Idaho

• Make it readable. If you are using a free service, there will be many templates to choose from. The best approach is to make your blog look like your site, but sometimes that isn’t possible. A clean, simple template is best.
• Stay on target. Once you have decided on a service and a look, you will need to write posts. Write about whatever you feel, but make sure it connects back to you, your mission, and is of interest your constituents and your donors.
• Human interest works best. Like the newsletter tips, find individuals within your organization that can whip up a good story. A good writer can breathe life into the most mundane news story. Include success stories and quotes to inject excitement into your posts.
• Open up discussions. Turn on your comment sections so people may leave messages about your posts. This will increase involvement with your mission and stories and allow you to receive feedback about the job you are doing as well.
• Turn on a spam filter. With the surge in blogging has come the inevitable spamming. Most free services have safe guards in place, but you will still need to remain vigilant. The methods vary from having to type in a random series of characters to prove you are a human to blocking anyone wanting to post anonymously.
• Grow a thick skin. Because blogging is an open forum, you will get the occasional dissenter. The best way to approach your response is logical in nature. Their comment may be purely reactionary; however, yours needs to be calm and thoughtful. If it helps, write your emotional response somewhere away from the blog, delete it and then start fresh after you have cleared your head.
• Make it easy for your readers to read. All the free services have feeds that allow readers to subscribe and receive email updates of your blog. We like FeedBurner, which offers a variety of feed services in one spot including sending updates to all the companies that collect blog information, e-mailing those who have signed up for your blog’s feed, creating subscription forms for your site, keeping stats about visits, etc. Make sure you serve the full post to the feed readers. Give people the entire post and don’t drive them to your blog like cattle.
• Build your readership. Put you blog’s address in your signature in all e-mails. If you have a newsletter, mention your blog in it. Ask other non-profits to link to your blog from their blogs and vice versa. Find out who among your volunteers, donors, constituents, and employees have blogs and ask them to post a link. Make sure the address is on all business cards and stationary. Be creative. Once you do all that you can it’s up to word of mouth, which is powerful indeed.
• Keep your readers. Set a schedule for how often you update your blog — and stick to it. But be reasonable about your time. Make sure you have the time to update. People will read it regularly if they know there will something new there.

  Rich Tips is a free electronic newsletter published by Richard Male & Associates (RMA), an international non-profit consulting firm.

Congrats to Judy of Cascade, she’s our weekly winner!  Thanks to all the new bloggers who’ve signed up.  If you’re part of the steering committee, hopefully these questions will help you work on the final report that is due June 30. Please let us know if you have any questions about the blog or the report.

There is a Blogging Handbook available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks to MJ for writing this beginner’s guide! Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, June 3 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles… I will be at a conference May 27-30 so this will give you a whole extra week…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

•  Of all the things you have done during the last 18 months in the Horizons program, of what are you most proud? 

Scavenger Hunt Question:

·         Which Idaho Horizons community is working with the University of Idaho to help with their vision to “rebuild a community center to assist local families fight back against the ravages of poverty. They are looking to the future when they will have a center that provides central business offices for the city, a town library and public computers with Internet accessibility, expanded recreational facilities for youth and adults, a hall for future leadership and life skills training.”

The winner will receive a copy of the book: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People will Follow You by John C. Maxwell.

Congrats to Andrea of Grangeville, she’s our weekly winner!

Thank you all for the interesting responses about your community and what makes it ‘unique’ to you compared to other rural communities in Idaho.

I grew up in a small farming community in Idaho near the Utah border and I still think about it every day, the views and colors and smells and intense farm work we did (pulling rye, driving around and around in a tractor for 12 hours a day, herding cattle, etc) helped shape my life and world view. It’s that sense of place that helps define who we are and how we relate to the world around us.

I hope you’re all getting comfortable and familiar with the blogging process. Mary, MJ and I thank you for all the time and hard work you’ve devoted to this part of Horizons and know it’s just a small part of what you are all doing in your communities.

Please let MJ (merijoz@uidaho.edu) or me (dgray@uidaho.edu) know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

A ‘how to blog’ handbook is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page…

Reflective Questions:

As we near the ‘end’ of this phase of Horizons, take a moment to look back on the past 18 months to answer these questions.

1.      Has your community sought any additional resources outside of Horizons for your projects? 

2.      How has your community partnered with communities and/or organizations beyond Horizons?

Scavenger Hunt Question:  Which Horizons community has an organization sponsoring a ‘Volcano Breakfast’ and what IS a Volcano Breakfast?

