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Building Your ICT House

A guide to help Advocacy Project partners incorporate Information and Communication Technologies into their work to make them more effective advocates for social justice

Acknowledgments
The Advocacy Project would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to this manual: Teresa Crawford for her guidance and expertise, Heather Ratcliff for the hours spent editing, Gillian Cook and Erin Lapham for their help with the computer networking tutorial, Jean Bartholomew for her help with the Skype tutorial, Dana Burns for her research on the topic of acquiring hardware and software, Jessica Warren for contributing to the photo and video tutorials and Brian Lin for creating the house graphics. This work would not have been possible without their help.

Kristina Rosinsky The Advocacy Project May 2008

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license.

The Advocacy Project has worked to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication. However, The Advocacy Project cannot be held liable for any action (or lack of action) taken by any individual or organization as a result of the information contained herein.

Table of Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................... 3 Part 1: Assess and Plan .......................................................................................................... 9 Standard Operating Procedures .................................................................................................. 10 Technology Assessment ............................................................................................................... 24 Information Dissemination Needs Assessment ....................................................................... 35 Enviroscan...................................................................................................................................... 40 ICT Plan ......................................................................................................................................... 46 Part 2: Finance..................................................................................................................... 52 Part 3: Build ......................................................................................................................... 59 Blogs................................................................................................................................................ 61 Computer Networks ..................................................................................................................... 70 Email Lists...................................................................................................................................... 84 Online Petitions............................................................................................................................. 89 Photos ............................................................................................................................................. 92 Skype ............................................................................................................................................... 97 Social Networking ....................................................................................................................... 100 Video............................................................................................................................................. 118 Websites........................................................................................................................................ 123 Part 4: Troubleshoot ...........................................................................................................137

Introduces the process of building and maintaining your ICT house


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The Advocacy Projects mission is to help its partners produce, disseminate and use information in order for them to become more effective social justice advocates. Traditionally, production and dissemination consisted of writing press releases, giving them to media contacts, handing out flyers, hanging posters and going door-to-door asking for signatures for a petition. That is one way to spread your message. However, in todays age, information production and dissemination has moved to a new level, a level where information can be read and acted upon by millions of people worldwide with a click of a button. All of this is possible due to the Internet. With the Internet, you can Post a press release on your website, send an email directing all your contacts to read it and have them tell their friends about it too. Take pictures of an event and post them online within seconds for the entire world to see. Start a blog (online diary) to encourage readers to discuss the work you do and the issues you are addressing. Join a social networking website where you can expand your contacts exponentially, raise awareness and fundraise. Create a petition online that collects virtual signatures from people from every corner of the world. And more!

For advocates, the purpose of using these information and communication technology (ICT) tools is to garner widespread attention and support for their work, resulting in them becoming a more efficient and successful advocate for social change. Therefore, the purpose of this manual is to help you an AP partner become better equipped to use ICT tools to support your mission and advocacy work. These ICT tools will help you disseminate your information more effectively. Thus, it is not the technology that will be stressed, but rather how you can use the technology to support your organizations dissemination work. Approach incorporating ICT into your work the same way you would approach building a house. When getting ready to build a real house, the first step is to make sure you have the necessary equipment. Do you have wood, nails, hammers and bricks? Second, you have to think about what you need the house to do. Does it need to provide room for five people and give them privacy when they want it? The third step is to assess where you are going to build the house. Is it on a hill and thus has to be built a certain way? Are there people next door who can help you build your house? After all these considerations, you then plan out exactly how you are going to build the house, before you actually build it. You may need to raise money to build the house and you may run into problems and have to seek outside help, but eventually you will have a house that achieves its stated purpose. Instead of helping you plan out how to build a house to live in, this manual helps you plan how to build your ICT house.

The manual begins by helping you assess and plan for your ICT house. o First, it helps make sure you have the necessary equipment (tools) for an ICT house. Do you have enough computers? Do your computers run well? Do you have access to the Internet? o It then helps you brainstorm what you want your ICT house to do for you. Do you want to communicate better with a worldwide audience via a website? Do you want to engage a new demographic with a social networking profile? o Third, it helps you assess the environment in which you are building your ICT house. Is there government censorship that you have to contend with? Are there people nearby that can help you with construction and maintenance? o Then, it guides you in creating a plan on constructing your ICT house, planning out each step. The second part of the manual helps you find money and other support to make building your house possible. The third part presents tutorials about how to build different rooms of your ICT house, depending on what you want it to do for you. For instance, how to build a website, use blogs, etc. The last section guides you through dealing with problems you encounter during the construction process.

Since AP works with both small and large NGOs and therefore has partners of varying technological sophistication with differing needs, this manual is comprehensive. Both organizations with poor technological infrastructure and those with vast ICT experience will find it useful. This manual can therefore build houses of varying sizes, shapes and complexity as well as improve ICT houses that already exist. For instance, if you are a small organization with only one computer and little access to the Internet, you should focus on strengthening your technological foundation so that you can begin thinking about building the website or email list rooms of your ICT house. Likewise, if you are a large organization that already has an ICT house, you should step back and ask whether your equipment is properly set up and maintained, while also scaling up your ICT use to a more sophisticated level. Therefore, start at the beginning of this manual no matter the level of your technological sophistication. This is because the manual is not just about building your ICT house, but also about maintaining and improving it over time. The assessments you complete at the beginning can help you pinpoint problems with your technology as well as brainstorm ways to use ICT tools to support your work. The second half of the manual helps you actually use the ICT tools that you decide to employ in your work by providing fundraising suggestions, tutorials and troubleshooting advice. At the end, you will have a strong ICT house capable of dramatically improving your advocacy. The manual is organized as follows:

Part 1: Assess and Plan Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) The SOPs include tips on how to improve your computers and other equipment so that they are strong enough to support your ICT house. The SOPs also include tips on how to best use technology, for instance, how to work on a slow Internet connection. (SOPs for using specific ICT tools will be included later in the Build section.) You should start by reading the SOPs and then proceed to incorporating them into your work. The assessments that follow will help you do that. The SOPs contain the following sections:
Assess and Plan Develop an Eco-network Choose Appropriate Hardware Maintain Hardware Choose Appropriate Software Back up Your Files Use Email Effectively Save Time (and Money) at Internet Cafs Work Effectively on a Slow or Poor Internet Connection Train Staff Create a Tech Binder Be Secure Online

Technology Assessment Now that you have learned what Standard Operating Procedures you should be following, it is time to find out if you are actually following the most technical of them. The Technology Assessment helps you identify problems with the technology you use and how they can be resolved. Your organizations technology includes anything to do with computers, software, Internet connections, etc. You first have to make sure this infrastructure is strong because you need to build this foundation before you can move on to the more complex areas of ICT (social networking, websites, and other online tools that help you spread your message). Once the Technology Assessment is complete, you will know what your organization needs to do to strengthen its computers so that you can avoid problems later on when you are using ICT tools. Just like a real house, your infrastructure needs to be strong before you can begin building upon it or else your house will crumble. Information Dissemination Needs Assessment The second assessment is the Information Dissemination Needs Assessment. It strives to address deficiencies in your information dissemination work and help you brainstorm how ICT tools can help fix them. After completing this assessment, you will know what ICT tools to use to better disseminate your information and thus know what you want your ICT house to do for you. Enviroscan After the Technology Assessment and Information Dissemination Needs Assessment, fill out the Enviroscan. This is an assessment that helps you assess your local environment for barriers to your ICT work and for potential local support for your work. After completing the Enviroscan, you will have brainstormed ways to build your ICT capabilities despite problems such as government restrictions, as well as how to create a network of local support to help construct and maintain your ICT house.

After going through these assessments, you should take a step back and look at what you have discovered. Look to see if you found any problems with your current technology use. Did you find that you are not incorporating the standard operating procedures in your work? Did you find problems with your infrastructure such as not enough RAM, inadequate software, or not enough hard drive space? Did you discover any government restrictions that you need to address? Are you communicating with the people you need to effectively? Did you find examples of how you can use ICT tools in your work? Now is the time to make an ICT Plan. ICT Plan In an ICT Plan, you take what you have learned and move forward. Essentially this is your blueprint for building or improving your ICT house. You list how you are going to improve your technology, how you are going to overcome local obstacles, what ICT tools you want to use and for what purpose, etc. Each thing you list in your ICT Plan helps you better disseminate information whether indirectly through improving your technology or directly by incorporating ICT tools. This section will guide you in creating an ICT Plan, which outlines what you want to do, how you are going to do it, who is going to do it, how much it will cost and how long it will take. Part 2: Finance After Part 1: Assess and Plan, move on to Part 2: Finance, which provides information about how to acquire the resources you need to successfully incorporate ICT in to your advocacy. It lists places to get free or discounted hardware and software, grant opportunities for ICT related work and advice on writing proposals to fund your ICT house Part 3: Build Once you know what you want to do and have money to do it, this section will show you how. There are several tutorials on ICT related topics such as setting up an office network, social networking, building a website, starting a blog, and more. These tutorials help you build the rooms of your house. They start with the basics and give information about what the ICT topic or tool can do for you, as well as show you how to do or use each. Each tutorial contains tips, which are in essence standard operating procedures for each topic or tool. The point of these tutorials is to pass on knowledge to your organization so that you are capable of constructing the ICT house you mapped out in your ICT Plan. Part 4: Troubleshoot The final part of this manual will explain how you can troubleshoot problems you may encounter when building your ICT house. This includes how to use an eco-network for support and troubleshooting as well as how to self-help.

Your ICT House is Complete! After going through this manual, you will have created an ICT Plan and be able to do each thing laid out in it. You will know how to: Strengthen your technology to prevent complications, Work around barriers and take advantage of opportunities in your local environment, Decide which ICT tools can strengthen your information dissemination and how to use them, and Get money and equipment to do all this as well as how to troubleshoot if you run into problems.

