Wiser.org Blog

You may have already heard about the official launch of Jumo, the latest project of Facebook’s co-founder, Chris Hughes, which aims to “connect individuals and organizations who want to change the world.” To hear of a high-profile figure from the digital world launching a platform with such a mission is a breath of fresh air.

Our team at WiserEarth welcomes Jumo. We look forward to exploring how and where we can support each other. We truly believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. And the world needs a lot of lifting up right now, on many levels.

On a mission level, WiserEarth and Jumo share common goals. Paul Hawken, WiserEarth’s founder, spoke at Bioneers about the underlying vision that drives WiserEarth. He describes how WiserEarth helps the global movement of people and organizations working toward social justice and environmental stewardship, by helping them to connect, share knowledge, and build alliances. He also talks about how the movement is growing and that we still need to create more visibility for all the incredible work that is being done. We think that Jumo will help to bring greater awareness of this critical work to members of the wider public.

Jumo has been talking to nonprofit leaders in the field, and we hope to see some true collaborations, as there is a tremendous opportunity to come together. We will be exploring a possible partnership with them. We know that tools are not everything, and that community drives social change. We hope to see Jumo connect with the nonprofit communities already out there rather than replicate efforts.

On the question of how WiserEarth is different from Jumo: WiserEarth serves those working for and within the sustainability movement. As such it is edited and community-run through its unique wiki interface, whereas Jumo is a Facebook-based platform for the mass public to donate to and follow nonprofits and their projects.

I created my profile yesterday and loved the fact that it was so easy to do so. However, I was surprised to see so few issue areas, it felt limiting and not representative of the full spectrum of the nonprofit sector. With WiserEarth, our taxonomy of issues has been the opposite, so comprehensive that we have been talking about reducing it. A balance can be struck!

WiserEarth has a page on Jumo now, and we are ready to explore the space. I am also trying to figure out the relevance of the news showing up there, as it is not all related to WiserEarth. Overall, considering that they are in beta launch, it is an easy tool to use and has great potential.

I recommend the following reading for more first impressions of Jumo:

- First reflections on Jumo by Amy Sample Ward

- A first look at Jumo by Beth Kanter

At WiserEarth, we look forward to continuing to share the essential resources in environmental conservation and social justice, and to connect the organizations and activists bringing greater sustainability to our planet.

Thank you for the work you do, and for your ongoing support in growing a truly community-driven platform. We are pleased to see that Jumo is bringing greater visibility to this important sector, and hope that its inception spurs even greater collaborations across the board.

Photo by hanspoldoja

Tags: chris hughes, jumo, nonprofit, social network, sustainability, web 2.0, wiserearth