A lot of nonprofits are still just starting their outreach on the web.  When someone from these groups needs a quick, short answer on where best to simply get started, I invariably direct them to Google for Non-Profits.

Launched approximately a year ago, Google opened up a one-stop shop featuring an array of tools.  Beginners will have heard of many of the tools (e.g. YouTube) but the site serves as a reminder that these tools can be harnessed for nonprofit communications and advocacy.

The site is also replete with tutorials on how to use each of Google services.  Some of the highlights are:

*Create a page and be listed on the Nonprofit YouTube channel.
*Start a blog to keep your supporters informed and engaged.
*Cut costs using Google-hosted email at your own domain. Access your e-mail from any computer with an Internet connection.
*Accept online donations with Google Checkout.
*Apply for free online advertising through our Google Grants program to raise awareness and drive traffic to your website.

Google's put together a well-crafted testimonial video. Check it out for more info and visit the Google for Non-Profits page.

Read more at The Opportunity Agenda's blog.

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This is my first entry on MyDD.  I have recently taken the plunge and become a full-fledged Democrat.  It's kind of a weird feeling, to be completely honest.  

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AfroSpear DNC Blogger Seriously Injured in Car Accident.
Still to Report on Historic Nomination of Barack Obama in Denver

Felicia, Daughter of AfroSpear Blogger L.N. Rock,
AKA"African American Political Pundit",
Will Be Youth Blogger to the Democratic National Convention
In Spite of Major Injuries Suffered in Car Accident.

The youngest daughter of AfroSpear member and Democratic National Convention blogger L.N. Rock, AKA ,African American Political Pundit, has been involved in a major auto accident, with serious injuries resulting.  Felicia, 19, was a passenger in a car in which the driver fell asleep on Route 495 in Maryland, crossed the divider through the oncoming traffic lanes and flipped over twice to land in a ditch. Felicia is credentialed through the African American Political Pundit blog to cover the Democratic National Convention, August 25-28, as a youth reporter.

In a conversation over MSN, L.N. Rock reported, after speaking with his daughter and the driver of the car,

The car landed in a ditch, where Felicia was pinned in and had to be taken out by fire department professionals, with what I understand were the jaws of life.

She was awake and was pinned in. When the fire department arrived she told them that she could not get out, was pinned in, could not move.  A blanket was placed over her face as they began to tear open the door.

Felicia was taken to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda Maryland and admitted.  There was no alcohol or drugs involved in the accident and the driver was unharmed.

In spite of the accident, says L. N. Rock, Felicia "plans to struggle to be with her dad, to videograph the Democratic National Convention, and report on the AAPP blog in a planned youth section".

Felicia says,

Barack Obama has won my "heart and mind" and I want to be there to witness history. I can only read about Martin Luther King, Jr., but I plan to be there to see Barack Obama nominated for president, even if I have to go in a wheel chair.

Felicia will begin college this year, with offers of admission from Howard University in Washington DC and Montgomery College in Maryland.

L.N. Rock says, "Her girlfriend went to sleep at the wheel.""It was a very serious accident, but Felicia will recover. She now has a full brace of her back and chest", but "she'll be home today from the hospital".

She is still determned to cover the Democratic National Convention for the AfroSpear as a youth blogger, witnessing and reporting on the historic nomination of Barack Obama.

With Felicia's medical injuries, travel expenses for the convention will be even higher than previously expected. To make a contribution, visit this site: http://www.chipin.com/mypages/edit/id/a8b7b4102bc0135d

Francis L. Holland, Esq.
http://francislholland.blogspot.com
55 (73) 3288-1716

L.N. Rock, African American Political Pundit
http://africanamericanpoliticalpundit.co m/
africanamericanpoliticalpundit@gmail.com

Bloggers! Help!  
Fellow Dems, your thoughtful posts are needed by independent voters who get their information from the MSM! We are blogging to the converted!
The first 10 posts are often "Husien is a Hamass MUSLIM!" Let's get some facts out there!

ABC News, USA Today, CBS News: need a few good pro Obama, on message posts!

USAToday.com 23.1 million unique visitors a month
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/de fault.htm?refresh=1

ABCNews.com  10.6 million unique visitors each month in 2007
http://abcnews.go.com/politics

CBSNews.com 9.2 million unique visitors each month 2007
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/politics /main250.shtml

We are supposed to dominate the Web but I think we are all at MSNBC.com or here.

I worry sometimes we are blogging to the converted!

Let's make sure these 40 million people have an opportunity to get the facts on Barack Obama.

Thanks for your help....

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(cross-posed at Kickin it with CG and Clintonistas for Obama)

Last week the blog Clintonistas for Obama was locked by Blogger.  The following message was provided:

Dear Blogger User,

This is a message from the Blogger team.

Your blog, at http://clintonistasforobama.blogspot.com /, has been identified as a potential spam blog. You will not be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and confirm that it is not a spam blog.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

To unlock, a code had to be entered to request an editorial review from a live person, which took four days.  I also would like to preface that C4O's mandate is as follows...

We agree with Hillary Clinton, we support the progressive values she supports, and we share her dedication to making this nation better... That's why we support Barack Obama for President! :-)

The locking of the blog puzzled the group that posts there, and personally made me suspicious since C4O is the furthest thing from being spam.  So I decided to investigate this a bit further.  What I discovered was shocking and disturbing to be frank.  

My investigation began with a Washington Post article that exposes that the Obama smear emails originated on Free Republic. No shocker there. Freepers have been leaders of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy since its inception and full of smears, slime and innuendoes, especially about the Clintons.

But after the article was published, a Freeper, charged that the WaPo reporter has exposed the identity of anonymous posters in the past, and the WaPo article also "exposed" ordinary people who dared to think the rumour was important, but who denied being involved in the spamming.

The author is quite paranoid about it:

The article Mosk wrote today purports to be about efforts to track down where the `Obama is a Muslim' allegations began. However, it is actually a warning shot across the bow to opponents of Obama that they will be tracked down and exposed for speaking ill of the Obamessiah.

While it literally pains me to agree with a Freeper, is this what is going on?  Shutting down free speech online?  Finding the name and address of people who post anonymously on websites?  Reporters harassing them and exposing them to ridicule?  I am embarrassed to say that I have witnessed behaviour akin to this on 'progressive' blogs as well.

Which brings me back to C4O.  It seems that there is a concerted effort amongst a group to shut down political criticism of Obama.

Blogger offers readers the opportunity to flag blogs as spam or complain about objectionable content.  And apparently someone has been using this to shut down blogs that are perceived as critical to Obama.

Several sources, including Blogspasm report that several blogs that have been shut down by Google that are critical of Obama, and the suspicion is that Google is being manipulated to shut down the opposition.

Now no one could think that the Obama campaign is promoting such deeds, but when people attack and try to shut down sites critical of a political candidate - we all have to worry.

Is this really what some people have become, bullying and intimidation to fall in line with what is 'acceptable' discussion?  

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