The first section containing the Standard Operating Procedures, Technology Assessment, Information Dissemination Needs Assessment, Enviroscan and ICT Plan are mandatory if you want to adequately assess your current state and design a plan for the future. After this first section, you will know generally how you are going to incorporate ICT in your work. Every organization needs to know this, therefore, every organization needs to complete the Assess and Plan section. After you have completed an ICT Plan, you can pick and choose from the three subsequent sections, consulting only the parts that you need in order to build your unique ICT house. If you decided that you need a website section of your ICT house, then you will consult the tutorial explaining how to do that. You may completely disregard the other sections if they are irrelevant to your particular houses plan. At the end, your ICT house will be built and will provide support for your work. Your organization can expand your ICT house in the future, resize the rooms, whatever you need to do to make your ICT house help your work. Ultimately, you will be a stronger, more successful advocate for social justice and human rights once you are using your ICT house to support your mission.

Helps you assess where you stand and plan for where you want to be

Standard Operating Procedures


Assess and Plan Develop an Eco-network Choose Appropriate Hardware Maintain Hardware Choose Appropriate Software Back Up Your Files Use Email Effectively Save Time (and Money) at Internet Cafs Work Effectively on a Slow or Poor Internet Connection Create a Tech Binder Be Secure Online Train Staff Additional Resources

This section outlines general standard operating procedures to use when incorporating ICT in to your work. There are tips and suggestions on how to make working with technology easier and more effective. For tips and advice concerning specific ICT tools, see Part 3: Build.

Assess and Plan


Before you do anything with ICT, you need to figure out where you stand and where you want to be. You need to Assess your technology to make sure that you have a strong foundation capable of supporting ICT tools. Figure out what you need to improve upon with regard to information dissemination and how ICT tools can help. Scan your environment for local obstacles that you need to consider when incorporating ICT into your work, as well as search for local technological support you can draw on.

To do this, complete the Technology Assessment, Information Dissemination Needs Assessment and Enviroscan. The Technology Assessment helps you fix problems with your technology. Do you know where your organization stands in terms of its technological capabilities? Are your computers able to connect to the Internet? Can they run sophisticated software programs? How much storage space do they have left? Have you installed anti-virus programs? You will need to know this information before you start working with ICT. The best way to figure out this information is to do an assessment for each computer in your office and for your organization as a whole. It should take less than four hours to complete. The second assessment, the Information Dissemination Needs Assessment, strives to address deficiencies in your work promoting information. It assesses how you can improve the

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dissemination of information you produce with the help of ICT tools such as websites, blogs, social networking sites and more. It should take less than an hour and a half to complete. Lastly, you will need to be familiar with your local environment to make good ICT choices. Who provides Internet in the area? Are there restrictive laws? Are there organizations or groups that could help you with your technology needs? Do an Enviroscan of your location to organize this kind of information and see recommendations on how to work around barriers and take advantage of possibilities. It should take less than four hours to complete. After filling out these assessments, you will be able to complete the ICT Plan. It takes what you learned from these assessments and puts them into a plan for action to improve your advocacy work.

Develop an Eco-network
An eco-network is a local group of ICT support and troubleshooting experts that you should cultivate. Your eco-network is born when you complete the Enviroscan, which guides you in finding local partners that can provide technological support. Your eco-network consists of local experts such as NGOs, techies, trainers, the private sector, free hardware suppliers, etc. that you can turn to for ICT support. The purpose of an eco-network is to have high-level technological support to make sure that your technology can be maintained and used properly. Also, an eco-network can help you build your capacity to handle problems on your own. To build your eco-network, you need to search the Internet for groups in your city, country, or region that would be good to work with. AP and AP Peace Fellows can help your organization with this search, as well as with meeting these groups to set up a relationship. See the Enviroscan and Troubleshoot sections for more details on building and using your econetwork.

Choose Appropriate Hardware


Working in difficult places can be made easier with the right hardware. For example, frequent electric outages or inadequate computers can be devastating to an organizations work, so here is some advice to make your work with technology a better experience. Invest in laptops, not desktops. Desktops require a constant source of power to run. Laptops, on the other hand, can run on battery power for hours. They can also be carried to other locations that may have a power generator. Also, if you work outside of the office often and travel to remote areas, a laptop can be particularly useful. Laptops may be easier to lose than a desktop so be vigilant when traveling with a laptop. Buy a computer powerful enough to do what you want. The computers you decide to buy should have at least these specifications for them to run adequately. Note that these are minimums.

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Processor: speed of at least 500 MHz or higher. Some new software programs require a 1 GHz (1000 MHz) processor or higher. Operating system: Windows 2000 or later, Mac OS 8 or later (newer versions are Mac OS X), or an up to date version of Linux. Modem: Varies, consult your Internet service provider for details. Memory: 256 MB RAM or more. Storage: 20 GB minimum. CD-ROM drive USB slots

Obtain a UPS. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a good piece of equipment to have if you already have desktop computers and want to avoid them shutting down suddenly in the event of a power outage. A UPS does not allow you to run the computers plugged into it for hours, but instead, allows you to save your work and then properly shut the computer down. This protects you from losing information and protects your computer from damage. The other benefit of having a UPS is that you can plug a wireless Internet router into the UPS, and if your Internet service provider has power, you will continue to be able to access the Internet during a blackout as long as you are using a laptop with battery power and wireless capabilities. Note that if you want to be able to use desktop computers during power outages, you will need a power generator. Buy a printer for your needs. Consider your printing needs before buying a printer. Do you print every once in a while? Or do you need to print hundreds of copies of a document all the time? o If you print every once in a while you may want to buy an inkjet printer. Inkjets are cheaper than laser printers but they use a lot of ink so costs will accumulate rapidly. They are also slower. o Laser printers are more expensive initially, but use less ink and print much faster than an inkjet. So a laser printer will be a better choice if you plan on using your printer heavily. (Source: ICT Hub)

Maintain Hardware
It is important to maintain your hardware to keep it running well. Update your operating system. It is important to receive updates from your operating system manufacturer since they continually fix problems. To do this in Windows, go to Control Panel, Automatic Updates or see the note below about the Security Center. Turn Automatic Updates on so that updates will automatically install. To do this on a Mac, click on the blue Apple in the top left corner and select Software Update. Ensure that you update your operating system at least once a month. Run virus scans. To protect your computer from viruses that can damage your system, you will need to run a virus scan at least once a week. These scans will search your files for viruses and delete them. Make sure to update your anti-virus software frequently so that it is

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searching for the most recent viruses. Some anti-virus software programs are listed below and all require businesses to pay for them. While anti-virus software is expensive, you need it to protect your computers from Internet threats or else all your computers are at risk. If you cannot afford to purchase anti-virus software, see the Finance section to find out how you can get it for free or at a discounted rate.
Norton AntiVirus AVG Avast Antivirus

If you use Windows, enable the Security Center. You can make sure that your computer is receiving updates and is running up to date anti-virus software by enabling the Security Center. This includes enabling updates for the operating system, turning on the Firewall, and checking the status of your anti-virus software on your computer. To make sure these features are enabled on a computer running Windows, go to Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click Security Center. There, make sure that the Firewall, automatic updates and your virus software are turned on. Your computer is now protected and Windows will automatically alert you when there are updates ready to be installed on your computer if the computer is connected to the Internet. Protect against spyware. Spyware is an unwanted program that is installed on your computer without your knowledge. Its purpose is to track your use of the Internet, take personal data, as well as more harmful things such as change your computers settings. Spyware is also bad because it really slows down a computer. To get rid of spyware, you should install anti-spyware software and run a spyware scan at least once a week.
Ad-Aware (discounted version available for nonprofits) Spybot (discounted version available for nonprofits) Spyware Doctor (free version available for organizations)

Run a Disk Cleanup. In addition to these measures meant to protect your computer from security threats, you should also clean up your computer to keep your system running well. Over time, your computer collects a lot of junk. This can be in the form of contents of your recycle bin, temporary Internet files and old files. Running a Disk Cleanup will delete some of these files and compress others to free up space on your hard drive. You should do this about once a month on every computer in your office. To run a Disk Cleanup on Windows, go to Programs, Accessories, System Tools and click Disk Cleanup. It is not necessary to run a disk cleanup on a Mac because they do so automatically. Defragment your hard drive. To clean up your computer and make it run faster, run the Disk Defragmenter every couple of months on every computer in your office. Over time, files become fragmented, which makes your computer slow. Therefore, defragmenting your hard drive is a way to fix it. To run the Disk Defragmenter on Windows, go to Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Defragmenter. On a Mac, go to the Applications Folder, Utilities, then Disk Utility. Click on your hard disk, the First Aid option and click Repair Disk Permissions. It takes a long time for the defragmenter to complete its work, so it is a good idea to run it when the office is closed, for instance, at night. 13

Choose Appropriate Software


If your computer did not come preinstalled with all the software that you need or want, there are plenty of free, quality options that can prevent you from paying hundreds of dollars for programs. Most of the software listed comes in languages other than English. This is important if you want your non-English speaking staff to be able to use these programs effectively and efficiently. Note that it is important to try to standardize the software you use. For example, things will run more smoothly when everyone is using the same operating system or Word processor. Free operating system Operating systems are the software that provide the necessary interface allowing you to use your computer. Example of operating systems are Windows and Mac OS. Even though one of these may come preinstalled on a new computer, there may be instances where you have to acquire a new operating system. Instead of purchasing Windows or Mac OS, consider the free option below.
Linux Linux is an alternate operating system that you can install on your computer instead of or in addition to Microsoft Windows or Mac OS. Ubuntu, a Linux based program, offers free downloads and CDs of the operating system at its website. The operating system includes necessary programs such as a word processor, spreadsheet tool, and an Internet browser, among other useful programs. Linux operating systems are different from Windows and Mac OS, so it may take a bit of time to get used to, but overall, it has been shown that Linux is user-friendly.

