Google for Nonprofits Newsletter - June 2012

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Leslie Hernandez

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Jun 29, 2012, 8:13:02 PM6/29/12
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Google for Nonprofits Newsletter - June 2012
June 29, 2012
In this issue
By the way
What's new
Tools in action
Expert corner
Connect


By the way TOP
Greetings from the Google for Nonprofits team! Google worked with some awesome nonprofits in June. Recently, the World Food Programme was featured as YouTube’s June “On The Rise” nonprofit partner, and was included in the “Spotlight” section of the YouTube homepage. Google also joined NGOs and heads of state at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20. Finally, Google partnered with HandsOn Network to create HandsOn Tech, a program that pairs U.S.-based nonprofits with individuals who are passionate about technology and looking to make a difference. Read on for more updates on Google Search, Endangered Languages and Google I/O. Have a wonderful and productive July.
What's newTOP
image Project Re-Brief, the Documentary
Google introduced Project Re-Brief, a collaborative experiment to re-imagine classic ads of the 60's and 70's through digital advertising techniques. The result was ads that not only informed, but also connected, engaged and entertained users. The experiment was documented and edited into a 2-hour film, which was showcased at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It is now available on YouTube. This project was designed to fire up imaginations on what technology can make possible, and might be a great creative springboard for your organization.
image The Endangered Languages Project Launches 
In an effort to help preserve languages that are on the brink of disappearing, Google launched the Endangered Languages Project. Backed by the Alliance for Linguistic Diversity, this site gives those interested in preserving languages a place to store and access research, share advice, and collaborate. People can share their knowledge, research directly through the site, and help keep content up-to-date. For more information, visit the main website, which may give you ideas on how your organization can collaborate with users.
image A Tribute to Turing, the Father of Modern Computing
On June 22nd, Google celebrated the 100th birthday of computer scientist Alan Turing. Universally recognized as the father of modern computing, Turning introduced two key concepts to the public, 'algorithms' and 'computing machines', in 1936. Google supported Turning’s legacy by helping the coding center Bletchley Park purchase his original papers and more recently worked with the London Science Museum to exhibit, 'Codebreaker - Alan Turning’s Life and Legacy.'
image Become a Google Power Searcher!
You might be familiar with some shortcuts for Google Search, like using the search box as a calculator or typing a movie name to get local start times in your search results. But if your organization would like to learn more, Google is offering Power Searching with Google, a free, online, community-based course showcasing these techniques and how you can use them to solve everyday problems. Registration is available here, and the flexible two-week courses start on July 10th.
image Google I/O 2012
Google I/O, our annual developer conference, took place June 27th - 29th in San Francisco. The event held 130 technical sessions, 20 code labs and 155 Sandbox partners, and was a great forum for community building and idea exchange. Visit the main I/O page to see how the Google Developer Relations team connects individuals across the world with Google technology, such as weekly office hours hangouts and Google+ updates. You can watch the recorded keynotes and sessions here, including Sergey Brin’s much talked about Project Glass demo.
Tools in action: Get SchooledTOP
image Get Schooled – a nonprofit using technology to motivate youth in education – uses Google Analytics daily to better understand user behavior and alter its content and promotions to best meet the demands of these users. Each week, the Get Schooled team monitors unique visitor growth and online navigation behavior. The team also utilizes some of the recent enhancements to Google Analytics like visitor flow, which allows the team to isolate and drill down to visually see how people navigate through the website.  

Recently, they saw that Twitter was driving a high percentage of weekly online traffic to a particular program (celebrity wake up calls.) Knowing this, they increased pre-promotional outbound tweets around upcoming wake up calls and leveraged the reach of their 30,000 Twitter followers. ‪As a youth-focused nonprofit, this real-time data is critical for them to stay connected to and relevant with their consumers.
Expert corner TOP
image

This month we caught up with Ben Wallace, Product Marketing Manager, Google Crisis Response, to hear how nonprofit organizations can take advantage of Crisis Response. 

Q. Why is Google Crisis Response important for nonprofits?
A.
 The goal of the Crisis Response team is to make critical information more accessible in times of disaster. We use data which exists to help nonprofits, governments, first responders and others to act on the ground during natural disasters and times of crisis. We provide aid to response efforts by giving them relevant information or working with them to make information more available. We also try to provide a means for people to get in touch with Nonprofits, for example, working with them to help people donate to their cause. We also set up pages that feature charities involved in particular disaster relief. 

We accomplish this with our various tools, which are available to users. The full list can be found on our main site, and include Public AlertsPerson FinderCustom Google Maps, and Fusion Tables

Q. Can you share any cool stories of nonprofit organizations using Crisis Response products?
A. There are many examples, as Crisis Response involves many applications. One example pertained to the response efforts of the 2011 Christchurch, NZ earthquake. David Knight was a resident who witnessed the destruction and was inspired to do something. He and his co-workers used the Google Maps custom maps tool to pull important information, ranging from water and food resources to shelter, on websites and spreadsheets and convert that information into maps for easy access. With a group of PR volunteers, they spread the word on their shared map so citizens could have access to information. For more information on this case study, refer to this page

Another example occurred during the 2011 Japan Earthquake in Toyko. Google Person Finder was used extensively by individuals such as Rie Kawai and Aki Kohata who were able to locate their missing grandfather. Toshiko Ayano used it to find 5 missing relatives

Q. What are some new features in Crisis Response that nonprofits should know about?
A. This section of the Google.org site offers a list of all our resources, along with case studies that pertain to the products. These are real life examples of how various individuals and emergency response crews used Crisis Response technology to aid in relief efforts. 

Q. Where can nonprofits go to find resources and support for Crisis Response?
A. Crisis Response is part of Google.org, so its main site offers context on our team. You can find a link to the Crisis Response page off the Google.org site here. That page also provides useful information and links to other Google.org projects, such as Google Flu & Dengue Trends and of course, Google for Nonprofits. 

ConnectTOP
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