FabianPattberg.com » Social Media

The strong voice of the CSR community

Fabian — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:07:24 +0000

It is now exactly 7 days ago that a storm in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) world broke out over an article by Aneel Karnani published in the Wall Street Journal titled: ”The case against Corporate Social Responsibility”.

In the article he argued that the idea of companies having a duty to address social ills is not just flawed but that it also makes it more likely that we’ll ignore the real solutions to these problems.

All week last week the reactions to this article from around the CSR community flooded in. People tweeted on Twitter, shared on Facebook and emailed from one practitioner to the other arguing for and against this point of view. Some reactions where in support of Mr Karnani but the majority where criticizing the simplicity of his argument and absolutely disagreed with his assessment that CSR in itself as a business principle was flawed.

This is a list of some of the reactions by authors and websites:

I do not want to go into detail what my view on this article is but if you have read my blog for a while you will know that I am all for CSR as a business concept and that in my view no organization now and in the future can allow itself to not take some aspects of CSR in account in order to make more money and take up its role as a responsible business in our society.

In any case. For me this strong reaction by the CSR community showed a lot more then the passion of some individuals.

My interpretation of this reaction from the CSR community to this article

Over the past few years a lot of people in the CSR community have been become increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress within global organizations to continue to implement a more material and meaningful CSR programs and practices within their business. At the same time more and more so called “business experts” started to make their voice heard and strongly criticized the whole purpose of CSR and its value for business. Common arguments include the lack of focus on the business case (ie. whether it makes the individual business more money embracing CSR) and the time is not right to lay further constraints on business growth (especially during an global economic downturn) by increasing its overhead costs and pulling vital budgets away to further strengthen CSR practices within a business.

The CSR Community is ready to face its critics: Last weeks reactions to the WSJ article showed that the CSR community is ready to face its critics and argue its way to increased recognition. It showed that there are many people out there that are willing to stand up and argue in favor of CSR, highlight the best practice and usefulness for the individual business and business as a whole across the globe.

Social Media and CSR is a winning combination: It has furthermore become very clear that social media as a tool is vital for the future of CSR. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are and will continue to be the three cornerstones of the next phase of CSR in terms of communication and collaboration. The more people join in to share their ideas, examples and experiences to make CSR the business norm, the more we will be able to convince business across the globe that CSR is not just a business fashion but that it is able to adapt and change to include the latest trends and best practice as well. Adapting in a way that CSR is providing a voice to all diverse stakeholders opinions and that organizations which are willing and able to listen to these voices will hugely benefit from this in the short in long term.

For me as a member of the CSR community, this last week was a very encouraging week.

What was your view on the discussion and reactions of people to the WSJ article? I would love to hear your viewpoint.

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnorman/436670816/

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A great way to show your appreciation and support publishers in the Sustainability / CSR field

Fabian — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:28:35 +0000

Some of you might have noticed that there is a button on each post and on the main site called ‘flattr’.

What is flattr?

flattr is a social micropayment platform that lets you show appreciation for the things you like, help support the people you like and enable them to continue with what they do.

Everyone can add their own things to flattr and receive appreciation from others. It is a simple but very effective way to combine the aspects of the appreciation and reward for the content you as a publisher are producing.

This is a short video about flattr:

In my opinion flattr is a great way for blogger and publishers in the Sustainability / Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) field to not have to ask for donations or put advertisements on their site but to simply add flattr and in this way collect monetary support for their work. Currently flattr is brand new and you either need to register to get an invite or you can simply ask me. I still have three invitation codes left.

So why not simply sign up with flattr, start flattring and support other publishers in our field for the great work they are doing?

Note: I am not affiliated by flattr in any way but just believe that the developers really have thought this through and I have decided to use it on my site.

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Great video: Sustainability explained

Fabian — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:10:31 +0000

I am traveling most of this week and unfortunately do not have sufficient time to write more in-depth posts but I am sure you will enjoy this short video animation on what Sustainability is. I found this by chance while browsing for video post ideas on YouTube today.

This is what I call a nicely realized and straightforward video animation to explain Sustainability. Well done to the creators.

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Do you like this blog? – Connect with me on Facebook

Fabian — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:35:30 +0000

Today’s post has a very simple message: I have now set up a Facebook Page for this blog. The purpose of this page is to show who ‘likes’ my blog (obviously).

It is also a source of information on whom to add to your Facebook network with similar interests. Most bigger websites nowadays have this Facebook page element on their site and I usually use it as a tool to find new interesting Facebook connections.

