glad you're already on-line at Social Edge and posting. Trust is an extraordinarily vital asset for our sector, so we're hopeful that this community will nourish and grow it; the stronger our bonds of trust, the more resilient and robust we are as an entire sector. That's my theory at any rate!

But I'm curious about what you both, and folks in general, think is behind the pending CARE Act provision affecting foundation payout rates: good, bad, indifferent. Seems that foundation folks are lining up against (after all, no one really likes being regulated) and front line nonprofits for?

What are your perceptions?

sbhargav - Jun 23, 2003 4:13 pm (#9 Total: 84)


Hi Jeff,

Thanks for experimenting with social edge. I started a new discussion on a prototype that I helped develop called SuVyapar. Am not an active online discussion group user so was not sure this was appropriate.

In any case you may find the prototype www.suvy.com and hopefully the discussion if it develops intriguing. By the way I was one of the founding employees of PayPal

Cheers

Sanjay

Bjorn - Jun 23, 2003 4:17 pm (#10 Total: 84)
SV2 (Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund)


Hello all. I am looking forward to seeing this take off. Working with a group of pretty dynamic people with the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2), I hope Social Edge becomes one of the tools to help further their philanthropy and working knowledge of the social sector.

Bjorn

sbhargav - Jun 23, 2003 4:05 pm (#11 Total: 84)


Hi I think Social Edge is a neat idea and one of its uses could be to get feedback and support for ones passions. Postive and negative feedback is welcome.

My name is Sanjay Bhargava and I am a 2002-03 Reuters Digital Vision Fellow. As part of my fellowship we developed an interesting prototype called SuVyapar which could possibly be scaled to help 10,000 communities around the world sell $1 billion of merchandise. See www.suvy.com for details.

One of the key insights was that the major problem was demand creation and that could be solved by creating CFM ( Community Friendly Movement). This is similar to an eco friendly movement creating demand for eco friendly products.

Just as the dairy farmers promote milk with a "got milk" campaign, foundations, development institutions etc. could fund marketing campaigns around CFM. CFM is like Fair Trade on steroids.

More on my background on www.transfinium.com.

amaryllis - Jun 23, 2003 4:31 pm (#12 Total: 84)


hi jeff, what a great kick-off event! i'd be interested in hearing about your takeaways from ebay and what aspects of ebay you feel can be applied to social edge to make it an online community that people visit over and over again. though the transaction on social edge isn't $-driven, when people perceive the activity to be one that reciprocally influence one another in a positive way, they will participate and continue to be engaged. i think social edge is a place for me to discuss the latest trend/issues/ideas in the social sector and it's this exchange of ideas and dialogue that will bring me back. thanks for a great forum!

Max - Jun 23, 2003 4:43 pm (#13 Total: 84)
Observer, Pundit, eBay Junkie


Hi! Congratulations on the launch of SociaEdge. It's terrific that Skoll Foundation has provided this space for those of us interested in social sector issues. I see SocialEdge as an important online vehicle as well as an important offline vehicle. The SocialEdge (SE) can help us social sector junkies meet online and I hope, connect offline "in the trenches" for collective, organized and informed action. Discussion is great, discussion followed by action even greater. These are my thoughts on what I would like to see SocialEdge become. Jeff, Sally and the SE staff, although online communities are often organic and are shaped by the community, what does success for SE look like to you ? What was your vision of SE and the SE community when you were conceiving and creating SE ? Peace, Max

Ken Goldstein - Jun 23, 2003 4:51 pm (#14 Total: 84)
Goldstein Consulting


Thanks, Jeff, for the welcome and questions. The immediate take-away from HandsNet that comes to mind in running a similar, social service, online community is the importance of professional moderators. In the non-transaction-based community it's the content that brings folks back - and constantly reminding them of that content.

We put a lot of effort "backstage" - emailing key participants to encourage them to post, making phone calls and writing snail-mail letters to targeted community leaders that we wanted to get involved. I'd say that close to 70% of the moderator's jobs were invisible to the community-at-large.

One of our last major projects was called the "Working Families Online Roundtables." Before launching that we put a lot of research into other attempts to have professional-level online discussions about welfare reform and found that most of them turned out to be e-ghost towns. The killer for most of them was the lack of resources to keep a dedicated moderator guiding the discussions, inviting in key players, and encouraging engagement.

Eventually, in 2001, the dot-com crash diminished our resources as well, and scared several funders away from investing in "online communities" and we folded most of our operations. (HandsNet does still exist as a one-person, part-time operation, and puts out a great weekly digest of human services news, but the active discussions are a thing of the past).

On a side note, we did use eBay as a fundraising vehicle. We had our HandsNet.org mousepads autographed by various celebrities and auctioned them off on eBay, raising about $13,000 (and having a lot of fun). (We also used an earlier version of WebCrossing, which also powers the SocialEdge site.)

Sparky Harlan - Jun 23, 2003 5:03 pm (#15 Total: 84)
Bill Wilson Center


Hi Sally,

Many nonprofit service providers might support this act because of the increased administrative burden that many foundations are now placing on agencies that receive their monies. I have one local foundation that I get funds from that has already scheduled two full days with five of my staff (they also want me there) to discuss a grant that only started six months ago! And, the only funds one FTE person. They have hired consultants that are earning big bucks to evaluate my program to death.

