Squidblog

Steve Ballmer didn’t become such an iconic figure at Microsoft without understanding a thing or two about strategy. Despite his monkey-dancing antics, he knows that developers play a huge role in building great companies these days.

We’re taking Steve’s advice. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re proud to announce the release of our very own Module Development Kit (or MDK, for short). The MDK is a small bundle of PHP scripts that gives developers almost all the tools they need (aside from a web server) to help us extend the Squidoo platform.

Interested? If so, hop on over to our developers lens for details, and drop by our developers forum if you have any questions.

Have an idea for a new module? Let us know and we’ll consider adding it to the official Most Wanted list.

Oh, and we’ve setup an open discussion for the MDK in our brand new Announcements forum.

Go Steve!

MySpace for grown-ups: Companies, nonprofits look for social networks to boost bottom-line results”

Thanks, ComputerWorld. All your motherboards are belong to us.

Just a note of congratulations to Environmental Defense for a cool new initiative they’ve launched: the 2007 Global Warming Globie Awards, where you can vote for the best and worst “global warming performances” of the year.

No wonder they’re one of our 59 smartest orgs online. We’re also big fans of giving people the power to vote, participate, speak their minds. And remember, you can still show your support for Environmental Defense and vote them up at http://www.59smartestorgs.com.

Here at Squidoo, we’re still buzzing after an amazing afternoon yesterday. In New York City, some 50 of the nonprofit world’s smartest and most enthusiastic players came together to hear Seth’s take on the phenomenon of Org2.0 (Web2.0 for nonprofits, that is) and to share ideas, challenges, and trends on the web for 2007.

Of the many topics discussed, one that resonated the most was the need for nonprofits to stop spending all their time asking for donations, and to start putting more of their resources into spreading their stories. Specifically, we talked about the kinds of tools that turn donors into evangelists and “sneezers” — people who will spread the word about a cause that’s important to them.

Sound familiar? That’s because it’s exactly what lensmasters are doing on Squidoo. Writing about the topics and organizations that they support, and encouraging other Squidoo visitors to get on board.

Tune in later this month for the launches of a bunch of new, exciting nonprofit partners. And in the meantime, keep telling us about the causes that mean the most to you. We’ve got millions of people every month who might just be listening.

Squidoo is proud to be a finalist in the Community category of SXSW’s annual web awards competition!

South by Southwest (SXSW) is a weeklong festival and conference celebrating the arts. It’s held in Austin every March, and is home to a mind-dizzying array of band performances, film screenings, and much more.

Think we’re worthy? If so, hop on over to SXSW People’s Choice site and vote for Squidoo today.