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4 Things I'm Jonesin' to Change in 2010 at Our Non-Profit Association.

Today's going to be a pretty cool luncheon.  Not only will I, and a bunch of my friends in the Training and Learning profession get to eat a whole bunch of chocolate at what has been billed as our local ASTD chapter's renowned annual "Death By Chocolate" event, but I'll also be one of the proverbial "guards" to whom the reins will be passed for chapter management.

Today, I'll be taking over the reins as the new VP for Communications.  I'll hold that spot for the remainder of 2010.  My predecessor(s) did a great job of laying a foundation for me to build upon.  And build I shall... (*sinister laugh*) I've already submitted by budget requirements for 2010.

The big infrastructure projects I've got in my sights for 2010 include:

• Revamping our web site.  I've been jonesin' for this for nearly two years now.  Our existing site is old, tired and very, very static.  (To wit: our site is down hard as of this writing.)  Be on the lookout for an RFP from me soon after the new year.  I'll be looking for folks who want to bid on helping us install and configure an open source platform (leaning towards Joomla at the moment) with a really slick theme, community features, social media sharing features and...well, be on the lookout for the RFP.  I'll cross-post it here on BusinessCasualBlog.com when I have it written.  (Email me if you think you'll have some interest in submitting a bid.)

• Getting our chapter solidly on track with a new list host.  We need to be able to touch our members and prospective members in a more intelligent way.  The existing (internally-hosted) email campaigning system flies blind.  What I mean is that there's scant capability to see any analytics that will give us insight to what our members find interesting, what our open rates are, as well as click-through rates, bounces, opt-ins/outs, and so on.  Switching platforms will be a relatively easy hurdle (save maybe for having to re-opt in our whole list again), but the real challenge will be in developing coherent, story-based copy and message sequences that our list members will find relevant, informative and compelling.  If you have any copy writing tips for me, let me know.  I'm a sponge, man!

• Installing a membership management software system.  We don't really have one at the moment.  Well, yes we do, but, no, not really.  It's a very manual process today.  A process that finds us ironically foregoing chapter revenue (?!) in favor of pro-rating membership fees when someone joins later in the year. (HUGE opportunity cost!) We have apparently been doing it this way in order to make the bookkeeping and the administrivia of membership expirations easier to manage.  (Tell me if you see the same thing I'm seeing... we're incurring no less an 85% opportunity cost by my reckoning.)

• Increasing our chapter's capacity for social media.  Ha ha.  This is a no-brainer.  I started the year with a pledge to change hearts and minds at my chapter.  I'm still on that mission.  >:)

Here I go.  Wish me luck!

Photo courtesy: LeadingAnswers.com

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Guest post: “What’s New in Human Trafficking”

This is the 3rd in a series on human trafficking by guest blogger Tobi Aclaro.  (See previous articles written by Tobi Aclaro.)

If you’ve been reading my guest blogs, you know what human trafficking is, and ways to identify possible victims or a possible situation.  And, just as important, that modern-day slavery can actually happen right here, in the US, in California…and in any town.  All that’s needed is someone to exploit another person for profit.

Today, we’ll cover two excerpts that highlight recent news:

Recent Convictions.  

There is some good news in the field—an increase in convictions in the US.  Indeed, according to US State Department Luis CdeBaca on October 9, the US succeeded in gaining “five convictions in the past three days in labor trafficking, including California.”  One of the cases is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

That day, KRON-TV reported on a human trafficking case involving a real estate agent in Walnut Creek.  The trafficker, herself a female, was convicted of labor trafficking and related charges by falsely promising fair pay and standard working conditions to a nanny in return for childcare services.  Through fraud and psychological coercion, the trafficker confiscated the nanny’s passport and under threats, forced the nanny to work 15 hours per day for two years under substandard conditions.

US Ambassador CdeBaca and US Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez highlight an Orange County “town hall” forum on human trafficking.  

On October 9, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Rep. Loretta Sanchez and officials from the Westminster Police Department addressed the issue of human trafficking with community groups, human rights organizations, social service providers, law enforcement, students and faith-based leaders at Vanguard University, Costa Mesa.

I attended the event along with many colleagues from Southern California. CdeBaca was appointed by President Obama and serves as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and directs the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP).  Congresswoman Sanchez represents California’s 47th District and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

“The chains of slavery may not always be visible; but it’s up to us to look for them”.  He described indicators similar to those listed on my earlier blog post.  CdeBaca referred to the plight of one his earlier cases, where over 50 Mexican deaf workers were smuggled into the US and forced into involuntary servitude selling trinkets on the streets of New York.  “They can only beg with their eyes,” he said.  (For victims still out here, now, on the streets) “let us be their voices.”