I don't buy that with fewer staff foundations won't take the risks to fund more innovative stuff. Frankly, I think the more staff foundations have the less risks they take. Some large foundations are trying to look more like government these days with their overly cumbersome processes.

Ok, I better stop before I get into trouble here. I long for the old days (I have been asking foundations for funds for over 25 years,) when I could try something new and innovative and a foundation would fund it because they trusted me and my agency.

And, on another topic, I was around during the early days with HandsNet. (I was with the original folks with Hands Across America.) It was a great idea but after awhile it got too expensive when I could get the same information elsewhere for free. It was one of the pioneer online communities for poverty programs, though.

I don't know what will keep me coming back to this forum to post or chat. Perhaps avoiding my real work of managing my agency and raising dollars...usually I clean the staff kitchen instead...

Sparky

sally osberg - Jun 23, 2003 5:33 pm (#16 Total: 84)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


Sparky,

Thanks for your post. One of my goals for Social Edge (and it's a tall order, but we're trying!) is to create space where funders and frontliners like you can be honest. As Cyndi Lauper used to say, "money changes everything." But what should really change everything are great ideas in the hands of great people creating real and meaningful results.

I always knew when I could trust a funder, and when that funder trusted me--even when I didn't get a grant. Being treated with respect and dignity matters.

What's your take? Can funders and frontliners come closer together, even when the "result" isn't always a grant? Is there hope?

Jeff Skoll - Jun 23, 2003 5:57 pm (#17 Total: 84)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


For anyone in the online community, what will keep you coming back to SocialEdge? Are you part of other online communities? What works or doesn't work for you there?

Should we offer door prizes?

John Wood (Room to Read) - Jun 23, 2003 6:08 pm (#18 Total: 84)
Room to Read


In answer to Jeff's question about what would keep me coming back -- pretty much the same thing that got me onto Social Edge tonight; that is, knowing that I'd hear interesting insights from opinion leaders, in a very time-efficient manner. And knowing that it's modertated certainly helps, as there are a lot of "junk threads" out there. Thanks Keely for inviting me to join in.....

Jeff Skoll - Jun 23, 2003 6:17 pm (#19 Total: 84)
Founder of Skoll Foundation


A short two years ago (!), we launched the Skoll Foundation website. The central part of the navigation bar on the site was dedicated to "Community". Unfortunately, that part stayed "under construction" until recently.

But the vision was to create a forum for those working in, interested in or contributing to the social sector. Or for those who just had good ideas and wanted to see what other interesting people were up to. It seemed to me then (as it does now), that there is no obvious central forum online for the sector and we wanted to create that a venue to fill that void that was owned by the community itself. In a different vein, many of us know how many good things are going on in the sector and the world...but we are not likely to hear about it on CNN or read about it in the newspaper. So why not create a forum that could shine a spotlight on good things going on?

Some of the biggest lessons from my eBay days were that for community to flourish it takes time, the host has to set a few ground rules (but only a few), and the host has to be responsive to community requests / suggestions. I've always believed that you can't create community, it has to happen on its own. So, our goal is to provide the venue and let the community figure out what to do with it.

Success (to my mind) will be that there are multiple interesting conversations going on at all times and that the community drives the direction of the discussions, not the moderators or the hosts. Furthermore, I think it would be great if some of the discussions lead to new understandings between people (funders vs. grantees for example), new relationships and the sharing of helpful and valuable information. Actually, I really hope that at some point that anyone interested in what is going on in the social sector knows about this forum and considers it a unique and valuable resource.

Maybe it will even cut down on airfare for people who decide to have virtual meetings. Sorry United Airlines!

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts.

K.L.SRIVASTAVA - Jun 23, 2003 6:51 pm (#20 Total: 84)
Researcher and Consultant,Hyderabad,INDIA


I think 'socialedge' will provide new perspectives to participants. Hopefully, we will develop capacity to view old problems in social sector from a different and newer angles.

Thanks.

alicia_contreras - Jun 23, 2003 7:09 pm (#21 Total: 84)
Whirlwind Women


First of all thank you very much Keely for inviting me to be part of this!
In answer to Jeff's question about what would keep my interest in coming back: it is the opportunity of opening a communication bridge where we can share our experiences from both perspectives and learn from it.
I am the program director of Whirlwind Women. We work with women with disabilities in developing countries. And you can visit our web site at: http://whirlwind.sfsu.edu/general_info/whirlwind_women/whirlwind_women1.html

Warm regards, Alicia

simonhealy - Jun 23, 2003 8:14 pm (#22 Total: 84)
Remote services by youth in developing nations


Hi Sally and Jeff from Simon at OrphanIT

Just in response to your post Jeff "One of the biggest concerns I have about SocialEdge is that it isn't "transaction driven"... I would be very interested about what you think will keep people coming back and forming relationships.'

