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Wiser.org
Wiser.org logo
Founded2007
Dissolved2014[1]
Current statusDefunct

Wiser.org, formerly WiserEarth.org, was a user-generated online community space for the social and environmental movement.[2] As one of the social networks for environmental sustainability and social change, Wiser.org was the primary initiative of the non-profit organization WiserEarth,[3] which tracks the work of non-profits around the world.[4] The site mapped and connected non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, governments, groups, and individuals addressing global issues such as climate change, poverty, the environment, peace, water, hunger, social justice, conservation, human rights, and more.

On 17 March 2014, it was announced on the Wiser.org website that it would be archived and shut down on 10 April 2014.[5]

History

Wiser.org was launched as WiserEarth.org on 22 April 2007, Earth Day, as an online directory of the 100,000+ organizations discussed in Paul Hawken's book, Blessed Unrest.[6] Hawken had amassed a collection of business cards from thousands of organizations over the years, but had not found a comprehensive directory listing all non-profit organizations involved in the social justice and environmental sector. Estimating the total number of non-profit organizations around the world to be well over a million,[7] Hawken launched the World Index for Social and Environmental Responsibility (Wiser.org), as an online directory to help map out the work done by these organizations. Wiser.org incorporated additional social networking features, such as status updates, likes, walls, groups,[8] and email messaging. Wiser.org expanded its organization directory to include listings of for-profit businesses and government agencies.[citation needed]

As of September 15, 2012, Wiser.org provided a directory of more than 114,000 organizations worldwide,[9][10] over 71,900 registered members,[11] and more than 2,800 groups.[12] It featured resources and information on various social issues, organized into 47 issue areas and 381 sub-issue areas.[13]

On 6 January 2014,[14] Wiser.org's Executive Director, Peggy Duvette wrote an open letter to all members (which she updated on 24 January 2014[15]) explaining the need for changes and the possibility of archiving the Wiser.org website to the Wayback Machine; and on 17 March 2014 she officially announced that the closure and archiving of the Wiser.org website would occur on 10 April 2014.[5]

In 2017, the domain WISER.org became the website for the Workie Institute for Social and Educational Research, a non-profit[16] focusing on social exclusion, including bullying and systematic barriers to society, based on the work of the late Dr. Abaineh Workie.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ Charles Heckscher. Trust in a Complex World: Enriching Community. Oxford University Press. 2015. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-19-101817-6.
  2. ^ "WISER Earth: User Created Directory of 'the Largest Movement on Earth'".
  3. ^ "Workie Institute for Social and Educational Research". WISER. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  4. ^ "WiserEarth tracks the work of nonprofits around the world" by Elsa Wenzel cnet news, October 21, 2007
  5. ^ a b Duvette, Peggy. "Open letter to "friends, members and supporters" of March 17, 2014". WiserEarth. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  6. ^ Hawken, P. (2007). Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. Viking Press. ISBN 978-0-670-03852-7
  7. ^ "Blessed Unrest - Metropolis". Metropolis. 2007-04-01. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  8. ^ [1] Beth's Blog - How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media
  9. ^ "Paul Hawken Speaks about Social Change:The New Global Movement" by Felicia M. Tomasko Santa Barbara Independent, Thursday, May 10, 2007
  10. ^ "Organization". www.wiserearth.org. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  11. ^ Wiser.org Members
  12. ^ "Groups". www.wiserearth.org. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  13. ^ "Issues". www.wiserearth.org. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  14. ^ Duvette, Peggy. "Original Jan 6 2014 Open letter to Wiser.org members". WiserEarth. Archived from the original on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  15. ^ Duvette, Peggy. "Jan 24 2014 update to Open Letter to Wiser.org Member". WiserEarth. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Workie Institute for Social and Educational Research - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org.
  17. ^ "WISER - Workie Institute for Social and Educational Research". WISER.
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