Who you gonna call?

Over the past few months, I have come to really appreciate having resources that I can go to in my times of need, when the ghosts of social media future raise their ugly heads, and make my software, hardware, or my  basic understanding of simple concepts go completely nutzo.

I’m sure you know the feeling- you are clicking on all the right buttons, or you download a software that is supposed to be “easy to use” and for some reason, everything refuses to work!  Below are my three favorite websites to go to when I need a little help, guidance, or just some reassurance that I’m not alone in my struggles.

1.) Wild Apricot’s blog

This blog, written by chief blogger Rebecca Leaman is put out by Wild Apricot, a member management software company.   Rebecca, and other bloggers who post have a phenomenal knack for explaining detailed social media processes in understandable terms, while also giving you lots and lots of information.  My personal favorite posts are ones like this one that she wrote about Free Online Image Editors– she outlines the good, the not so great, and the useful aspects of different online tools, that I would not be able to find on my own, or not know what to do with if I did happen to stumble across them.  They also post a list of around 30 free webinars each month, which I really appreciate!

2.) Tech Soup blog

The main website, Techsoup.org, bills itself as “the technology place for nonprofits,” and offers all sorts of resources, trainings, and donated and discounted technology products for nonprofits to purchase.  Their blog is excellent, providing lots of detail at a relatively basic-moderate level, and it offers lots of room for growth.  Someone who is just starting out can get just as much out of their posts as someone who really knows their technology stuff.  My favorite thing about this blog is that it seems to ask and answer all of the questions that I have, and also the ones I didn’t even know I had to ask.  Take this post about building low cost nonprofit websites–  they clearly spell out what resources are out there, what previous knowledge you should have before trying to use those resources, and the hidden costs associated with going with “free” resources.  They also organize the resources right at the end of the post, so you can quickly locate them and get exactly what you are looking for.

3.) Amy Sample Ward’s version of NPTech

Amy Sample Ward is one smart, fun lady 🙂  I really like how she seems to write posts only about things that interest her, but remarkably almost all of them seem to be about things I need to know.  One of my favorite posts by her outlines steps for developing a social media strategy– she concisely outlines the main steps, but then includes excellent resources after each step, that teach just as much, so it’s like getting ten blog posts in one!

So don’t fear those computer ghosts… you know who to call 😉