Podcasts about nptech

Welcome to the Elevate Your Event Podcast, where we talk about how to plan and execute an unforgettable event that will dazzle your guests and generate more income for your organization. From fundraising and securing trending auction items, to event production and logistics, get the best tips and advice from seasoned fundraising and event professionals who have been in your shoes.   Powered by Handbid

How can nonprofits fundraise during a crisis without sounding opportunistic or worse, tone-deaf? Whether it's disease, war or natural disaster, there always seems to be an emergency in the headlines. One thing is clear: in times of crisis, people become more empathetic and generous—and not just to causes directly related to the emergency. Data from the pandemic now shows that people gave to a wide diversity of nonprofit organizations. So why were some nonprofits able to expand while others felt sidelined and had to consolidate? A more nuanced look at the data delivered across the board revealed that those that did the best during the pandemic did two things: They asked for donations often, and they contextualized their appeals. Steven Shattuck, the Chief Engagement Officer at Bloomerang, looks at the data they and others collected and shares the takeaways that nonprofits can apply to their development strategy. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep53 ** What we discussed: • Why directly addressing a crisis can help you raise money • How to avoid the trap of a scarcity mindset • What is necessary for a humanistic appeal to supporters • Blending old and new technologies to build strong connections

The word “community” is frequently thrown around in nonprofit communications. But what does it actually mean, and what does it take to form a true community that provides value and drives increased repeat giving? At a time when nonprofits struggle with donor retention, efforts to tap into identity, increase value to donors, make them feel more invested, and retain them year after year, have to be a top priority for every nonprofit development, marketing and communications professional. Louis Diez, Director of the Annual Fund at Muhlenberg College believes describes his superpower as building communities of purpose that energize donors and raise donor participation and major gifts—and he has the numbers to prove it. Louis joins The Nonprofit Hero Factory to share how he builds communities that deliver ROI both to donors and to the organization, and how other nonprofits can do the same. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep52 ** What we'll be discussing: • Why communities are critical to nonprofit organizations • Four factors that define community • How building communities of purpose energizes donors and raises donor participation and major gifts • How to create a community where people are so involved that it becomes a part of their identity • The best way to get donations without asking for them directly

There's a new individual giving report, and the good news is that household charitable giving is on the rise. The bad news is that over 80% of new donors don't give to the same nonprofit again the following year. The biggest difference maker? Treating donors as individuals, understanding their motivations, and reinforcing how your work connects to their personal identity. In other words: personalized, story-based communication. Today, for example, people are generously donating in support of Ukraine, which is on our minds because of the invasion, violence and humanitarian crisis we are witnessing. For Boris, the crisis in Ukraine goes much deeper than what we are seeing on TV, but how likely are most people to continue giving when another crisis dominates headlines? Are we just locked in a cycle of emergency response giving? Tim Sarrantonio, the Director of Corporate Brand at Neon One, an integrated network of products and support for nonprofits, knows that finding accurate data and making connections between data and the broader story is the key to successful nonprofit fundraising. Neon One's data report, Donors: Understanding the Future of Individual Giving, was released on March 8. He's here to talk about what they discovered. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep51 ** What we'll be discussing: • Where to find strong, relevant and timely data about individual giving behavior • What objective data says about what's actually happening now • How data and storytelling come together to improve donor retention

Whether you participated this year or not, the reach and impact of GivingTuesday is undeniable. Nonprofits in the U.S. alone raised $2.7 billion in 24 hours. Millions of people around the world gave money, time and voice to the causes they care about. But it's not as simple as saying it's GivingTuesday and asking for money. We invited Kathleen Murphy-Toms, GivingTuesday's Director of Digital Strategy, back on the show to talk about what works, what doesn't, what to do now, and what's next for the movement after 10 years. Not surprisingly, we had a lot to talk about… ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep50 ** What we discussed: • The growth of GivingTuesday and what's next • How nonprofits can use GivingTuesday as a springboard • Why the scarcity mindset is counterproductive • Cause coalitions to raise the tide (and more donations) for all • Creating and harnessing urgency • Preparing for a great GivingTuesday 2022

