Stories, software and strategies to help nonprofits do the social web
A psychologist's toddler study group shows that kids are inclined to help -- but less so if that help is rewarded. Warneken and Tomasello conclude that rewarding children for altruistic behavior causes them to be less likely to be altruistic in the future, and these results certainly seem to be dramatic evidence of that conclusion. I'd only make one point in the toddlers' favor: They had learned to play a game where both they and the experimenter had clear roles. The child helped out, and the experimenter gave...
October, 26 2009 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
A month or so after Paul Graham and company started Y Combinator, that visionary mix of venture capital and summer camp, they took the motto “Make Something People Want.” Graham talks about this in his April essay, Be Good— Another thing we tell founders is not to worry too much about the business model, at least at first. Not because making money is unimportant, but because it’s so much easier than building something great. He goes on to argue that the combination of these ideas — making something people...
May, 1 2008 • 0 Comments • 0 Faves
A friend’s client wanted to help Ghana. Microlending seemed to be a good way to do it. The client would collect money in the US, and fund small loans to farmers and entrepreneurs in Ghana. The web might even make the first half of this — collecting money and telling the stories of who was helped — easy. My friend was all set to start writing code. That’s his business, after all. But did code needed writing? I could think of lots of options for helping Ghana — and finding like-minded people — with sites already...
February, 20 2008 • 1 Comment • 0 Faves
Startup thinking for the social sector. Code to help nonprofits do the social web. Plus photography.
(And reading aloud.)
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