I spent this past Friday and Saturday at the 10th Annual Non-profit Technology Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.  Surprisingly, the most interesting session was one not on technology but on storytelling.  This is especailly relevant for non-profits - who are all trying to move people to action - for support or donations.  Stories are the social capital, they are the stuff by which human connections are forged.  For me, someone from a background where logical and analytical thinking are king, this is a new way of thinking about what is most important to make my platform - www.rareplanet.org - successful.  It's really not going to be about the next cool feature or function - it is going to be about getting our community to share the stories of their work.  Rare does amazing work, taking a grassroots approach to get communities to care for and protect their natural resources and habitats.  We work in some of the most threatened parts of the world - what our staff and partners do is so important.  My new mission - get the stories flowing!

Piranha at the Georgia Aquarium (NTC10)