A guide to cause agents and change makers

Tom Watson, one of the people who have made a difference in this space, has written a new book, CauseWired, and here’s a review I published to Amazon.com:

In the past two years I’ve been more and more drawn to the world of social causes. (I’m the co-founder of Ourmedia.org and have participated in some Social Media Camps.)

But something was missing. I needed a roadmap. A guide to the world of using Web 2.0 to do good.

So it was serendipitous that Tom Watson came along with his timely, practical and clueful "CauseWired." (Disclaimer: I’m briefly quoted in it.) I just finished reading this 225-page pearl (the paperback) and now feel much more grounded in knowing the who, what and whys of social actions and philanthropy in the digital age. And, importantly, the "OK, what now?"

Watson, a meticulous veteran journalist, offers an accessible, thoroughgoing lay of the land: He explores the efficacy of online efforts to end the genocide in Darfur, dissects the new phenomenon of peer-to-peer philanthropy, chronicles the rise of flash causes and looks at the impact of social media open source projects. Fortunately
for us, the writer offers telling anecdotes and personal storytelling to keep the narrative engaging.

On an almost weekly basis I’m now bumping into the movers and shakers in the social causes world that Watson so artfully profiles in "CauseWired." If you’re interested in getting a better grip on the burgeoning philanthropic and social change movements taking place on the Web, put down the mouse for a while and pick up Tom Watson’s excellent guide to people who are changing lives and to the causes that really matter.
JD Lasica, founder and former editor of Socialbrite, is co-founder of Cruiseable. Contact JD or follow him on Twitter or Google Plus.