Free Range Studios

Does the fast-paced development of social media have your head spinning? Are you looking for a community of people who are passionate about the nexus of social change, media, and technology? Here are some of our favorite organizations, blogs, and websites that can help you stay on top of trends.

Have specific questions or resources to share? Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , our Online Strategy Director.

Organizations

NTEN
NTEN is the membership organization of nonprofit professionals who put technology to use for their causes.  NTEN is a community of peers who share technology solutions across the sector and support each other’s work.

Why we love 'em: A network of fantastic peeps with an active listserv and user groups. Their annual conference is not to be missed!

Idealware
Idealware, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, provides candid Consumer-Reports-style reviews and articles about software of interest to nonprofits. Through product comparisons, recommendations, case studies, and software news, Idealware allows nonprofits to make the software decisions that will help them be more effective.

Why we love 'em: Wondering what donor management tool to use? Trying to figure out the differences between Joomla and Drupal? You'll dig Idealware's reports, articles and seminars.

LIST SERVES

Progressive Exchange
The Progressive Exchange is an online community that was started in 2004 by M+R Strategic Services' eCampaigns division as a way to share information among people doing online organizing, advocacy, marketing and fundraising on behalf of the public interest.

Why we love 'em: Everyday, you can take part in conversations with the best and brightest who are working in non-profit tech. Got a question about social media? Ask it here. And now, all the conversations are saved on the Progressive Exchange website for later reference.

BLOGS

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media
Why we love her: She's soooo smart and prolific! Read Beth's blog for inspiring stories of how non-profits are putting social media to use for the greater good.

O'Reilly Radar
Why we love 'em:Tim and his team blog about emerging technology, but also offer thoughtful reflection on current events and how they impact technology and business.

Specific Tools

Twitter Blog
Why we love 'em: We see great potential in miroblogging (a.k.a micromessaging) and Twitter is the tool to use these days. Stay on top of Twitter news via their blog.