The African Commons Project and SANGONET have some great insights that they're sharing with about a dozen people from the NGO sector today.
Looking at the birth of blogs and how they developed in the late 1990's through to today. Social media and the NGO sector is the name of the workshop, if they offer it again you should go!
During the recent SANGONeT roadshow we talked a little about Twitter as one of the leading edge social media tools available to us in our work,. The overriding response to the talk was: "can I use it to send SMS's to my community/constituents/clients".BBBSSA targets youth-in-need and operates in conjunction with schools, children’s homes, communities and HIV/AIDS programmes
Access to broadband is an essential enabler of active citizenship in today's world. With affordable broadband, the enormous potential for socio-economic, cultural, and educational development in South Africa can be realised.
It breaks my heart as an African to see continual statistics of our continent always taking the lead in poverty, HIV/AIDS and political problems. Are all these things beyond our control? Africans, do we care enough to know about issues affecting us? Is there a possibilty of just coming up with a social vaccine to all these? Sometimes I think a large part of our people just don't care. If we did, Why is HIV still with us yet we know the biology, the transmission and the preventive strategies. I am being discouraged. CAN SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING PLEASE.
Taking part in the recent SANGONeT NGO Engagement on 12 March 2009 in Cape Town, was both challenging and rewarding. The event introduced representatives from various NGOs to the various web 2.0 features on the new-look NGO Pulse portal.
This interactive event focused on how online spaces can help nonprofits to communicate, share ideas, resources as well as building relationships online.
A child's life in South Africa is most challenging.
Yesterday's article on defying stereotypes was heartwarming. Society needs to understand that more and more men and women move away from the so-called male or female dominated careers. Now seeing men openly working as homes-based carers shouldn't turn heads but instead open hearts and minds. In this age of HIVand AIDS men have been seen to play a major in the spreading of the virus.This is evident that they have now taken the role of redressing the "impact" that they have had in the spreading.
the meeting was ivery enlightening. i would however recommend that articles posted on the website be limited lengthwise. i want to read them but the length of some articles is soo discouraging. Good job though.
I finally know how to blog. Why did no one tell me it was this easy?
Thank you NGO pulse!
Im sitting here taking a day out my work schedule and learning ways to take advantage of the systems that already excist online.We being educated about Blogging for some it is totally new concept for other its jst another opportunity to discuss concerning issues in an online community!
I think that the organisers have done a good job in terms of logistics and the engagement level is of a high standard. However the network connectivity is an issue, I hope moving foward that would be addressed and correctified.
Fourty seven NGO's came together at the River Club in Cape Town on Thursday to discuss Web 2.0 tools that are available on the NGO Pulse Portal and elsewhere. The aim of the conference was to inform NGO's in the Western Cape about the improved NGO Pulse Portal and to showcase some of the new tools that have been added. Participants got the opportunity to learn how to make use of these tools through working in breakaway groups.
Today I attended the Sangonet presentation at Diakonia Centre (Durban). It was so great to meet all the people who make this all happen. I met the people who have helped the trust I direct, with the latest software at incredibly affordable prices. This is something invaluable to myself, and so many other under resourced NPO's. I also me the people, who when I have an issue, allow me to blog, publish my opinions, and are also available to me, when I need a sound opinion, on an issue, I am dealing with, in my capacity as Director.
Sonya Keyser (Project Manager) and Elda Lyster of New Readers Publishers, based in the Centre for Adult Education at UKZN, are attending this book fair, which has been initiated by the Ladysmith Library Services, being held as part of a "community, literacy and reading promotion" day. There is a full programne for the day, and people have also been invited to display books and learning materials.
On Friday 13th March I head off for Israel/Palestine. This is a visit arranged by the WCC affording a small group of religious media people an exposure to life in that area.
And as I sit here now, trying to somehow arrive at a point of preparedness, I wonder how possible that really is...