This week’s winner will receive a copy of:

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All / Mark Robert Rank

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 20 (midnight) and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

The Homeless Alliance of New York says that $9.25 a day is about how much someone living under the federal poverty guidelines has left after paying for housing and clothing. The group issued a “poverty challenge” recently asking participants in the challenge “to start with an allotment of $9.25 on Tuesday and Wednesday and to live within those means for two days.” For more information on the challenge, please see the article by clicking here. Though this might be an enlightening activity for some, for others it’s the reality they live with every day. Think about how to feed your family on $9.25  a day? What happens to ‘luxuries’ such as a car, medical care, etc?

Congrats to Christine of Kooskia, she’s our weekly winner! Thank you to all who have recently signed up and started blogging. Please let MJ (merijoz@uidaho.edu) or me know if we can help you with any questions you might have about blogging.

Reminder: MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by May 6 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

What is something unique about your Horizons community that you’d like to share with the rest of the world? What makes your community different from the one right down the road? Is it a strength your community can capitalize on or a burden you have to bear?  Or both? For example, Sun Valley has the beautiful landscape, ski resorts, etc. but the tourism industry has also left behind many local people who are now unable to afford to live in the town they work in…

Scavenger Hunt Question: This week the scavenger hunt is a simple assignment. Find an entry on one of the Horizons community blogs (or even your own blog) and leave a comment to the author. It’s fun to give and get feedback about things we’re doing and talking about.

This week’s winner will receive:

The working poor: invisible in America by David K. Shipler

And

Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets by John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight.

These days the fastest growing group of business owners is women who use their entrepreneur spirits, leadership and creativity to start businesses. According  Luz Robles, director of the Zions Business Resource Center http://www.utahpolicy.com/brc/DirectorLuzRobles.jpg  to the Center for Women’s Business Research, in 2006, 7.7 million firms were either woman-owned or women held the majority share. Women account for 29.7 percent of all businesses in the U.S., a 42.3 percent increase since 1997. Women are having a direct impact in our national and state economy.

 Zions Bank is committed to working with women to make their dreams a reality by offering a series of micro-grants for women. The 2008 Zions Bank Smart Women Grant enables deserving women with hopes of starting a community-oriented business or project to have access to funding to make this a reality.

 Grants are open to female residents in both Utah and Idaho and are awarded in six different areas including small business start-up and expansion; child and elder care; community development; continuing education and teacher support; health and human services; and arts and culture. Community review panels will select the grant recipients.

Applications are available online at www.smartwomen.zionsbank.com and are due by July 31, 2008.

Congrats to Mountain Mama of Kendrick/Juliaetta, she’s our weekly winner! Even though she took me to task for forgetting about those of you in remote areas with only dial-up internet access… she persevered after many grueling hours on the scavenger hunt! I will definitely keep in mind your technology limits in the future…

MJ has created a ‘how to blog’ handbook that is now available on our Horizons website at http://extension.ag.uidaho.edu/horizons/coaches.htm at the very top of the page… Thanks MJ!

Also, for those communities that may be looking for a little more training, please contact MJ at merijoz@uidaho.edu / 208-885-8949 to see how she can help you.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 29 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:
• Looking back, what is one (or more) skill or leadership trait you have developed from participating in Horizons (maybe from Study Circles or LeadershipPlenty or from the hands on work going on in your communities right now)? How has participation in the program changed you? What about your community? Are there specific examples of things happening in your community that wouldn’t have happened without Horizons?
• Bonus reflective question: How has the blogging experienced affected you? (please edit any inappropriate language, hahaha trust me, I feel your pain!!)

Scavenger Hunt Question:
• Which of the Idaho Horizons community blogs has information about April being Child Abuse Awareness month? This website also provides information about Youth Suicide Prevention.

The winner will receive:

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol
And

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, et al

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 22 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

• What’s next in Horizons for your community? Are your Action Teams planning activities in the next 2 months? How do those activities relate to the 3 legs of Horizons: Poverty reduction, Leadership Development and Community Mobilization?

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Let’s broaden our scavenger hunt world a little… Of the other Horizons states, which one has interesting information about using Chicken Tractors to help maintain community gardens? Check out the link section of the Idaho Horizons Blog that lists the blog addresses for Montana, NorthDakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa Horizons. Feel free to explore and be inspired by other community groups just like yours!
  

This week’s winner will receive a copy of each of the following books:
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life by Philip E. DeVol

From the AP wire… “From subsistence farmers eating rice in Ecuador to gourmets feasting on escargot in France, consumers worldwide face rising food prices in what analysts call a perfect storm of conditions. Freak weather is a factor. But so are dramatic changes in the global economy, including higher oil prices, lower food reserves and growing consumer demand in China and India.