So if you like this blog please join me on Facebook as well:

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Podcast: A guest at GreenSmith Sessions talking about CSR & Sustainability

Fabian — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:46:41 +0000

I love podcasts and the way they enable you to have a great conversation, record it and share this with your network afterwards all at the same time.

That is why I immediately agreed to be interviewed by Paul Smith aka GreenSmith when he asked me several weeks ago if I was interested to be his guest in one of his sessions. Paul and I have known each for years now and I was really honored to be the second person he interviewed in his new series called GreenSmith Sessions.

During our around 20 minute long conversation we are talking about CSR / Sustainability and the BP oil spill disaster, what the US and EU can learn from each other with regards to CSR / Sustainability best practice, CSR / Sustainability reporting and other related topics.

This is the link to the post on Paul’s blog post: GreenSmith Session #2 You can also download it via this link ‘Download Postcast’ or listen to it by visiting Paul’s post here: Listen to GreenSmith Session #2

Please let me know whether you enjoyed the podcast conversation, have anything to add or any other feedback on the topics we discussed.

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A list of Sustainability blog and website networks

Fabian — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:22:13 +0000

There are thousands of sustainability related websites out there but as far as I am aware of there are only a few blog / websites networks that specifically run a number of Sustainability-related websites and have them connected into a single network (What is a blog/website network? – Wikipedia) or run them as part of their website portfolio.

The purpose of today’s post is to introduce you to these blog / website networks that I am aware of. I am also dividing them up into medium and larger networks for better comparison.

Medium sized blog/website networks:

Simple Earth Media
About: Simple Earth Media is an industry-leading environmental new media and social media company whose brand mission is to create a compelling, organic, educational network of environmental online venues that engage an ever-growing audience concerned with sustainable lifestyle habits and business practices.
My opinion: Some really great looking sites with interesting content. One of my favorites together with Live Oak Media.

Important Media
About: Important Media is a decentralized, niche blog network, dedicated to covering those issues which are important to our collective and individual well-being, from humanity’s survival to human happiness.
My opinion: Important Media is a continuation of some sites of the former GreenOptions network. The site itself needs some improvement but the networked sites are really good and useful.

Live Oak Media
About: We are a new media company publishing websites that focus on energy, the environment and sustainable living. By leading the conversation about green issues, LiveOAK aims to advance the principals of sustainability by making them meaningful and accessible to a mainstream audience.
My opinion: This is personally my favorite blog/website network at the moment. Really useful.

Large scale blog/website networks:

Mother Nature Network
About: The mission of Mother Nature Network (MNN) can be found at the top of every page on our site: “Improve Your World.” But while many sites limit “your world” to only ”your planet,” MNN defines it in much broader terms. Just as your world encompasses many different aspects—your family, your health, your lifestyle, your business, your community……and your planet—so too does MNN.
My opinion: A really wide variety of topics that are usually always helpful.

Discovery Channel
About: Discovery Communications is the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 180 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com.
My opinion: By far the largest network for a reason. A lot of money is being spend to build this. The content is generally good but often very mainstream as well.

These are the blog / website networks I know of that either focus on Sustainability topics or have them as part of their portfolio. If I have missed any others please let me know.

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Foursquare, Gowalla and Check.in: My choice of location-based social networking services

Fabian — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:29:54 +0000

Every now and then I also writing about the latest social media sites and applications I like. Today’s post is another social media post in this category. A post about one of the newest trends in the smart phone world: Location-based social networking services.

If you have an iPhone or a smart phone that runs the Android software you are able to use the applications that enable you to check in and share information about these places you are visiting with your friends and wider social network.

This sharing of interesting places and events with my social network via these location-based social networking services is quickly becoming one of my favorite applications on my iPhone.

These are the applications I am using at the moment:

Foursquare
Foursquare is a location-based social networking website, software for mobile devices, and also a game. Users “check-in” at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application. They are then awarded points and sometimes “badges.” More about Foursquare: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foursquare_(service)

Gowalla
Gowalla is another location-based social networking website. Users ‘check-in’ at Spots in their local vicinity, either through a dedicated mobile application or through the mobile website. As a reward users will sometimes receive items from check-ins. Items have developed to become a promotional tool for the game’s partners e.g. Incase. As of March 2010 there were approximately 150,000 active users. More about Gowalla: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowalla

At the moment I am using both services because I really like the diversity of the two services. They are both currently really different from each other. It always seems to me that Foursquare has been programmed by mathematicians and Gowalla by graphic designers. But that is just my impression.