I really like Social Edge and meeting some of you (Mary Lou, Sanjay, Keely and others) on my recent trip to Santa Clara University at the Global Junior Challenge Incubator and will share an example of why people like me will keep coming back here regularly.

My name is Simon Healy and I am the founder of www.OrphanIT.com which is a marketing firm for learning centres in developing nations. We launched OrphanIT about 16 months ago but have been working in this field for about 4 years and have built a learning centre in Tondo Manila so we could work out what works and what doesn't. Our successes and mistakes are all posted here www.SolvePoverty.com

For 6 months weve being trying to design a transaction based gateway for poor but talented youth in developing nations at ICT learning centres to post their profiles and for companies in developed nations to post their jobs. The workflow being managed by us and other mentor/managers ie people from seniorsnet, thirdage etc....

Its called the 'OrphanIT Jobs Gateway' and were hopeful of going live later next month. Nothing as special as this site just very simple and easy to use for youth in developing nations. Kind of like an eLance for the disadvantaged. The reason for this is because we simply cant keep up with the requests for work we get now from people all around Austalia/NZ and the world who want to work with students and graduates of ICT Learning centres

Well a few weeks ago I threw the idea of transactions out the window on our gateway and decided to simply to fund it from my own commercial study abroad marketing firm and my personal finances, put the 200,000 plus people that use our services every month together and see what happens. It will probably be chaos but things cant be more chaotic than they are at present. I believe that enough relationships will be formed that will allow me to continue funding it for years to come. Its objectives are to simply get jobs being posted for students in developing nations to work on. Sure there's a lot of stuff to be worked out but if the last 12 months are anything to go by this will happen naturally.

In the case of Social Edge here's something that occurred last week.................

I posted a small hello in 'Are you a social entrepreneur discussion.'
Michael Chertok who runs an ICT centre (www.digitaldividedata.com) in Cambodia responded and emailed me
to see if we could do some work together.
I responded that we could and were having a phone call later this week to discuss things.
Whilst this was happening I noticed some people in Michael's organisation were also attending the Global Knowledge Partnership's INFOSOC conference in Malaysia this week as a sponsored best practice ICT and we also have one of our project leaders (Dale) there as a sponsored presenter.
I told to Dale to keep an eye out for Gordon (Michael's team member) because Michael had mentioned this to me.
However Dale had already met Gordon, they have become mates and started discussing working together.
This is whilst Michael and I are working out how we can work together to create more work at his centre.
= Beautiful!

Social Edge was the catalyst for making what I hope to be a long term relationship happen between OrphanIT and DigitalDivideData >> Outcome = Job creation, poverty alleviation for many youths at Michael's centre in Cambodia.

So Social Edge has probably contributed to solving poverty in the long term for a small group of people in Cambodia

Sorry that doesnt help with your transaction issue but Social Edge is certainly providing social transactions and a wealth of other benefits that will keep people coming back if more and more relationships like this can be successfully created around the world

Bravo to all of you and long life to Social Edge.

Simon
PS. I've posted Social Edge on our front page so hopefully we can bring many of our members into your wonderful community
http://www.solvepoverty.com/

esther - Jun 23, 2003 8:35 pm (#23 Total: 84)
At Help, Heal & Learn


Just a short time of monitoring and reading the thoughts of other members, has generated my writing again. The boundaries are unlimited in getting resources and balanced information. There is always a different view; that devils advocate, that one that may see a window of opportunity. I do not know about others, but I like to run my thoughts by as many as possible. Getting the bugs out as much as possible, and as close to success as possible.

Max - Jun 23, 2003 9:20 pm (#24 Total: 84)
Observer, Pundit, eBay Junkie


Jeff,

Thanks for sharing more about the SocialEdge vision and your definition of its success. Gotta run, must call my broker and sell my UAL shares

Peace,

Max

Sparky Harlan - Jun 23, 2003 9:22 pm (#25 Total: 84)
Bill Wilson Center


I was reading Simon's comments on connecting with a youth group in Cambodia and it reminded me of a commitment I made to help a group of Mongolians build a Mongolia Figure Skating Association. I met these folks in Mongolia last summer and they have stayed with me here in the States recently. There is no indoor ice skating rink in Mongolia let alone figure skating, but this 8-year-old Mongolian girl is winning gold medals in Montana while she visits here. Her family has received National authorization in Mongolia for the association, and the daughter is a star in that country but they need some help. I was going to help collect some used ice skates here to ship over to Mongolia and help design a website to collect some donations, etc., but I really don't have the time and I am clueless about ice skating.

This could be a perfect forum for linking up folks like this with others who have a passion and more expertise in organizing something like this. We could be talking about trading "free" goods back and forth or linking resources. Like sending some of those great Russian ice skating coaches to Mongolia for a visit or collecting some old skates from the back of those closets in the States.

Anyway, it is just a thought.

Sparky

Prakash Amatya - Jun 23, 2003 9:23 pm (#26 Total: 84)
NGO Forum for Urban Water & sanitation


Great to hear that the Socialedge is launching is today. Wishing you all the best. Prakash amatya Kathmandu

Christy Chin - Jun 23, 2003 9:50 pm (#27 Total: 84)
Skoll Foundation


Ken,

Thank you for your encouragement and active support of Social Edge!

