NTEN is presenting two webinars next week about tools and trends in Nonprofit communications.

First up, on Wednesday, February 7th at 11 am PT/ 2 pm ET

> Getting Started with Blogging Software

And on Thursday, February 8th at 11 am PT/ 2 pm ET:

> How RSS is Changing How We Send and Receive Electronic Communications

Read more about these webinars here. And check out all upcoming webinars here.

All this Microsoft Vista Hoopla got me thinking:

Ode to the Lonely Geek
winds blowing change here
always howling faster, on!
vista now, what next?

And I figure that someone out there must love writing haiku as much as I do. If you are a poetry fan, share your geeky poems with us!

MobileActive Guide #2 Released

NTEN and MobileActive.org are announcing the second MobileActive Guide, profiling strategies and civil society organizations using mobile phones in their work to make the world a better place. The second MobileActive Guide focuses on using mobile phones in issue advocacy. The guide features case studies from around the world, strategies for using mobile phones in advocacy work, and a how-to section for advocacy organizations considering using mobile phones to advance their causes.

Download the MobileActive Guide #2 here.

Too Much EmailJust in case you thought my strategy of consistent (constant?) email to the NTEN community was without merit, here comes the latest M+R report. See people, I email you because I don't want you to forget about us!

Besides which, you know you love my emails!

I just got back from the Legal Service Corporation Technology Initiative Grant Conference in Austin. (Nice work Joyce!) Legal Services folks are the ones who are out there on the front lines helping low income folks with their legal problems. One of the issues they face every day is keeping their client's data safe and secure. The problem is - they're a bunch of lawyers!

But non-techies should take heart! Data security is not an issue just for techies. There are lots of simple things that the geek-averse amongst us can do to protect our client information!

Gavin Clabaugh, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

In 480 B.C. some 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas, managed to delay a hostile force numbered in the tens of thousands, some even say hundreds of thousands. They did this by blocking the pass at Thermopylae - the only road available to Xerxes the Great and his invading Persian forces. The Spartans were eventually defeated, but not before they secured the retreat of the other Greek forces and, thus, laid the foundation for Xerxes' defeat the following year at the Battle of Plataea.

To be honest, there are days when I feel just a little of what Leonidas must have felt - him and the 300 - facing overwhelming odds with only sword and shield. In my case, of course, the weapons are mouse and firewall. For me it's not thousands of Persians. Rather it's a never-ending onslaught of Trojans...and worms, and spyware, and spam - malware of all variety. The price of defeat, while not as deadly, is still dire.

As nonprofits and advocacy groups collect more and more information from the people that use their websites, strong and well communicated privacy policies - disclaimers that explain just how organizations will use this information they collect - become very important. In fact, a survey by the Customer Respect Group found that 22% of people won't provide personal information if a website doesn't have a privacy policy, and 26% go as far as to a leave websites with privacy policies they don't find acceptable.

We asked the NTEN community for advice on how to write exceptional privacy policies. Here's what you had to say:

Dan Michel, America's Second Harvest
"Work in concert with a legal person to make sure that the policy is tailored to your specific organization, mission, and most importantly audience. Also keep in mind if the policy works for the website and for your online donation efforts."

Nowadays everyone's heard at least a story or two about how a lost laptop or a cracked firewall put thousands or even millions of people's personal information into the wrong hands. That kind of loss can be disastrous for the individuals affected and for the organization behind it.

As nonprofits and advocacy groups continue to gather more and more information about their constituents, we all need to be aware that along with collecting and analyzing this data, we need to protect it. But figuring out how to do this well and cost effectively can be a challenge. Tomorrow we're hosting a webinar that will outline the steps every organization needs to take to secure the data they collect and how they can foster an environment that takes security seriously. You can register here.

With its Healthy and Secure Computing Campaign, TechSoup is doing a lot to help nonprofits crack down on the data they collect and has some great resources to help organizations set up a secure technology infrastructure. Read on for an article about the campaign, reprinted with permission.

Katrin Verclas, NTEN Executive Director

Happy New Year, NTEN Community!

To start the year off right, our January issue of NTEN Connect focuses on privacy and security - issues that affect every nonprofit and that are only becoming more important as we move more data and information about clients, employees, funds, and services online. 2006 was a fairly quiet year for big security glitches - no Nimda, no Katrina. Of course the press reported widely on the privacy glitches chronicled on sites like the Privacy Right Clearinghouse, where many nonprofit educational institutions litter this hall of shame. But sadly, privacy breaches are almost a matter of course these days. So to help you NOT be listed there, read on to find out how you can improve your security and maintain your constituents's privacy. And the best way to do this is through good people management and creating policies that are a part of organizational culture, not just words on a website.

Are you a nonprofit organization that has worked on a technology project with an outside (not in-house) provider or consultant within the last two years? Tell us about your experience! To thank you for your time, the project will make a donation of $5,000 – $7,500 to your organization.