Civic Engagement on the Move and SexINFO

The Aspen Institute recently published Civic Engagement On The Move, a report of the roundtable on Mobile Media and Civic Engagement. SexInfo is included as a case study of Civic and Engagement and the New Mobile Activism.

(Quoted From the Aspen Institute's summary of the book)
Civic Engagement on the Move looks at how leading edge practitioners are using mobile media to engage citizens to solve problems, bridge differences and strengthen community. Mobile media technologies provide new tools for journalists, government and nonprofit agencies, civic organizers, elected officials, activists and ordinary citizens to inform, to reach out to others and to galvanize community action on a wide range of issues. Civic Engagement on the Move, written by J.D. Lasica, details the hallmarks of successful mobile campaigns around civic engagement and provides case studies of several successful and emerging initiatives, including those that came out of the recent Aspen Institute Roundtable on Mobile Media and Civic Engagement. Noted experts in the field add their insights on using mobile media, with a list of “Mobile Advocacy Dos and Don’ts” by Katrin Verclas of MobileActive and “A Mobile Media User’s Guide” by Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile Commons.

Click here to read the report online and here to download a pdf

United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation help expand the mobile revolution

ISIS is proud to be included in the report produced by the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation titled Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use.

The forward authored by Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin, and United Nations Foundation Chairman Ted Turner, underlines the critical time we are in; a turning point for how technologies, particularly mobile networks, are connecting critical health systems and slashing away at digital divisions around the globe.

The report showcases 11 mobile projects from around the world and shares the results of a global survey about how NGOs are using mobile technologies.

So, put up your feet, grab a hot chocolate (or an iced tea depending on where you are) and learn about how mobile phones are helping to improve HIV/AIDS care, conserve the environment and wildlife, reach youth with sexual health information, prevent violence, connect clinics and rural health care workers, deliver food in war zones...and so much more.

Big smiles.

David Pogue shares tech predictions and a song

Jaime and I went to New Orleans for the Nonprofit Technology Conference hosted by NTEN. Despite the massive delay/flight cancellations/lost baggage things went swimmingly. We were completely sated as far as food and drink and our SexINFO presentation was amazing! We shared the stage with Katrin Verclas of Mobile Active and Ben Rigby of Mobile Voter and had great audience involvement.

Bleery-eyed and bushy-tailed, we saw David Pogue (tech writer for the New York times) perform his hit tune, "iPhone," live on a baby grand for the keynote. Here is the original version that was number one on Youtube for 7 hours. Now that's fame.


For the non-musical part of his talk, We got a dose of future predictions. Want to know what's basically hot, in a baby nutshell?

Beyond Skype/Using the internet for calling: Grandcentral (one number for ALL your numbers), T-Mobile Hotspot (b/c T-mobile doesn't have a landline service, they can undercut the rest).

Saying goodbye to TV as we know it: Hulu (free tv programming from over 50 providers).

A Little Help From Our Friends

Dear Friends,

We need your support! We have entered our SexINFO project into the NetSquared Mashup Challenge and would love your vote. This could provide us some much-needed development support in growing the project.

Please take a second and vote for us at the NetSquared Mashup Challenge

Note: If you're not a TechSoup member, you'll need to register to vote. Thanks, it means the world to us.

Once logged in, click here for to vote for SexInfo then click "Vote" in upper right corner.


Thanks for your support.

- The ISIS, Inc. team

Texting 4 Health - Stanford

Half of ISIS will be in Palo Alto tomorrow sharpening our brains at the Texting 4 Health conference hosted by The Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University.

Deb will be speaking about SexINFO (text sexinfo to 61827) and how text based programs can reach low income urban youth.

I'm psyched to test out all the applications I haven't heard of, especially what's going on in developing countries where text is king!


I <3 txt.

Networking with a View

Save the date! Plan on networking and hobnobbing with public health folks, youth advocates, youth and tech geeks at the top of the JW Marriott on Tuesday, January 22nd. Beverages, appetizers, live spinning by DJ JL, co-sponsored by ISIS, Inc. and the Full Circle Fund.

Full Circle Fund folks are cool. Their party line, "Full Circle Fund is an engaged philanthropy organization cultivating the next generation of community leaders and driving lasting social change in the Bay Area."

But really, they have 4 circles - technology, education, homelessness, and environment, where they donate time, money, and expertise to worthy non-profits, like ISIS. Yes, ISIS and San Francisco Dept. of Public Health won the Full Circle Technology Award in 2007 for SexINFO, our text messaging project for urban youth. And we got to sit in the front row for Al Gore's speech at San Francisco City Hall. Woohoo!

Join us on the 22nd, and meet some great folks.
www.sxtechconference.org
text "contest" to 61827