Green For All

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of WiserEarth

by Kerry Vineberg (sternklar), Janine Michelsons (Janine) and Honore Louie (Honore)

Photo source: flickr / swisscan

Maybe you're a veteran on the site, or maybe you're just getting started. Either way, we've compiled a list of our favorite recommendations for maximizing your potential here!

1. Explore. Try clicking on icons and links and see where they take you. As we’ve highlighted in other parts of this newsletter, there are many gems to be discovered. One way to view the mind-boggling depth of WiserEarth is to click on the Explore tab, then click on Areas of Focus. You can see links to the organizations, resources, jobs, events, users, and groups in any given subject area. The power at your fingertips!

2. Invite others to your network, even if you don’t know them. Often the simple act of reaching out will ignite the interest of other members to your particular causes, and invite collaboration. This is primarily a site of non-profit professionals and activists. We don’t all know each other yet, but there’s a good energy and people are friendly. The rules of the WiserEarth network invitation are straight-forward: if you know them, invite them. If you don’t know them, but you like what they are working on or are interested in, just introduce yourself with your invitation! Consider completing your profile page so people can find out more about your passion and the work you do.

3. Experiment. There are many advanced features under the WiserEarth engine, like using your network to make connections or learning to manage group content via the drop-down menus. To keep abreast of the latest additions, you can check the WiserEarth What’s New page, located under the About tab. You can also scroll down and see the chronology of features all the way back to 2007, when the site launched.

4. Think local. WiserEarth features maps and other location search capabilities to help you begin efforts in your area. You can use the Explore Tab, then look under “Organizations” and then “by Location” to search for organizations near you. You can do the same thing with “People,” and find other members nearby. You can also go to the Interactive Map under the Explore Tab, then click on a place, and find everything that way. You might also want to consider starting a local group to gather people and organizations in your area.

5. Join an active group in an issue you are passionate about. Groups are one of the fastest ways to meet and work with other WiserEarth members online. Find active groups by searching under the Explore tab, Groups, and “by Recency”. Groups which have recently been updated will appear at the top. Ask a question. Contribute to or begin a discussion. If you’re feeling bold, create a new group, and invite others to join it!

6. Post a new job, resource, solution, or event you know about. You may be helping another person in another part of the world find a job or a crucial link to help them in their endeavors. If we all do this, it will start a chain reaction of awesomeness.

7. Get your questions about WiserEarth answered. If you have questions about use of the site or other issues that can’t be answered by the New User Tutorial, the FAQ, or other documents under the About Tab, try asking your question at the WiserEarth HelpDesk. If it’s not a question so much as a suggestion for improvement, try the WiserEarth Suggestions group.

8. Search. Take advantage of the powerful multilingual search engine to locate a topic you’ve been wondering about. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Try an advanced search. You may be surprised how much you turn up! Before user profiles were even added, WiserEarth began as a database, and it contains information on all the social justice and environmental issues you might desire to learn about, from civil liberties to microeconomics, permaculture to marine conservation.

9. If you’re stuck for ideas, draw inspiration from some of our success stories. Whether through forums, organizational networking, event planning, a source of knowledge, or simply a vehicle for communication with the public, WiserEarth contains many free tools to support you in your efforts.

10. Take part in the secret underground of WiserEarth... become an editor! If you’ve been on the site for three months or more, have skills and drive and a few extra hours a month, join the growing community of editors who are helping to make the site all it can be. We look forward to seeing you. Thanks for all that you do.