Free Internet browser Internet browsers are software that allow you to search the Internet. Internet Explorer is the browser that comes standard on computers running Windows. If you want a different, free option, consider the following.
Mozilla Firefox This is a popular Internet browser that is very easy to use. It has a stronger reputation on security and allows for more customization than Internet Explorer. You should note that it takes longer to start up and uses up more memory than Internet Explorer but loads webpages at the same speed.

Free office suite software Word processors are software that allow you to create text documents. The most popular example of a word processor is Microsoft Word, which is quite expensive to purchase and does not always come standard on new computers. If you want free alternatives, consider the following:
Open Office This is one of the most popular free office suite programs. It includes a word processor (like Microsoft Word), a program to create spreadsheets (like Excel) and a program to create presentations (like PowerPoint). It can read old Microsoft Word documents and save your files as Word files so that you can send your file to people using Word. For Open Office in languages other than English, visit Open Offices language page. Microsoft viewers If you just want to be able to view, print and copy Word, Excel and PowerPoint files (not create them), then download the o Word Viewer o Excel Viewer o PowerPoint Viewer

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Free instant messengers and telephony software Instant messengers allow you to chat (type messages) in real time over the Internet with anyone else using the same instant messenger software as you. A similar tool is telephony software that allows you to speak to others using the same telephony software. You use your Internet connection, headphones and a microphone to communicate. Most instant messengers and telephony software are free, but here are two good ones. Pidgin (formerly GAIM) Pidgin is an instant messenger that allows you to use various instant messenger accounts at once (including AIM, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, etc). Skype Skype allows you to make calls from your computer to anyone else in the world who also has Skype for free. It also allows you to call landlines and cell phones at a cheap rate. See the Build section for more on how to use Skype.

Back Up Your Files


Backing up the files on your computer is essential. Imagine working on a spreadsheet for a week and having your computer crash and you will understand why saving your files in a place other than your hard drive is important. You can back up files on a flash drive (a small device that connects to a USB port on your computer), saving each file as you work on it. You can also save to an external hard drive that is larger and thus can hold more files than a standard flash drive.

It is not recommended to use floppy disks to save your work as they can break easily and have limited storage space. CDs are an option but they take a long time to create. If you have nothing with you to back up your files at the time, you can always email them to yourself and save them later to your computer or back up device.

Use Email Effectively


This section contains tips on how to best manage what you probably spend the most time doing online sending email. Use Gmail. Gmail has a ton of features that makes it a very popular email service. There is virtually unlimited storage, a great search feature, the ability to categorize emails, star important emails, chat with other Gmail users, and many other useful features that will make receiving and responding to email a more pleasant and efficient task. You can even forward multiple email addresses to your Gmail account so that all your email is viewed in one place. This will improve communications and streamline dealing with email. Note that if you live in a country with a repressive government, you should use Hushmail, a secure email provider that has privacy at its heart, instead of Gmail or any other online email service. Have an organizational email address domain. This makes your organization more professional and makes it easier to remember your co-workers emails. If you have a

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standard, such as firstname.lastname@yourorganization.org, then it will also be easier for people who want to send emails to others working in the organization. To do this, you will need to purchase a domain name if you do not currently have one. If you have a domain name (for instance, www.yourorganization.org) then you should be able to get email addresses that end in that domain name through the domain registrar or your website host. Once you have an email address that ends in your domain, you can have that address forward to a more convenient email host like Gmail. Include all your contact information so people know how to reach you. A good way to do this is to create a signature file that automatically places your contact information at the bottom of every email you send. How to do this varies depending on the email provider you use. Searching the Settings or My Account section of your email is a good place to look to create a signature. Learn the benefits of the BCC field. When sending an email to multiple people, you can type their email addresses in the To: or CC: field. Doing this allows every recipient of the email to view the email addresses of the other recipients. However, if you are sending out an email to many people who may not want strangers knowing their email addresses (for instance, when sending out a newsletter), you would want to use the BCC field. This stands for blind carbon copy and protects the privacy of your email recipients. Only the addresses in the To: and CC: fields will be visible to a recipient listed in the BCC field. Other BCC recipients will not be visible. This also prevents recipients of your email from having to scroll through a long list of addresses to get to the body of the email. Email Etiquette o Proofread. In many cases, people know you only through email and it is best to project yourself in the best manner possible. o Create a meaningful subject line. o Do not write in all CAPS as your email can very easily be treated as junk mail and the recipient will never see it. Also, it gives the impression that you are yelling. o Respond to emails in a timely fashion. If you cannot respond quickly, at least acknowledge that you received the email and that you will respond as soon as you can.

Save Time (and Money) at Internet Cafs


Compose emails and documents before you go to the Internet caf. If you have a computer but not an Internet connection, you should consider composing emails before you go to the Internet caf. If you know that you need to send an email, write it, save it to a flash drive and then when you get to the Internet caf, download your document from your flash drive and copy and paste it in an email. Even if you do not have a computer, writing or at least outlining an email you want to write will save you time and money at the Internet caf. Go in one large session, not multiple small sessions. If you use the Internet daily, go once a day for a long period instead of two or three short sessions. Each time you use the Internet, you may get distracted by news, videos, photos and interesting sites. You are less likely to waste a lot of time being distracted if you set an hour or two a day to spend in the 16

Internet caf. If you go for multiple short sessions, you may find yourself checking news sites and other websites you frequent more often than if you tried to consolidate your time spent in Internet cafs. Make a To Do List. Before you go to the Internet caf, know exactly what you need to do there. Having a clear list will prevent you from getting distracted and wasting time. See the next section for other tips that can also help you save time at Internet cafs.

Work Effectively on a Slow or Poor Internet Connection


A lightning fast Internet connection is simply not a reality in many areas. This can make ICT-related work difficult, frustrating and time consuming. Luckily, there are several ways that you can cope in order to make using a slow connection easier to work with. Dont depend on the Internet for email. Using a POP (Post Office Protocol) or IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) email client will allow you to view your email and compose responses to it even if you are offline. It works by downloading your email from the Internet (from a provider like Gmail or Yahoo) to a program on your computer. When you disconnect from the Internet, your email remains on your computer. This allows you to view and compose responses to email even if the Internet connection is very slow or down. The most popular program that allows you to do this is Microsoft Outlook, which comes with most computers that run Windows. Note that downloading your email to your computer will take up hard drive space and will allow anyone on your computer to see your email. If you are concerned about privacy issues, you can set up a password for your POP or IMAP email client or for your entire computer. Reduce photo sizes for fast upload. Some cameras take high resolution photographs that are great for making poster size prints, but not necessary for sending via email or posting on the Internet. Keep photos to about 640 x 480 pixels and 100KB for good Internet quality but easy to upload photos. Use a program like Paint or Picnik to reduce photo size. Google Alerts save you from searching for the same terms over and over. Google Alerts allow you to receive emails from Google whenever a search term you specify has new results. This saves you from manually going to Google and searching for a particular term, news item, blog, etc. For instance, if you find yourself searching for a particular topic all the time, such as your organizations name, Google Alerts will save you time. You can tell Google to send you these updates as they happen, once per day, or once per week. Visit the Google Alert website to set this up. Save webpages to your computer so that you can view them offline. If you find yourself using the same website over and over, you may want to save it to your computer so that you can access it even if your Internet connection wont cooperate. To do this, go to the website, go to the File Menu on your browser and click Save As. Note that it will save the page as it currently looks and if the page is updated, your saved version will not be. Also, if you click on the links while your Internet connection is not working, the links will not work

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either. You will only be able to view the individual page you save. Note that this will take up space on your hard drive and sometimes graphics like videos may not display properly when saved. Turn off graphics, videos and sound in your browser. Since pictures, audio and animations take a long time to load, you may want to turn them off to make browsing the Internet quicker. Note that turning off images can cause some websites to not display correctly. o To do this in Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options, then click the Advanced tab. In the multimedia section, unclick the appropriate boxes and click Apply. o In Firefox, go to Tools, Options, Content and unclick the box next to Load Images Automatically. Use the basic version of Gmail. If you find that Gmail takes too long to load on your connection, access your Gmail account in a basic version. Use a pop up blocker. Advertisements that pop up on your screen while you are using the Internet can slow down your connection. To get rid of them when using Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Pop Up Blocker. If the menu that appears says, Turn ON Pop Up Blocker, click it. If it says Turn OFF Pop Up Blocker, leave it pop ups are already being blocked. To turn off pop ups on Firefox, go to Tools, Options, Content, and click Block Pop Up Windows.

Create a Tech Binder


When it comes to your organizations technology, there is a lot of stuff to remember. The more useful technology you incorporate into your organizations work, the more service providers, usernames, passwords, and other information youre going to have to keep in order. If youve ever spent hours typing in every imaginable username and password combination with no success, or rifling through piles of bills trying to figure out who your domain registrar is, youll know how painful and time-consuming it can be when some of that information is lost or forgotten. You might think that you or someone else in your office can remember all of the organizations tech information, but what happens if that person leaves the organization, or is simply unavailable when the next technology crisis comes up? To help you avoid those kinds of problems, create a tech binder that contains all of the necessary technology information and documentation for your organization. A tech binder is exactly what it sounds like a binder that has your tech information written down and consolidated in one central and easily accessible location. A tech binder is a decidedly low-tech approach to keeping your important tech information in order, and thats good: that way, you can access your information even if the networks down, or the computers are all broken, or you can not access the Internet. Your tech binder should be kept well organized and divided up into sections with tabs to help you quickly find what youre looking for. It should also be kept up to date; every time tech information

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changes, you should update your tech binder immediately. It should be kept in a safe and secure place in your office where people will know to look when they need it. What should you put in your tech binder? Below is a list of the things that we think everyone should keep track of in their tech binders. There might be more that you want to store in yours, but at the minimum, try to gather this information. Who is your Internet service provider? Write down their name, contact information (support website, phone number and email address), and specific information about the plan or Internet service youve signed up for. What company do you use for web hosting? Your web host is also often your email host, so if anything goes wrong with either your website or email, theyre someone youll want to contact. Write down the web hosts name, contact information, and your login information for the web hosting site or control panel. Who is your domain name registrar? Youll need to know this so you can keep track of when to renew your domain name and in case you need to switch from one web host to another. Write down the domain name registrars name, contact information, and your login information for the domain name website. If your organization has a website, record who is responsible for maintaining it (name, contact information, etc.). Write down specifics of your organizations internal network. What is the URL (web address) and login information for your modem (cable or DSL) and router? If you have wireless access in your office, what is the name and login information for your wireless network and your wireless router? What is the name of your network? Do you have a file server running? If so, what is it called and what is the login information? What software is your server running? What are the names of the other computers on your network, and what operating systems are they running? What are the printers called, and how do you access them? This manual, most importantly the completed assessments and ICT Plan.

