How can computer, Internet & network technology be used by the staff and supporters of mission-based organizations - nonprofits, non-governmental organizations/NGOs, civil society, public sector agencies, schools - to benefit individuals, communities and the environment? What tech tools, resources, systems & practices are proving most valuable to these organizations, including their volunteers? What are the cultural & financial conditions and other factors that influence tech use by these groups? How can an organization know if a new tech tool that's all the buzz is here to stay or just a flavor of the month?

Each month, Tech4Impact attempts to answer some of these questions. Tech4Impact is less about techno-jargon & more about the human factors in using computer & Internet tech to benefit people, communities and the environment.

Tech4Impact is produced by Jayne Cravens. Much of its content is eventually incorporated into http://www.coyotecommunications.com

IMPORTANT NOTICE THAT WILL REMAIN HERE UNTIL YAHOO CHANGES: I use many of Yahoo's tools (YahooGroups, YahooMail & Flickr), thereby contributing a great deal to the company's resources and, as a result, its bottom line. I am DEEPLY disturbed that Yahoo admitted to providing Chinese authorities with info that led to the imprisonment of journalist Shi Tao; he is serving a 10-year prison sentence for sending an email using his Yahoo account that included info on the Tiananmen Square massacre. Sadly, Shi Tao's case isn't the only one where Yahoo helped a government imprison someone for peacefully exercising his human right to freedom of expression, a right entrenched in international law and the Chinese Constitution. Yahoo is contributing to human rights violations. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. Please take action! See http://www.hrichina.org/public/highlight/index.html or simply type "Shi Tao" into any online search engine for what you can do.