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The Benefits of CSS Browser Tools

Firebug Editor

Those of us familiar with front-end user interface development such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, understand the pains and complexities of Cross-Browser Compatibility. For most others, the main thing that matters is how a web site or application displays and functions in their browser(s) of choice. Because of the challenges browsers present, front-end interface development has become a critical part of web development.

How We Use Twitter at Forum One

TwitterWe have described previously on this blog how Forum One approaches social media in general, as well as our experience with SlideShare and Scribd. In this post, we'll discuss the current glamour child of social media, Twitter.

Should Your Organization Use Scribd?

Many of our clients at Forum One produce large numbers of PDF documents (reports, studies, policy briefs) which then are placed in a "documents" section on their web sites. The challenge these organizations face is then making these documents as widely accessed as possible.

One way to increase attention to documents is to use Scribd, a third-party document sharing site (or in shorthand, "YouTube for documents"). We have had good luck at Forum One using Scribd for our clients.

The Voter Information Project

It's election day in the Commonwealth of Virginia -- the state in which most Forum One staff call home. Today we'll elect a governor, a lieutenant governor, attorney general, and 100 house delegates. Thousands of people woke up this morning seeking answers to these three questions:

Forum One's Experience with SlideShare

SlideshareWe recently described how we use social media at Forum One. Today we'll talk about the category leader for posting and sharing PowerPoint presentations, SlideShare.

Vote For DataMasher in Apps For America 2

datamasher imageOver the past month, I had the privilege of being the Forum One Project Manager for a fun, open-source web application development contest: the Apps for America 2: Data.gov Challenge.

The Revolution is Twitterfied

Five years ago, CNN and 24-hour news channels and personal blogs captured US citizen dissent at the 2004 Presidential election results (or lack thereof). In 2008 TwitterVoteReport attempted to provide real-time election monitoring as US citizens posted voting experiences to their Twitter feeds. Concurrently the Obama campaign leveraged every social media tool in the book to engage US citizens, empower them with ways they could help, and ultimately contributed to winning the next presidency.

Data Going Mobile - We MAY Be Moving Beyond the "Nifty Idea" Phase

I had the great fortune last week to get to Mobile Tech 4 Social Change barcamp here in DC. The event was organized by Katrin Verclas of MobileActive.org, hosted by Google DC and sponsored by Forum One and Mobile Commons. The small-but-high-value crowd included a nice mix of mobile techies and non-profit professionals (mostly in international development or global health).

Publishing Research? Move Beyond the Book with a Web Application

Many readers of this blog work for influential organizations that produce top-tier research. Chances are still pretty good that these organizations capture their work, first and foremost, in formal reports that appear as hard-copy books and, in online form, PDF files. To be clear, I don't necessary fault this move - there is still nothing that says "important" and "credible" like a book (not to mention: who isn't looking for a nice think-tank tome to take on their mid-Winter beach get-away!).

Strategies for Visualizing and Sharing Policy Content

This is a cross-post of an article written for the NTEN newsletter and blog.

Policy-oriented organizations have long produced dizzying amounts of statistical content. In the past, rows and rows of data would die a quick death in thick policy reports or inscrutable spreadsheets. Don't let your data fall victim!

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