Think about where we inadvertently create demand.

Another point was to focus on demand.  “We don’t know, in the last four hours, what we’ve done to inadvertently contribute to slavery,” said the Ambassador.  “We don’t ask the questions ‘The shirt that I’m wearing-- The coffee that I drank this morning—where did these come from, and were they made by slave labor?”  

He also pointed out slave labor throughout places around the world rich in minerals and resources, but brutal in oppression of women, children and those caught in the midst of civil wars or violence spilling across borders.  Congo, for instance, is the key country where tantalum is mined—critical in the production of cell phones.  “It’s not ‘their’ supply chain, CdeBaca said of goods bought and sold worldwide.  “It’s MY supply chain, because we buy it.” 

He also advocated to “look for root causes:  poverty, gender imbalance, organized crime...”

According to the State Department, approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked across international borders worldwide each year.  An alarming 14,500 to 17,500 of those victims are being trafficked annually into the United States.  (http://www.state.gov/g/tip/)  And this estimate doesn’t include victims already in the US, or US citizens such as teens or runaways lured into forced prostitution. 

According to the United Nations, "an estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labour (including sexual exploitation) at any given time is a result of trafficking.  People are reported to be trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries, affecting every continent and every type of economy."  (Download a pdf fact sheet.)

What you can do.

If you see a possible trafficking situation or to learn more about human trafficking resources, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (24/7) at:  888-3737-888. 

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Find out more about Tobi and the opportunities she's considering...

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Guest topic: 8 Questions to help you identify victims of Human Trafficking

courtesy: mvcorks (creative commons)

See related posts by Tobi Aclaro

Last week, I posted my first guest article on this blog about “what is human trafficking.”  Here, in Part 2 of the series, I'll focus on “flags,” or signs that someone might be a victim of human trafficking.

“Flags”

These can be initial observations or indicators of trafficking.  Taken separately, a question below could suggest abuse (but not necessarily trafficking).  Look for patterns; put everything in context.  If someone has been treated this way for a long time, he/she may not realize s/he could be a victim…and is unlikely to self-identify.  It is up to all of us to notice “what doesn’t seem right.”  For example:

•    Is the person accompanied by another person who seems controlling?
•    Does the person accompanying a suspected potential victim insist on giving information to you?
•    Can you see or detect any physical abuse?
•    Does the person (potential victim) seem submissive or fearful?
•    Does the potential victim have difficulty communicating because of language or cultural barriers?
•    Does the potential victim have any identification? 

Eight Questions To Help You Identify Potential Victims of Human Trafficking

These questions are geared toward those most likely to come into contact, one-on-one, with a potential victim—social service workers, counselors, law enforcement, code inspectors, realtors, home inspectors, for example.  As many readers know, it isn’t the role of the casual observer to “play investigator.”  If you have a tip or a lead, please call the toll free number I list in the Next Steps section below.

•    Can the person leave his/her work or job situation if they want?  In my previous post I talked about the role of force, fraud and coercion in cases of human trafficking.  It's not uncommon for victims to be placed in situations against their will, or tricked into one (promised one type of job, for example, then forced into another--bait and switch).

•    When they are not working, can the potential victim come and go as they please?  Same idea as above and the role of force, fraud and coercion.

•    Has the person been threatened with harm if s/he tries to quit?  Often, once a victim finds her/himself in a human trafficking situation, it becomes difficult for them to extricate themselves without outside help.

•    Similarly, are you aware of reports of a potential victim's family as having been threatened as a result of the potential victim having reported her/his situation?

•    What are the working or living conditions like?  Substandard living or working conditions could be a flag.  While not sole evidence of human trafficking per se, one example could be a row of mattresses stuffed uncharacteristically in a kitchen/storage room of a restaurant and evidence of these mattresses having been slept in.  Another might be pornography paraphernalia in what would otherwise be professional office space.   

•    Where does the person sleep and eat?  This could especially be relevant for those of you who work as building code inspectors, for example.  Sometimes, restaurant workers in labor trafficking are forced to sleep at the back of the restaurant they work for, not allowed to leave, take breaks, etc.

•    Do they have to ask permission to eat, sleep or go to the bathroom? Again, this may be evidence of submission, lack of control over their own decisions.