I am thrilled to hear about HandsNet - because one of our goals is to create a learning community where members feel comfortable sharing experiences -- best, promising and disastrous practices. It is often in the most challenging situations that the biggest breakthroughs happen. I hope that we can create a community that encourages just this type of sharing -- and exploring opportunities for the social sector to leap forward.

Does anyone have any lessons learned from HandsNet and other online communities about how to create a safe environment for sharing successes as well as failures?

Christy Chin - Jun 23, 2003 10:00 pm (#28 Total: 84)
Skoll Foundation


Bjorn,

Hopefully Social Edge will become a tool for the dynamic members of SV2 and other engaged philanthropists.

What do you think your dynamic members are looking for? How can Social Edge meet their needs? What are the barriers to engaging them in our community?

Looking forward to hearing from you and your members!

Steve Rudolph - Jun 23, 2003 10:34 pm (#29 Total: 84)
Director, Jiva


Kudos to the SocialEdge team for a well-designed, interactive space that fills a critical gap for the global non-profit community.

As for Jeff's question of "What will keep people coming back?", I feel some answers are:

1. The navigability of the site. SocialEdge scores well here. There are of course ways that it could become even more effective, but for version 1.0, you are off to a great start.

2. A dedicated host and genuinely motivated moderators. After reading the entries on the site over the past week, I was impressed that the creators and founders of the site are so involved in the postings. There are other social portals out there that I've encountered where the host has paid money to get the site developed. Then it hires (uninspired) moderators. It is no wonder why such sites don't attract many visitors.

3. It should be demand driven. It is critical to listen to what the users are saying, and to react accordingly. If the site is grown in an interactive and participatory manner, it will meet the community's needs and will automatically become widely used.

4. Focus. If you keep your focus on a particular community the exchanges will be much more meaningful. You should avoid the urge to keep adding on new angles, dimensions, and features all within SocialEdge, and allowing the site to become bloated. If over time, you find a need to address multiple communities, spin off a new site.

I'm sure there are many such points, but after having worked with online communities for a while, I find these to be some of the most critical.

I have no doubt that SocialEdge will continue to flourish by staying "on the edge". I hope to be able to contribute to the process, and look forward to participating in the discussions.

Best Wishes, Steve Rudolph Director Jiva www.jiva.org

Timothy Freundlich - Jun 23, 2003 11:39 pm (#30 Total: 84)
Director, Strategic Development, Calvert Social Investment Foundation


I think the issue of transactions is key. Door prizes aside...and best practice and shared experience are great, too, but...

If we can engage in the sharing of our social capital, that would be exciting. Our human capital of IP, talent, time and network and financial capital of grants and Program Related Investments...if this environment could incubate innovative and otherwise unlikely partnerships around the efficient flow of social capital into projects and enterprise...that would keep me coming back for more!

So much of the challenge of us all working in this space is that resources and ideas are so siloed. I for one crave environments that break down the barriers that tend to stand between different types of capital...

On doorprizes, off the top, my vote would be for re-regulation by the FCC - if that's something that can be offered it would be nice. Or an end to global warming. Or...

Best to all, Tim

Keely Stevenson - Jun 24, 2003 1:02 am (#31 Total: 84)
Royal Bafokeng Economic Board


As the night owl, I wanted to jump in to say "WOW! How inspiring!" It has been a joy to see such thoughtful contributions today from the community. This is truly a unique community, full of passionate change agents with great ideas for how to use this tool. We have covered a lot of territory for a few hours. From online community “lessons learned” shared by Ken & Steve to Sparky & David’s opinions on the CARE Act and Simon's excellent example of the power of relationship building on Social Edge.

Let's keep it rolling & continue exploring these ideas!

Feel free to keep posting your ideas under this discussion thread, and over the next 4 days, we shall begin to branch out and create new discussion threads for your participation in this event. Jump up one level and check out the new threads:
http://www.socialedge.org/?14@859.VVcLaaSLRN7.122@.1ad7cdea

Tim, door prizes to end Global Warming are on my wish list too!

Steve Rudolph - Jun 24, 2003 3:06 am (#32 Total: 84)
Director, Jiva


Hello All,

This message comes to you from India, where as the summer heat rises, one can find respite really in only a few things--e.g., the season's lucious mangoes--and stimulating SocialEdge posts! ;)

I'm an American citizen, who has spent the past decade in India, where I helped to co-found Jiva Institute (www.jiva.org). Jiva is a nonprofit organization that aims to foster sustainable development through innovative and holistic practices of education, health, and enterprise.

In Education, we have an innovative K-12 school, where best practices and educational successes are turned into learning materials, and are sold throughout the country. (www.jiva.org/education).

In Health, we promote holistic health practices, especially the use of Ayurveda (India's traditional medical science), with the help of technology. For instance, we have an Online Health Clinic (www.ayurvedic.org) that has treated thousands of patients worldwide--all through the net! Also, we have recently extended this service to rural areas using handhelds (www.jiva.org/programs/teledoc).

