Book Giveaway: Mobilizing Generation 2.0

Ben Rigby of Mobile Voter, and the folks from Rock the Vote have just written a new book, Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web 2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth.   I haven't received my copy yet, so no review (yet), but Ben has kindly offered to give me a book for a book giveaway.   Here's the table of contents if you want to learn more about what's inside.    (I contributed a big picture essay in one of the chapters)

(On a related note, I also got word from Allison Fine that she has released a new paper commissioned by The Case Foundation  about the emergence of Millennials, 15-29 year olds, as activists.  It is about how these young people are using all of their widgets and gadgets for causes.  Here's more about what's in the paper and what isn't.  You can grab the paper from this cool Sprout Widget.)

Anyway, I'm giving away a copy of Ben's book.  Here's how it will work.

1.)  Leave a comment in this post about why you want the book and how you might use it
2.)  Leave your comment before May 9th, 2008 at midnight EST
3.)  We'll pick a winner by random and announce the following week

Comments

[ALeigh]

I'm an undergraduate getting ready to start an internship with a nonprofit that wants me to do a lot with Web 2.0 technologies. I also would like to learn more about the best ways to engage my peers with social issues/ organizations. I have been doing a lot of research and this book would complement it well!

[Crystal Elkins]

I'm the new Director of Marketing (as of 1 week ago) and I have a lot of work to do to bring out online materials up to date. The web 2.0 stuff is pretty darn new to me. So, any information I can find; I'm taking!

[Isaac Holeman]

Hi Beth,

I'm helping create Squarepeg, an online networking tool for people who organize around social causes. We will be working closely with just a few organizations to begin with, and so I'd like to read this book and share notes with these organizations. I'm not exactly a newbie here, but this book looks like it might have some useful case studies to reference if nothing else. I'll probably go ahead and buy it if I don't get it here.

cheers
Isaac

[Jon Camfield]

I'm the tech director at Youth Service America (we organize Global Youth Service Day, which we (ok, I) twittered this year) and I'd love to have a copy of this book to use as a bludgeon on the next person who goes blank when I mention twitter or peer production. I might read it and get some new ideas, too :)

[Ann Marie Miller]

Trying desperately to get what we are calling Generation Next into the act of arts advocacy at ArtPride NJ. Slow moving. Will take all help to move forward. Didn't win the last book :( so will keep on trying. This looks like a keeper!

[Gabe Ormsby]

I'm the "all things tech" guy at Friends of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Having finally gotten reasonably caught up with our web presence and e-mail use, I now have to start the next phase in our outreach. I got a lot of surprise looks from our leadership when I referred to e-mail as an "old technology that the kids don't use," so I'm going to have to be a leader within our organization for this process. A good guide would be of much help.

[Christopher]

While I will probably pick up a copy of this on my own, your offer to give it away, given some persuasive evidence, is genius!
Also, I think a book like this could be a good crowdsourcing activity.
I have a household full of millennials that are involved in local politics who rarely use the web to organize (they rely on friends/word-of-mouth). Do you think they might take the time to read such a text?

[Jeane Goforth]

While I'd likely get a lot out of the book, the commenters are my treasured take-away! Thanks!

[digitalsista (shireen)]

I work with national organizations like Community Technology Centers Network. Our Youth Visions project allows youth to create media and getting them to speak with their voices is key to the projet. This book would help our members look at ways to add new media tools to the project. As for most nonprofits money is tight anything to help with costs like a giveaway is a huge benefit to the organization.

[Beth Kanter]

@christopher - I think the book readership is aimed at folks who work at nonprofits and want to reach these young people. It would be interesting to hear what they think about the book - will the reaction be like - yuck my mom wants to friend me on Facebook?
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2008/04/what-this-digit.html

[SocialButterfly]

Hi Beth,

Great idea! As a millennial myself, I'd love to learn more about how to engage my peers. I've already done a lot of research on millennials for a workshop I did for Special Olympics, so I'd love to compare my current research with what the book says and then combine recommendations to put into action on other campaign work aimed at Millennials that I do for my day job.

Cheers,
SocialButterfly

[Steve Heye]

Hi Beth,

I just marked this book as something I wanted to read. As a teen that grew up within the YMCA movement, I have something of a passion for these types of subjects. The conversations around social media, web 2.0 and social networking have just started here at our YMCA national headquarters. The more practical and solid examples of uses of how we can use these tools the more likely I am to be able to build support. We are already talking about how to target our new YouTube nonprofit channel to the youth. Love your blog!