“If you approach the wrong donor the wrong way, then you will leave money on the table and you'll lose them at hello." All your donors are not alike. They may all have one thing in common: they want to support your work. But their motivations and interests may vary widely. Understanding why they support you and how they prefer to do so can make the difference between greater support and alienation. Unlike actors, they're not going to ask you “what's my motivation?” Instead, that's a question that you should be asking them. Sybil Ackerman-Munson of Do Your Good has helped funders give away over $45 million to nonprofits whose work aligns with their own ethos. In the process, she identified three donor archetypes, based on their motivations. Sybil joins the show to explain how nonprofits can better understand and communicate with each type of donor to create better, more beneficial relationships for both sides. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep49 ** What we'll be discussing: • The importance of positive messaging even in dire times • Three three categories that every donor falls into, and what that means for your fundraising • How to determine what type of donor each person is • The problem with the competitive scarcity mindset • Opportunities and fundraising advantages of collaboration

Most every organization keeps records of their donors—whether it's in advanced CRMs or simple spreadsheets. But there's a wide gap between keeping records and maximizing donor data to build strong relationships that raise more money. Regina Alhassan of ResearchPRO joins us to share her strategies for collecting valuable data, tracking it over time and allocating your resources and your requests accordingly. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep48 ** What we'll be discussing: • The types of data nonprofits aren't tracking well • Using data to build relationships • Maintaining data integrity in your database • Screening donors to match your ask to their capacity

What website trends should nonprofits be conscious of in 2022? The last two years have dramatically changed the way that the world connects and does business. Everything possible went online in 2021, and with it, the noise level has made it harder and harder to capture attention, make a connection and inspire action. If nonprofit websites don't keep up with visitors' expectations, they're likely to lose more potential heroes than they gain. In this episode, Boris looks at the 5 biggest trends from 2021 and 5 ways nonprofit websites must respond if they are to achieve their goals. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep44 **

For most nonprofits, the cost of a cybersecurity professional seems unjustifiable. However, the cost of an attack could be catastrophic. (And if a cyberattack sounds like something that happens to large tech companies, you haven't been keeping up with the headlines.) Fortunately, there are simple approaches along with low-cost tools and training that can help mitigate those threats, help you meet requirements and help you sleep easier at night knowing that your supporter data, funds and, more importantly, supporter trust is secure. Joshua Peskay of RoundTable Technology started out as an “accidental techie” in a small nonprofit, so he understands the struggles they face. He joined us on the show to talk about the risks, the tools and the strategies for minimizing and managing the threats that we all face today. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep43 ** What we'll be discussing: • The threats that nonprofits are facing and the pressures they're feeling from all sides • Challenges of justifying cybersecurity costs to supporters vs. the true costs of not being secure • Free assessment tools and trainings to identify and shore up weaknesses • Three simple, inexpensive measures that nonprofits can take to dramatically decrease the risks of cyber attacks • A plan for starting and not feeling overwhelmed

When Greg Harrell-Edge first joined CoachArt, they were doing great work in the Los Angeles area. They knew that there were so many more kids who could benefit from their services, but with their current systems, it was taking 7 hours to match one child to a volunteer. In the last 5 years since Greg joined, CoachArt has quadrupled impact, doubled revenue, quintupled cash reserves and have now gone nationwide. The journey began with questions about what was holding them back, and what it would look like if they could grow. That led them to exploring and adopting technology and dramatically changing their story. Greg joins us to talk through the challenges they faced, successes they've realized and how other organizations can adopt innovation into their own strategy. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep40 ** What we'll be discussing: • Identifying the bottlenecks and obstacles in a nonprofit's work • The growth questions every nonprofit should be asking • Developing and adopting tech solutions that help you scale without breaking the budget • Persevering in the face of pushback and setbacks • The impact of innovation on culture and fundraising

Are nonprofit fundraisers forgetting that donors are people and alienating them in the process? When it comes to campaigns, donors are commonly segmented into convenient, pre-defined buckets, based on the amount of and time period since their last donation. While that's a good starting point, its assumptions and lack of nuance may be doing more harm than good. The truth is that nonprofit donors don't see themselves in terms of your fiscal year, your budget or your segments. Segmenting and communicating with them based on their last gift or trackable trend reduces your relationship to “what have you done for me lately?” T. Clay Buck, an individual giving consultant, has performed countless database audits and has witnessed this alienating segmentation trend too many times. Clay joins us this episode to share his approach to finding the story that donors are telling organizations, and challenging the standard segmentation processes, to make a more personal connection and increase donor engagement. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep31 **