And in enterprise (the main reason for my being here in SocialEdge), we aim to help nonprofit organizations achieve greater impact through the application of efficient management techniques, creative income strategies, and enabling technologies. This division evolved out of Jiva's own practices that we adopted (unwittingly) over the years in our attempt to survive in the social sector, relying mainly on earned income strategies.

The social sector is evolving rapidly, and it is thrilling to be a part of this exciting evolution. I realize that in order for us to be the most impactful that we can be with our Enterprise activities, we have to understand the various facets and needs of the different communities in our domain. On SocialEdge, I hope to be able to understand these communities and their needs in greater depth, and in doing so, be able to create more relevant and useful tools, models, resources, and programs that will help other nonprofits reach their goals more quickly and effectively.

Ganesh Neelam - Jun 24, 2003 3:50 am (#33 Total: 84)
SRTT


Hello everybody,

I am Ganesh Neelam, a Geologist working with BAIF a NGO involved in rural development since last 30 years.

nice to share experiences in the field of social development through this online conversation. I am happy that social edge is working with a topic of prime need for today. Actually even we are intensly involved in social mobilization and have valuable experience. This is a nice forum to share experience and get new learnings from others. Hope this will be a valuable learning for me and BAIF

David Bornstein - Jun 24, 2003 7:30 am (#34 Total: 84)


In response to Jeff's question about what will keep people coming back, I am thinking about the qualities of the 'weblogs' that I like to tune into. Generally, I go to places where I encounter people who take the time to post concise, strong (and sometimes irreverent) entries and who put forth intriguing perspectives or provide new information. Also anything that convincingly challenges the conventional wisdom or my own assumptions about the world I find especially valuable.

Terre Logsdon - Jun 24, 2003 7:33 am (#35 Total: 84)
YMCA of the East Bay


Greetings and thank you for this forum!

I've been reading the posts over the past few days, and I do feel that you are being true to your vision - facilitating the discussion, but not guiding it. Very valuable! It's difficult to make the time for conversations between people outside of your immediate realm (office, company, communities of practice, etc.) that do not necessarily have a tangible point except to see where the conversation takes you. Of course, we all know ideally that this is where innovation occurs...it's just challenging to make the space for it.

I am the Sustainable Community Development Director for the YMCA of the East Bay, based in Oakland, CA. I can see already that this community will be a major asset to the social sector at the microcosm level (the Bay Area) and the macro (the world) Good job!

David Bornstein - Jun 24, 2003 7:38 am (#36 Total: 84)


Hi Sally,

This forum is terrific!

I think the issues that the CARE Act raises are very interesting. The basic question of how and when foundations should best allocate their philanthropic resources is an important one that deserves serious thought.

There seem to be some issues that are so pressing and urgent that it makes sense in some cases to spend as much money as possible on trying to solve them while we have a chance to. For example, it doesn't make sense to delay major expenditures on certain environmental threats. It's possible that these problems will be far more difficult (and expensive) to manage (if indeed they can be managed) ten or fifteen years from now.

So I wonder if it make sense for a foundation that is interested in environmental preservation, for example, to save 95% of its assets for future needs?

What do you think?

Warm regards, David

Marianna Grossman Keller - Jun 24, 2003 7:57 am (#37 Total: 84)


Hi all,

I am a partner of Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) and in my business activities, I am working to catalyze economic resurgence through innovation, guided by the principles of sustainability and tools like biomimicry.

One opportunity that the Social Edge forum provides is to help activists and philanthropists look at the larger systems in which social and environmental problems occur. It is easy to latch on to a particular symptom and focus on alleviating the problem without going further up stream. For example, one program might offer help to children who are falling through the cracks of the social safety net. Yet we need to establish and coordinate complementary efforts to reweave the web of support for families to prevent the need for rescuing. Perhaps we need to consider designing social programs, legislation and enterprises that grow healthy communities and an environmentally sustainable economy.

David Robinson - Jun 24, 2003 8:03 am (#38 Total: 84)
The Information Forge Inc.


Hi

My name is David Robinson. We have a start-up company (The Information Forge Inc.) that is developing software to assist people serving nonprofit organizations to track their clients and services. Our aim is to provide accurate and accessible information in an integrated fashion that will help management evaluate their services and plan for the future.

We are designing our software to be as accessible and useful as possible to management and frontline workers. We are aware of many of the issues that face the sector, especially in Canada where we live, but would like to learn more about the sector in other parts of the world.

We hope that this forum can provide a place where we can meet with stakeholders in the people serving nonprofit sector and learn about their ‘pain’ so that we can design our systems to support their work, planning and reporting.

Thanks for your work getting this off the ground!

David

Matthew Hamilton - Jun 24, 2003 8:34 am (#39 Total: 84)


Jeff -

I think one of the very useful things that Social Edge could contribute is a way to constructively create (and identify) "momentum" in the sector -- certain ideas, issues, themes, etc. that people and organizations can help push.

Right now a lot of this happens behind the scenes at various funder gatherings, and it's a game of who knows who. I'd like to see the conversation opened up, not as a place to make pitches, but to see what kinds of things gather traction and lead to real *actionable* possibilities.