•    Is there a lock on their door or windows so they cannot get out? This is a sad reality.  Be on the look out, also, for iron gates that turn inward at the top, rather than “out.”  It could be evidence of a situation of keeping people in, rather than thieves out.

That Which Walks and Talks Like a Duck...

... might be a duck.  Or might not.  Have someone who is trained to do so, assess the "ducki-ness" of a situation. 

What do I mean by this?  Answers to the questions above that might suggest suspicion of human trafficking activity, but may not necessarily constitute such a situation.  It's important that you don't try and assess the situation yourself.  Not only because of the potential danger it may pose for you, but also because of the potential harm it may pose for the victim.  And, the fact is, there are others who are better trained to make such an assessment.  Leave the responsibility of assessment to those who are in the business of doing so.  (See Next Steps below.) 

But, don't let the possibility of being wrong deter you from calling it in, either.  While it's true that some reported cases don't actually materialize as human trafficking activity (sometimes they're instances of simple code violations in a workplace or a large family living in tight conditions in a home, for example), it is also true that many victims are saved from a life of pain and suffering by just such reporting. 

Be aware of the eight questions above.  If you suspect it, call it in.   

Next Steps: 

Contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) 24/7 at:  888-3737-888 for more information, or 911 if it's an urgent-emergency.  Visit www.rescueandrestore.org, for free materials and resources on this topic.  Many thanks to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for their contributions to this topic.

In the next parts of this guest series, we’ll learn more about child sex trafficking, and “What’s in the news?”.  Lately, there has been a lot. 

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Find out more about Tobi

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Guest topic: Human Trafficking

Today's guest author is Tobi Aclaro. (See related posts by Tobi Aclaro.)  Tobi is a Program Manager for the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC), a non-profit focused on training, prevention and interventions related to human trafficking activities.  BSCC also advocates on behalf of all exploited persons.  Like many of you who follow this blog, Tobi manages programs that help educate others about complex topics.  I know some of you have interest in, or affiliations with, non-profits, so I asked Tobi if she wouldn't mind writing a few posts to educate us about human trafficking and non-profits, in general.  I'm glad she accepted. This is the first in a series she'll be contributing over the next few weeks.  Connect with Tobi on LinkedIn here.

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[Related posts by Tobi Aclaro]

I’m glad Mel gave me this chance to talk a bit about human trafficking.  Often, when people hear that I work on human trafficking issues, they think that exploitation happens “overseas somewhere.”  It doesn’t occur to them that it can happen here, in the US, in Southern California…even in your own back yard.

Slavery.

What is human trafficking?  In a nutshell:  human trafficking is modern day slavery.  It’s commercial labor or sexual exploitation through force, fraud or coercion.  If it’s prostitution under 18, that’s automatically human trafficking too.  Children also can be sexually exploited commercially.

So how does it happen?  In many ways for many reasons.  In the case of someone crossing the border for example, a woman might be promised one job and forced into another job—promised a waitressing job in a restaurant, but forced into prostitution. 

Or forced into debt bondage that if they take a job to pay off debts or help their family but they’re not paid as they’re promised, or forced into another job, forced into a higher debt--right into a cycle they can’t get out of.  

Runaways, like US teens for example, could be lured into prostitution.  They moved to a new city, or they want to follow their dreams--move to Hollywood and get a modeling job--they don’t know the area, they’re lost, and some guy comes up and offers them a great place to stay….

Know what it looks like.

How do you recognize human trafficking?  There are different “flags”.  Look beneath the surface of everyday activities where you live and work. Look for things that are out of context.  For example, if there’s a chiropractic office and you happen to be in the area late at night, and you notice that different men are coming in and out of that place every half-hour at 2 in the morning…those aren’t typical office hours for a chiropractic office.  

It could also appear to be prostitution activities out of a home in your neighborhood.  By reporting that activity, law enforcement can investigate. They can determine if it’s human trafficking related.   

Report it.

Should you try to intervene in any way?  Do not put yourself in danger, or the person you’re trying to help in danger.  Not only could you risk your life and the victim’s life, you could also mess up efforts to investigate and prosecute the bad guys (or gals!). Law enforcement has their role.  Report it and let them do their job. 

Who to call.

So what should you do about it?  Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center:   888-3737-888 to report a lead or a tip.  They can also field your questions about human trafficking.  It’s 24/7, nationwide and multi-lingual. If you’re reporting an emergency, dial 911.

In the next post, I'll talk about eight ways for you to tell if something looks like human trafficking.

Links to learn more about human trafficking.

Note:  this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive list; it’s a start. 