Whether you're a nonprofit development professional, a staff member, or an individual with a passion for making the world a better place, asking for money is often a dreaded necessity. The only thing worse is the possibility of not being able to provide the service that your community needs. How can we overcome our fears and roadblocks to ask for funding with confidence and increase the number of yeses we get? Andrew Frank has been fundraising for projects and organizations his entire professional life. Now the Executive Director of NYC Children's Theater and consultant to numerous organizations, Andrew teaches his step-by-step approach to nonprofit execs, development professionals, board members and even individual artists. He joins us to share his process for overcoming fears, approaching prospective donors, crafting a four-part pitch, and making the ask in a way that is most likely to get a “yes.” ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep30 **

The world of fundraising and giving is evolving rapidly. Online fundraising has been growing at 20-43% annually over the last three years. As of 2020, it accounted for 13% of all donations, far outpacing the growth of giving overall. As the landscape and tools develop, so do the strategies for best engaging and converting donors. Steve Daigneault has spent nearly two decades leading digital marketing, fundraising, and advocacy programs for nonprofits. He joins Boris this week on the Nonprofit Hero Factory to discuss some of the emerging trends and best practices in online fundraising; breaking down how nonprofits can incorporate them into their campaigns and overall development strategy. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep28 **

GivingTuesday Director of Digital Strategy Kathleen Murphy Toms shares strategies, tips and hacks for getting the most out of GivingTuesday and launching your year-end fundraising campaign. In its nine years, GivingTuesday has become the largest philanthropic movement in history—with activity in every country on the planet! And it's showing no signs of slowing down. With that success, come new opportunities and new challenges for nonprofit fundraisers looking to participate. ** Episode Links and Shownotes: https://nphf.show/ep26 **

What role should innovation play in fulfilling your nonprofit's mission? How do you justify allocating precious resources to technology and moonshots versus on-the-ground work? Sarah Lee, COO of New Story, joins Boris to talk about how nonprofits can leverage technology and innovation to create a great impact on the world. Whether you're a small community-based organization or a Silicon-Valley-based Y-Combinator graduate like New Story, this episode is guaranteed to inspire some conversations at your organization.

Strategic Planning Consultant Joseph Barretto joins Boris to discuss how nonprofits can create and maintain a strategic plan that keeps the organization on-mission during good times, tough times, and black swan events like pandemics. What should nonprofits be thinking about as they plan for their futures today? What are the questions they need to be asking themselves and their clients regularly? And, with the accelerated shift to life online, how can nonprofit organizations incorporate technology in serving their communities and their staff?

Sam Horn, CEO of Intrigue Agency, shares techniques for crafting nonprofit stories that start conversations, intrigue your audience and inspire them to action. Whether it's a donor pitch, a virtual meeting or a face-to-face conversation, Sam and Boris discuss how to use story to illustrate the power of your work and gain the trust of your audience for your nonprofit.

Matthew Quint, Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School, discusses the challenges and opportunities nonprofit brands are facing today. Boris and Matthew talk about what defines a brand and how your brand can be an authentic voice that rises above the noise. They also discuss the importance of understanding your donors and how you can connect with them using your brand's story to help them understand your purpose and support it.

Overall giving rose 2% in 2020 compared to 2019 while online donations grew 21%, according to the Blackbaud Institute Charitable Giving Report. Steve MacLaughlin, vice president, production management, at Blackbaud, visits this episode of the Fresh Research podcast to break down the data and what you need to know about 2020 giving. The report is […]

From donor acquisition to management and reporting, how you manage your data can make all the difference. How do you choose a Constituent Relationship Management system and when should you build your own? And how do you make the most out of the new tools?

From donor acquisition to management and reporting, how you manage your data can make all the difference. How do you choose a Constituent Relationship Management system and when should you build your own? And how do you make the most out of the new tools?

When it comes to stretching resources, most nonprofits focus on minimizing their spending and maximizing donations. But many are not taking advantage of everything their data and technology have to offer. From donor engagement to setting and measuring ROI, to scaling your impact, Isaac shares his insights on how your data can take your work to the next level.

When it comes to stretching resources, most nonprofits focus on minimizing their spending and maximizing donations. But many are not taking advantage of everything their data and technology have to offer. From donor engagement to setting and measuring ROI, to scaling your impact, Isaac shares his insights on how your data can take your work to the next level.

How have funders responded to COVID-19? What should nonprofits do in turn? And how has this pandemic changed the field ina the near and long terms? As the Programs Manager at Candid, Tracy Kaufman has a front-row seat to the challenges that grantmakers and nonprofits are experiencing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. What's working, what isn't, and what's next?