- Matt Hamilton

Karin Hillhouse - Jun 24, 2003 9:19 am (#40 Total: 84)
Ashoka - Changemakers.net


Thank you for this introduction and information!

Social Edge promises to be a hugely important forum for exchange of resources and making connections. Already in the first day and a half of postings, I've found several programs and organizations I did not know about. They will soon appear in relevant collections in the Changemakers Library.

These initiatives, like Jiva.org, will be of tremendous use to Ashoka's audience of social entrepreneurs and others who visit the Changemakers.net site for proven, ground-breaking examples of social change for the good around the world.

Thank you, Social Edge, for making this forum open to all!

Karin Hillhouse
Editor, Changemakers.net Library
http://www.changemakers.net/library
Ashoka Innovators for the Public
Arlington, VA

Lisa Hempel - Jun 24, 2003 9:24 am (#41 Total: 84)
Sparkpr


I just read your meaningful post about what you think makes an online community work -- very helpful.

I'm interested in the issue you raise on maintaining focus. Do you think Social Edge would stray from its focus if we were to include specific areas for those members who have individual categories of interest such as healthcare, environment, education, etc.?

This has been something that we debate internally and some members raise as a potential area of expansion. I'm curious what your reaction is to this idea. I wonder if this type of categorization would enhance or detract from the shared learnings of the broader community?

Cheers.

Steve Rudolph - Jun 24, 2003 9:40 am (#42 Total: 84)
Director, Jiva


Hi Lisa,

You should try to ensure you don't become a victim of your own success, where the site just grows and grows, and becomes a virtual blob. I think the best sites are those that set parameters on how far the platform will go, and ensure that no matter how big it grows, it will manage to maintain itself. E-bay is a good example of such a platform. Users buy and sell stuff, all through self-created accounts and shops. The "organizers" can limit their involvement, as the community manages and monitors itself (with ratings/feedback).

If you go on creating more and more areas, the site could start to become unwieldy after some time, and impossible to manage in a centralized manner.

Think more about establishing parameters and tools that permit and encourage self-organization...

K.L.SRIVASTAVA - Jun 24, 2003 9:45 am (#43 Total: 84)
Researcher and Consultant,Hyderabad,INDIA


I wish to support the point made by Marianna G. Keller for emphasis on search for sustainable solutions of problems in this forum, rather than some quick-fixes.

In developing countries like India, the educational sector can provide an important area of productive work for social entrepreneurs. More importantly, the relevant innovations in this sector will create foundation for sustainable changes in the social sector.

The bulk of population in India can not afford to educate their children in good private schools. In other schools, the educational standards are quite low. The challenge is: how to improve the quality of education while keeping the cost affordable for ordinary people? Aided by modern tools like internet and guided by the social values which have inspired the founders of Social Edge, appropriate solutions can be found and marketed to the communities.

In this context,I felt very happy to know about the work being done by Jeeva in Faridabad, India (message by Rudolf).

If Social Edge forum includes discussions and technologies for affordable educational innovations in developing world and similar other topics leveraging its global reach, it will attract a loyal' community of users who will keep coming back to this site.

Thanks. K.L.Srivastava klsrivat@yahoo.com

london calling - Jun 24, 2003 10:13 am (#44 Total: 84)


I couldn't agree more with you Steve... I think the best way for this is to start by keep forums together to begin with and then start to seperate once there is a solid community base.

In the end I could see Social Edge working very similar to eBay by having categories and more importantly, also being able to "resort" by regions so that those that are looking for answers/help/questions for a particular part of the world, can find the information they need.

sally osberg - Jun 24, 2003 3:53 pm (#45 Total: 84)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


Hi David,

I agree with your premise: spending decisions should be driven by a rigorous assessment of 1. The problem or opportunity one seeks to address or exploit; 2. The tools, strategies, and resources available to make serious headway/impact; and 3. Other variables--time, space,people (especially people!)etc.--and prediction of how they will affec the problem or the solution...

Sounds easier to do than it acutally is, though. In thinking about work underway to identify an AIDS vaccine, for example, it's humbling to reflect on the decades and billions spent on cancer research--with only modest progress. One can't really know what the future holds--how genetics, in the case of cancer research, would come to dominate the quest for cures.

Michael Chertok - Jun 24, 2003 6:39 pm (#46 Total: 84)


Steve, thanks for your thoughtful post with ideas about how to keep folks coming back to SocialEdge...several other posts have had nice ideas as well.

Simon, it's great to see how SocialEdge is already building connections between the organizations we're working with.

As moderator of the Social Sector Soapbox forum on SocialEdge, I think paying attention to what keeps us all engaged in this dialog is critical...not only do I want you to come back, but to use what you find here to make a difference in your work.

In that vein, I'd like to encourage some of you who are posting for the first time to take a look at the "My Social Edge" section of the site. You can register there to receive email messages with new posts on any conversation on SocialEdge site that interests you. I know I'm much more likely to stay engaged and follow the dialog when it appears periodically in my inbox!

