Creativity as changing tool

Beth Kanter wrote a very complete and interesting piece in NTEN's latest edition of their quarterly journal for non-profit leaders. You have to download the journal but it's worth it and it's free (you just need to register). 

Jan Gordon: I agree with Guillaume, Beth Kanter knows what she's talking about and her article is definitely worth reading.

Guillaume Decugis wrote this commentary:

"It's been fascinating for me to see how non-profits seem to embrace Social Media in general and Content Curation in particular - Beth of course being a key advocate in that move.

The broader take-away that I see for those of us in all sorts of organizations, as independant professionals or SMB-owners is the validation it brings to the model. When tightly-budgeted NPO's embrace a practice as a group, you can bet they're not wasting their scarce resources on a hype. They have to be efficient and as Beth puts it in the article: "Putting content curation into practice is part art form, part science, but mostly about daily practice. You don’t need to do it for hours, but 20 minutes every day will help you develop and hone the skills."

This is precisely where we see the opportunity with curation for professionals: building up a good practice that fits with one's daily routine and that -as Beth puts it - brings great "unexpected benefits".

Selected by gdecugis and Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Business and Beyond"

Read full article here: [http://tinyurl.com/75ucphe]

The world wide web is supposed to be just that: world wide.

Sometimes it simply isn’t, however:

This Guide, by author Jim Rion,  is a must-have for anyone looking for access to the complete Internet. 

This complete guide to the International web will show you: http://bit.ly/Joo3QB ;

**Which governments around the world restrict Internet access
**Whether its ethical to bypass such restrictions, and which tools to use
**Encrypting your web browsing and email for secure communications
**How to find Internet access while traveling by knowing where to look
**Buying a computer while abroad: an ex-pat’s guide
**Setting up your computer to display non-alphabetic languages
**Getting the most out of translation tools
**Accessing media blocked in your country using VPN and more

Download Guide [PDF] Here: http://bit.ly/Joo3QB ;

I selected this piece by Steve Olenski  for Forbes because it's good for B2C marketers to see the results of their social media campaigns.

This article is specifically aimed at B2C marketers where their consumers want instant gratification - promotions, giveaways, etc. Having said that, part of the purchasing cycle can include content in some cases depending on what you're selling and who your audience is.

Here are findings of a survey recently conducted by Market Force - a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions.

12,000 consumers in the US and UK were asked how they engaged with varying industries via social media: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Google+

Here's what caught my attention:

**81% of US respondents indicated posts from their friends directly influenced their purchase decision

**80% of respondents “tried new things based on friends’ suggestions.”

**78% of respondents said the posts by companies they follow on social media impact their purchases.

**consumers are not all that interested in content but rather want something i.e. a promotion, giveaway, etc. when it comes to social media and their favorite brands.

Are Brands finally "getting it" when it comes to social media?

**They are getting more and more cognizant of the fact that what they post, share and so on can and will impact what the end user does – in this case, make a purchase decision.

**out of the 12,000 who participated 75% were women. This is incredibly significant given the fact that women account for 85% of all consumer purchases

Selected by Jan Gordon covering,  "Content Curation. Social Business and Beyond"

See full article here: [http://onforb.es/KQTqAR]