How have funders responded to COVID-19? What should nonprofits do in turn? And how has this pandemic changed the field ina the near and long terms? As the Programs Manager at Candid, Tracy Kaufman has a front-row seat to the challenges that grantmakers and nonprofits are experiencing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. What's working, what isn't, and what's next?

Boris talks to Marian Stern, Principle of Projects in Philanthropy, who shares how nonprofits are impacted and advice on how to pivot during COVID to create your budget, reach out to donors, share your message and stay true to your mission while creating new funding needs. Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep4

Boris talks to Marian Stern, Principle of Projects in Philanthropy, who shares how nonprofits are impacted and advice on how to pivot during COVID to create your budget, reach out to donors, share your message and stay true to your mission while creating new funding needs.Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep4

Boris talks to Mike Ruman, founder of Reach the Lost, about nonprofit funnels—automated systems for finding audiences looking for your work and converting them into heroes and supporters, while maximizing the use of your Google Ads grant.Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep3

Boris talks to Mike Ruman, founder of Reach the Lost, about nonprofit funnels—automated systems for finding audiences looking for your work and converting them into heroes and supporters, while maximizing the use of your Google Ads grant.Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep3

Boris and guest Russ Johns talk about how nonprofits can use video to engage and grow their communities on—and generate content for—social media. Russ's superpower is building communities through video, something he's been doing for nearly 20 years. Today, as the host of the daily #PirateBroadcast, Russ knows a thing or two about showing up, talking and really listening to his audience. Learn about the tools and strategies that you can apply to your nonprofit's engagement strategy on LinkedIn, Youtube and other social media channels.Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep2

Boris and guest Russ Johns talk about how nonprofits can use video to engage and grow their communities on—and generate content for—social media. Russ's superpower is building communities through video, something he's been doing for nearly 20 years. Today, as the host of the daily #PirateBroadcast, Russ knows a thing or two about showing up, talking and really listening to his audience. Learn about the tools and strategies that you can apply to your nonprofit's engagement strategy on LinkedIn, Youtube and other social media channels.Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep2

In this first episode, host Boris Kievsky shares the goals for and personal inspiration behind this series. Sharing his own personal story that brought him to this point in life, and why he now dedicates his time to helping nonprofit organizations. Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep1

In this first episode, host Boris Kievsky shares the goals for and personal inspiration behind this series. Sharing his own personal story that brought him to this point in life, and why he now dedicates his time to helping nonprofit organizations.Shownotes and links at: https://npherofactory.com/ep1

Click to learn more about TidyHQ: https://tidyhq.com On this episode of Tidy Conversations, we interview Lynton Joseph, the Director of the Australian Academy of Tennis Coaches.  Lynton is also a local tennis coach and on the committee of the East Coburg Tennis Club in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a wedding celebrant and has overseen the expansion of his academy to 8 countries including India and China.  - Socials Website: https://www.tidyhq.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tidyhq Twitter: https://twitter.com/tidyhqapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidyhqapp Founded in 2015, TidyHQ is revolutionising how organisations of all sizes manage their administration, sell memberships, merchandise, event tickets, handle meetings, tasks and provide an environment that is easy to hand on to the next generation. We built our technology because too many organisations are relying on disconnected systems, bits of paper and spreadsheets to set the maintain the most important systems in the organisation, and therefore leaving enormous governance, memberships and succession risks and ultimately cash on the table. Essentially, we're nerds and we love it. - TIDYHQ.com - Support the show.

Click to learn more about TidyHQ: https://tidyhq.com A former professional athlete, Ned Coten spent 14 years in sports management running professional basketball and football organisations across Australia. A chance meeting led to a career in brand development, advising brands including Heinz, Wrigley and Novartis as the MD of Acorn Brand Design. Ned had lead projects with some of Australia's leading sports organisations on branding and marketing and continues to do so. Ned is now the Chairperson of Basketball Australia. - Socials Website: https://www.tidyhq.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tidyhq Twitter: https://twitter.com/tidyhqapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidyhqapp Founded in 2015, TidyHQ is revolutionising how organisations of all sizes manage their administration, sell memberships, merchandise, event tickets, handle meetings, tasks and provide an environment that is easy to hand on to the next generation. We built our technology because too many organisations are relying on disconnected systems, bits of paper and spreadsheets to set the maintain the most important systems in the organisation, and therefore leaving enormous governance, memberships and succession risks and ultimately cash on the table. Essentially, we're nerds and we love it. - TIDYHQ.com - Support the show.

