How to read this blog

I realize that blogs are by their nature spontaneous and unstructured.  There’s no beginning or end.  It’s the difference between a swimming pool where serious swimmers are doing laps, and a pool that is crowded with frolicking kids.  Books are the former, and blogs are the latter.  You just dive in somewhere in the middle and start exploring.  Being the type that likes order and organization, though, I thought I’d try to go against the nature of a blog, to create an unblog if you will, by organizing it a bit more like – gasp! – a book.  If someone were to ask me how they should read my blog, and to help them organize the blogs into chapters, here’s what I might come up with.  I'll be updating this post to reflect future postings.  (True blog aficionados are welcome to ignore this post and just dive in.)

CHAPTER 1  PREFACE

My Inaugural post posted on October 1, 2009 where I introduce myself and my reason for writing this blog

CHAPTER 2  SURVEYING THE NGO LANDSCAPE IN CHINA

Defining NGOs in China 1.0, posted on June 28, 2010

Yu Keping on government-led civil society in China, posted on October 23, 2009

Important trends among Chinese NGOs, posted on August 26, 2010

The best and worst of 2010 for China’s NGOs, posted on January 12, 2011

CHAPTER 3  THE VIEW FROM GRASSROOTS NGOs

Three NGOs in Nanjing, posted on November 30, 2009

Discussing the future of China’s NGOs, posted on July 22, 2010

Grassroots activism and public-private partnerships in the Hudson Valley, posted August 1, 2010

Challenges for grassroots NGOs, posted from Asia Catalyst on March 11, 2010

Shaping the future of grassroots NGOs, posted from Asia Catalyst on March 7, 2010

CHAPTER 4   STATE REGULATION AND CONTROL OF NGOs

Is it getting a bit chilly for NGOs? posted on March 8, 2010

The Oxfam HK case, posted on March 8, 2010

Notice on  administration of donated foreign funds, posted on April 9, 2010

Peking University Women's Legal Aid Center loses its affiliation, posted on April 13, 2010

Shutting down of NGOCN’s website, posted on April 20, 2010

Why the chill in the air for NGOs?  posted May 12, 2010

An exchange between Meg Davis of Asia Catalyst and Shawn Shieh on regulation of Chinese

NGOs, posted on November 9, 2010

Regulating NGOs: why the schizophrenic year for NGOs?, Part I, posted February 7, 2010

Regulating NGOs: why the schizophrenic year for NGOs?, Part II, posted February 9, 2010

CHAPTER 5 THE 2008 SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE: A WATERSHED EVENT FOR

CHINESE NGOs?

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake and China’s NGOs, posted on February 24, 2010

NGO Participation in disaster relief in China, posted from Asia Catalyst on April 27, 2010

Visiting NGOs along the faultline: Sichuan to Qinghai, posted August 4, 2010

Visiting the Global Village project in Daping, posted on August 8, 2010

Profile of Gao Guizi, coordinator of the 512 Voluntary Relief Center (Sichuan), posted on

September 21, 2010

Volunteering at Global Village's "Lehe Jiayuan" project in Daping, posted on October 18, 2010

Global Village's LOHO Community project in Sichuan -- excerpts from a volunteer's blog,

posted on November 14, 2010

CHAPTER 6  PROFILES OF NGO ACTIVISTS

Profile: Lu Fei, founder of NGOCN (Yunnan), posted on November 1, 2009

Profile of Chen Yongsong, founder of EcoNetwork (Yunnan), posted on December 15, 2009

Profile of Xu Yongguang, secretary general of Nandu (Narada) Foundation (Beijing), posted on

January 24, 2010

Profile of Ma Yinling, founder of (Yuexi county) Poverty and Development Research Center,

posted on September 3, 2010

Profile of Gao Guizi, coordinator of the 512 Voluntary Relief Center (Sichuan), posted on

September 21, 2010

The passing of Liang Congjie, China’s environmental and civil society pioneer, posted on

November 1, 2010

CHAPTER 7  THE INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION

On what Obama can do for NGOs on his visit to China, Posted November 14, 2009

Talking to some NGOs in Sichuan, posted on August 15, 2010

Can Bill Gates and Warren Buffett start a philanthropic revolution in China?  Posted October 1,

2010

Volunteering at Global Village's "Lehe Jiayuan" project in Daping, posted on October 18, 2010

Good news for 2011: Starting up China Development Brief (English), posted on January 27,

2011

Getting involved in the nonprofit community in Beijing, posted on January 4, 2011

Global Village's LOHO Community project in Sichuan -- excerpts from a volunteer's blog,

posted on November 14, 2010

CHAPTER 8  THE RISE OF PHILANTHROPY IN CHINA

XuYongguang’s talk at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of China, posted on March 7, 2010

Profile of Xu Yongguang, secretary general of Nandu (Narada) Foundation (Beijing), posted on

January 24, 2010

Can Bill Gates and Warren Buffett start a philanthropic revolution in China?  Posted October 1,2010