CauseWired: An Introduction
- Posted by Steve K. on May 28th, 2009 filed in CauseWired, Internet
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Last fall, I received an advance copy of Tom Watson’s book CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World. As the back cover explains, CauseWired is “the first book to track the massive societal impact on causes presented on today’s online social networks.”
Anyone interested in finding out how to use Facebook and Twitter and other online resources to promote causes (e.g., projects, ministries, etc.) will find insightful stories and useful information in these pages.
As Watson writes in the introduction:
“For consumer marketers, causes are a vital path to successful brands. Never before have consumers cared more about the ethical righteousness of companies. … For nonprofit organizations and the philanthropists who support them, a grasp of the coming influence of social networks in causes will be, frankly, key to survival in a world where your grandfather’s style of check-writing charity no longer applies.”
Watson introduces us to the pioneers in this emerging world of philanthropy, folks like Kiva.org, Causes on Facebook, DonorsChoose, and Change.org, among others:
“It is my belief that this core group of pioneers will change the way humanity views philanthropy and activism, as well as how we go about trying to improve life on this planet.”
For Watson, the implications of this technological revolution are equally vast:
“The central goal of this book is to convince you that rapid advances in media and technology, in the ways people communicate, are changing how people support causes and how we respond to that underlying human impulse to help others, improve our communities, and change the world.”
I’m hoping to share, in a series of blog posts, some of the nuggets I’ve come away with after reading CauseWired. Stay tuned for more from me on the book—or go out and order yourself a copy and get reading it yourself today.
For more on CauseWired, check out Tom Watson’s website at www.causewired.com or watch this short video:
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