Religion is the overwhelmingly dominant factor in predicting generosity

Some stats from the book Who Really Cares by Arthur C. Brooks:

1. Religion is the overwhelmingly dominant factor in predicting generosity —religious liberals and religious conservatives are identical.
   1. “Religious” is defined by Brooks as individuals who attend worship service at least once a week (30% of the population) and;
   2. “Secular” is defined by Brooks as people either don’t believe in a deity, or attend a place of worship one or less times per year.
2. Religious people are 25% more likely to donate money than secular people
3. Religious people are 23% more likely to volunteer, and even within the population of people who volunteer, religious people devote twice as much time.
4. Conservative people give more money. Possibly a correlation as religious people are conservative.
5. Political Affiliation (e.g. Democrat vs Republican) itself isn’t the predictor.

I believe it is worth pointing out that the definitions of “Religious” and “Secular” are polarized on opposite ends of the spectrum. There are many who perhaps attend a religious service once a month who would not fit either category as defined by Brooks.

All data from Who Really Cares – Compassionate Conservatism on Amazon.

She made one simple request…

And of course you can help them by simply voting here which then takes you to the Pepsi Refresh Everything Good Idea page for I am Waters.

Technology and Crisis Communication Panel at SXSW. Vote?

SHORT VERSION:

Please vote for my panel at SXSW DON’T PANIC – The Geek’s Guide to the Next Big Crisis

LONG VERSION:

A little more than four years ago I wrote my first blog post. It was about the need for a form of Emergency RSS. We can share celebrity gossip headlines through feed readers faster than we could use technology to respond to a crisis. And this was an important point as I started blogging in 2005 right after and in response to a need to share after Hurricane Katrina. Crisis response and crisis communication has always been a passion of mine, and seeing our government’s mostly failed response in New Orleans compelled me to start blogging and contributing where I could.

Running the company I chose to stay in town during the Hurricane Rita evacuation. While Rita did not hit Houston, instead crushing the gulf coast near Beaumont with little news coverage in the wake of Katrina, we did learn from the Rita evacuation. We used a wiki page on Tendenci (our software) to track down all employees. Employees on the road, which for some of them was 10 to 20 hours during the evacuation, would text their manager’s who then updated the wiki to account for everyone. We quickly knew everyone was OK.

Then last year we prepared for Hurricane Ike which went over our town. When the storm hit the ONLY thing that worked was SMS messaging. No power, no water, no data, no TV. Just radio and text messaging. Luckily we had set up a product called Yammer, which is like Twitter for your company (and they have a business model) and we were able to keep in touch. Data services, which is what your cell phone depends on to get to web pages, went down. Voice went down. The only thing that allowed us to keep in touch with all of our employees and their families was text messaging sent directly and through Yammer.

We learned a lot about the role of tech in a crisis combined with human behavior. Example – an employee’s cell phone would die. They would use someone else’s cell to text a message to their manager saying “we are OK and staying near College Station”. Except that is ALL they would say. We didn’t recognize the number and had no idea WHO sent it! The solution was to train all of our people to put their NAMES at the end of each text message. Seems like a small thing. It is. But it makes it possible to do a head count!

Since 2005 our firm now does the web site for the Houston Red Cross and Reliant Park, both of which are key for Houston Emergency Response planning. We have the privilege of working with Firestorm Crisis Communications and Preparedness and long time clients like crisis communicator Dan Keeney. I have attended Netsquared Houston meetings when David Geilhufe taught us about People Finder Information Format. And I work with people like Jonti and Katie who have helped all of us set up our ICE cards for our families.

Now I need your help. I’d like to continue the dialog on Social Media and Emergency Response. What IS the role of twitter beyond updates? What are the alternatives for Yammer? Is there a cost effective solution for businesses and families? We have come a long way, so let’s talk about it.

PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT on this SXSW Panel I hope to moderate. Without your vote and your comments the panel might not make. And I believe in this topic too much to see that happen. Spare a minute? Please VOTE!

DON’T PANIC – The Geek’s Guide to the Next Big Crisis

Are you and the people you care about prepared? Our panelists will share their crisis stories and tell you how to be ready, both online and offline. PFIF, Yammer, Facebook and iPhones – the technology and strategy is there and getting better, so let’s take it to the next level.

1. How does emergency response and communication relate to the Web? Do developers and small business owners really need to care about Crisis Communication?
2. How can our emergency teams (fire, ambulance, police, etc.) benefit from standardized data sharing? What can I do about it?
3. What does the rise of Mobile Web mean for the next natural disaster or other catastrophe?
4. What tools (Web, mobile and otherwise) are out there right now that my family, friends and company should be using now?
5. As a geek, what are 5 things you should do TODAY to keep your family safe and your business running when disaster strikes?
6. If practice makes perfect, what kind of drills and regular training should your business be doing right now that won’t break the bank or kill your billable hours?
7. What are some of the technical lessons we learned from Hurricane Katrina?
8. Tech and communication stories and lessons from Virginia Tech, Hurricane Ike and beyond…
9. What is a crisis to you and how do you strategically and technologically deal with it internally and for the rest of the world to see?
10. How can you best identify your strongest and most reliable communicators and rock stars during times of crisis? How do you deal with employees that book it and vendors that disappear?

Why am I doing this?

Well, it isn’t for business as I have no financial ties to yammer or twitter or any other messaging services. Tendenci is a content management system that powers associations and sites like the Houston Red Cross, but they are already customers. And ANY emergency response technology must be open source for maximum adoption long term. I just believe passionately in our need to share information and I think technology can help with crisis communication. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter bring a lot to the table. If you, like me, are passionate about this, please vote for the panel “DON’T PANIC – The Geek’s Guide to the Next Big Crisis” and I hope to see you in Austin next March!

