TWO interesting developments in the Third Sector – the space between public and private organisations.
First, former Prime Minister Tony Blair hands out some advice to other Third Sector organisations as a result of his involvement in charity work.
Blair’s out-of-government office has now set up four separate organisations which all appear to loosely fit the term, Third Sector.
The four organisations, two of which are termed Foundations, have been set up to concentrate on climate change, sport, Africa and Faith.
Blair, who is also a Middle East peace envoy, concludes that partnership is the key to success for his and other Third Sector organisations.
Blair says: “comparing my old and new worlds, I’d say that in philanthropy, unlike politics most of the time, you can genuinely welcome others alongside you.”
Of course, post-Iraq, the difficult question for Blair now is whether organisations are willing to be associated with him in pursuit of their noble and good causes? Or whether the association damages the cause?
Secondly, an established and successful social enterprise, the ECT Group, has been taken over by the stock market listed private company, May Gurney. More on Partnerships: Blair’s post-Iraq advice – and a social enterprise is taken over…

THE age of the citizen journalist has arrived – and that’s official.
YouTube has this week created a special ‘reporter channel’ where anyone can upload film about news and events in their local community, organisation or business.
The channel is designed to encourage ‘citizen journalists’ to share their own films about news and events with the wider world.
YouTube say their ‘reporter channel’ is specifically aimed at airing ‘on-the-spot’ film, student newscasts, interviews with community figures, comment on issues and even professional journalists seeking a wider public for their work.
It goes on to provide a wide range of examples of the work of ‘citizen journalists’, from interviews with a local Mayor in the US, to Tibet protests at the Olympic torch procession in Canada, captured on a mobile phone.
video://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHfd1nDv48A

Now anyone can become a reporter – and they can broadcast from their very own YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, as Hillary Clinton bows out of the Democratic race for President of the United States, the Independent on Sunday greeted the dawn of a new era in political reporting thus:

“a first-of-its-kind election dominated by bloggers of all political hues, by citizen journalists armed with camera phones and cheap digital recorders, and played out on YouTube and across the web.”

It goes on to describe the dynamic and influential role so far played by ‘citizen journalists’ in the US election – a trend which looks certain only to increase as the battle between Obama and McCain intensifies.
Whether Britain will ever embrace this exciting new age of digital communication with quite the same enthusiasm, open-ness and commitment remains to be seen.
But one thing is clear – effective communication with global audiences is no longer the preserve of multi-millionaire media tycoon’s like Rupert Murdoch.
And that can only be A Good Thing.

RADIO 4′s Today programme has been broadcasting a new series of special reports on the care of elderly people.

This morning’s report provided a powerful reminder of exactly why the BBC is still the best public service broadcaster in the world.

Reporter John Manel told how he had enlisted a 70-year-old woman to go ‘undercover’ in a care home for almost a week – and keep a secret audio diary.

What was utterly enthralling about the report was the freshness of the insights provided by the volunteer, Debbie Davies, trustee of the charity Compassion in Care. More on Life in a care home…

HOW many people would watch a 37-minute speech by a politician?

Few of us would guess that five and a half-million people would have tuned in.

But that’s how many people have apparently so far watched Barack Obama’s ‘More Perfect Union’ speech on YouTube.

In its entirety.

The Democratic Presidential contender has other impressive on-line statistics: $235million dollars so far donated by 1.5 million individuals, 8.3 million people watching the ‘Obama Girl’ video on YouTube, record numbers of friends and supporters groups on Facebook.

All of which led to Obama being hailed as the clear leader in digital politics during a fascinating live debate on the impact of the internet on the American Presidential election, sponsored by the Financial Times, the US Embassy in London and YouGovStone.

More on Obama leads the way in digital politics

A FASCINATING experiment in using digital communications to engage with readers was carried out today by one of the North West’s leading daily newspapers.

The Liverpool Daily Post used the internet to break new ground and reach out to its readers by becoming the subject of its own ‘Day in the LIfe’ special.

The paper began the experiment on its web site with a live blog starting at 7am, giving readers the chance to interact with its reporters, editors and other contributors throughout the day.