That is the bare minimum, but there is a lot more that can and should go into a tech binder. We also recommend that you think about recording the following in yours: Login information for your database, individual workstations, and any tools or services that you access on the web. Any technology plans or assessments. License and registration information, warranties, and manuals on hardware and software used in your organization.

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Consider keeping troubleshooting notes in your binder that record what the problem was and how you dealt with it. Then, if the problem occurs again, you can refer back to the tech binder, instead of trying to figure it out again.

An important security note on writing down passwords: Passwords are probably the most commonly forgotten pieces of tech information. However, passwords are also supposed to be secure, so writing them down in your tech binder can be a security risk, since then anyone who picks up the binder can easily read your passwords. If thats a risk youd rather not take, there are other alternatives. One is to use a standard organization-wide password, known by multiple people in your organization for all logins and accounts that you create. If you do choose to write down passwords, you could figure out a memorable system for scrambling or altering passwords before you write them, like inserting a random character into the password that youll remember to remove when actually using it. Just be sure that you remember whatever system you do set up! You could consider programs that allow you to safely store your passwords online for free like KeyPass. Remember that you should never write down passwords for sensitive or confidential information or accounts, like bank accounts.

Be Secure Online
Using the Internet has incredible benefits for your organizations productivity, advocacy and success. However, if you do not take routine security precautions, the Internet can give your organization incredible headaches. In addition to regularly running a virus scan on your computer and updating your anti-virus software, follow these guidelines to ensure that your experience with the Internet is only a positive one. See the maintain hardware section above for more general advice on running a virus scan, turning on your firewall, updating your computer, etc. Do not open email attachments from people you do not trust. You can add attachments to emails to share files. This is incredibly beneficial. However, some hackers can find your email address and send you a clever email with an attachment that has a malicious virus hidden in it. Especially suspicious are file names ending in .exe. While most email providers have built in virus scanners for email, it is still a good idea to be smart and only open files you are expecting or those from someone you trust. Do not give out sensitive personal data. There are email scams that ask for your help transferring money through your bank account, through Western Union or other such institutions. Dont fall for these clever scams! They steal your bank information and your money. You should only enter this data online if you are at a credible website like your banks page or an online merchant. Also, check to make sure any site is credible and secure before you enter any sensitive information such as bank data, credit card information, etc. To see that a site is secure check to make sure that the URL (web address) begins with https:// not just http:// Be careful at Internet cafs. Since Internet cafes are public, you do not know whether the computers you use have a virus that can ruin your data or steal your passwords. So dont do your accounting or any other sensitive activity at an Internet caf if you can help it! More generally, dont choose remember my password at Internet cafs. If you let the computer

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remember you then the next person who uses that computer will be able to access your account. This is obviously something you dont want to happen. Do not download programs that you have never heard of before. Many programs and software out there are safe and legitimate, but some are disguised as viruses. If you are unsure about the safety of a particular program, do a quick Google search to find information about it or ask someone else who may know if the program is legitimate. Put a password on your wireless network. If you use wireless technology to connect to the Internet or create an office network at your office, secure it by using a password. If you leave it insecure, people could access your wireless network and disrupt your system with malicious software. To learn how to do this, see your routers user guide. Create good passwords. If someone can easily guess your password, then it is not doing its job. Dont use common words or numbers or letters in sequence. Microsoft has a piece online describing how to create a secure password.

In addition to these tips, if you work in a country with a repressive government, you will need to be careful of what you do online and strive toward anonymity online. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take that make it harder for the government to know who is writing the material online. While nothing is 100 percent anonymous, following this advice will make it less likely that you will be discovered. The tips below are presented in order of tips that are least effective to the most effective and in the order you should do them. For instance, dont just do the last tip because if you do and then neglect the first tip of not using your real name, then you will not be secure. If you need to be very careful, do all the suggested recommendations and seek help from an IT expert for more advice. (Ideas below from How to Blog Anonymously by Ethan Zuckerman.) Dont use your real name or information. Seems a bit obvious, but ensuring that your blog, website and email address are anonymous can protect you. When you sign up for a blog account, dont use an email address that is connected to your real name. Set up an email address that is anonymous and use that email to set up your blog or website. To get more protection, dont use an email provider like Outlook but instead use web-based email like Hotmail or Yahoo. Also consider Hushmail, a secure email provider that has privacy at its heart. Also, dont use a blog or website that you have to pay for as your payment details can be used to identify you. Use public computers. Dont use the same computer every time you connect to the Internet since the address that the computer uses to connect to the Internet can be identified and then traced to you. To prevent this, use different computers at an Internet caf or other public place. However, make sure you do not save passwords, that you clear the cache, erase the browsers history, and delete cookies. To do this in Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options, go to the General tab and click Delete under Browsing History. To do this in Firefox, go to Tools and then click Clear Private Data. Use Tor, a program that hides your computers identity. By installing and using Tor, all information sent to and from the Internet from or to your computer is encrypted and your identity is constantly changed so that authorities cannot track you. This slows down your Internet connection, but is worth it if you want to remain anonymous. For more detailed steps 21

on how to download and use Tor, as well as other tips, read Anonymous Blogging with Wordpress and Tor by Ethan Zuckerman.

Train Staff
To accomplish your ICT goals, your organization should identify an accidental techie. This person is the one that everyone seems to go to for help with their technical problems. They should be someone with the best knowledge of computers and the Internet, however, they do not need to be an expert, just comfortable with the basics. This is the preliminary person in charge of ICTrelated work in your organization who will be responsible for getting your computers working, running the appropriate software, connecting to an office network, connecting to the Internet, and who knows how to troubleshoot or at least knows who to call for help. After the initial setup required to use ICT in your work, this person should take the lead with ICT-related projects, for instance, starting a website, creating online petitions, etc. However, it is not enough for only one person in your organization to know how to use this technology. He or she should eventually have a team that works together to accomplish ICT projects. This is the beginning of an ICT department. Also, the accidental techie should help the rest of your staff incorporate technology into their work to make them more effective. This would include training staff on how to use email effectively, run virus scans, and ways for them to incorporate ICT in their daily work. For instance, instead of having staff make expensive phone calls, the accidental techie can train them to use Skype or an instant messenger. This training should be done in an incremental manner as to not overwhelm less tech savvy employees. Also, the things that they should be trained in should be things that will help them in their everyday work, not technology just for technologys sake. Explaining this to staff can help them more easily accept technology and will ultimately make your organization run more efficiently.

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Additional Resources
Guide to Managing ICT in the Voluntary and Community Sector
http://www.icthub.org.uk/publications/managing_ict_guide.pdf Why Use ICT? How do you budget for it? How do you keep things running smoothly? This publication answers these questions and provides tons of advice.

Kabissa
http://www.kabissa.org/ A website offering many ICT resources for NGOs working mainly in Africa, but the advice they provide is universal.

Protecting your Computers from Viruses and Spyware


http://www.onenw.org/toolkit/protecting-your-computers-from-viruses-and-spyware/ Answers questions such as what are viruses and spyware, how to prevent an infection and how to apply these tips to large office networks.

NGO in a Box- Security Edition


http://security.ngoinabox.org/html/en/index.html Information about making good passwords, backing up files, using a Firewall, virus protection and more. Includes a lot of links to useful tools. http://security.ngoinabox.org/html/en/references.html

Idealware
www.idealware.org Idealware is a nonprofit organization that writes reports and articles on software that other nonprofits would be interested in. Consult this website if you need advice about anything software related.

The True Costs of Free and Low Cost Software


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page7940.cfm This article discusses the drawbacks of free software and helps you decide if it is worth it.

Putting Email to Work


http://www.onenw.org/toolkit/putting-email-to-work/ A blog entry about why email is beneficial, including how to incorporate it into fundraising.

Avoiding the Dark Side of Email


http://www.onenw.org/toolkit/avoiding-the-dark-side/ This article gives you advice on how to avoid problems with email, focusing on using standard email etiquette.

Tips for Sharing Computers with Non-Staff


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/ctc/page7756.cfm

Registering a Domain Name


http://www.onenw.org/toolkit/domain-names/ An article outlining the benefits of having a domain name and how to get one.

Glossary of Technical Terms


http://www.geek.com/technical-glossary/ This is a great glossary that defines technical terms.

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Technology Assessment
After you have read the Standard Operating Procedures, it is time to start incorporating them into your work. The first standard operating procedure is to do a Technology Assessment to evaluate your organizations hardware and software setup. This assessment will help pinpoint problems with your computers and make sure that you are following several other standard operating procedures that relate to your hardware and software. Exposing and fixing problems with your technology will make working with ICT tools such as websites and blogs much easier, more efficient and ultimately more successful. This assessment has two parts:

This assessment is for everyone!


The first part is an assessment for each of your computers. The second part is an assessment for the entire office. If you dont have computers, skip directly to number 11 of the entire office assessment. For those who are just beginning to use ICT Use this form to collect information about your current situation if you are just starting to incorporate technology into your work, such as networking computers, accessing the Internet, using email, using software programs like Word, etc. For those who have experience with ICT tools You will also want to complete this assessment if you have progressed past the beginning stage and find that you have problems with your technology. Filling out this assessment can help pinpoint the problem and thus help you go about fixing it.

See the Glossary at the end of this document for help finding the specifications manually and through a program called WinAudit, which will find the specifications for you. Later on, this assessment will be instrumental in helping your organization develop an ICT Plan, which will help plan how you are going to improve your technology so that you can use ICT tools to promote your organizations advocacy.

For each question below, fill in your answer, look at the recommendations and check the Action Needed box if the recommendation suggests an action for you. Even if you dont have the funds to take a particular action, still check the box if an action is recommended. The purpose of this is to see where there is room for improvement. Checking these boxes will make coming up with an ICT Plan much easier. When completed, place the forms in your Tech Binder (your binder where you keep all your technology-related information such as passwords, your website host, etc. For more information about what a Tech Binder is, see the Standard Operating Procedures). If you already have a Tech Binder, check it for this information. If you have previously filled out a Technology Assessment, simply update it with the new version

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For Each Computer


General
Question 1. Assign this computer a name or describe it so that it can be identified in the future. If it already has a name for login or networking purposes, use that. 2. How old is this computer? 3. What is the processors speed (in MHz or GHz)? 4. How large is the hard drive (in GB)? 5. How much free space is left on the hard drive? 6. How much memory (RAM) does the computer have (in MB or GB)? 7. Is there a USB slot that is not being used? 8. Is there a CD-ROM drive? 9. Is there a floppy drive? Yes No Yes No Yes No If older than five years, consider getting a new computer. If the processors speed is less than 500 MHz (1000 MHz = 1 GHz), consider upgrading for the best performance. If less than 20 GB, consider buying additional hard drive space. If there is less than 5 GB remaining on your hard drive, run a disk cleanup, delete old files, and/or buy additional hard drive space. If there is less than 256 MB of RAM (1000MB is approximately 1 GB), consider upgrading for the best performance. If your computer does not have a free USB slot, use CDs to back up your work. If you dont have a USB slot or CD-ROM drive, consider purchasing an external CD-ROM drive or use floppy disks to back up your work. Answer Recommendation Action Needed?

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Networks and Internet


10. Is this computer connected to the Internet? Does the computer access the Internet through a cable or wirelessly? Yes No If the computer is not connected to the Internet but you want it to be, see the Computer Networks tutorial. If you have wireless Internet, make sure to put a password on the connection.

External Devices
11. Can this computer print from a printer on the network? 12. Is this computer connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)? 13. Is this computer connected to a surge protector? Yes No Yes No Yes No If the computer cannot print from a printer on the network and you want it to, see the Computer Networks tutorial. If you have a desktop computer and it is not connected to a UPS, consider connecting it to one to protect your computer from power outages. Every computer should be connected to a surge protector to protect the computer from surges in electricity.

Software
14. What operating system does the computer use? What version/edition? Do you update your operating system regularly? If your operating system is a version earlier than Windows 2000 or Mac OS 8, consider upgrading. Also, if you do not update your operating system, you are at a security risk. See the Standard Operating Procedures for how to update your operating system. If not, turn the Firewall on.

15. Are security measures turned on such as Windows Firewall? (see the Standard Operating Procedures for information about security measures).

Yes No

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16. What anti-virus software is installed? What version/edition? Are virus scans run regularly?

If your anti-virus software is out of date, you are not protected from todays viruses. Update your software. If you do not run virus scans often, your computer may be infected. Run a scan at least once a week. If the computer does not have all the software it needs, make a list of needed software and install it.

17. Does this computer have all the software needed installed? If not, what is it missing?

Yes No

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For the Entire Office


General Hardware/Software/Networking
1. How many computers do you have in the organization? If zero, skip to question 11. 2. Do staff members have to share computers? Yes No How many share each computer? If too many staff members have to share computers, they are probably not being as productive as they could be. Look into getting more computers.

3. Do you offer your clients/users/members access to computers in your office?

Yes No Explain:

If non-staff are using your computers, make sure your files are protected by creating multiple users (one named Guest for non-staff, which has limited access to important files), password protecting files, and running a virus scan daily. If your computers are not networked and you want them to be, see the Computer Networks tutorial. If the office network is connected wirelessly, make sure to take the necessary security precautions detailed in the Computer Networks tutorial.

4. Are some or all of your computers networked together? Is it a wired or wireless network?

Yes No

5. Does your organization use more than one operating system? Which operating systems?

Yes No Which?:

You should try to use only one operating system in your office to avoid difficulties. If you cant avoid it, keep these differences in mind when setting up a computer network and when you are sending files to one another as you may not have the same software.

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6. Does your organization use only one type of software for each task? If there are any conflicts, list them.

Yes, all computers have the same software and versions. No, our computers do not have the same software and versions. Conflicts:

Make an effort to standardize the software used in your office or ensure that the software can work with files that other software creates.

7. Is any housekeeping carried out on your computers? (e.g. running a disk cleanup, defragmenting the hard drive, etc.) How often?

Yes No What housekeeping?

If you do not do these tasks or do them irregularly, create a maintenance schedule for them. They should be completed to ensure that your computers run well.

How often:

On each computer?

8. Is there a reliable source of electricity? If not, how often do you experience electrical outages?

Yes No

If no: Buy an uninterruptible power supply to protect your equipment against power outages (for desktops). Buy a surge protector to protect against power surges (for all computers). Use laptops (which have battery power).

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Internet Connection
9. If your organization has an Internet connection, is it a connection that is adequate in terms of speed to fit your needs? 10. If your organization has an Internet connection, is it a wireless connection? 11. If you do not have Internet in your office, are there Internet cafs that you could work at? On average, how much does it cost to use the Internet caf? Yes No If not, consider upgrading to a broadband connection.

Yes No Yes No How much?

If yes, make sure that it is secure by putting a password on the connection. If no, look in neighboring towns for Internet cafs. If yes, check around to make sure that you are not paying too much for Internet caf access. If yes: Buy a laptop capable of connecting to the Internet wirelessly if you do not have an Internet connection in your office. If no: Use traditional Internet cafs if you dont have Internet in your office.

12. If you do not have Internet in your office, are there wireless access points where you can take your laptop and connect to a wireless Internet connection? Where? Is it free?

Yes No

Backing up Data
13. Do you perform regular backups of your important data? How? How often? Yes No How? How often? If you do not currently backup your data or do not have a system to do so, create one.

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14. Do staff members know how to make and store backup copies?

Yes No Comments:

If not, train staff on how to backup their data.

15. Do you test your backup copies on a monthly basis to ensure you can recover your data?

Yes No Comments:

If not, make this part of your backup procedure.

16. Do you store your backup copies at an offsite location?

Yes No

If not, consider doing so to prevent complete data loss in the event of a disaster such as a fire, flood, etc.

Technology Use / Staff


17. What technology is not working well in the organization? (any notable problems or challenges?) Prioritize what you want fixed now and what can wait until later. Work with your Fellow to think of solutions.

18. Do you have a current record of staff members' computer skills? Yes No If yes, attach it to this document. If no, fill out this chart (on the next page) noting the specific skills of each staff member or make your own chart in a separate document. Rate each staff member as No Experience (N), Beginner (B), Intermediate (I) or Advanced (A). If you find that your staff is lacking skills that could make them more productive, check the Action Needed box on the right to signify that you need to hold staff trainings. When developing your ICT Plan, you will figure out exactly what staff trainings you need to have.

Action Needed?

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Name of staff member

General Computer Skills

Internet

Word Processing

Databases

Email

Networking

Troubleshooting

Pictures

Video

Other

19. Is there a separate ICT budget? If so, what does it cover?

Yes No Describe:

If not, create an ICT budget once you are finished all assessments and your ICT Plan.

20. What do you think are the biggest barriers to using technology in your work?

If there are barriers, make a list of them and brainstorm with coworkers and your Peace Fellow ways to overcome them.

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Glossary
Some of the terms used in the assessment forms may be unfamiliar to you and you may not know where to find the information requested. The following is a brief glossary of terms (organized in the order they appear in the assessment) that will give a brief definition of each term as well as where to find information about the term on your computer. Under each term there will be a way to find the information asked in the assessment manually as well as through a program called WinAudit. WinAudit compiles a detailed report of your computers specifications automatically, including the operating system, the amount of hard drive space, the amount of memory and more. You may want to run WinAudit on each computer so that collecting this information is a much faster process. Note that this only works on PCs running Windows. Each Peace Fellow will have a flash drive with WinAudit installed on it. They will save it to your computer from the flash drive and double click it to run an audit on your computer. Note that if you are not receiving a Fellow, you can download WinAudit yourself from the website above.
Computer Name This is the name given to the computer so that other computers on a network can identify it. To find the computer name manually, On PCs running Windows 95 and 98 Click Start, Settings, Network, and then click the Identification tab. On PCs running Windows 2000 and XP Right click My Computer, click Properties, and click the Network Settings tab (Windows 2000) or Computer Name tab (Windows XP). On a Mac In versions OSX and higher, go to the Sharing section of System Preferences. In older versions, go to the file sharing control panel.

