Is it all just to much for you? The Information Overload Research Group (IORG) may be able to help. The IORG works together to build awareness of the world’s greatest challenge to productivity, conduct research, help define best practices, contribute to the creation of solutions, share information and resources, offer guidance and facilitation, and help make the business case for fighting information overload.

A few information overload tips:

1. Turn email notifications off - save yourself from being constantly interrupted as new emails arrive.
2. Read the entire thread before responding - ensure you are responding to the latest posts and not repeating points already covered.
3. Set aside time for email - designate blocks of time in your day to focus on processing your email.
4. Limit your cc’s and replies to all - only copy people on emails who really need to get the email.
5. Be concise - write clear and concise subject lines and have each email focus on only one topic.

Link to [ Information Overload Research Group ]

The Internet is an attractive tool for promoting and practicing democratic values.  Honestly…otherwise we would not have commented on “Internet on Democracy” in previous posts.  For busy candidates, policy wonks, and activists, however, tapping the Internet’s full potential can be a daunting, time consuming task.  Fortunately, the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet assists politicians during their quest to quickly master the Internet as a communication tool.

As an extension of George Washington University, the IPDI publishes research on the conversion of technology and politics including the following:

Political Advertising Online - Reaching voters through targeted advertising placements and SEO marketing.

Poli-fluentials - Identifying people willing to donate disproportionate amounts of time to campaign efforts.

Politic Rumors - An analysis of political rumors spreading through Egypt.

Link to [Institute For Politics Democracy and the Internet]

London based MySociety.org is a charitable project dedicated to improving civic life through simple and efficient websites.  Guidelines for the organization are streamlined to the core triad of cheap scalability, tangible outputs, and high usability.  Three full-time staff members guide MySociety projects, but a volunteer community of marketing, design, programming and fund-raising professionals help make quick iteration a reality.  Below are some descriptions of current and past MySociety.org projects:

FixMyStreet is a portal allowing UK residents to report graffiti, potholes, litter, etc through a mapping/messaging platform.  After submitting, FixMyStreet redirects the report to the proper officials.

PledgeBank is a collective action platform similar to (but less Robust) than ThePoint.   The site allows users to promote altruistic campaigns reliant on group participation.

NotApathetic encourages citizens to voice reasons for not voting on a public forum.  The project launched for the 2005 UK General Elections but a reincarnation might be beneficial for the upcoming 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.

Anyone interested in championing either FixMyStreet or NotApathetic with me in the U.S.?  If so, please express your interest in the comment section.

Link to [MySociety.org]

WorldCat.org is the world’s largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information.

It lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world. WorldCat grows every day thanks to the efforts of librarians and other information professionals.

The site allows you to:

• Search many libraries at once for an item and then locate it in a library nearby
• Find books, music, and videos that you can pick up at your library
• Find research articles and digital books and audiobooks that can be directly viewed or downloaded
• Quickly link to “Ask a Librarian” and other online services at your library
• Create a personal profile that tells others about your interests
• Build lists of library materials you can share with others
• Post your review of an item, or contribute factual information about it such as historical context

Link to [ WorldCat.org ]

Non-profits dedicated to preventing harmful activity via the Internet can now benefit from CDNetworks Net Plus program. Many non-profit educational groups utilize bandwidth intensive interactive media, resulting in bounced visitors due to long loading times. CDNetworks hopes to improve the performance of educational sites by offering free access to one-terabyte per month on the company’s content delivery network. The CDN enhances the transfer speed and quality of rich media as demonstrated in the diagram below.

The Net Plus program is an extension of the Global Public Service program already operating throughout Asia. Free infrastructure is apparently only available to non-governmental organizations.

Link to [CDNetworks]

Do you know a better way to save cute and cuddly animals than showing people pictures of cute and cuddly animals? Apparently the folks at Animals and Earth didn’t either and that’s ok.

Animals and Earth seeks “to populate the internet world with the best animal and earth images promoting awareness and conservation.”

While a cool concept and promoting a great goal, Animals and Earth isn’t a lightweight on the tech. front either, offering some pretty great looking embedable galleries.

Link to [ Animals and Earth ]

As a single twenty-something male, the “Cyber Bully” phenomena is not highly visible in my world view. However, studies of abuse online suggest lasting consequences ranging from depression and anxiety to suicide. So how can today’s children prepare for the following online problems?

• Cyber Bullies do not always understand the severity of actions since the Internet lacks the feedback of face-to-face interaction
• The inherent distance imposed by the Internet promotes altered behavior
• Cyber Bully victims do not know whom to tell
• Virtual behavior and real-world consequences are disconnected

Adina’s Deck addresses these concerns through an interactive, short-film educating parents, teachers, and children on harassment via digital technologies. Project creator Debbie Heimowitz noticed the “social web” is not always a friendly place and responded with the project as part of her Master’s Thesis at Stanford. Future shorts will delve deeper into specific issues faced by teens online.

Link to [Adina's Deck]