When Thomas Jefferson discussed a participatory democracy where governments and citizens collaborate to solve major problems, did he envision crowd sourcing and contests? Maybe not, but I think he’d approved.

Crisis mapping tool,Ushahidi and the US Institute of Peace recently launched a new initiative called Universities for Ushahdi to encourage developing country students to use the platform. But is the tireless work of countless students in the US being overlooked?

Many major corporations including Microsoft and Wal-Mart are asking the public where to direct philanthropic initiatives- but to differing degrees.

A new web app called MakeSense is scheduled to launch in the coming week. It seeks to globally connect social entrepreneurs with the eager-to-help masses.

By analyzing past successes and listening to its audience, the IRC has developed a particularly effective web strategy. Nonprofits seeking to increase their online presence can take some pointers from the IRC’s best practices.

Radiohead rocked the music industry in 2007 when they released their In Rainbows album, selling it at different prices as a digital download. Last year, they embraced crowdsourcing.

Augmented Reality gets a boost as two iPhone apps use GPS to locate where you are, then the phone’s compass to know what direction you’re facing. Point your phone’s camera at something and a Wikipedia article about it will appear in your viewer.