Nationwide:

• US Dept of Health & Human Services:  www.rescueandrestore.org

• US Dept of State, Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report 2009: www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008

• FBI, Innocence Lost Campaign: www.fbi.gov/innolost/innolost.htm 

• Shared Hope:  www.sharedhope.org

• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC):  www.missingkids.com

• Polaris Project:  www.polarisproject.org

Regional: 

• Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC):  www.bsccoalition.org

• Los Angeles County Unity Coalition (LACUC):  www.lahumantrafficking.org

• Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF): www.ochumantrafficking.org

• Captive Daughters: www.captivedaughters.org

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Find out more about Tobi

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Is it ever okay to have multiple tweeters for one twOrganization?

So here's a question for you. How do you feel about interacting with organizations on Twitter? More specifically, what are your thoughts about multiple members of an organization tweeting under one organizational twitter account? (i.e., a twOrg?)

I'm asking because this point came up this past weekend with a friend on Twitter.

My friend's main points seem to be:

• Not a good idea to have multiple people tweet under one organizational account. Because...

• ...People don't like interacting with organizations, they like interacting with people. And...

• ...Rather than having multiple people tweet under one organizational twitter account (e.g., "@orgname"), it's better to have multiple people set up accounts like "@orgname-mel", "@orgname-sam", "@orgname-sally", etc.

Now, this issue is near and dear to me because, in fact, I tweet under a few accounts. One of which is personal / individualistic (@MelAclaro). The other two being proxies for organizational personas.

Each is focused on a specific type of relationship I wish to establish. @MelAclaro, for instance, allows me the freedom to tweet about everything and anything that interests me as an individual person. This can include articles I find compelling, posts from others that I find interesting or, quite frankly, the occasional "what / where I ate for breakfast" type of tweet.

Meanwhile, @astdOC, for example, has been set up as an organizational persona to focus more specifically in learning / training industry related content within a finite geographic scope.

And, while it's not a human, per se, it is a unique entity that has its own organizational character and set of values. Character and values that we -- members -- hope others get to know better.

At the moment, it's set up in a way that three of us on the board can tweet through that one account. The internal guidelines we established for ourselves is to tweet respectfully, in alignment with our organization's values and mission, and in accordance with cultural norms of the "pay it forward" philosophy of the social sphere.

And, though my friend raises good points, I see two disadvantages:

1. Individual account holders (e.g., astdOC-mel, astdOC-Sally, astdOC-Sam, etc.) attenuates the overall reach of any single message, thereby diluting the organization's ability to propagate its message, and those of others it helps through retweets, and so on.

2. It has a tendency to devolve to individualistic perspectives. (Again, pitting what @astdOC-mel -- the individual -- ate that morning for breakfast vs. staying "on message" with what @astdOC -- the collective -- "thinks" about the value of CPLP certification or the merits of workplace learning and performance, say).

And, while I do feel it's appropriate for organizations to establish one collective presence PROVIDED THAT it can do so with transparency, consistency, and a unified voice communicating shared values, at the end of the day, its the social sphere within which we, as an organization, have to engage. So, if we're doing something that's inherently against social norms, I'm not opposed to making recommendations about shifting our organizational behavior.

So, on behalf of our non-profit association, I've put the question out there in a couple of forums, this blog, this poll and a few social networks.

We're willing to shift with the wisdom of the crowd... so I'm askin' ya... what do you think? Do we make it so only one tweep tweets on behalf of the organization? Or, is it okay to have multiple tweeters under one twOrg?

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I get asked every now and then about the 'Shift Happens' video...

...So here it is.

While I was on the topic of illustrating presentation points with YouTube videos during my last post, I came across one that someone had asked me about, oh, about a month back now. 

It's fairly popular having multiple versions of itself on YouTube.  At least one version sports over 4.4 million views.

Yet, with that, I keep forgetting the name of the video (until I finally "Favorited" it) and occasionally see presentations with references to it.  And at each presentation there are enough in the audience who want to know what the source of the presentation points were. 

Well, here you go!  (Attibution: Karl Fisch for the mix. Embed code from teachertube.)

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My Top 10 Most Interesting Click-throughs on Twitter This Week.

Starting with this week's list, I'm listing attribution for the tweep from whose tweet I got the twink.

• Help Save My Daughter's Life. (@mackcollier). Why interesting: The use of social media to get the word out about a sick loved one...spread the word!

• Blog post: Top 100 Networks for People Who Want to Change the World. (@kanter). Why interesting: Because the world is a crazy place and this gives 100 resources to help make it a little less crazy.
  

