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CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World
Now in paperback, an eye-opening guide to the massive societal impact of online social networks For today's super-wired, always-on, live-life-in-public young Americans, the causes they support define who they are. Societal aspirations have so permeated the "net native" population that causes have become like musical tastes. CauseWired illustrates wired causes in action, bringing real-world stories to readers. From Facebook causes and campaigns on MySpace, to a raft of new startups and innovative projects like Kiva, Change.org and DonorsChoose, this immensely relevant book delivers actionable research and recommendations to help readers launch their own successful wired social campaigns.
- GenresBusinessSocial Science
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Tom Watson
109 books22 followersLibrarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR. This profile might contain books by more than one author with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 13, 2010
This is not a book I would have read had I not received it for my participation in Blog Action Day 2008. (Yes, I've had the book for a year and just now got around to reading it. That's actually pretty good considering there was no deadline.) I'm not usually interested in current events books (that's what the internet is for) or books about how OMG teh intarwebs are changing everything (ditto). But I also never pass up a free book, which has probably done more to broaden my horizons than any concerted effort on my part.
But that's neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that I would not have picked up this book on my own, but I'm glad I read it. It is more or less a discussion of the impact of social media (Web 2.0, Facebook, that kind of stuff) on philanthropy. From Hurricane Katrina to the 2008 US presidential campaign to a myriad of other internet start-up charities, there's a whole lot of information in this relatively slim volume. I was particularly drawn in by the descriptions of Kiva and DonorsChoose, both of which are about reducing the middlemen between the donor and the receiver. I even made a loan on Kiva to Saret Sao in Cambodia. The idea of helping a specific person really appeals to me, and the knowledge of what exactly my money is doing makes me want to donate more. At worst, I don't get my $25 back. I can deal with that. At best, I help a businesswoman grow her business. Which is awesome.
Some of the book bored me, such as the discussion of the 2008 presidential campaign. I suspect that might be because it's too recent; I'm still tired of the nonstop politicking leading up to the election. The liberal bias was a touch irksome too, which is telling considering I voted for most of the candidates Watson was praising. (For example, where did he get the idea that Ron Paul was an anarchist? People who are truly anti-government don't run for office under the banner of a major political party. They'd put all their cronies out of a job.) I suspect, being a blogger and a Twitterer and a Facebooker and (sort of) a "millennial" already, I am not the target audience anyway. But once elections were off the table, the rest of the book was surprisingly engaging, and made me want to do more research on my own. The list of links and references in the back alone are worth photocopying.
So in short: I'd recommend this book if you're a jaded would-be philanthropist looking for new opportunities. Yes, the billionaire donors are still the world-changers, but slowly us ordinary guys are banding together and making a difference.
But that's neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that I would not have picked up this book on my own, but I'm glad I read it. It is more or less a discussion of the impact of social media (Web 2.0, Facebook, that kind of stuff) on philanthropy. From Hurricane Katrina to the 2008 US presidential campaign to a myriad of other internet start-up charities, there's a whole lot of information in this relatively slim volume. I was particularly drawn in by the descriptions of Kiva and DonorsChoose, both of which are about reducing the middlemen between the donor and the receiver. I even made a loan on Kiva to Saret Sao in Cambodia. The idea of helping a specific person really appeals to me, and the knowledge of what exactly my money is doing makes me want to donate more. At worst, I don't get my $25 back. I can deal with that. At best, I help a businesswoman grow her business. Which is awesome.
Some of the book bored me, such as the discussion of the 2008 presidential campaign. I suspect that might be because it's too recent; I'm still tired of the nonstop politicking leading up to the election. The liberal bias was a touch irksome too, which is telling considering I voted for most of the candidates Watson was praising. (For example, where did he get the idea that Ron Paul was an anarchist? People who are truly anti-government don't run for office under the banner of a major political party. They'd put all their cronies out of a job.) I suspect, being a blogger and a Twitterer and a Facebooker and (sort of) a "millennial" already, I am not the target audience anyway. But once elections were off the table, the rest of the book was surprisingly engaging, and made me want to do more research on my own. The list of links and references in the back alone are worth photocopying.
So in short: I'd recommend this book if you're a jaded would-be philanthropist looking for new opportunities. Yes, the billionaire donors are still the world-changers, but slowly us ordinary guys are banding together and making a difference.
July 3, 2009
Quick survey of recent trends: the conjunction of social networking and other Web 2.0 media with politcal, philanthropic and other good-cause organizations—Causes on Facebook, kiva.org, the "macaca incident." As often it is with books of this sort, each chapter reads like a free-standing magazine article, with the usual duplications (how many times do we need to be told what a widget is?). The work would benefit from some tighter editing.
The author doesn't even appear to be committed to the ugly neologism of the title. Watson writes on p. xxii: "The nascent online social activist sector (allow me to call it CauseWired to please my publishers)..."
The tone is generally upbeat and uncritical, so it's refreshing that Watson sounds a few notes of cynical realism in the closing pages of the last chapter.
Still, I was introduced to a couple of organizations that I'd like to investigate further, like Razoo.
The author doesn't even appear to be committed to the ugly neologism of the title. Watson writes on p. xxii: "The nascent online social activist sector (allow me to call it CauseWired to please my publishers)..."
The tone is generally upbeat and uncritical, so it's refreshing that Watson sounds a few notes of cynical realism in the closing pages of the last chapter.
Still, I was introduced to a couple of organizations that I'd like to investigate further, like Razoo.
May 13, 2009
A decent (optimistic) snapshot of wired micro-philanthropy and social marketing online. Only useful if you don't know much about this field. I also found it a bit too rosy for my taste--the jury is still out on what impact all of this admittedly encouraging activity will have in the long run.
November 25, 2013
This book is about social media in our current day. It's primary focus is on the use of social media to promote causes, but it also touches on the presence of social media in business and in journalism. It's interesting if you really care about the topic.
February 20, 2009
Good introduction to the "causewired sector". The structure is a bit jumpy, but Watson gets the job done.
Read
March 19, 2009Ok
September 20, 2011
Really excited by the book, and have gone back to reference it a number of times. Says it the way i only wish i could
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews