In order to stay up to date on what's going on in the world of technology - and nonprofit technology in particular - I follow quite a few blogs and twitter feeds. There's a lot of great content out there but if you don't have the time to stay on top of things (and even if you do!) it can be overwhelming. So, for those of you who have less time to do all this "listening" on nonprofit technology, I'm posting a blog each Friday with the top resources I found in the last week.

Six Tips for Navigating the Vendor Demo

Vendor demos can be intimidating, especially if you don't have a lot of experience with the type of software you are looking for. This blog from Idealware offers some great suggestions on how to make sure you get the information you need to know and end up with software that is right for you.

6 Reasons Why Your ‘Online Community’ Stinks

At TechSoup Canada we hear a lot of people telling us that they want an online community. This blog offers a honest view on what it takes to creat a good online community, starting with:

"You can create a site, but you can’t create a community. The ‘community’ half of ‘community site’ has to form organically, and from your efforts.  Those efforts have to resonate with the people you want to connect with.  Otherwise, all you’ll ever have is a lonely site, waiting for its community."

Technology Trends in Grantmaking: A Few Non-Analytical Thoughts

"IT staff are starting to get a seat at the table when grant requests are being reviewed, so make sure the technology piece of your grant request is solid and well conceived. If the grantmaker (private or government) is encouraging your organization to include technology needs in the grant proposal, then your job is to demonstrate that every bit of software and hardware and every ounce of training has been thoroughly researched and analyzed, and you are presenting them with the best tech option to accomplish the objectives of your project or program."

Twitter Community Organizing Rules for Non Profits

"Organizations, although they enter with brand recognition, don’t always become dynamic members of the community.  Rather, they just show up and push their own information out.  You wouldn’t show up in a real world community stand in the town square and shout your message, so why behave so in a digital one. Just being on Twitter is not enough, but, like real world organizing, you need to meet people where they are."