If you are interested in using either of these services my advice would be to sign up for both. Nwo you are asking: Two services? Why not stick to one and do twice the work? My answer would be: Why not? The future of these two services is not certain as this market is only just starting to emerge and I also found that my friends and my social network is split between these two services. They are free so why only go with one?

It is your choice of course but here is a the solution for you to not do check-ins twice when you want to share the same location with your friends on Foursquare and Gowalla.

Check.In

Use the new service called check.in. This is how Techcrunch, one of the largest tech blogs describe it:
‘Check.in is an application that lets you check-in with multiple services at the same time. Or, as they put it, it’s “on check-in to rule them all.’ I have used check.in for several weeks now and can not recommend it highly enough.

This service makes location-based social networking so easy and convenient. So if you into these location-based social networking applications, then you need to get check.in. It will make your life a lot easier.

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Stay Positive – Three videos that will make your day

Fabian — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:54:43 +0000

It is Friday and I am really looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend with my family. The past few weeks/months have been pretty hectic, disruptive and different to say the least. The overall mood with people also does not seem to be the best at the moment. The global economy still seems to stall and mostly everyone you speak to is moaning about how hard the current times are.

I know that life can be hard sometimes but life is also too short. So why waste a single minute of it by moaning?

Todays post therefore features three videos which are meant to be motivational, inspiring and encouraging. These are three of my all time favorites. I hope they will mean as much to you as they do for me once you watched them!

Video 1: Where the Hell is Matt? – A gentle reminder what it means to be human, how great our world is and how important it is to have FUN!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Video 2: The Robin Hood Tax campaign – A campaign to that forces us to think different. To make changes that are minimal in some areas but seem to be so hard to comprehend.

The Robin Hood Tax – A Good Idea (HD) from Robin Hood on Vimeo.

Video 3: Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 – Just amazing pictures of the power of nature

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Have a good weekend everyone and remember to stay positive. Always, no matter what life throws at you!

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Help me to help children in Uganda using social media

Fabian — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:21:44 +0000

I am very passionate about what I do. I guess you will know that by now. That is why I have decided to do a long term experiment to see how much support/money I can raise using social media.

There are some interesting websites to do this through but I decided to start using SocialVibe now to raise money. SocialVibe is a social media utility connecting people with brands, empowering them to engage with sponsors and share branded content with their social graph to benefit a cause of their choice.

I was a little doubtful at the beginning but really warmed to the idea of using and reviewing the branded content to actually get something positive out of it.

For me this is another way I can try to give back to causes I am fully supporting. Sustainability and CSR in a personal way really.

My Cause
The cause I will be supporting is to raise as money ‘Invisible Children’ (IC) for the education of children in Uganda. IC’s goal is to end a 20 year war that has been raging in Northern Uganda, and the kidnapping of children who are then used as child soldiers. In light of the current situation nearing peace, Invisible Children is addressing the need for access to education and economic development.

Everyone can participate to raise money which will pay for hours of education of these Ugandan children.

Please join me on SocialVibe to team up and make a difference for these children. The more join in the better. No costs or commitments involved. Just good will and some of your minutes every now and then for a good cause.

My cause URL:
http://www.socialvibe.com/fabian

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People on Twitter that also attend the GRI conference next week

Fabian — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:43:41 +0000

I am attending the Global Reporting (GRI) conference next week. While doing some preparation for the session I will be moderating at the conference I wondered who is going to the conference that is also on Twitter and/or a reader of my blog. I had no clue.

The purpose of today’s post is to feature a list of people that I know are going to the conference. I believe that this list will be very helpful to some of you in order to connect while being at the conference.

But here is the important bit: I rely on you to tell me other people that are going to be in Amsterdam next week. So please either comment or send me a message through the About page template. This list will be edited by me as we approach the conference and during the time of the conference.

Here is the list of people I know that are on Twitter and will also be at the GRI conference:

Elaine Cohen from BeyondBusiness
N amrata Rana aka futurechat
James Farrar from SAP
Bill Baue from Sea Change Media
Martin Smith from JustMeans
Susan M B from Novo Nordisk
P-F Thaler aka pierrov
Solitaire Townsend from Futerra
sguyoton from EcoVadis
Olaf Brugman aka vikingbridge from Rabobank
Nisia Werneck aka nisiaw
Bart Slob aka UNGCCritics
Jo Confino from the Guardian newspaper
Sandra Nessing aka Watts4U

Please let me know whether there is anyone you know on Twitter that is going as well. I will then add this person or organisation and update this list continuously.

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