The Electronic Frontier foundation has put together a list of tips on how the #Occupy movement can protect its mobile data. As they say: “Protesters of all political persuasions are increasingly documenting their protests — and encounters with the police — using electronic devices like cameras and cell phones. The following tips apply to protesters in the United States who are concerned about protecting their electronic devices when questioned, detained, or arrested by police. These are general guidelines; individuals with specific concerns should talk to an attorney.”

Want to see the cutting edge of crowd-sourced video production? The Uptake, hands-down the best guerrilla video shop in the country (they live-streamed the Wisconsin Uprising), has developed a new video aggregator for the Occupy Wall Street movement that lets you easily click back and forth between feeds from 61 different locations (and counting, there’s even an #OccupyLjubljana feed from Slovenia).

Here’s a screenshot of Uptake’s aggregator.

Pretty amazing…

According to the blog Frogloop, “It was recently reported that one in three Americans owns a smartphone.  Some sources are indicating that more people will own smartphones than traditional cellphones by 2012. Add tablets into the mix and its clear that people are quickly adopting mobile computing.”

And as smartphone and tablet use rises, your email follows. Email reading on mobile devices rose 81% from October, 2010, to April, 2011. It stands to continue rising. Today, 16% of email is read on mobile devices while desktops get 36% of messages and webmail 48%.

Here are some of Frogloops tips on how to craft your emails to make them compatible with smart phones:

• Clear, short and actionable subject lines followed by quick easy to read text with a link (to whatever your action or conversion might be) early on. This is a good argument for minimalistic header images in email. As you know, more and more desktop and webmail email clients default to hiding images from readers. In mobile, images are vigorously suppressed.
• Remember that messages received on iPhones with lots of images can become awkward when email is viewed on a small mobile device.
• Include a mobile stylesheet. This is something that can be worked into most email templates but is still not often seen. Check with your provider for assistance or just try it out yourself but if you have any sort of CSS in a template or “wrapper” now then chances are you can add a mobile stylesheet.
• Call to action up front and very clear. People need to see it/read it/have chance to click it without scrolling up/down or left/right. Don’t rely on image-based links as images may not appear on mobile messages. Try to work a call to action text link into the first few lines of your message.
• Make sure you have a “view this message on the web” link clearly visible in the preheader (the area at the top just above the message). You may not be able to fully optimize your message for mobile but the web browser version may be easier for mobile users to read and navigate because images and style sheets are better supported.
• Take Google design principles to heart: speed and simplicity matter even more on mobile.

The Pew Hispanic Center released a report a few months ago on the use of digital technology by Latinos. There is a lot of debate among grassroots organizers about the topography of the digital divide — so it’s good to see some raw data. Pew’s survey showed that Latinos are “less likely than whites to access the internet, have a home broadband connection or own a cell phone.” And while Latinos lag behind blacks in home broadband access, they have similar rates of internet and cell phone use.  Here are some other key findings:

• While about two-thirds of Latino (65%) and black (66%) adults went online in 2010, more than three-fourths (77%) of white adults did so. In terms of broadband use at home, there is a large gap between Latinos (45%) and whites (65%), and the rate among blacks (52%) is somewhat higher than that of Latinos. Fully 85% of whites owned a cell phone in 2010, compared with 76% of Latinos and 79% of blacks.

• Hispanics, on average, have lower levels of education and earn less than whites. Controlling for these factors, the differences in internet use, home broadband access and cell phone use between Hispanics and whites disappear. In other words, Hispanics and whites who have similar socioeconomic characteristics have similar usage patterns for these technologies.

• Respondents were asked specifically about whether they access the internet and whether they use email, texting or instant messaging from a cell phone. The findings reveal a mixed pattern of non-voice cell phone application use across ethnic and racial groups. Hispanics are less likely than whites to use any non-voice applications on a cell phone (58% vs. 64%), and they are also less likely than whites to send or receive text messages (55% vs. 61%). However, Hispanics and whites are equally likely to access the internet and send or receive email from a cell phone. And Hispanics are more likely than whites to engage in instant messaging (34% vs. 20%). Compared with blacks, Hispanics are less likely to access the internet (31% vs. 41%) or send or receive email (27% vs. 33%) from a cell phone, but rates of texting and instant messaging are similar for the two groups.

Younger folks juggle a whole range of electronic devices in their daily lives. Pew has put out a new study that found that younger users prefer laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions, including internet, email, music, games, and video.