Click to learn more about TidyHQ: https://tidyhq.com On this episode of TidyConversations, we interview Sean Callanan who loves sorts digital and started the agency Sports Geek. You can hear more from Sean on his Sports Geek Podcast, the top ranking sports digital podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. For more info go to SportsGeekHQ.com. Sean is also on the steering committee member for internationally recognised SEAT Conference driving the digital track. You can connect with Sean on Twitter @SeanCallanan. - Socials Website: https://www.tidyhq.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tidyhq Twitter: https://twitter.com/tidyhqapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidyhqapp Founded in 2015, TidyHQ is revolutionising how organisations of all sizes manage their administration, sell memberships, merchandise, event tickets, handle meetings, tasks and provide an environment that is easy to hand on to the next generation. We built our technology because too many organisations are relying on disconnected systems, bits of paper and spreadsheets to set the maintain the most important systems in the organisation, and therefore leaving enormous governance, memberships and succession risks and ultimately cash on the table. Essentially, we're nerds and we love it. - TIDYHQ.com - Support the show.

For several years now, Chris Brogan's blog has been a must-read for anyone who wants to use social media productively. Add his thriving practice as a speaker, the fact that he co-founded PodCamp, and his New York Times bestseller Trust Agents (cowritten with Julien Smith) along with two other books (Google+ for Business: How Google's Social Network Changes Everything and Social Media 101)......and his now-legendary 2009 presentation at New Media Atlanta, where he brought an angry backchannel into the open and won it over......and you have a shoo-in for the social speech hall of fame — not to mention someone well worth listening to on the subject of social media and public speaking. Especially because he'll explain what you, as a speaker, can have in common with the Grateful Dead. The links:Chris Brogan: blog, Twitter, Google+Chris on his New Media Atlanta sessionhis company, Human Business WorksCliff Atkinson's The BackchannelGentlemint

With this episode, we flip the mic (metaphorically) and talk with someone who's a lot more used to writing speeches than delivering them. That's not to say Ian Griffin isn't at home behind a lectern; he's an accomplished speaker and a skilled communicator.If you're in the tech industry, you've probably heard his words; Ian has worked in executive communications at Cisco, Hewlett Packard and Sun Microsystems. He's also incredibly generous with his time and expertise, as many Silicon Valley communicators who've attended one of his presentations can tell you. In this interview, he asks why we put so much effort into creating a speech, and then fail to do that little extra bit that can help it reach far more people... and he offers lots of ideas for what that little extra bit can be.Ian Griffin's blog, Wikispaces hub, LinkedIn profile and Twitter feedWikispaces, Slideshare, Twitter search, HootSuiteCliff Atkinson's The Backchannel (yep, it came up again!)

The social web has gone a long way toward changing what it means to be in the audience at a speech – making an audience member less a passive spectator listening to a monologue, and more an active participant in a conversation among peers. And nobody does that quite like Nancy White – except she doesn't just rely on digital technology. She's one of the best group facilitators in the business, working all over the world with everyone from small community groups to Fortune 500 companies. You can see her approach at work in the March of Dimes' Share Your Story site, which several years on is still one of the examples we cite the most often of how online community can make a real different in people's lives. So who better to kick off Episode 1 of the Social Speech podcast? A few links: Nancy White on Twitter Nancy's company, Full Circle Associates Free tools for integrating PowerPoint and Twitter (for Windows) courtesy of Timo Elliott Timo's Mac-friendly integration between Prezi and Twitter Alex's case for recognizing online life as real, too: her Harvard Business Review blog post and her TEDx Victoria talk Photo by kk+ Graphic: A quick sketch I did of Nancy at Northern Voice a few years ago

If you're involved in public speaking – as someone who delivers speeches and presentations, or as an executive communications practitioner, or as an event organizer – then this is for you. Over the next several weeks, I'm going to share conversations I'm having with some of the smartest people I know about public speaking and social media: how connected audiences are transforming the world of presentations, and how some forward-thinking speakers are making the most of it. I'm calling it the Social Speech Podcast. You can find the feed here or subscribe on iTunes. Here's the introductory episode; the first interview will go live next week. But please – don't let my schedule hold you up. Give this intro a listen, and if you have thoughts about the Social Speech (I've posted some of mine here) then please share them in the comments. Or email your text or audio comment (up to 25 MB) to rob@socialsignal.com. Thanks – and I'll look forward to hearing from you!