Also, come check out the discussions in the Social Sector Soapbox...or start one of your own. In addition to the conversation about the CARE Act, we've been having a critical dialog about the McKinsey research that says there $100 billion that could be saved annually in the sector...and another about whether/how organizations in the sector should be rated by watchdog groups.

One more thing...if we're going to really make this a community, I want to know who you are! You've gotta look better than Consider uploading a digital pic of yourself if you haven't already.

Karen Nemsick - Jun 24, 2003 9:59 pm (#47 Total: 84)
Healing Waters


Sally,

As you probably know already, a group of "funders and frontliners" has been meeting in San Francisco for nearly two years, called the Social Change Forum.

We have monthly roundtable discussion on current topics in the nonprofit sector. Our goal is to have lively, honest dialogue and problem-solving around current trends and issues.

Our group includes mid-career nonprofit professionals who are foundation directors and program officers, nonprofit directors, consultants to the nonprofit sector and others. Many of us have been both in the role of grant-maker and grant-seeker, share an interest in increasing the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector and are interested in creating engaged relationships between funders and fundees. Social Change Forum members participate as individuals and represent and contribute their own views and experiences, not that of their foundation or organization.

The most critical element we we faced in setting up the Forum was figuring out how to build enough trust within the group so that we could honestly discuss current issues in the sector. We have a hard and fast rule: the Social Change Forum is a “pitch-free zone”. This means that direct service providers do not pitch foundation members and foundation members do not use the meetings as a vehicle to evaluate nonprofits.

It's definitely taken a little while to become a group that can be completely honest with each other, but I think we're getting there. And despite our no pitch rule, some of us ended up working together in funding relationships. I think that the issues we've discussed in the Forum have allowed these partnerships to really develop into very successful approaches to resolving social issues!

so there is definitely hope!

maryliz500 - Jun 25, 2003 10:22 am (#48 Total: 84)
East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring


Hi, I agree with Steve Rudulph. If the site gets too complicated it will discourage people from using it. MIchael Chertok's suggestion to begin with "My Social Edge" is an excellent place to begin.

Bill Lee - Jun 25, 2003 3:22 pm (#49 Total: 84)


Coming from a message board technology/on-line community background, I'm so impressed by the layout of this site and its use of community technology. Congrats again on getting this together -- imho, the community technology that you guys have put together in this site is a significant step forward over other sites and to building a lasting social edge community. Congrats!

B

Charles Cameron aka hipbone - Jun 25, 2003 7:50 pm (#50 Total: 84)
HipBone Games / Rheingold Associates


First, I'd like to thank Keely for her gracious and timely invite: I appreciate the chance to join you here.

I have had a great deal of pleasure, learned a great deal and made many good friends in virtual communities online. Howard Rheingold's Brainstorms community is my home away from home, but I also spend time on the Financial Times boards, and am looking forward to the opportunity to do the same here.

I'm intrigued by many of the same questions that others here are raising, so I'll leave my self-introduction at this point, and hie me to a topic I'd like to address -- what's the glue that can bind non-commercial communities together.

Charles Cameron aka hipbone - Jun 25, 2003 8:13 pm (#51 Total: 84)
HipBone Games / Rheingold Associates


Jeff says:

I would be very interested about what you think will keep people coming back and forming relationships.

My guess is that people come back to [non-transaction-driven] virtual communities because making a contribution (posting an idea) generates gratitude (a laugh, a wry smile, an aha!) which triggers generosity (an associated idea, enthusiasm, something in you that wants to reciprocate) which makes a contribution (a posted response) -- in a cycle which is sustained because there are many recipients for each gift, and because the commons of thought, trust and caring is continually enriched.

That's the long form of it, the short form is, "I like these folks, I enjoy talking with them -- there's always something new to learn."

K.L.SRIVASTAVA - Jun 25, 2003 9:33 pm (#52 Total: 84)
Researcher and Consultant,Hyderabad,INDIA


Thank you Charles Cameron for providing great insights into online community behavior. That helps us to analyze and understand ourselves as individuals and as members of community.

As a community member, I have a choice to make. I can visit this site or go to some other site, or choose to do some other activity. This happens almost intutively.

The 'Social Edge' team has to ask itself- how is Social Edge different from others? What is our USP? This should be articulated more prominently.

This will further reinforce our community behavior.

Thanks.

Lisa Hempel - Jun 25, 2003 10:26 pm (#53 Total: 84)
Sparkpr


I'm struck by your theory that each post here is a gift given, and that the gift has many recipients. We are attempting to answer the question, "what will inspire the members of this community to continue to return?" and it makes perfect sense that people would be drawn to the opportunity to give and recieve gifts. This is especially true if the gifts have a meaningful impact on the individual and their work - this reward then breathes more life into the cycle, making it more likely to be sustained.

Thanks for the gift Charles!

michaellewkowitz - Jun 26, 2003 5:35 am (#54 Total: 84)


Hello all,

This is a great start to the site. In this discussion, I find myself still stuck on the idea that this isn't/can't be transaction driven. My question is why not?

When I think of sites that I find useful, they tend to help me get things done. What if this site started to serve some of the practical common needs of the group. The idea of focussed conversations/meetings that reduce the need for travel might be a simple one to start with. I'm sure www.icacan.ca, www.icacan.ca/institute/ would be able to add some value there.

