"Learning from experience…”

“…is a faculty almost never practiced.” -Barbara Tuchman

Invisible Children and Digitaria Unveil First Online Community for Youth Inspired to ‘Be A Hero’

Schools for Schools is a safe and secure, invitation-only online community, designed for the high school demographic - Invisible Children’s strongest supporters. Students are inspired to use creativity to raise money for the organization, and then to showcase ideas and communicate with other young activists. Schools for Schools is the first program to provide immediate data on where the money goes by providing participants with a visually interactive network. The “Real-Time Results” section of the Web site allows students to see the dynamic atmosphere of students across the world signing up, raising money and making a difference. Visual benchmarks on school profiles allow students to instantly understand the impact of their donation on five major categories: water, teachers, books, buildings and technology.

“A majority of high schools students currently participate in some type of online social community. These online networks are becoming a way of life for today’s youth,” said Digitaria CEO, Daniel Khabie. “We have worked with Invisible Children to provide a safe, positive online community that inspires students across the world to connect on a common social issue and to collaborate to take action. After one week, more than 1,250 high school students and 110 schools have already enrolled in Schools for Schools, to help raise money and awareness for Invisible Children.”

As the first online community that empowers students to use their voice to change lives, Schools for Schools honors the everyday heroes across America. In addition to raising money, participating students have the opportunity to nominate “Heroes”. Invisible Children will award select “Heroes” with bonus opportunities of monetary grants toward the school’s fundraising total, a trip to Washington, D.C. to lobby alongside Invisible Children, or a chance to win the first-place prize: an all-expenses-paid trip to Northern Uganda.

Invisible Children and Digitaria Unveil First Online Community for Youth Inspired to ‘Be A Hero’

Awesome. Simply, amazingly awesome. Check out the website: http://sfs.invisiblechildren.com

Community Next ‘07

Valleywag, Silicon Valley’s Tech Gossip Rag

Look! Famous! Hahaha.

NO, but seriously– Community Next was a brilliant experience. We FINALLY got to meet our hometown heroes, the SkinnyCorp guys behind Threadless!! Not to mention we got to meet tons of others!! It was a great time, and I look forward to future conferences. Hopefully we’ll be able to have more “Pro Kid” conversations.

Here are some minor notes:

* The BEST social networks are built by ‘lovers’, people who put the network first.

* Let community create ‘you’ –follow their lead, and remember, INTEGRATE & DON’T INFILTRATE.

* You’re “nothing” without your community/users.

* Gather deep knowledge about the space you’re in. Be aware of your brand solar system.

(In my termonology: What’s your user’s “collage”? In my experience: Kids are made of up collages that represent who “they” think “they” are… usually items/beliefs, etc, from pop culture & home life– this is a way to protect themselves & their self insecurities)

*Consumers are “hungry” for purpose. Help them to be rounded, established, empowered. Wanting to do something, wanting to BE something. Brand evangelism!

* New User engagement (via Tara Hunt’s presentation):
–Small town mentality: new people are noticed, eyed skeptically, working toward common goal of safety.

* Community does NOT EQUAL marketing strategy.
-”Clue Train Manifesto”
-Markets/market places are filled with peer convos, not meaning for biz to enter convos, but instead to PAY ATTENTION to those convos & make sure your biz RESPECTS to topics of peer community.

10 simple ways of thinking:
1. Become a community evangelist: Evangelist FOR Apple. Took it out into the web community to preach how great apple was… Community evangelist is INSTEAD taking the community’s emotional attachment (bad & good) and bring it back INTO the company. How the user is secretly empowered to make change in company.
2. Shift your measure of SUCCESS. Sales Tool (forced) vs A Empowered Evangelist tool (Grown)
3. Embrace chaos.
4. Find your higher purpose. (My purpose is to save the world of imagination online for kids, while empowering them) Check out twitter. Jimmy Wales started Wikipedia.
5. Understand who you are building that app for… Why would the customer give a damn?! I know why I AM enthusiastic about it… but why would anyone else be enthusiastic. What are the next ten steps that will take this app to a place that people DO give a damn? **think for web, how can i get kids to give more of a damn????**
6. INreach, not OUTreach… “Hi, we’re really thankful that you’re here” Help customers kick ass, help employees kick ass, and the users will reach beyond.
FLOW: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE: MIHALY C.
7. (sorry, started daydreaming about community & possibilities, missed Tara’s point here)
8. Be part of the community you serve. Get out of board room, get into community: MEETUPS, SIT DOWN WITH COMMUNITIES, UNDERSTANDS DELIGHT & FRUSTRATIONS
9. Marketing is NOT an afterthought. It INCLUDES the environment you’re in. Competitors, product, design with delight, treat people
10. Have patience. Communities take time to foster.