Once you have run an audit using WinAudit, the computer name is found under System Overview. Processor The brain of your computer is a chip known as the processor. The type and speed of this chip play a large part in determining your computers performance. Processor speed is measured in hertz, or Hz. Hertz is a measure of cycles per second. Computer processors are measured in either mega- (million) or giga- (billion) hertz, MHz and GHz. This speed is often called the clock speed the higher the MHz, the faster the processor runs. To find the speed of your processor manually, follow these steps: On machines running Windows 95, 98, 2000, or XP Right click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the General tab. It will tell you what processor you have and its speed. On a Mac You can identify the processor by selecting About this Mac or About your Macintosh from the Apple Menu (the Apple Icon at the top right hand corner of your screen is known as the Apple Menu).

Once you have run an audit using WinAudit, the processor speed is found under System Overview. Hard Drive The hard drive is your computers permanent storage space, much like a file cabinet. The more hard drive space you have, the more information you can store. Programs and the files they create both need hard drive space. As computer programs grow more and more powerful, they require more and more hard drive space. To find out how big your hard drive is and how much free space remains manually: On PCs with Windows 95 and above Double click on My Computer and then right click on your C: drive. Select Properties and a window will open displaying information about your hard drive, including its total size and amount of space left.

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On Macs Look at the top of an open window in the Finder, where youll see two numbers. Add the two numbers (which are the amount of space used and the amount free) to get the total size of your hard drive. On a newer Mac, you may also be able to choose More Info... from About This Mac and launch the System Profiler, which will tell you how large your hard drive is.

Once you have run an audit using WinAudit, the hard drive size is found under System Overview. The amount of hard drive space left is found under Physical Disks. Find drive C (which is often your main drive) and WinAudit will tell you how much free space is left. Random Access Memory (RAM) RAM, often called memory, is like a desk. It determines how much information you can have in front of you at any one time and how many different tasks you can juggle at once. Having adequate RAM is vital to your computers performance, and it is easy and quite cheap to add more. Memory and storage (see above, under hard drive) are measured in bytes, though an actual byte is so tiny that we use KB or kilobytes (~1000 bytes), MB or megabytes (~1 million bytes) and GB or gigabytes (~ 1 billion bytes) to describe memory and storage space. On machines running Windows 95, 98, 2000, or XP Right click on the My Computer icon and select Properties. Click the General tab. There, next to the processor, you will see how much RAM you have. On a Mac You can identify the amount of RAM you have by selecting About this Mac or About your Macintosh from the Apple Menu (the Apple Icon at the top right hand corner of your screen is known as the Apple Menu). There you will see the amount of RAM listed next to Memory.

Once you have run an audit using WinAudit, the amount of RAM is found under System Overview under Total Memory. Operating System The operating system is the software you use to access files and programs on your computer. An example of an operating system is Microsoft Windows or Macintosh OS. There are many versions of operating systems so to find your version, On a PC running a Windows operating system Right click on My Computer, click Properties and go to the General tab. On a Mac You can identify the operating system version you use by selecting About this Mac or About your Macintosh from the Apple Menu (the Apple Icon at the top right hand corner of your screen is known as the Apple Menu).

Once you have run an audit using WinAudit, the operating system is found under System Overview.

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Information Dissemination Needs Assessment


After filling out the Technology Assessment and exposing any problems with your technology, fill out this form to pinpoint any problems you have promoting your information and brainstorm how ICT tools can improve it. To be an effective advocate, it is key to be in contact with those who you want to hear your message. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools can greatly help you reach mass numbers of people nationally, regionally and/or internationally. This assessment helps you figure out how you can use these tools to reach the people you are not. For instance, if you want to reach an international audience, but currently are only getting your information out to a local audience, you will want to create a website or other online presence. This assessment helps you recognize gaps like this and explains how to overcome them. Consult the chart below when filling out this assessment. It helps you see which ICT tools can help you do what you need to. Your AP Peace Fellow can propose ways you can reach people you currently are not through the use of ICT tools.
What you want to do Widen the reach of text information you produce Widen the reach of your photos and video Organize contacts to streamline sending information Increase communications with targeted groups Gain support for a fundraiser or campaign ICT tool(s) that can help Email list, social networking, website, blog Website, social networking, blog Contact database Blog, email list, social networking, website Email list, website, social networking, blog, video and photos, online petition

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Question
1. Who are the groups or beneficiaries it is most 1. important for you to communicate with? 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Answer

2. What are the main ways you communicate with them? How and how often?

1.

2.

3.

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3. What are the three things you communicate most about?

1.

2.

3.

4. Who do you need to be communicating with more?

5. How would you like to improve communications? For instance, reach more people, develop stronger relationships, etc.

6. Please use the chart below to tell us about how you disseminate the information you produce. Types of Media Brochures/ Flyers Newsletters/ Press Releases Printed, online, or both? If online, where? Who does it reach? Who do you want it to reach but it is not?

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Action Alerts Reports/ Publications Radio Video Photographs Other: 7. Does your organization have a spreadsheet(s) Yes or database(s) to collect information about all No of your constituents (donors, volunteers, How many and which: members, other NGOs, clients, your econetwork)? How many? Which?

8. Do you use any ICT tools (like a website, Yes blogs, posting video or photos online, etc.) to No disseminate information? How can your use Explain: of them be improved?

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Brainstorm how your organization could use ICT tools

Use this section to think of ways ICT tools can help you disseminate information to those you want to target. Refer to the chart at the beginning of this section detailing things you may want to do and what ICT tool can help you do it. To learn more about each tool, see the corresponding tutorial in the Build

section.
Do not worry if you dont have many answers to these questions, that is what AP and your Fellow is here to help you with!
9. How could a website or other web presence help your organization disseminate information? 10. How could sending out an email newsletter help your organization disseminate information? 11. How could starting a blog help your organization disseminate information?

12. How could creating and posting pictures/video to the Internet help your organization disseminate information? 13. How could joining online social networking communities like Facebook and MySpace help your organization disseminate information? 14. How could creating a database of contacts help your organization disseminate information?

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Enviroscan
After you fill out the Technology Assessment and the Information Dissemination Needs Assessment, you should do an Enviroscan of your local environment. The purpose of an Enviroscan is to consider what role your locale will play in your ICT work. The Enviroscan is broken up into two parts: General Environment This section of the Enviroscan asks questions about Internet access, government restrictions and local considerations, all of which can affect your work with ICT. Environment of Local Support This section helps you build your eco-network, or circle of local technological support. It helps you assess what NGOs, private companies, schools, etc. are in your area that can help your organization work with ICT effectively.

Doing this scan of your local environment is absolutely critical since large issues such as government censorship can impede all ICT related work you do. Also, if work in a post-conflict zone, for instance, you have to be sensitive to certain topics. You will need to take this into account when you work with ICT just as you do with your other work. The General Environment section of this Enviroscan will raise these issues and help you begin thinking of ways to work around them. The second part, the Environment of Local Support, helps you locate potential sources of local technological support for your work. It is unlikely that you will incorporate all the ICT tools you want into your work on your own, so scanning the environment for these helpful groups to network with and tap for support will be incredibly beneficial. The groups you identify through this assessment will be your starting point for creating your eco-network. An eco-network is a local group of ICT support and troubleshooting experts. Your eco-network consists of local experts such as NGOs, techies, trainers, the private sector, free hardware suppliers, etc. that you can turn to for support. The purpose of an eco-network is to have high-level technical support to make sure that your technology can be maintained and used properly. The eco-network can help you when you face a problem, as well as help you build your capacity to handle problems on your own. The seven main categories of partners that can be part of your eco-network are: NGOs: Look for other NGOs in your area (not necessarily technology-focused ones) to collaborate with and tap for advice. For instance, if another NGO used a particular consultant to build their website and loved their work, knowing that would be helpful. The same thing for particular hardware, software, training, etc. Also, you can build relationships with other NGOs to share in-house support, get group discounts and otherwise work together so you both get the most out of ICT. Technology-focused NGOs: There are a lot of nonprofit organizations whose mission it is to help other organizations with technology. These organizations sometimes build

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websites, offer cheap consultants, provide training and more. Search the Internet or ask around to see if any of these organizations work in your locale. Computer Societies and Groups: There are computer and Internet societies all over the world that aim to increase the use of computers and the Internet for individuals through access, trainings and more. Refurbishers: Check with local companies that specialize in selling discounted new and used hardware and software. Tech Consultants and Firms: Find local technology consultants and eRiders (traveling consultants) that can provide your organization with specialized services such as web design, trainings, troubleshooting and more. Private Sector: Contact local companies in the technology industry. They may be able to provide you nonprofit discounts or free troubleshooting advice for your equipment. They may also be direct service providers. Examples of such companies are Microsoft, local computer sellers and local software suppliers. Especially target companies with community service agendas. Schools: Some schools provide free technology classes and have a lot of students that are looking to improve their resumes. Use links with schools and universities to tap into training programs as well as their tech savvy students who may want to volunteer with your organization.

This assessment will guide you in locating possibilities for your eco-network in each of these seven categories. If you cannot find many possibilities through your stored knowledge or an Internet search, start with the organizations or groups that you do know about. They will likely be able to point you in the direction of other possible eco-network partners. You will want to do general research about these groups as a first step and then talk to them about specific things they can help you with. Do not contact these partners until you know exactly how you want them to help you. For instance, think of how these possible eco-network partners can help you do the things you laid out in your Information Dissemination Needs Assessment. For more detailed tips on using your eco-network for support and troubleshooting, see the Troubleshoot section of this manual. Use this chart below to evaluate your general environment and your environment of local support. Check the Action Needed box if the recommendation column suggests an action and use the box to specify the action you need to take.

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General Environment
Question 1. Is it possible to get an Internet connection in your building or do you already have Internet in your office? If yes, list the different companies you can get Internet access from and their fee. If you currently have Internet access in your office, you may be paying too much. Some Internet service providers may give discounts to nonprofits so look into that as well. 1. Answer Recommendation If no: Find Internet cafs, public libraries, or other places with Internet access. If yes: Look at different Internet service providers to make sure you get the best price. Ask other people in your building if they have an Internet connection and if it would it be possible to share a fast connection with them. If yes: See the Standard Operating Procedures on how to be anonymous online. Depends upon what restrictions you list. Work with your Peace Fellow and eco-network to find ways around restrictions. Action Needed?