Among the findings:

• Cell phones are by far the most popular device among American adults, especially for adults under the age of 65. Some 85% of adults own cell phones overall. Taking pictures (done by 76% of cell owners) and text messaging (done by 72% of cell owners) are the two non-voice functions that are widely popular among all cell phone users.
• Desktop computers are most popular with adults ages 35-65, with 69% of Gen X, 65% of Younger Boomers and 64% of Older Boomers owning these devices.
• Millennials are the only generation that is more likely to own a laptop computer or netbook than a desktop:  70% own a laptop, compared with 57% who own a desktop.
• While almost half of all adults own an mp3 player like an iPod, this device is by far the most popular with Millennials, the youngest generation—74% of adults ages 18-34 own an mp3 player, compared with 56% of the next oldest generation, Gen X (ages 35-46).
• Game consoles are significantly more popular with adults ages 18-46, with 63% owning these devices.
• 5% of all adults own an e-book reader; they are least popular with adults age 75 and older, with 2% owning this device.
• Tablet computers, such as the iPad, are most popular with American adults age 65 and younger. 4% of all adults own this device.

Additionally, about one in 11 (9%) adults do not own any of the devices we asked about, including 43% of adults age 75 and older.

Many of us have been closely tracking the evolving “digital divide” in our communities. For the first few decades of the digital revolution we knew that many of our folks lacked access to the basic tools of the internet age — placing them on the wrong side of the “digital divide.”  Then things began to change. The rise of ever-more powerful mobile devices — essentially computers in your pocket — resulted in Latinos and blacks to be more likely than the general population to access the Web by cellular phones, and they use their phones more often to do more things.  So for example:

• 51% percent of Hispanics and 46% of blacks use their phones to access the Internet, compared with 33% of whites, according to a July 2010 Pew poll.
• Forty-seven percent of Latinos and 41% of blacks use their phones for e-mail, compared with 30% of whites. The figures for using social media like Facebook via phone were 36% for Latinos, 33% for blacks and 19% for whites.

But while one divide has begun to close, another may be opening.  Here’s how a researcher at Pew explains the growing problem: “[N]ow some see a new “digital divide” emerging — with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology. It’s tough to fill out a job application on a cellphone, for example. Researchers have noticed signs of segregation online that perpetuate divisions in the physical world. And blacks and Latinos may be using their increased Web access more for entertainment than empowerment.”

According to Reuters, the actor Ed Norton is leading a new venture called Crowdrise “that gives people a free way to create their own fundraising pages to share through social networks, winning points and prizes along the way.” Crowdrise was developed after Norton found Twitter to be an effective way to raise $1.2 million for his long-term cause, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, by running New York’s marathon last year.  According to Norton “People use Twitter or Facebook because it’s a way to share their personal narrative but we wanted to give people a platform to say, these are the causes I care about, I am volunteering and sponsor me.”

Here’s how Norton and Co. describe the way users can tap into Crowdrise:

START FUNDRAISING PROJECTS: Whether you’re running a marathon, volunteering, or have causes that you care deeply about, create your own Fundraising Pages on Crowdrise and choose from over a million charities to raise money for. If it takes you more than a minute to create your Page, you’re probably just a really slow typist.

GET YOUR VOLUNTEER PROJECTS SPONSORED: Post all your Volunteer Projects on Crowdrise so everyone sees how you’re making a difference. Go a step further and get your friends to Sponsor your Volunteer Projects to raise money for Charity, the exact same way someone running a marathon does.

MAKE YOUR CAMPAIGNS COMPELLING: Use your personal stories, powerful photos and videos, and our Best Promos Ever to create campaigns that are so compelling that your supporters not only donate money but want to join your Project Team and tell everyone they know about it.

GET VOTES AND WIN AMAZING PRIZES: Earn 100 points for every Vote you get from the Crowdrise Community and get 10 points for every $1 you raise for Charity. The goal is to allow the community to award the best Volunteers and Fundraisers in the world with lots of Points. Top Point Earners not only win amazing prizes, but they’ll be recognized for their extraordinary achievements by becoming Crowdrise Royalty.

And here’s a chart for how the program works:

According to a recent PEW poll, daily text messaging among American teens has shot up in the past 18 months, from 38% of teens texting friends daily in February of 2008 to 54% of teens texting daily in September 2009.  Here are some key findings:

• 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004.
• Those phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens – or 88% of teen cell phone users — are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006.

And it’s not just frequency – teens are sending enormous quantities of text messages a day.

• Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month, and one in three send more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month.
• Older teen girls ages 14-17 lead the charge on text messaging, averaging 100 messages a day for the entire cohort.
• The youngest teen boys are the most resistant to texting – averaging 20 messages per day.

In other words, text messaging has become the primary way that teens reach their friends, trumping face-to-face contact, email, instant messaging and voice calling as the go-to daily communication tool for this age group. However, according to the study, voice calling is still the preferred mode for reaching parents for most teens.

