Digital inspiration and updates for non-techies
Howard Lake | 20 October 2009 | Blogs
As more and more digital services and social media tools are launched, the more I’m starting to struggle with what I really need to know as opposed to what is nice to know.
Some of the latest stats are just mind-boggling; I did a quick search on google for “twitter tools” and was faced with over 1.6 million results! I know I need to keep up with this but there is just so much information out there.
What we need to know of course depends on what we do. As a user (rather than a developer), I’m interested in how these tools and services can help to raise awareness of causes, improve the credibility of key charities and support fundraising and project delivery activities.
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Therefore, as interesting as they are, some twitter posts, recommendations, blogs and articles just go right over my head. If you sit on the same end of the user/developer spectrum as me, I’ve just discovered a new website which might help to provide some focus on how these technologies can be incorporated into what we do.
Sonaa Lab is a site set up by Sonaa, a digital communications agency, which seeks to offer a broad mix of thinking and views on all things digital. What I like is that the content is written very much with the user and end audiences in mind – ie; results oriented.
The team incorporates a mixture of product reviews, research, musings and real-world examples which makes it more than a blog and provides a home for useful content that wouldn’t normally sit on a corporate site. Content is divided into useful sections which helps the likes of me to focus on what I need to know (I avoid the section headed ‘technical’ for example). I particularly like the section on ‘General Musings’.
Importantly, there’s no overt selling going on. I can simply keep up to date with the digital news that is most relevant to me as well as be inspired by some of their client stories.
For the record, I have no vested interest in Sonaa Lab, it’s just my latest (and very useful) find. There are so many other blogs, sites and portals out there offering advice and updates which I’m sure could also do a good job in meeting my needs. My other personal favourites include:
What other sites would you recommend for a communications-biased user looking to keep up to date?
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.