5 Questions: How To Win Friends And Influence Luddites

This Interview was conducted by Holly Ross and the article was first published on the NTEN Blog in February of 2010.

Ed. Note: As we prepare for the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference, we wanted share a wee bit of the wisdom our speakers will be serving up, so as not to overwhelm you when you get to Atlanta. We’re asking them all to share their answers to five very important questions.

Speaker: Peter Campbell, Earthjustice

Session: The Tech Track

1. What’s the most important trend in nonprofit technology for 2010?

It’s cloud computing, hands down.  I know, I know: Social media! Online fundraising! All well and good, but those are evolutionary trends, cloud computing is a revolutionary trend. As it matures, it will remove the frustrating burden of managing servers and applications from our under-resourced organizations and allow IT to focus on tying systems to strategy, not just keeping the six year old systems alive. That’s a really big deal.

2. Why do you think your session topic is important for nonprofits to address

Because my sessions (the five part tech track) are geared toward helping nptechies — accidental and otherwise — both manage what they’re stuck with today and prepare for the new computing paradigm, which is virtual, not physical.  And, by prepare, I mean more than just learning about the trends and strategies.  The ambitious goal of the tech track is to build a peer community that will help the sector move their IT forward, as a team.

3. What’s the one thing you want attendees to remember from your session?

That they are not alone. You said one thing, but I’ll cheat and add: this new stuff isn’t overwhelming — a lot of it is enabling.

4. Which Muppet do you most identify with and why?

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it might incriminate me. Did you know that, when I was a kid, I had a dog named Oscar?

5. Where can people follow you online (twitter, blog, etc.)?

 

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