Most groups choose to outsource the tech side of their mobile phone campaigns to Application Service Providers (ASPs) so they can concentrate their efforts on organizing. According to Mobile Actives’ Guide to Mobile Fundraising ASPs bring “mobile communication expertise to the table so that the nonprofit organization can focus on its operations and not get into the technical details of running a mobile marketing platform.”  Here’s are few things that are helpful to know before you start calling around for ASPs:

• ASPs are typically for-profit organizations although there are some nonprofits involved. The ASP typically owns the five- or six-digit short codes to which text messages are sent. The ASP also manages the keywords that are used for individual campaigns so that they do not conflict with other organizations’ keywords using the same shortcode. (Short codes are commonly shared codes that are delineated for specific campaigns by keywords. A nonprofit can lease it’s own shortcode if it desires but the costs for that are steep – anywhere from $500/month for a generic code to $1,000 month for a vanity code).
• The short code/keyword combination identifies the campaign and the donation amount. Consider the keyword ‘Haiti’ to the mGive shortcode 90999.
• ASPs often can provide a variety of additional services such as easy-to-use web platforms for managing campaigns and messages, metrics and analysis tools, and data integration with commonly used nonprofit databases.

What are the Fees?

Application Service Providers typically charge three types of fees.

• There is often a set-up fee that covers creating an account for the nonprofit organization at the ASP and the TTP. The Mobile Giving Foundation set-up fee is $350. This does not apply to signups through the Causecast agency); the set-up fee for mGive.com which is the for-profit ASP associated with mGive.org is $500 which covers both the ASP and TTP (here’s an explanation of TTPs) set-up fees.
• There is generally a monthly fee that is accompanied by a twelve-month contract between the organization and the ASP. This fee ranges from $99/month (Causecast) to fees of $250 (MobileCause), a number of $400-500 monthly fees (the mGive.com basic plan is $400 and $1,500 for the most expensive plan).
• Each donation that is processed through the ASP is charged a small transaction fee. This can be a constant amount (such as fifty cents on a $10 donation) or it can be a combination of a fixed amount and a percent of the donation amount.
• There may be some additional transaction fees that are paid back to the TTP by the ASP. Make certain to find out what they are so you are not surprised. These fees are not deducted from the donorʼs contribution which is passed on in its entirety by the TTP to the nonprofit; instead, they are charged back by the TTP and ASP to the nonprofit organization in the form of a bill. Because there are so many variations on the types of fees and the fee amounts, it is not easy to compare pricing. Read on for some suggestions.

MobileActive has put together a great guide to mobile fundraising.  Below are their 7 Tips for Getting Started:

1. The first thing for a nonprofit organization to do is to decide whether or not to explore the possibilities of mobile giving. Here are some initial things to consider.

2. Collect Mobile Numbers: If you do not already collect mobile numbers, do so and make certain that you provide the appropriate information about how you will and will not use that information. If you want to let people know about a mobile giving campaign, sending messages to them (if permitted) or using your existing lists can be a way to raise attention to the short code/text fundraising campaign. If you have to start scrounging for mobile numbers at the point of wanting to raise money, you are behind. Here are some easy ways to collect mobile number

• On your website when you have people sign up for your newsletter, etc (see MMA materials for opt-in web samples/insert).
• From your existing email list/constituent list.
• At event registrations.
• On Facebook and other social media (some ASPs offer simple Facebook widgets)
• On feedback you collect for mail donations, reservations, or any other communication to and from your constituents.
• Through polls and and games or competitions.

3. Find the Right Provider: The easiest way to find the right Application Service Providers (ASP) is exactly the same way you consider any other vendor. Ask around, read articles, participate in discussions, and keep your eyes open.

4. Understand the Fees: As we noted, the fee structures for ASPs include one-time costs (the set-up), fixed monthly costs (which often include other services such as text message campaigns or extra keywords), and the transaction costs for donations. This can make comparing ASPs difficult; it also can mean that it makes the decision to actually go ahead with a mobile giving campaign harder.

5. Integrate Mobile Giving with Your Other Fundraising Tactics: Do not make the mistake of making mobile giving a separate project apart from your other fundraising operations. Remember that the donation process starts when a donor sends a text message. That action happens as a result of the donor having an existing relationship with the organization and/or some external prompt: a news article, an e-mail from you or a friend, an announcement at an event, a news story, or a message on a blimp, for that matter.

6. Donʼt Worry About Breaking Even: Here is one way to get your first mobile giving campaign off the ground without devoting half of your waking hours to spreadsheet what-if games. For one or more of the ASPs you are considering, calculate the fixed cost for the first year (some ASPs will offer a shorter contract). The amount can be as low as $1,188 (Causecast), up to $5,288 (mgive.com) with various added services available beyond those amounts.

Once you have calculated your financial commitment, consider approaching one or more of your existing donors to cover that cost. This means that your break-even point for at least the vendor is $0. As with all other fundraising techniques, you really do not know how it works until you have done it, so removing some risk is a good way to position this as an experiment. After the first year, you can continue the mobile giving process by including its costs and projected revenues in your budget based on the first yearʼs experience.

7. Start Early: Because the time to start up your mobile giving project can take at least several weeks, do not think that you can just add it on a week before the start of your annual fund drive. Overnight successes are almost always preceded by a lot of hard work.