[Maureen Meyer]

Why would we want a free book? 1. We are so cheap that more than half our budget is in-kind (we're the largest food pantry and community kitchen in the county plus about a million other things)so free is just about right, 2. We are so slammed, (numbers on meals and food are up 30-60% depending on the demographic) there is no way anyone would be allowed to go to the book store, in fact I hear them looking for me to come do who knows what, and 3. I had to define the term blog in a board meeting...3 months in a row. Has any of them read it, no. Has any staff or mgmt read it.....I shall comment no further, but I need some help! I shall use it to dominate the Web 2.0 for poverty, hunger and homeless advocacy and change. The bludgeoning idea is brilliant too....

[Chuck Warpehoski]

The organization I direct, the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, is, well, gray. This book would help us learn the skills and, more importantly, the mindset to adapt to the next generation of activists. After all, they aren't going to adapt to us.

[Megan Keane]

I'm a little too old to be a "millennial", but as an online community manager involved with using online social networking tools to help nonprofits, I am very interested in finding out more on this subject. I gave a recent workshop to student activists on using social media tools for online activism & I would love to hear more about strategies to engage and mobilize folks for social change, be they boomers, millennials, gen X or anywhere in between.

[Donnie Peterson]

You can let me out of the competition for the book as so many have expressed a more critical need than I have.

But post this comment about adoption curves and Boomers and I will be forever yours!

I think its safe to say that Boomers view the Internet differently then Gen Xer's and later generations. Research into the intuitive behavior of youngsters interacting with computers in general versus other generations might validate my hypothesis that: "kids are quicker at adopting technologies than adults." I have no proof (yet), but anecdotally I am acutely aware of the way my older friends and family scan and interpret the computer interface; there is something unnatural, uncomfortable and awkward about relating to the medium for most older folks. I suspect it has something to do with a standard normal distribution of adoption and social structures that help us learn. Kids may be more open to discussing and sharing what they don't know about--like finding cheats for a video game--where as older generations lose their natural network of "tech support" and different types of phobias and shamefulnesses may arise. As the graph indicates, there is a slope between different generations--maybe not as steep as we thought, but its there.

Now I am not trying to start some sort of generational warfare here! Clearly there are extremely savvy users waaaaaaaaaaay out in front of the curve (like you and other experts in the field), but I think if we were to study a good sample of the population, we would learn that pedagogical approaches toward anything computer-ish must consider age as a primary learner assessment. We need to get Boomers thinking like kids again: if something is really neat and exciting our Early Adopter friends need to share and get the curve going. Revive the Social to unlock the Media! Social Media is just another wrinkle in the "What" to teach category--but creating social ties between Innovators and the Mass Majority, now that is powerful because that is pipeline for anything to be successful. Once Boomers can model Innovators and Early Adopters like yourself Beth, they will follow in droves with curiosity and confidence!

I am looking forward to that day when all of our community is HIP to Social Media and connected to the greater cause of charitable work! Until then, having a discussion like this is tantamount toward achieving that aim.

[Cat Michel]

I'm leading the Mission Recognition blog about engagement, and we're particularly interested in how to engage youth. This book would greatly inform our writing and upcoming panel discussion on the subject!

[Margaret Reindl]

This is exactly where I'm heading with the non-profit I work for. Reaching millennials has been our challenge and this book is on my list regardless. Thanks Beth!

[Rikke]

Hi Beth

I am a communication worker at a Danish consultancy and trying to set up a new international portal for knowledge sharing within development. I would love to involve young people (as myself, I guess, age 28). Also, I have recently started blogging in Danish (www.denlilleforskel.blogspot.com)on how you can make a difference in your everyday life -focus is on ICT4D, social media and volunteer work. I am relatively new in the field and eager to learn more. The book seems like a good place to start.

:) Rikke

[Ben Rigby]

Thanks for blogging about the book, Beth - and thanks all for your interest in it! To all who didn't win, some resources from the book are listed here: http://blog.mobilevoter.org/book-resources.html and Wiley has published a whole chapter here: http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/43/04702274/0470227443.pdf

cheers,
ben rigby