Scale

George Hotelling won the Pizzigati Prize for Software in the Public Interest.

I am fascinated by the selection. On one hand I completely agree with it... CitizenSpeak provides a key function for the grassroots. It makes a difference on the ground and was put together with incredibly few resources. It is a triumph of a small group with no resources creating a high-impact solution. They will use the prize money to do something fantastic.

On the other hand, it exemplifies the complete disregard in the sector for basic infrastructure. CiviCRM is building the water pipes and sewer system, CivicSpace is building the electricity and public transportation, and Citizen Speak is the nice little house on the corner that has electric lights, is public transit accessible, and has running water and a toilet.

It also highlights the importance of ecology. CitizenSpeak can store the CRM information in CiviCRM. People can install the CitizenSpeak module in Drupal or the CivicSpace download. CivicSpace On Demand can offer CitizenSpeak functionality in our hosted service. This is the power of open source and more importantly, the community behind open source.

Congratulations George and Jo. Well earned and well deserved.

CSOD Beta

Kinda cool. CivicSpace On Demand went to beta last week. Nice to see groups using it and partnering with us improve it.

CivicSpace On Demand offers an integrated, simple-to-use solution for running a group's website, collecting money (donations & memberships), sending sophistocated emails/ e-newsletters, and maintaining a constitutent relationship management system. It is entirely web-based, avaliable in minutes and accessed through your web browser. Based on Drupal 4.7 and CiviCRM 1.5, we look forward to continuing to contribute back to those open source communities.

Ask around, maybe you can get access to the beta :)