Building a network of bloggers

I'm part of the Non Profit Blog Exchange, #5, in which I've been asked to review the Smart Communities blog. The site is written by Suzanne Moorse, who is President of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change and author of Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future.

I've participated in most of the past blog exchanges. By connecting blogs we meet new people, and we connect networks. I do this intentionally. The graphic I show illustrates my efforts to create networks of support in business, college, and faith communities, in many cities, not just Chicago.

I was not aware of the Smart Communities blog, so when I visited today I was pleased to find so much information that relates to what the Tutor/Mentor Connection is trying to do. I encourage you to read it and browse through the various articles.

Every article points to information that informs readers about some of the educational, social and economic challenges we face in America. For instance, one article is titled, "Making the School-Work-Community Connection"

As I starting scrolling down several months worth of articles that Suzanne has written, I thought of a challenge I face with the Tutor/Mentor Connection. There's too much information to read, not enough time. The bigger challenge that Suzanne and I both face, is how do we get millions of people to read and learn from this information, then apply it in their daily actions.

I've been part of almost every Non profit Blog Exchange, so the network of learning is extensive. It's overwhelming. For instance, if you read, Collaborative Blogging for Strategic Reasons, you'll see some inspiring ideas about networking through blogs.

Instead of any single blogger being responsible for reading and understanding everything that is included in our blogs, I feel people who care about the same issues can share the responsibility of helping a growing number of people around the country connect with this information, read it, understand it, then put their understanding into actions that help kids.

What do you think?