7000+ Readers for The Cowling Report

The Cowling Report reached 7270 readers in November, 2012!
A new record!
My previous peak was 6625 in June, 2012.

The top five countries for readers of The Cowling Report in November were:

1. United States
2. Australia
3. United Kingdom- A number of people I think were attracted from the UK following our very successful Volunteer Magnet Tour held with Rob Jackson Consulting
4. Canada
5. Germany

Over at my other blog: Wild About Travel, I had over 11, 000 visits in November. One third each month are new and two thirds are my existing readers suggesting I have a bit of a loyal following of a few thousand from across the world!

In the case of this blog, 85% of my readers are from the USA. Of interest are the cities where the readers are located:

1.  New York
2. Washington
3.  London, UK
4.  San Francisco
5.  Chicago
6.   Los Angeles
7. Singapore
8.  Seattle
9.  Houston
10. Sydney, Australia
11. Toronto
12. Boston
13. Dallas
14. San Diego
15. Melbourne, Australia

Thank you for journeying with me!

International Volunteers Day

5 December is International Volunteers Day. The day was established by the United Nations in 1985. 

How are you celebrating and commemorating? 

Check out for more:: http://www.volunteeractioncounts.org/en/

A more honest Facebook Privacy

After last week's post on why not to waste your time with guidelines. Here are some I have stolen from a Facebook friend of mine!

In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that I don't have a clue what's mine and what's not. I've basically resigned myself to the probable fact that Mark Zuckerberg and his group can do whatever they want with my identity if they want. I don't know how this stuff works. I've never read the terms & conditions of anything I've agreed to. God knows what my legal obligations are. Yes I should be better informed, but in order to do that, I would need to make it my primary task. Who's got time for that? I have a job already. So whatever Facebook; I don't forbid you to disclose, copy, or disseminate my posts, because I assume you're way too big and moneyed-up to get around whatever kind of crap I post here. I'll just keep doing what I've been doing and hope you don't ruin my life.

They are much more honest..yes?

Facebook Privacy revisited.

Just to be clear. Posting a notice similar to the one below, in any form of it. is a waste of your time. I said this a few months ago and I say it again today. Whatever it reads like, it is the same situation. Here is the one I am seeing multiple times a day at the moment:

In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).

For commercial use of the above, my written consent is needed at all times!

(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws.) By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook's direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).

Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updates...


Like most spam, it has elements of what sounds like facts but its a misleading statement.

1. To start with: new Facebook guidelines?  Um What new Facebook Guidelines? Guidelines about what? There are not any new guideliens referring to your privacy.
2. Quoting the UCC ( The US Uniform Commercial Code which has nothing to do with privacy or data issues and everything to do with US commercial law) is meaningless. As is reference to the Rome Statute or the Berner Convention. It is as logical and meaningful as claiming the UN declaration on refugees as you are being thrown out of a nightclub.
3. Facebook are an open capital entity - so what? This refers to their status as a company. It means their shares are traded openly not your personal data. Facebook set the terms and conditions for their site not you and you agreed to those when you signed up
4. " If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements " No you are not. You control who from the public sees your posts using the Facebook privacy controls.
5. "All members are recommended to publish.." No. I will be blunt: Do not post this message. Do not re-post this message. Do not like this message. Delete it off your page. It is cluttering your wall with false information.
6. How many people moving through the internet who see something they like on your  wall will then scroll through your hundreds of posts to see if you have posted a warning. If you must, put it in the Notes section or About Me section in your facebook. And even then who is going to look for it?
7. Facebook themselves have said:  We have noticed a recent status update that is being widely shared implying the ownership of your Facebook content has recently changed. This is not true and has never been the case. Facebook does not own your data and content. Please see our Terms of Service for more information. https://www.facebook.com/policies
8. Finally, how are you going to enforce this statement you have posted. Lets say someone from Armenia or Belgium or Fiji steals the slightly out of focus picture of Your Great Aunt Enid from your cousis's wedding. How are you going to enforce your rights? If you are an Australian or someone in France, how are you going to use the US Uniform Commercial Code or the Berner convention in the Armenian or Belgian or Fijian legal systems? Good luck.

See more on this as: http://cowlingreport.blogspot.hu/2012/06/facebook-privacy-notice-wasting-your.html

LIfe is like a Camera

Facebook Gifts

Facebook Gifts allows users to purchase gifts for friends through the social network.

The service allows people to buy a "gift" in the form of a charitable donation to one of eleven charities. The donation can be up to $25 and 100% of the money goes to the charity.

The platform allows the friends of the giver to see the charity they support with the aim of encouraging them to give too.

Eight million people have given through the Facebook "Causes" feature which is less than one per cent of all Facebook’s users so it will be interesting to see if ths tool fares better.

For more see: https://www.facebook.com/about/gifts

Cyberbullying

Have a look at this interesting article on cyber bullying amongst Youth Groups. Written for Christian based organisations but highly applicable for all sorts of groups. 

This week in my Travel Blog: Wild about Travel, I talk about:

•  medical tourism in Hungary
• how to use USA security lines properly
• an amazing flight with Turkish Airlines and 
• how to buy Hungarian citizenship 

Have a read and -please make a comment or two!

Thought this was interesting

http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/21108-the-moveon-effect-looks-at-advances-in-online-advocacy.html

Happy International Volunteer Managers Day

Love this collage from The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre, Singapore. 

Check out the IVMD Facebook site or their website: http://www.volunteermanagersday.org/