For years the Jewish community has lagged behind general society in creative and effective use of technology and new media. This observation (and personal frustration with it) was the genesis of Darim 10 years ago. There are many obstacles – skills, staffing, design, willingness to take risks, or to know where to take risks. And of course, money. In recent years a number of creative, and largely independent, social entrepreneurs in the Jewish community have taken matters into their own hands, building and launching interesting applications on a shoestring, sometimes at night while holding down a full time job to pay the bills. But in general, the organizations, their audiences, the designers and programmers, and the funders haven’t been speaking the same language. Some people are preaching open source and others and pressing CDroms. Where do we go from here? Three of the nation’s largest Jewish foundations – the Righteous Persons Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation – have announced the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund to help energize the community to focus on the need for new media innovations, and to help bring them to life. While a pool of $500,000 injects important dollars to jumpstart new and support developing projects, I think this fund — and the role of three prominent foundations — is a critically important statement to the community. This is not optional anymore. This is our present, and our future, and there is no time to waste. I know a lot of people with some very creative ideas, and this is a tremendous opportunity for us to recognize the talents that exist within the Jewish community, and to take advantage. The fund intends to support interactive, digital efforts that are creative and impactful, and which and engage with Jews and Judaism in ways that promote moremeaningful and vibrant Jewish life in the 21st century. The Fund will support individuals, 501c3 non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and for-profit businesses. Collaborative projects are welcomed and encouraged. All the details and the application form are here. Deadline is November 22, 2010. Funding decisions will be made in February, 2011.
Tag: jewish
Renegotiating Boundaries: Technology in the Home in Sh’ma
Peggy Orenstein, in her New York Times Magazine article this past weekend, considers the impact of opening up her family via Skyping with her parents 1500 miles away. She writes:
Now, I like my parents. A lot. I really do. Thats why I make the 1,500-mile trip to visit them three or four times a year. I did not, however, spend the bulk of my adult life perfecting the fine art of establishing boundaries only to have them toppled by the click of a mouse. If I wanted them to have unfettered access to my life, I wouldnt have put the keep out sign on my room at age 10. I would have lived at home through college. I would have bought the house next door to them in Minneapolis and made them an extra set of keys…
To Skype or not to Skype, that is the question. But answering it invokes a larger conundrum: how to perform triage on the communication technologies that seem to multiply like Tribbles instant messaging, texting, cellphones, softphones, iChat, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter; how to distinguish among those that will truly enhance intimacy, those that result in T.M.I. [too much information] and those that, though pitching greater connectedness, in fact further disconnect us from the people we love.
Every new technology, from the telephone decades ago, to streaming video cams these days, and everything in between, beg many questions about how much information we want to share, where we will draw our boundaries, why, and how.
In this month’s Journal S’hma, I offer some thoughts on how these tools can enrich and starve our Jewish homes, and how we can draw on Jewish concepts of community, home, family and values to guide our intentional decision making about how, when and why we will use (or not use) particular technologies. Because ultimately, it’s not about the technology, it’s about relationships.
Read the S’hma article and share your thoughts, experiences and approaches on the new S’hma website, or leave a comment here on JewPoint0.
Jewish Organizations Using Twitter to Strengthen Relationships and Built Their Case
Twitter, the “microblogging” platform where users can post updates of 140 characters or less, in making inroads in the Jewish community. Many organizations are using this tool to open communication channels with their constituents, building relationships and in some cases making the case for funding through their regular posts.
I’ve written in the past about Twitter (IDF and Digital Intimacy). In this challenging economy, others are finding that with no fixed costs and just a bit of time, they can spread their message through a very networked and connected audience. Tapping into these viral networks is powerful. For example, yesterday Clay Shirky, NYU professor and author of Here Comes Everybody was a guest on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. When @TOTN (@ denotes a Twitter username, and TOTN is the username, standing for Talk of the Nation) tweeted that he would be the guest, 9 other people that I follow “retweeted” the message within one hour. In this way, not only the 2469 people who follow @TOTN got the message, but easily over 25,000 others did as well.
Below is a list of a few Jewish organizations using Twitter. If you are, please add your Twitter username in the comments so we can follow you. And please also share other Jewish organizations you’ve found on Twitter, or other organizations/people whom you think use the platform effectively, and why.
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@URJ — Union for Reform Judaism Sample tweets:
Resources for congregations to learn and discuss the situation in Gaza: http://urj.org/israel/
Rabbi Eric Yoffie on the tragic loss of life in Mumbai: “Our grief deepens”: http://urj.org/pr/2008/mumbai/
@JStreetDotOrg — JStreet Sample tweets:
If you need help talking about Gaza, check out J Street’s FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/86jq2j
We’re asking Obama’s new foreign policy team to prioritize Mid-East peace: http://tinyurl.com/57x39f
@JewishDaySchool — The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle Sample tweets:
WinterBreak is almost here! Enjoy the Seattle snow and check the JDS website for closing information should the need arise.
Check out the pics of Grandfriend’s Day at www.jds.org! Thank you to everyone for making this event so beautiful! Shabbat Shalom!
@PresenTense — PresenTense Sample tweets:
Visiting with Gesher City in Boston — they might have a job for you http://tinyurl.com/8yb3dc
Anyone want to rap CRMs? Specifically, CiviCRM and why we’re leaving Salesforce
Your favorites? Write a comment! And… come follow us at @DarimOnline Twitter.com/DarimOnline