You're Going to have to Participate in the Conversation Whether You Want to or Not

Seems like conversations are going to happen whether we like it or not . . .

Earlier this week, I mentioned the New Zealand CYFSWatch blog that's raised an international ruckus because of its "name and shame" tactics, taking transparency and accountability to new levels. Since I made that post my traffic from searches fort that blog has increased significantly, adding further fuel to the fires of concern that the online community WILL get the word out, whether you want to participate in the conversation or not.

On a related note, Deborah Finn points out that there are an increasing number of blogs "taking aim" at the nonproft sector, particularly the technology practitioners. While she values the transparency and accountability encouraged by the new breed of blogs, she also pleads for a civil dialogue.

Finally, the Berkley GovBlog reports on a Booz Allen study published in a recent issue of CIO:

• Web 2.0 relevance cuts across gender and age. Forty-one percent of U.S. MySpace users are older than 35. That number was 35 percent for the United Kingdom and 29 percent for Germany.
• Web 2.0 users have few privacy concerns. Sixty-four percent of U.S. messages are freely available to the public. U.K. respondents reported that number as 61 percent, while Germany reported 73 percent.
• Web 2.0 capitalizes on ubiquitous connectivity. Approximately one-quarter of surveyed MySpace users are accessing MySpace from a laptop, a school or office computer, an Internet-enabled cafe or a BlackBerry.
• Web 2.0 communities influence opinions and purchasing decisions. Thirty-nine percent of surveyed MySpace users receive product picks from virtual peers.

The study concludes that Web 2.0 is profoundly shaping consumer behaviors and expectations and that it has reached "critical mass. Businesses that don't respond may be placing themselves at risk. "

It's going to be interesting to see where this all lands for nonprofits . . .