Even Michael Skoler who leads Public Radio International’s interactive activities was surprised by the huge turnout for Ira Glass’ live version of his popular radio show, This American Life.
Wrote Gigaom’s Mathew Ingram, “More than 30,000 watched the first digital show at hundreds of theaters across the U.S. and Canada in the spring of 2008. The [...]

Dog lovers, civic-minded coders, Civil War buffs and cyclists have two things in common.
They are ardent about their special interest and thus they are more likely to be active in an online community.
They want to share their experiences and know-how with others who feel as passionate as they do about their special interest.
Some want more. [...]

“I had a woman in Idaho tell me that her options for employment went from one job to hundreds because of her ability to work from home after receiving broadband,” said DigitalBridge founder, Kelley Dunne.
In partnership with others including Internet providers he offered online access to rural or otherwise “underserved areas of the country such as [...]

What makes a community abundant in this new new normal world? In this uncertain economy where budgets of local governments and non-profit budgets will continue to get slashed, it is especially heartening to read the mutual-reliance message inherent in this book.
How Communities Can Run Leaner and Better
Rather than rely solely on outsiders and related funding [...]

If a hotel can become famous for leading ducks across their lobby at 11:00 then certainly your business can become more well-known for some simple ritual that customers like to photograph and tell others about and reporters love to cover.
In fact it’s surprising that so few businesses and other organizations see the power of memory-making [...]

Become an opportunity-maker for the member organization that most matters to you. Imagine that your association or special interest group kept innovating to create more value and meaning for members.
That’s what TED has done and we can too by taking three collaborative steps over time:
1. Offer a single major conference  – as most associations already [...]

If you see people sneaking around a neglected lot, digging in the dirt, they may be guerrilla gardeners. Like using your cell phone to send city officials photos of potholes in the street, it’s another sign of the new wave of community-building and sharing.
Other fresh signs of sharing are sliver time volunteering, co-housing, book swaps, the [...]

We can now pay less for some services and products we want. Venture capitalists are betting millions that we will love this approach.
It’s a fresh take on group buying. Several online start-ups negotiate for their members deep discounts for products/services – provided that enough would-be buyers sign up within a limited time frame.
They offer [...]

If villagers living in the midst of poverty and war can be nudged to work better together with just three simple rules (honed via a parental competition study) and a reward (money, in this case) then maybe your group (team, board, committee, etc.) could too:
1. The village leaders (or your project leader) are elected by secret ballot.
2. The village (or your group) [...]

You don’t have to be religious to have a deep faith in the power of compassion. With it people who act and believe differently can not only work and live together in harmony they can enjoy a richer, more adventuresome life.
They can collaborate. They can accomplish greater things together than they could if they just [...]