2.

3.

2. Is there governmental censorship of information you may produce? Explain.

3. Are there any laws that could restrict your use of ICT in addition to censorship? Explain.

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4. Are there sensitive issues to take into account when working in your area such as conflict, religion, ethnicity, etc.?

If yes: Take the same precautions with your ICT work as you would with the rest of your work.

Environment of Local Support


5. Are there other NGOs working in your area that you can ask for technologicalrelated advice? Which ones? What is their contact information? They have probably gone through similar problems as you and are good resources for various kinds of help. 3. 1. If yes: Contact them and set up a meeting if you need their advice on anything. For instance, you could ask them what Internet provider they use, if they have in-house support (and if you can share it), who they use as a consultant, who designed their website, where they get their software and hardware, etc.

2.

4.

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6. Are there NGOs in your area that work 1. specifically in the field of ICT? Which ones? What is their contact information? They might be able to provide you with free or discounted support. 2.

If yes: Contact them to set up a meeting if they can help your organizations work with ICT.

3.

7. Are there computer/Internet societies or groups in your area that promote technology access, provide trainings or more? Which ones? What is their contact information?

1.

2.

If yes: Contact these groups and see how they can help your organization and how to become a member.

8. Are there local refurbishers (businesses that fix old computers and re-sell them) that provide discounted hardware or technical support? What is their contact information?

1.

2.

If yes: Contact the refurbisher to see what equipment they have and their pricing for nonprofits if you are interested in getting new hardware.

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9. Are there any consultants or eRiders (traveling consultants) that can provide your organization with specialized services such as web design, trainings, troubleshooting and more?

1.

2.

If yes: Schedule a meeting with the consultant to discuss the particular project you need help with. Ask other NGOs if they have worked with these consultants and if they liked their work.

3.

10. Are there any private companies that you can contact for support? They may be able to provide you nonprofit discounts or free troubleshooting advice for your equipment. They may also be direct service providers. Examples of such companies are Microsoft, local computer sellers and local software suppliers. Especially target companies with community service agendas.

1.

2.

If yes: Contact these companies to see if they provide discounts, training or other support to nonprofits.

3.

11. Are there any universities or computer academies in your area where you can recruit support or that could provide trainings for your staff?

If yes: Contact them to see if they provide trainings for nonprofits. Use links with schools and universities to tap into their tech-savvy students who may want to volunteer with your organization.

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ICT Plan
At this point, you will have read the Standard Operating Procedures, filled out the Technology Assessment, the Information Dissemination Needs Assessment and the Enviroscan. Now is the part where you put everything together into an ICT Plan. Purpose: The purpose of an ICT Plan is to compile in one place what you want to do to and how you are going to do it. The goal is to have an organized list of tasks that your organization needs to do to make working with ICT tools as problem free as possible. The Standard Operating Procedures and the assessments that you filled out are key to this process as each one helps you lay the groundwork for using ICT tools to improve your advocacy work. The Standard Operating Procedures laid out best practices for working with ICT in order to help you see which ones you are not currently following. The Technology Assessment helped you figure out how you can strengthen your technology so that you have a strong foundation capable of supporting ICT tools. The Information Dissemination Needs Assessment helped you figure out what you need to improve upon in regard to dissemination and how ICT tools can help you do that. The Enviroscan helped you scan your environment for local obstacles that you will need to consider when incorporating ICT into your work. It also helped you look for local support in your area.

Steps: Go back to the three assessments and the Standard Operating Procedures and pull everything you learned together so that you can fill in the following ICT Plan. This will strengthen your foundation and see how you are going to use ICT tools to improve your advocacy work. Fill out what you want to do, how you are going to do it, who is going to do it, how much it will cost and when it will be completed by. Note on costs: The costs column is the most difficult to calculate. In the sample charts below, there are example costs (including staff time, equipment costs, training costs, etc.) but note that there are additional costs such as electricity, Internet connection costs, and more. Also, your costs column will include numerical costs such as $500 worth of staff time and $200 of equipment. For detailed information about calculating costs for ICT work, see the excellent resource How to Cost and Fund ICT as well as an Excel spreadsheet made by the ICT Hub that helps you figure out the costs of working with technology. Remember the general rule that actual hardware and software usually accounts for only 30 percent of your technology costs. The other 70 percent of costs are human costs, so dont forget the costs of your staffs time and training. Also note that ideally, you should create a line item in your budget for ICT-related costs. Without a line item for ICT costs, you will have to take money out of your general budget. Therefore, ICT costs will be competing with other costs for funding. With a line item, you protect ICT aspects of projects when other costs arise as there is a pool of money specifically for ICT. This is not necessary but is strongly recommended so that you can strive for the integration of ICT tools into your work.

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Step 1: Look at your responses to the Technology Assessment. Look at the Action Needed column and make a list of all the actions that you need to do to improve your technology in order of priority. Then make another column on how you are going to achieve these improvements, who is going to do it, how much it will cost and by when it will be done. For instance:
GOAL: Improve technology so that using ICT to disseminate information is possible and problem free Action needed Upgrade operating systems. Set up a peer-topeer network. How we are going to do it Look online for discounted or free operating system software and install it on all computers. Use the Computer Networks tutorial. Who Employee X Costs 10 hours staff time (depends on number of computers) 5 hours staff time plus cost of Ethernet cables Deadline September 3 May 31

Employee Y

Step 2: From the Information Dissemination Needs Assessment, look for your responses to questions about improving communications and disseminating information. For instance, look to see if any of your answers are disappointing, for instance, do you reach the people you want to? With this information, make a document that details what you want to improve upon and how you plan on doing it. Use the brainstorming section of the Assessment to extract ideas on how you can use ICT tools to help. For instance, the beginning of your document could look like this:
GOAL: Improve information dissemination What we want to do Communicate better with diaspora groups. How we are going to do it Start a blog. Who Costs Deadline Set up by November 1 and then ongoing Set up by October 1 and then ongoing Ongoing

Employee Z 8 hours/week
staff time

Start a diaspora-focused newsletter.

Employee Y

Send our press releases to major newspapers.

We will publish press releases on our website to make them more visible to news outlets. We will also make a contact database of media contacts.

News department Employee X

8 hours/week staff time plus cost of email list tool 30 minutes staff time per press release to post online 20 hours staff time (varies depending on number of contacts)

June 1

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Promote our message online.

Build a simple website.

ICT 2 weeks staff Department time (much


longer for advanced websites) plus domain name cost, and web host costs 15 hours per video volunteer time plus video camera costs

December 1

Create videos and post them online. Hire a volunteer to focus on video production.

Employee X to hire a volunteer

Hire video volunteer by May 31

Step 3: Third, look at your responses to the Enviroscan. Look at the Action Needed column and make a list of all the actions that you need to do to improve your work in order of priority. For instance:
GOAL: Overcome obstacles in your area that affect work with ICT tools and tap local groups for technological support Action needed Learn to be anonymous online to work around government censorship. Get the best price for an Internet connection. Tap eco-network for help building our website. How we are going to do it Will consult Standard Operating Procedures and seek help from a consultant to ensure we cannot be tracked. Research Internet service providers to get the best price and change service if necessary. Contact local ICT-focused NGOs for help building our website. Who Employee X Costs 10 hours staff time Deadline September 3

Employee Z Employee Y

6 hours staff time 3 hours staff time

November 1 October 20

Step 4: Finally, go back to the Standard Operating Procedures. Even though the assessments measured whether you were following a lot of the Standard Operating Procedures, they did not address all of them. This is because the assessments only addressed the technical issues. They did not cover procedural issues such as working better on a slow Internet connection or using email etiquette. Therefore, look back at the Standard Operating Procedures to find advice on improving HOW you use technology, not advice on improving the technology itself. Is there any advice that your organization does not currently follow? Make a chart with what you need to improve and how you are going to do it. For example:

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GOAL: Effectively and efficiently use ICT Standard Operating Procedure to include in our work Train staff on how to be secure online. How we are going to do it Hold one training to review Internet risks and how to be secure online. Who Employee X

Costs
5 hours hours staff time for preparation, 1 hour for training 10 hours staff time plus domain costs

Deadline June 30

Create an email address domain for all staff.

Register the domain name and set up email accounts for all staff. Train staff on how to forward the email to the email provider they prefer.

Employee Y

June 20

It is now your turn to create an ICT Plan. See the next page for a blank chart to use to create your Plan. Note that you can create your own chart in a separate document or in a spreadsheet like Excel. Once you fill in the chart, your ICT Plan is complete! You know: How to improve your technology to enable you to work with ICT tools (from the Technology Assessment). What you want to do and how you are going to do it with ICT tools (from the Information Dissemination Needs Assessment). What problems you face in your local environment and how to overcome them, as well as how to build your eco-network of local support (from the Enviroscan). How you are going to incorporate all the Standard Operating Procedures into your work.

Now it is time to actually do it! Remember, while this seems like extra work, everything listed above helps you do the work you are already doing better. You will be able to disseminate information more widely and thereby become a more effective advocate! See the subsequent sections for useful information on how to do all the things you laid out. There are: Tips on how to raise money and get the hardware and software you need to undertake your new ICT goals. Tutorials on how to use various ICT tools, including advice on building a website, starting a blog and more! Troubleshooting guidance in case you run in to problems.

Your Peace Fellow is meant to work shoulder-to-shoulder with you on this, so work together with him or her to get your projects underway.