The world’s poorest nations still harbor the greatest hunger risk. Clashes over bread in Egypt killed at least two people last week, and similar food riots broke out in Burkina Faso and Cameroon this month.” To read the rest of this article, please click here.

The Idaho Partners for Homebuyer Education, Inc., a 501(c)(3) created by IHFA and several organizations statewide, has designed an education program called Finally Home!® to help address many issues that potential home owners face. The program covers all the steps involved in making that big investment, from qualifying for a mortgage and choosing a Realtor®, to making an offer and closing costs.Participants who successfully complete Finally Home!® may be eligible for the following incentives:

Down payment and closing cost assistance

Programs that accept higher debt ratios

Using “gifted funds” at closing

More than 14,000 students statewide have been educated through the program since its inception in 1999. Approximately 200 classes are offered statewide each year through eight regional training partners. The Idaho Partners for Homebuyer Education, Inc. anticipate educating 2,500 during 2006.

CLASS SCHEDULE:

Designed specifically for first-time home buyers, classes are taught throughout the state by regional training partners. Click on a location near you for class schedules:

The fee for the classroom course is $10 per student except the classes held in Lewiston. Community Action Partnership, the Regional Training Partner is Lewiston, initially charges $10 for the class but refunds it upon completion.

	Adams County and Valley County
	Boise
	Caldwell
	Coeur d’Alene
	Idaho Falls
	Lewiston
	Nampa
	Pocatello
	Post Falls
	Hailey
	Valley County

An online course is also available statewide. The online course can be accessed at: www.ihfa.org/FinallyHomeOnlineCourse, and the fee for the online course is $50.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 15 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for one of our book titles…

NOTE: Please enter your answers as either a comment to the original question OR as a brand new entry on your blog so that the answers are easy for people to find.

Reflective Questions:

• What words of wisdom would you give to a community just starting a program like Horizons?
• Words of warning?
• What kind of changes in their community and its leadership might they expect?
• What kind of changes in themselves might they expect?

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Which community’s chamber of commerce recently met with high school youth to work together to involve more youth in the community?

This week’s winner will get to choose ONE of the following books:

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John Maxwell

Or

Leadership for the Common Good: Tackling Public Problems in a Shared-Power World by Barbara Crosby and John Bryson

From a recent article on Yahoo News… “The gap between rich and poor in many states has broadened at a quickening pace since the last U.S. recession, which could make it difficult for low-income families to weather the current economic downturn, according to a report issued Wednesday.” For the full article, please click here.

Rules: Post your answers on your blogsite by Tuesday, April 8 by midnight and be entered in the drawing for a fabulous prize.

Reflective Questions: What does the phrase ‘living in poverty’ mean to you? How has your definition of ‘poverty’ changed in the past year? Does your community think differently about poverty now? How can you tell?

Scavenger Hunt Question: Which community (in partnership with ComBAT (Community Based Access to Technology)) will be having a FREE concert on April 23, 2008?

This week’s winner will get to choose ONE of the following books:

One Nation, Underprivileged, Why American Poverty Affects Us All / Mark Robert Rank

or

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community / Robert D. Putnam.

Idaho Horizons is part of a large-scale poverty reduction/leadership development program funded by the Northwest Area Foundation. Six other states and their communities have blogs that are authored by community members just like you. Check out what those communities are doing by starting at the state pages and exploring. These blogs are informative, interesting AND inspiring…

• Iowa (click on a community blog listed in the ‘blog roll’)
• North Dakota (click on a community blog listed in the ‘blog roll’)
• South Dakota (click on a community blog listed in the ‘blog roll’)
• Minnesota (click on a community blog listed in the ‘blog roll’)
• Montana (click on a community blog listed in the ‘blog roll’)
• Washington State (click on each individual community and then click on their ‘blogspot’ link)

Some Idaho hunger statistics from the Idaho Food Bank:

–An average of 66,300 (14.6%) Idaho families worried they could not afford food (known as food insecurity) between 2002 and 2004. And 17,377 (3.7%) families had members who actually went hungry (food insecurity with hunger) during the same period. This makes Idaho the 8th hungriest state in the country.

–In another study, the US Department of Agriculture ranked Idaho the 4th worst hunger state and found that 4.5% (22,098) of Idaho households experienced hunger between 1999-2001. In its previous study, done between 1996-98, USDA rated Idaho in a tie for 25th. This descent, from 25th to 4th, was the second worst among the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Only Utah’s decline was worse. (USDA: Household Food Security in the US, December 2002)

The Idaho Food Bank website has info on how to organize a food drive in your own community as well as other statistics and resources for your community and information about programs such as ‘Grow a Row’ (planting extra plants in your own garden to donate to food banks or other organizations).