Web Watch: Dipping Your Toe Into the Blogopool

Online Fundraising Blog
FirstGiving's blog spotlights what organizations are up to and features best practices. It's a nice way to see who's doing what. onlinefundraisingblog.com

Tactical Philanthropy
Blogger Sean Stannard-Stockton produces a Philanthropy Daily Digest that can help you stay on top of what's happening throughout the industry, which is most handy. You also can follow him on Twitter if less is more in your world. tacticalphilanthropy.com

If you're new to the blogosphere and not sure how to navigate, swing by alltop.com or technorati.com. These sites aggregate the blogosphere for you, making it easier to find who's writing about what. You can 
see what's percolating broadly in the blogosphere or search for issues that directly relate to your work.

Now that you've got your back-to-school reading all mapped out, how do you keep it organized? Most blogs have RSS feeds (RSS = really simple syndication), which make it easy to subscribe to your favorites without having them 
clutter up your e-mail inbox or constantly revisiting the blog.

I'm a fan of Google Reader, which describes itself as "an inbox for the Web." For more info, watch "How to Use Google Reader" at www.you
tube.com/watch?v=Ltttw5yORv8 to learn how to subscribe to different blogs, organize your subscriptions and more. It's great for those who find the whole thing intimidating or overwhelming.

Once you get the feel of what these bloggers cover, don't hesitate to leave comments or send them e-mail about what's happening at your organization. In fact, 
commenting is how you create 
dialogue and move past a "broadcast" approach to communicating. It's what Web 2.0 is all about. Add to that, most bloggers are always on the prowl for new content. As long as you're tuned in to who they 
are and what they write about, they'll likely be delighted to hear from you.