Today is Beth Kanter’s 53rd birthday. For her birthday, she is lecturing in a Power of Social Technology Class, starting a meme experiment, and raising money for one of her favorite causes, the Sharing Foundation. If you want to read more about how she’s celebrating today, check out her blog post.
I’d like to honor Beth’s birthday by writing about why I love to read Beth’s Blog:
1. Deep analysis of social media campaigns, trends, and uses.
Beth’s Blog is a a real treasure trove of analysis: from how orchestras can effectively utilize social media, to working in networks for social change, to thoughts on whether or not social media fundraising groundswells are opportunities or distractions. Her analysis always informs and inspires me. If I’m thinking about a social media-related issue, I’ll look at how Beth has approached it and consider that as a starting point for my analysis.
2. The case studies – how wonderful to have them!
Social media is such a brave new world out there. We are all trying new things, and some them succeed, while others…don’t succeed at all. Beth is always on the lookout for these campaigns. She has invited so many people to post about their social media efforts that her blog has become a virtual library of case studies. From the flickr email campaign to save seals, to online contests, to personal fundraising for cancer research, the case studies inform and teach others.
3. It’s the home page where nonprofit tech and social media intermingle and grow.
Seriously, Beth’s Blog was my home page for a long time. Why? Because I know that she is always on top of the latest nonprofit tech trends in social media, implications of social media for nonprofits, and other relevant news that nonprofit professionals need to learn and grow. If you are just getting into social media, start there. It’s deep, thoughtful, relevant, and always right on trend.
4. It’s a Teaching Tool.
I’m an academic at heart. I started a Ph.D. program in American History many years ago and left – but the love of research and inquiry has stayed with me. Beth’s blog is research-oriented. Beth uses her blog to teach, investigate, and inquire. She offers up her own experiments (crowdsourcing as a planning tool), is open about trying new tools (creating an iPhone app of her blog), and asks questions of her readers (how nonprofits are using social media). We learn through her inquiry and investigation.
5. It’s a Generous Blog.
Beth’s Blog IS a generous blog. Because it’s “Beth’s Blog,” she gets to say it all. But she doesn’t. She gives just as much. She offers case studies. Perspective. Analysis. Comments on other blogs. Responses to comments on her blog. Guest posts by nonprofit thought leaders (and others). Books. Ideas. And money. She donates to causes, and she’ll tell you why. When I read the blog, I’m constantly inspired by how much giving is integrated into its DNA.
Do you read Beth’s Blog? What are your reasons? Any I’ve left out?
If you want to wish Beth a happy 53rd birthday on twitter, and be part of her birthday experiment, please tweet: Happy birthday #beth53! Let’s send 53 Cambodian kids to school: http://bit.ly/beth53
Happy Birthday, Beth!