Caroline Collective Coworking Space Anniversary

Houston’s own Caroline Collective Coworking Space is having an anniversary party this Saturday!

And a few more related links to the party THIS Saturday at Caroline.

1. Caroline link post: http://carolinecollective.cc/2009/06/04/were-one-lets-have-some-fun/
2. Facebook invite: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184256345206
3. Artshound: http://www.artshound.com/event/detail/25097
4. Mentions on twitter: http://twitter.com/#search?q=@carolineco%20party

I hope to make it on Saturday and hope to see y’all there too! From the announcement:

And a special thanks to the party sponsors step up to offer things to donate and would love to show them some love, including Riazul Tequila, Sweet Leaf Tea, Saint Arnold, 29-95.com, Tacos A-go-go, Danton’s Gulf Coast Seafood, and Aztec Party & Tent Rental.

Don’t Fight It will DJ and the illustrious (you)genious will serve as MC.

Houston Green Scene will be providing the party favors: 2″ biodegradable peat pots with organic potting soil and planted daisy seeds.

The Godfather, The Undertaker, and Informal Systems

In recent talks I have found an anecdote that has worked well to explain the difference between formal and informal systems that most Americans can relate to. The book The Godfather opens with:

Amerigo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and waited for justice; vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonor her. (pg 3)

The two young men who did this were set free by a corrupt judge. Amerigo Bonasera, the Sicilian Undertaker, concludes “For justice we must go on our knees to Don Corleone.” The formal American system in this fictional book has failed our Undertaker. So he reaches out to the informal system in his community; Don Corleone. When they meet on the day of Corleone’s daughter’s funeral, a day “that by tradition no Sicilian can refuse a request” (pg 17), Amerigo asks the Godfather to have the men killed. Corleone refuses and rebukes Amerigo for basically being a rainy-day-friend. Corleone says:

“…until this day you never came to me for counsel or help. I can’t remember the last time you invited me to your house for coffee though my wife is godmother to your only child. Let us be frank. You spurned my friendship. You feared to be in my debt. … Now you come to me and say, ‘Don Corleone give me justice.’” (pg 21)

he continues

“Why do you fear to give your allegiance to me? … if you had come to me, my purse would have been yours. If you had come to me for justice those scum who ruined your daughter would be weeping bitter tears this day. If by some misfortune an honest man like yourself made enemies they would become my enemies” – the Don raised his finger pointing at Bonasera – “and then, believe me, they would fear you.”

…

“you shall have your justice. Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do me a service in return. Until that day, consider this justice a gift from my wife, your daughter’s godmother.” (pg 23)

Justice is delivered on page 53 “… they seemed to be pulps of human beings. Miraculously, said the News, they were both still alive though they would both be in the hospital for months and would require plastic surgery.” – And the Undertaker owes the Godfather.

All of us can relate to this story, particularly if we have children. “I don’t need you! I’m (an adult/in high school/have my own job/etc/etc) now! I can do it on my own!” But really NONE of us can do it on our own, with any level of success at least. It takes support from both formal and informal systems. Success requires support from family, the rule of law, the employer and these days more and more success requires the full support of extended urban tribes.

For Public Relations folks, I like to bring up the shift from formal distribution (traditional mainstream media) to informal distribution (bloggers, youtube, twitter brand attacks). In my opinion, many people in PR and in media DO understand the shift from centralized to distributed (long tail, small pieces loosely joined) media. Yet what they potentially don’t fully understand is the shift in authority from the police to the Don Corleone’s of the world. And let us not forget the Godfather wasn’t exactly a saint, collecting protection money, bribing the police and “knocking off” the competition.

For public relations professionals, the bloggers are hidden (no Bacon’s directory! gasp!). And bloggers are completely biased and proud of it. And have authority far beyond what a small olive importer should have. From the bloggers perspective the world is finally acknowledging their informal system of authority. About time.

Just an observation about the shift from formal authority in the media to a more informal system. And we all need to get to know and be friends with the new kids in town. With respect.

PRSA International NP Social Media Presentatoin Slides Posted

My slides for my talk on Monday in Detroit with the PRSA International Conference 2008 are posted and embedded below. Very excited about co-presenting with Brian Reich of EchoDitto for the first time. As a long time follower of Brian on twitter, I am quite sure this will be an interesting session and we'd love to have YOU there! The topic is Social Media Strategies for Non Profits.

I should also say I am humbled and excited at the same time about presenting on the day that Bob Lutz from GM who blogs at the Fastlane Blog is opening! Wow! While I am not bullish on GM (sorry Bob) , I do love the candor he brings to the conversation.

So here are the slides – feel free to follow along during the talk:

Here are a few helpful links that will make sense if you attend:

1. Corporate Story Telling
2. Cell phone anthropology – this is brilliant in its simplicity and forces major changes to the art of story telling
3. Media Converter – conversion of file types is a BIG deal and the new simplicity of Media Converter is a game changer in my opinion.
4. Apple Brand Love versus Dell Brand Love (if you can call the latter that).

I'd also like to thank @happykatie for all of the help researching and preparing for these presentations. As well as the rest of our team. When I go speak, it is very much a team effort and I really hope folks realize it ain't just me!

On a side note, I have noticed that as I have gotten more active on flickr, facebook (gah I hate their ugly URLs) and twitter, indeed my blogging has diminished. I still want to blog, I still like the "home base" aspect of having a blog. But the immediacy of twitter is so much more compelling and somehow the time to blog is reduced. So if you are wondering where I have been these days, follow me at the above links and we can stay tight, cool? Thanks!

And maybe, just maybe, this guys is write that blogs are dead. Nah.