There are also of course the practical solutions like the tech community's beloved www.craigslist.com. And, there are the on-line working group tools like groove etc. What about having a component that brings us back because it becomes an indispensable working tool for everyday? Could some of these things even be transaction driven?

I'm not suggesting doing all these things and becoming a big bloated site, but I AM asking, why stop at free-ranging on-line discussion? Is there a simple next step that will make this an indispensable everyday tool?

For the community... are there any on-line services that you find useful in the day to day. One's that you do use? One's that you'd like to use?

Anyway... just my two cents. Back to the day to day !

Michael

Steve Rudolph - Jun 26, 2003 9:05 am (#55 Total: 84)
Director, Jiva


Hi Marianna,

I'm all with you on biomimicry. Two books that I enjoyed very much in this domain were "Emergence" and "Surfing the Edge of Chaos". Although neither was targeted at the Social Sector, there were of course many lessons to be learned and applied. Highly recommended.

After reading them, and while I was in the midst of a development project, I wrote a short article about "Digital Ecologies", where I explain why I feel most technology projects in developing countries do not take hold and sustain. The reason is that most usually don't resonate with the existing living/human systems. In case you're interested, it's here: http://jiva.org/report_details.asp?report_id=49.

One of my missions right now is to find ways of bridging gaps in the social sector, especially between nonprofits and funding organizations. I think across both the human and technological domains, looking to identify protocols, a common language and vocabulary, and systems that will enable a better interfacing of people with people, people with technologies, and technologies with each other. That's why I'm so interested in Social Edge--it provides an opportunity to explore all of these areas.

I like to think of things at the macro scale--the kind of things you have brought up. I am also extraordinarily interested in finding ways to implement them at the micro-level. I think this is a key understanding in self-organizing systems. We don't have to over-orchestrate, but we do need to create the right kind of building blocks that permit complex systems to be built.

I know we're in a bit of an abstract space right here, but I get great pleasure out of concretizing such concepts, and making them _really work_ for people...

pamlogan - Jun 26, 2003 10:19 am (#56 Total: 84)
Kham Aid Foundation


Hello Jeff and All, What I hope to get from this site is a way to reach people who might possibly fund programs that my little nonprofit operates in Tibetan areas of China. For instance, I could really use some grant moneys to support midwife training for Tibetan village women, a great program that we started last year. We could also use some sponsors for our wheelchair program, which gives donated wheelchairs to poor disabled people, both Chinese and Tibetan. My website is www.khamaid.org. Anyone interested? Pam Logan

davebehappy - Jun 26, 2003 11:43 am (#57 Total: 84)
David Zinman


Congratulations to all involved with Social Edge. It seems that a vibrant community is being birthed. As with many online communities that have come before, this one can also become woven into the tapestry of people's lives.

So let me lift a glass of welcome to Social Edge -- L'Chiam, Cheers, and Skoll!



Dave Zinman

sally osberg - Jun 26, 2003 11:46 am (#58 Total: 84)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


Hi K.L.,

The Skoll team wants to know about USP? and we're not too proud to ask!

Thanks,

Sally

Kim Cranston - Jun 26, 2003 12:20 pm (#59 Total: 84)
Institute for Organizational Evolution


Hi Jeff and Sally,

Congratulations on launching what looks like an interesting social venture/space. I'm curious to see how it/we evolve. What are you hoping for?

Best,

Kim

sally osberg - Jun 26, 2003 3:41 pm (#60 Total: 84)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


Hi Kim,

Thanks for the kind words. What we're hoping for is just what is starting to happen: folks meeting, exchanging ideas and experiences, learning from and challenging one another--and that all this learning and knowledge will help individuals and the sector be more effective. Most of all--especially at this nascent stage-- we're hoping the community itself will decide and take charge of where it wants to go, what it wants to do, and how it will organize itself. We're here to nurture and to learn--and not to direct or control.

Sally

sally osberg - Jun 26, 2003 4:12 pm (#61 Total: 84)
CEO of Skoll Foundation


Charles,

Your post made my day. Freely given, generously conceived, generative in spirit, ideas such as what you've offered here are true treasures.

Sally

Jeff Butler - Jun 26, 2003 5:30 pm (#62 Total: 84)
Mayfair Improvement Initiative


In pondering what would keep people coming back to this site, there seem to be two broad reasons.

One is the dynamic side - the chance to interact person-to-person, come across new ideas, debate an issue, express yourself, whatever. The name Social Edge (as in "cutting edge", I presume?) expresses that pretty well. I really enjoy having the chance to connect with people who are making good and innovative things happen. And where else can you have someone working in Tibet or India drop into the middle of your local conversation? Too cool!

The other is the more static side - the straight-up usefulness of this site as a tool or resource of some sort. Michael Lewkowitz talked about this in message #54. I'm not so sure about having something transaction based. I do think, however, that in addition to heartfelt and lively interaction, people would like to find the best possible information to answer their questions, solve the challenges they face, etc. I'm on some community development list-serves that a