Staff provided as-it-happens accounts of what they were working on and readers were able to post their own comments or questions in response – including their suggestions for stories.

The Daily Post Editorial conference – which decides what goes in the paper the next day – was filmed as it was chaired by Editor, Mark Thomas. The film was later uploaded on to YouTube so viewers could witness how some editorial decisions are made.

The day-long experiment was hampered by some predictable technical glitches, but seems to have been generally welcomed by on-line readers as a brave attempt by the traditional, mainstream media to engage with its digital audience.

It provided an insight into the previously closed world of newspaper production – helping make the media more transparent and accountable. It also gave a close-up of the extraordinary new demands which are being placed on journalists as technology advances.

This is Part 2 of the Daily Post’s Editorial Conference.

Google has done it again.

The web giant has today started to accept donations to aid the relief effort in cyclone-hit Burma.

Google has created a special web page to channel on-line donations direct to Unicef and Direct Relief International.

It has also pledged to match every penny, cent, or yen donated – up to $1million.

While Burma’s military junta stand by, Unicef have already managed to fly in emergency supplies.

Direct Relief International too are making some progress in helping the relief efforts.

All of which goes to show that Google – company motto ‘Don’t be evil’ – appears to be more effective than the frustratingly impotent Western governments at sidelining the Burmese generals. And helping people in real need.

We wonder which British company (or even a North West-based global arms dealer?), will now volunteer to follow Google’s lead and demontrate their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility in such a direct and practical way?

The giant arms dealer, BAE Systems has been accused of acting unethically by the former Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf.

We are only surprised that anyone is surprised. Have you ever heard of an arms dealer that acts ethically?

Cynics would say that such a concept is as tautological as, say, a PR company that acts ethically.

Let us leave that particular argument to one side – for the moment. More on Can a global arms dealer ever be considered ‘ethical’?

With the bruising Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America showing no sign of ending either quickly or painlessly, the formidable Republican contender John McCain must be rubbing his hands with glee from the sidelines.

With that in mind, we thought we would share with you this brilliant YouTube insight into the current Republican President, George W. Bush – and the unknown, but obviously extremely gifted, ‘spin doctor’ who has helped craft the public persona of the most powerful man on earth. We hope you enjoy it.

video://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0f6_B9w5LE

SOUND Communication provides ethically-based PR, media relations and communications services.

We are a social enterprise founded on ethical values.

We believe in social and economic progress, human rights and respect for the environment.

If you share these values, we would love to work with you.

We are an independently regulated Community Interest Company (CIC), run co-operatively and based in Manchester and Liverpool.

As a social enterprise, our profits are ploughed back into the company to develop our business and to benefit our community.

We define our community as:

social enterprises, co-operatives, charities, trade unions and other Third Sector organisations and others committed to social and economic justice, human rights and respect for the environment

Does that include you?

We want to work with anyone – public body, private company, Third Sector organisation, or individual – who shares or supports our values.

Or who wants to do business differently.

As long as it’s SOUND.

A SURVEY from America may give us an insight into the future shape of communications here in Britain.

Despite prophets of doom forecasting that the days of the traditional media are dead – or at least rapidly dying – are US cousins appear more optimistic.

Almost two thirds of the 1200-plus American journalists surveyed by PR Week, still see room for newspapers and magazines in the future, even though many are now also called upon to blog their reports, download podcasts, upload to YouTube, shine the editor’s shoes, etc, etc, etc.

So journalists in America are underpaid and overworked and being asked to do more and more in the digital age? No news there – or here, across the Atlantic.

But perhaps there is interesting news for our clients in the sources of information listed by both traditional and non-traditional journalists.

A staggering 89 per cent said company web sites. Almost 74 per cent specified Google; slightly less said e-mailed press releases; with just over 70 per cent saying a ‘conversation’ with a source, or a personalized e-mail from a PR person. Almost half of those surveyed relied on newswires with just 13.9 per cent relying on RSS feeds.

A subject we shall be returning to in the future, no doubt.