What do you think about Citizen Philanthropy? This week's guest is Dan Morrison, founder and CEO of Citizen Effect, a nonprofit organization that provides citizen philanthropists with the tools and networks to execute community development projects around the world. Citizen Effect gives people the ability to choose their project, leverage their social networks, and communicate directly with their partner community. Learn more at www.citizeneffect.org.

What do you think about Citizen Philanthropy? This week's guest is Dan Morrison, founder and CEO of Citizen Effect, a nonprofit organization that provides citizen philanthropists with the tools and networks to execute community development projects around the world. Citizen Effect gives people the ability to choose their project, leverage their social networks, and communicate directly with their partner community. Learn more at www.citizeneffect.org.

Stacey Monk, CEO and Co-Founder of Epic Change which launched the original TweetsGiving celebration in November 2008 as a 48-hour celebration of gratitude and giving that successfully raised over $10,000 to build a classroom in Arusha, Tanzania. Stacey is a former management consultant who has spent her career working with leaders in the public and private sectors to successfully create, lead and navigate organizational change. She is a graduate of the Heinz School of Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University, and previously worked with Deloitte Consulting, Genentech and the Santa Clara Social Services Agency before launching her own firm, Funken Consulting.

Stacey Monk, CEO and Co-Founder of Epic Change which launched the original TweetsGiving celebration in November 2008 as a 48-hour celebration of gratitude and giving that successfully raised over $10,000 to build a classroom in Arusha, Tanzania. Stacey is a former management consultant who has spent her career working with leaders in the public and private sectors to successfully create, lead and navigate organizational change. She is a graduate of the Heinz School of Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University, and previously worked with Deloitte Consulting, Genentech and the Santa Clara Social Services Agency before launching her own firm, Funken Consulting.

It's the start of our favourite season here at Social Signal: the run-up to Valentine's Day. For us, it's a celebration of love, togetherness and community. And what better way to express that togetherness than through a podcast? That's why we're launching a new experiment, Bedtime with Rob and Alex. It's a podcast that captures the knowledge, insights and passions of our online community and Web 2.0 explorations -- whether that involves a new way of looking at online collaboration, or a new piece of software for looking at online pictures. As partners in both bedroom and boardroom, we get to explore these questions 24/7. (Don't you talk about RSS aggregation after your baby wakes you up at 3 a.m.?) But we've long noticed that our most creative, wide-ranging conversations often happen at the very end of the day, as we're comparing notes or sharing what got us most excited. (Not that kind of excited. Usually.)And now we're ready to see whether our king-size bed has enough room for two adults, two kids, a dog and an iPod. For the next ten days (just until Valentine's Day!) Bedtime with Rob and Alex will share our conversations as we wind down. Check it out and let us know whether what happens in the bedroom should stay in the bedroom, or whether you're enjoying the chance to eavesdrop. Our first episode, What's missing from the Web 2.0 menu? (recorded February 4th) asks why there are still unmet needs amidst the overabundance of social web applications. Would Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Yahoo! help fill in these gaps....or erode the quality of existing solutions? You can subscribe here. Tune in and let us know what you think!P.S. For those of you who are curious about Alex's solution for menu-planning on the Mac (as discussed in the podcast), it's a program called YummySoup. It lets you import recipes from sites like Epicurious and Martha Stewart, and turn ingredient lists into grocery lists.

Episode #2 of the Social Signal podcast features an interview with design ethnographer Kelly Goto, who explains why testing for usability is a must in the era of the social web. We also list some of the events coming up on the Social Signal calendar.Some of the links mentioned in the podcast:Our calendar of upcoming eventsRegistration for the NTEN webinar seriesThe Northern Voice blogging conferenceRegistration for Web 2.0 and Your Organization with Alexandra Samuel and Jason MogusKelly Goto's company, gotomediaThe books Kelly recommends:Steve Krug, Don't Make Me ThinkKaren Donoghue and Michael D Schrage, Built for UseKelly's book:Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works

Does your organizational structure support web innovation or inhibit it? Learn how to make the most of your own team's structure from the web strategists at two very different nonprofits: Corrie Frasier, Online Communications Manager for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Jed Miller, Director of Internet programs for the American Civil Liberties Union. In this, the first edition of the Social Signal podcast, Corrie and Jed talk about everything from how to get senior buy-in to your web strategy, to how interdepartmental cooperation helped the ACLU respond effectively to NSA spying.