Posted by Jorge LeClair in Getinvolved.ca is an exciting social change focused social networking site launched in October 2008 by Television Ontario (TVO) – a public educational Ontario television and registered charity.
TVO airs Get Involved –a series of 25 documentary shorts that tell inspirational stories of people who are making a difference in their communities. Getinvolved.ca is a companion piece to the TVO series; however it’s much more powerful than just an ordinary website.
Specifically it’s a social network that connects the expertise of professionals, artists, passionate volunteers, grassroots groups, non-profit organizations and educational institutions who are working towards social change.
The site also allows users to create causes that others can follow, such as promising to stay informed by following news, reducing use of plastic bags, writing to a member of parliament, etc.
I use the site and I really like it.
While, it’s not the only website with this purpose, I think it’s the best of its kind. Yes, Facebook is a power house with applications that allow users to network, but it doesn’t exclusively focus on connecting social change minded individuals and organizations. Craigslist is also a favourite, but it lacks the necessary complexity to truly bring people together. Volunteering sites like Volunteer Toronto are useful but focus strictly on volunteering. I like that getinvolved.ca is filling a void and that it can complement the aforementioned sites. It’s also great that getinvovled.ca is focused on Canada.
It’s not a perfect site though. In my opinion, its user base of around 700 can be grown by better search engine optimization and marketing. Furthermore, its layout could use some improvement. Nonetheless, it’s still a great site.
Getinvolved.ca is a 2 year project funded by the Bell Broadcast & New Media Fund. This grant allocates $9 million dollars annually to fund projects that have both a broadcast component with a guaranteed broadcast licence from a Canadian broadcaster as well as a new media component such as a website.
