We've posted a proposed pilot project approach to "Jump-Start the Global Development Commons Content Ecosystem" to our global development Commons wiki.

In 1999, while reflecting on work we'd done for the US Environmental Protection Agency, some colleagues and I had an idea for a “project coordination web page” where project documents, a schedule, and staff contacts could easily be listed. Having worked with teams involving government workers plus private sector contractors, I thought this idea offered huge opportunity for efficiency increases, simply by creating a shared space which different members of the same team could all access easily.

I've seen some recent news about the huge rise in enrollment in online college classes concurrent with the rise in gasoline prices. The articles report students saying that rising gas prices are a big concern in their deciding to seek online courses.

The Nature Conservancy today launched a major overhaul of ConserveOnline, supporting knowledge-flow and coordination between “conservation practitioners” around the world. 

The US election season is in full swing ("are we there yet?" plead the kids...) and one of the more interesting related online political efforts is the "Ask your Lawmaker" service of Capitol News Connection (CNCNews). We worked with CNCNews in 2007 on the strategic planning for the new service, and we also did the information architecture. 

I'm at Forum One's second annual Online Community Business Forum this Monday and Tuesday. Our Bill Johnston and Jim Cashel have put together a great selection of smart speakers and attendees, an invitation-only gathering of about 70 people from community software businesses, media properties, investors, businesses using online community for customer service or building market presence, and others.

We're pretty excited about the "Global Development Commons" concept that USAID's Administrator Henrietta Fore is recently promoting (see her video on this below). And an upcoming "Document Freedom Day" I think shows a key potential path to build the GDC with a focus on open standards.