• Page 18 of CLO magazine. (@competencymgmt). Why interesting: Pitfalls to avoid when you land the Chief Learning Officer gig. But it applies to all learning professionals. (Oh, there's also an article on page 14 about Social Networking and Corporate Learning I thought was interesting. Why? Because it's one of the things this blog's about, man!)

• Productive Magazine's inaugural issue. (@guykawasaki). Why interesting: Rarely do I get to be there at the birth of a new magazine. (And, they were giving a free download.) ;)

• Digital Youth Research Report. (@writetechnology). Why interesting: Millenials are huge. Baby boomers are huge. They mix in the work place. Need to know how to relate with each other.

• Article: A Glimpse of Drucker's Brain.... (@guykawasaki). Why interesting: I soak up all things Drucker.

• Article: Microsoft to Google: Get Off of My Cloud. (@johnabyrne). Why interesting: There was some (a little, almost un-noticed) dialog on Twitter leading to this being considered as BusinessWeek.com's lead story on November 21. (It ended up being Geithner: Obama's Likely Treasury Choice.)  While both articles are interesting and worth a read, I was more interested in the input the Editor-in-Chief of BusinessWeek.com was willing to have with online community members about what the lead story should be the next day.

• Blog post: Need Your Help... Kids and Philanthropy. (@kanter). Why interesting: Because Beth does some great work and she's asking for help on a noteworthy topic.

• Blog post: Magpie. (@kidscash). Why interesting: I saw it as a flag of sorts for the encroachment of advertising in Twitterville.
  

• Video: President Bush Can't Get a Shake. (@guykawasaki). Why interesting: It's just sad... so sad...

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Reversing BusinessWeek.com: A Crowd of One Changes the Course of a Ship.

If you missed it, there was an interesting series of events that played out in Twitterverse over the last 24 hours that culminated in this admirable show of respect for a community by Mr. John Byrne, Editor-in-Chief of BusinessWeek.com.

The whole thing was, for me, an impressive display of the power of a tribe to educate an organization and compel change.

It started two days ago with this optimistic post by Jacob Morgan, a CMO/SEO specialist and author of a well-traffic'd blog about Social Media, Technology and Marketing. In his post, Mr. Morgan described his efforts to help beta test BusinessWeek's new site called Business Exchange, a social media platform for business professionals.

All seemed well and good as far as that goes. At least, until Mr. Morgan created a new group for Social Media Marketing. He, and others, considered it to fill a void in the social media space.

The Business Exchange site moderators, however, disagreed. Believing that Social Media Marketing was a duplicate of another forum already in existence under the name, Web 2.0 Marketing, Business Exchange turned off the new group which, to Mr. Morgan's chagrin, he had already begun populating with relevant content. Content that was, in fact, much different than those which were being posted under the other Web 2.0-related forum.

Not to be outdone, Mr. Morgan energized his 880+ "followers" on Twitter to "tweet" (post) their sentiments about the value of differentiating between "Web 2.0 Marketing" and "Social Media Marketing."

How BAD08 Made The Efforts Of a Local Non-profit Manager Shine. Way Cool.

Just a bit off-topic, but had to post it.  This is a cool little kudo for the efforts of a favorite little local non-profit that's near and dear to me... my wife.

As many of you know by now, Blog Action Day did some great things to bring millions of eyeballs on the issue of poverty last week on October 15. My wife (a manager in a Southern California non-profit dealing in human trafficking issues) is still gushing to family and friends about what a great day it was/is. It really is a great event.

Now, a week later, I'm so pleased to be able to offer her another item to be happy about. The article she and I worked on together was kindly acknowledged by Blog Action Day '08 by featuring it as one of 14 "Worthwhile Reads" on the front page at BlogActionDay.org.

Thanks guys! Not only did you do a great thing for poverty around the world, but you also helped shine a little light on the efforts of at least one local manager of some very worthy non-profits here in Southern California. :-)

Until next year's BAD09, we'll keep fighting the good fight!

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Should ALL Learning Professionals be Blogging?

I stumbled across October's question of the month (from 2006!) posed by the Learning Circuits Blog. But even at this late stage, I was compelled to write a personal thought about it since it's a question I recently contemplated regarding a non-profit I'm working with.

The main question.

I realize the main question is whether or not all learning professionals should be blogging. But I think the rationale I used to arrive at a quietly uttered "no" for my non-profit mentee feels appropriate as the same rationale for deciding whether or not any learning professional should be blogging.

Ready, willing and able.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not a hard-nosed blogger-purist bastard.