Daily Thoughts 2/24/2009

Rembrandt, Alte Frau Lesen, 1655

Daily Thoughts 2/24/2009

I spent some time looking through the local papers for recent philanthropic activity. I made a pile of photocopies to give to the director. I am hoping that it will be useful. It is not that easy to know with these things. I read through a lot of local newspapers to find associations like the African American Men of Westchester County, some fraternities and sororities, the local rotary club, and various wealthy people who gave a significant enough amount of money to a nonprofit to appear in the local paper.

We are talking with Westlaw, a major legal publisher about some of our print and online subscriptions. I am making sure all of our old cd rom subscriptions are not active. We are being offered some discounts. You have to be excruciatingly careful when negotiating with Westlaw. The sales people at Westlaw are lawyers and the people who write the contracts are also lawyers. Their agreements tend to be very complex and well done.

I am looking at Every Nonprofit's Guide to Publishing Creating Newsletters, Magazines, & Websites People Will Read by Cheryl Woodard and Lucia Wang. I am rather disappointed with this book. I thought it was a do it yourself kind of book. How to design your own newsletters, websites, and magazines. It is not. It is how to choose other people to make your newsletter, or how to hire a person who will do it for you. There is only a small amount on how to do it yourself. I think I am going to try another book on how to do these things. It is not what I expected.

Now for a little technological euphoria before I even get a new smart phone.

The revolution will not be televised

It has already happened.

Turn off your television and wake up.

Pick up your telephone.

Listen carefully within the decade.

Your phone will change.

The revolution will not be televised

Information should be free.

Your cell phone will be as powerful as

The desktop you are reading.

Smart phones will become cheaply cloned

In China, In India, all over.

Anyone, anywhere who had a cell phone

Will hold their own computer.

The revolution has already happened

In every single place on earth.

One billion people are free of poverty

A pool for information revolution.

More knowledge will be created on phones.

Than in previous human history.

The revolution has already happened.

You hold it in your hand.