Qui Diaz, director of strategy at Livingston Communications took the time to compile 50+ ways to give to charities this holiday, including options for those folks with more time than money.

Sean Aune at Mashable has an awesome roundup of 100+ websites for job listings, resume reviews, networking and more. Companies are still hiring, so if you’re looking, one of these might be a good fit.

An oldie but goody – Cyan Ta’eed at Freelance Switch pulled together a mega list of freelancing sites in case you’re thinking of picking up some extra work or going solo for the new year.

If you’ve spotted other great round ups, share them in the comments section!

I had such a great time this summer that I’m volunteering for NTEN’s office hours program again this fall. Of course, it’s only fun if you show up, so bring your printing, WordPress, blogging, twitter and general communications issues on over every Tuesday from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm. You can also find other experts by browsing the new sidebar widget.

Not an NTEN member? That’s ok – office hours are now open to the general public! This is a great way to get expert advice and help for your organization.

Technology Programs That Engage and Support At-Risk Youth
Designed by Karen L. Michaelson | Tincan

Audio from session

The Search for Sneezers: How to Find First-Time Donors in Epidemic Proportions
Designed by Philip King | Artez Interactive

Audio from session

Building, Growing, and Sustaining a Vibrant Online Community – How to Reach Beyond Traditional Tools into the Web 2.0 Sphere
Designed by Ms. Susan Tenby | CompuMentor/TechSoup

Audio from session

E-Advocacy: Mission over Membership
Designed by Mr. Charles Lenchner | DemocracyInAction.org

Audio from session

He’s also given me an illustrated coaching moment, so I’m doubly grateful.

Here is the original list, presented in order as they arrived.

Here is the topical sort Christina Jones from eBeauty Daily created for the revised order post.

See how much easier it was to find what you might be interested in?

Our brains love order and organization, although we ourselves may, at times, struggle with doing so. One of the reasons WordPress became our software of choice was the ability to categorize them easily, to allow people to find what they’re looking for faster and easier.

Planning out your categories can be approached in two ways. One is to randomly add them as you need them; the other is to follow a careful outline that dovetails your business plan. Whether or not you perceive it or not, the minute you begin publishing on line, you’re in the business of you, which means a rough idea of where you’re going is always a good idea.

Mike Yoskovitz over at I Got News For You.com has a great post on his Top 4 Mistakes as an Entrepreneur, including this gem:

Now more than ever, with blogs, podcasts and the reach of the Internet, networking is insanely easy, but the bulk of that is done in the great beyond…don’t forget your own backyard. You can’t replace meeting people face-to-face, and building a solid foundation at home.

Peter T Davis of Small Business Forum.com has an interesting post about four types of money-making websites that can be launched and run by one person; it is designed to help inexperienced people take their first step into building money-making websites, so it’s a little basic for some, but it’s a good list of the basics.

Hendry Lee over at Weblog Scout has a great list of 8 business models for bloggers. I agree with him 100% – if you want to generate revenue from your website or blog, have a plan. It doesn’t need to be fancy, or elaborate, but at least begin with an idea of where you want it to go in time. It will also help you maintain your motivation to blog when the going gets rough.

Hendry also has his free eClass promoted at the top of each page, and I assume you are also auto-subscribed to his newsletter as well. Establishing a separate communication vehicle allows him to reach people in other ways to both generate revenue and bring them back to his blog. This is an extremely effective tactic for the models he covers in 4-6 and without it, you’d be leaving significant cash on the table.

It was interesting to see the diversity of posts submitted; unlike carnivals, these lists came in a wide range of topics. I’m only partially through the list, so expect more updates as I find new gems.

Traditionally, retailers seeking to reach local populations have used coupon services such as ValPak and RSVP card decks to reach their desired target market. Google Local hopes to expand the number of local businesses who use its service (which is free) regardless of whether or not they have a website.

It took me all of four minutes to enter a test coupon, approve my listing and quit the application. Overall, this is a very impressive implementation. Most interesting was Google’s verification system – I was able to verify my listing via a phone call, which leads me to believe that Google is close to rolling out its Click to Call program.

If you’re interested in learning more about using coupons to grow or expand your business, here are some good resources:

Entrepreneurial Connection: Use Coupons Effectively
Entrepreneur: Promote Your Business With Coupons and Contests

Good luck! If you’re already working with Google Coupons and have a success story, please use the comments section to share your results.

I was able to get a better recording of the panel discussion on engaging constituents with user driven technologies. You can download the .wav file of the discussion featuring success stories from PETA, TechSoup and CERF by following this link. This was my first attempt at live recording, so it’s a little rough, but the panel was outstanding, so if you’re interested in increasing user participation, give it a listen.

I’ll be catching up with some longer posts on the conference and breakout sessions as soon as I get back. There has been tons of great information already, and we have a full day tomorrow before we’re finished.

NTC06 | Web 2.0

Both sites let you add venues, specify event type and invite others to attend. Since both sites are still fairly new, users should plan on using the web tools from Upcoming to popularize their events (see our shiny new badge below my flickr album) and gain new users. Both sites also offer the ability for users to add comments. This is a great feature since it allows you to collect feedback from your happy guests/customers/clients. Both sites are presently free and place no limits on the number of events you can add.

You can use tools like these to promote either your brick and mortar location (as we’re doing with Sydney’s) or upcoming lecture, podcast, seminar or festival. The clean and easy to follow interfaces make it a snap to distribute your information to a wide variety of audiences.

Eventful | Upcoming | events | Web 2.0