Angela Maiers recommends a Twitter Engagement Formula of 70-20-10 which breaks down as:

• 70 percent of your tweets share resources — blog postings, articles, opinions and tools
• 20 percent of your tweets engage in conversations and connections
• 10 percent of your tweets “chirp,” or chat about yourself, your life and your thoughts

Does any of this math add up for your nonprofit organization?

Some bloggers question whether setting “rules” for social media misses the point.

Tell us what you think.

As described in the New York Times, Ushahidi is being used by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an advocacy group dedicated to reducing accidents at Louisiana refineries, to collect and log reports of the effects of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  It relies on witnesses to self-report via tweets, texts, e-mails and online submissions spill-related damage.

In addition to logging the reports, Ushahidi provides organizations with a platform to create community and organize.   For instance, Snowmageddon: The Clean Up not only tracked snow-related problems (cars stuck, individuals in need of assistance, potholes, etc.) it encouraged individuals to report  Solutions (snowblower available, shovel to share, cleanup party).

Some of the projects that are using Ushahidi:

• Sudan Vote Monitor is a Sudanese civil society initiative that used SMS to monitor the elections in the Sudan.
• Chile Crisis Map is tracking the post-earthquake crisis response and recovery efforts in Chile.
• Haiti Crisis Map is tracking the post-earthquake crisis response and recovery efforts in Haiti.
• Wildlife Trackers is a citizen science project to track wildlife in Kenya.
• Connection GeoMap, managed by Survivors Connect seeks to create a space to share critical information about trafficking and anti-trafficking activity globally, promote transparency in our efforts, engage communities and learn best practices, current challenges and needs in our global effort.
• Atlanta Crime Maps tracks crime in the Atlanta metro area.
• Stop Stockouts is an initiative to track near real-time stockouts of medical supplies at pharmacies (in a medical store or health facility) in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia.
• The Computer Professionals’ Union in the Philippines created the initiative called TXTpower, an effort to keep an eye on the mobile phone companies by ordinary citizens.
• The Cuidemos el Voto mashup was an independent platform that helped to monitor the federal elections of 5 July 2009 in Mexico.
• Swineflu.Ushahidi.com is a site to track the Swine Flu reports coming in from official and unofficial sources.
• Vote Report India was a collaborative citizen-driven election monitoring platform for the 2009 Indian general elections.
• Peace Heroes: Unsung Peace Heroes is a campaign developed by Butterfly Works and Media Focus on Africa Foundation. The goal is to nominate people who helped do positive things during and after the post-election violence in Kenya. Kenyan heroes are ordinary people who did extraordinary things for their fellow citizens or their country.
• Congo (DRC): Deployment to the DRC Congo
• Kenya: The initial mashup, used to track reports of incidents of violence around Kenya.
• South Africa: Used to map xenophobic attacks perpetrated against non-South Africans.

(excerpted from http://www.ushahidi.com/platform)

For more information on the platform and how to get involved, visit http://www.ushahidi.com/.

True to her reputation as a thought leader, she has again redefined terms in a recent blog post profiling “Four ‘Now Generation’ Leaders to Watch in 2010.” Beyond introducing us to the first few of a cadre of accomplished and innovative young leaders she will be continuing to profile throughout the month, she offers a wake-up call to our characterization of the so-called “next generation” leader by reminding us: the future is now.

“In 2010, the oldest of Generation Y will be 30 years old. No longer the ‘baby’ in the workplace, our peers, our organizations, and our communities are looking at us with hearts filled with hope to see what we will do, where we will take the crooked places in our world and make them straight. 2010 demands not that young people get ‘ready to lead’ but actually lead.”

Much in the same way that it is faulty logic to talk about how to “get ready” for a more diverse nonprofit workforce – diversity is here; if anything, we just all need to catch up – the “next generation” train has left the station. Young people have already begun to commit themselves to leadership roles, taking the reins of nonprofit organizations, and founding their own to fill in the gaps and create a more vibrant and future-ready social sector.

As these young leaders deploy technology-enabled communications and networking, they will build a dynamic community of peer learning and support that is sure to advance the sector as a whole. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds, and where it takes nonprofits next.

Americans over 55 are an influential force with the highest voter registration and voting rate compared to other age groups.  They hold a disproportionate amount of wealth and over 50% of those between 50 and 70 are interested in taking jobs now or in retirement that help improve the quality in their communities.

Older adults are not sitting back and letting life pass them by.  On the contrary, seniors are flexing their voting power, consumer rights and civic responsibilities.  Powerful political advocates, philanthropists, volunteers and consumers of nonprofit services, older adults are a major component of the nonprofit sector.

If older Americans are central to the nonprofit sector as policy changers, board members, volunteers, donors and employees what are we doing in the nonprofit sector to attract, educate and engage this group?  Much buzz exists around technology, electronic social networking and other new ways to reach people to various causes.  Are these approaches viable across all age cohorts?  How do we assure that in our latest rush to catch up that we don’t leave anyone behind?

Anyone working in a well run nonprofit organization understands and appreciates the fact that one size does not fit all.  As people of different genders, ethnicities, sexual orientation and religious preferences view, access and utilize services differently, so do members of contrasting age segments.

Older adults perhaps respond to a combined approach of personal contact, written resources and technology.  Technology has tremendous benefits for individuals who may have functional limitations which hamper the frequency and duration of activities outside of the home.  However, technology has challenges for those with visual impairments or decreased fine motor skills.  Cost of equipment and education and training to use technology may prevent many from attempting to join in.  Fortunately, many nonprofits are helping seniors access equipment and training and are helping connect people with needed assistive devices so that technology can be fully employed.

Innovation, true innovation, must have the capacity to impact people across all levels in order to move our communities forward.

Download the Podcast with Beth Kanter and Michael Hoffman (.mp3, 4.5 mb) and tell us what you think.

What distinguishes nonprofits that do this well from nonprofits that don’t, and how can those on the front lines change the dynamic in more traditional and hierarchical environments?