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Blank Chart for an ICT Plan


GOAL: Improve technology so that using ICT to disseminate information is possible and problem free Action needed How we are going to do it Who Costs Deadline

GOAL: Improve information dissemination What we want to do How we are going to do it Who Costs Deadline

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GOAL: Overcome obstacles in your area that affect work with ICT tools and tap local groups for technological support Action needed How we are going to do it Who Costs Deadline

GOAL: Effectively and efficiently use ICT SOP to include in our work How we are going to do it Who

Costs

Deadline

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Helps you get the money and equipment to finance your ICT work

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This part of the manual helps you acquire the resources you need to make working with ICT possible. While many ICT tools are available for free, it often takes a great deal of staff time and sometimes requires new or updated equipment to use them. Because of this you may find that you need to hire new people, acquire new equipment, hold trainings, or more. For this reason, this document gives tips for supporting ICT work, including raising money as well as acquiring the hardware and software you need.

Sponsoring ICT Work Through Project Proposals


One way to get the money and equipment you need to undertake ICT work is by writing ICTrelated costs into general grant submissions. For instance, if you are submitting a grant to help children get an education in Peru, a part of that project could be to start a blog to get people educated about and involved in the issue. You could include staff costs, and perhaps a computer and Internet connection to help fund this aspect of the larger project. This is the primary method for getting funds to support your work with ICT tools. You should not wait for technology specific grants to appear, such as those giving money to organizations that want to use a particular tool in their work, but rather incorporate ICT costs in general grant submissions. Remember, these tools do not stand alone, but rather reinforce the work you are already doing. The tools are there to support your mission, so including ICT costs in your proposals is encouraged.

ICT Focused Grants


The mission of some foundations is to help organizations improve their work through ICT tools. Therefore, in addition to including ICT costs in general grant submissions, you can also seek out grants that are designed specifically to fund ICT initiatives. Note that these kinds of grants are rare. A few examples are below: Cisco Cash Grant Program http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac48/cash_grants.html Cisco provides cash grants to organizations that use ICT tools to address basic human needs, improve access to education and increase economic opportunity. See its website for more details about applying for a cash grant. Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa http://www.osisa.org OSISA supports organizations that use ICT tools to promote social change. Only organizations or individuals in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Swaziland can apply. Salesforce.com Foundation http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/TechnologyGrantForYouthDevelopment The Salesforce.com Foundation has a Technology Grant for Youth Development for between $5,000 and $15,000. According to Salesforces website: The Technology Grants for Youth Development will be awarded to visionary nonprofit organizations, which focus on youth development, for technology projects or solutions that advance their organization's core mission. 53

Seed Grant and Small Innovative Projects Fund http://www.globalknowledge.org/gkps_portal/index.cfm?menuid=507&parentid=630 The SGSIP Fund supports small ICT projects that strive to end poverty, empower women, or encourage participation by marginalized communities such as youth, indigenous people, or displaced persons. The fund is currently closed for evaluation but keep it in mind for the future. Tech Museum Awards http://www.techawards.org/about/ The Tech Museum Awards give out five $50,000 awards each year for organizations or individuals using technology in an innovative way to solve the problems facing humanity. There are five award categories, with one winner in each: Health, Education, Environment, Economic Development and Equality.

General Tips for Seeking Funding for ICT Costs


Focus on what the technology will help you achieve, not the technology itself. In a proposal, you should not stress the technology you are planning to use, but rather what you want to achieve with the technology. For instance, if you want funding to support your social networking initiatives, you should stress the fact that you are looking to expand your contacts, increase global awareness, mobilize supporters, etc. Then you may say that you plan on using social networking tools to accomplish this. Monitor and evaluate the success of an ICT initiative just as you would any other part of a project. For instance, if you are applying to a grant so that you can better advocate on an international scale, you could write in the costs of creating a website. Make sure to include in the proposal how you plan to evaluate the success of the website (through website statistics, increased visibility of your organization, increased knowledge about the issue you work on, etc.). Funders like to see progress and that you know how you are going to measure it. Include how you plan on sustaining the technology once funding runs out. Funders do not want to fund something that will only last as long as the funds do. They want sustainability over time so it is your job to tell them how you plan to ensure that the ICT needs they cover are met in the future. Calculate costs correctly. As stated in the ICT Plan section, hardware and software costs are generally only 30 percent of your total technology costs. The other 70 percent are human costs. Even though donors may not know this you need to include these costs because without it you may find yourself with funding for a website but no one to actually maintain it. Stress to donors the importance of funding staff and training costs, as you need people to use and maintain the technology.

Source: How to Cost and Fund ICT by the ICT Hub

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Acquiring Free or Cheap Hardware and Software


In addition to writing equipment costs into proposals and applying for ICT specific grants, you can also fund your ICT work by seeking out free or discounted hardware and software. While getting free or cheap hardware or software sounds like a great idea, you need to consider three things: First, equipment you are likely to get for cheap or free are usually not new machines and software, but rather years old. While they might work, the equipment may not be adequate for your needs. Therefore, make sure you know what you need (see the Standard Operating Procedures) and keep these needs in mind when choosing your equipment. Also, consider how long the equipment is likely to last. A used computer may cost $200 and last one year, while a brand new computer can cost $600 and last five years. Consider this when purchasing or accepting used equipment. Second, make sure you ask about warranties and if there are any refunds for faulty equipment. You dont want to buy a computer from a refurbisher for $250 just to find out that it does not work and that you cannot return it. Third, you should ensure that you have the resources to actually use the equipment (for instance, staff, money for training, etc.). Do not seek out hardware and software if you cannot actually use it.

If you decide that you will pursue free or discounted hardware or software, fortunately, there are many ways for you to get it. Some NGOs specialize in donations and other providers are computer companies or refurbishers that sell hardware and software at a discounted rate. Below are some groups that provide hardware and software. Note that by contacting these groups and seeking their help, you are building your eco-network at the same time! Charity Technology Exchange (UK-based) http://www.ctxchange.org/ Charity Technology Exchange offers UK-based groups discounted software from Microsoft, Cisco, Symantec and others. They charge a small administrative fee but the prices are still much lower than in stores. Citnexus Online http://www.citnexus.co.uk/acatalog/index.html This site sells discounted software from many leading companies such as Microsoft, Adobe and AVG (an anti-virus software provider). They offer discounts to charities and nonprofit organizations. Close The Gap http://www.close-the-gap.org/pages/frontend/Home.aspx?menuitem=18 Close The Gap is a nonprofit organization that collects used hardware from businesses and donates them to organizations in developing countries. To receive a donation, you have to apply with Close The Gap and request specific equipment from its Order Form, available on its website by clicking the Submit a Project Proposal button.

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Computer Aid International http://www.computeraid.org/index.htm Computer Aid International provides refurbished computers to education, health and nonprofit groups in developing countries. Digital Pipeline http://www.digitalpipeline.org Digital Pipeline donates computers to nonprofit organizations all around the world for a small fee. You have to sign up with Digital Pipeline to become one of their beneficiaries. Gifts in Kind International http://www.giftsinkind.org/ For an annual $50 fee, you can be a member of this organization that partners with big businesses who donate products and equipment to NGOs. Once you are accepted as a member, you can request products you need. You just pay $50 a year and small shipping and administrative costs. InterConnection http://www.interconnection.org InterConnection works to make information technology accessible to communities around the world by providing free website design and refurbished computers at a low cost. The recipient organization must work in the area of health, education and/or community development in a developing country. Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/ To obtain licensed software from Microsoft for free, you need to contact the local Microsoft office in the country or region where you work. Not all offices will grant software. Microsoft Community Authorized Refurbishers http://www.mar.partners.extranet.microsoft.com/MARDirectoryByDest.aspx?RegionCode=NA&L ocaleId=EN-GB&Country=USA Microsoft has a list of refurbishers it has authorized to sell computers with Microsoft software installed on them. Visit the website above, and search for refurbishers that ship to your country. National Council for Voluntary Organisations (for UK-based organizations only) http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/index.asp?id=5384 NCVO gives discounted software and hardware to its member organizations. You must be based in the UK to become an NCVO member. Salesforce.com Foundation http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/donation The Salesforce Foundation gives donations of its Customer Relation Management tools to help nonprofits manage a wide range of organizational needs including managing constituent relationships, fund raising campaigns, volunteer opportunities, program delivery, and much more.

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TechSoup Global www.techsoup-global.org TechSoup Global helps nonprofit organizations working outside the US and Canada get free and discounted hardware and software. Throwplace http://www.throwplace.com Throwplace is an organization that allows people to donate their computer equipment to nonprofits located all over the world. You have to sign up with Throwplace to receive donations. UK IT Recycling Limited www.enviro-pc.com This is a UK-based organization that sends used computer equipment to needy organizations in developing countries. World Computer Exchange http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org/ This organization donates computers to schools, youth centers, libraries, orphanages, etc. that have the goal of connecting youth to the Internet.

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Additional Resources
Donated Computers for Nonprofits: Consider that donated computer carefully
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/hardware/page4811.cfm Article about what you should consider when receiving a used computer, such as upgrade costs, usefulness and more.

How to Cost and Fund ICT


http://sc.blogs.com/FREE_STUFF/How_to_Cost_and_Fund_ICT.pdf Excellent resource that helps you figure out the costs of your ICT initiative and how to find funding for it.

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Gives you the skills to build your ICT house

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Once you know what you want to do and have the money to do it, this section provides tutorials on ICT-related topics, such as setting up a computer network, getting involved in social networking, building a website, starting a blog, and more. These tutorials essentially help you build the rooms of your house as well as connect all the rooms together. Like rooms in a normal house, they do not stand in isolation but rather are linked by doors, wires and more. When you build a room for a particular ICT tool in your ICT house, it does not stand alone either. For instance if you have a website and a blog, you will want to connect them by promoting your blog on your website and vice versa. These tutorials will address this by pointing out ways to use ICT tools together. These tutorials will start with the basics and give information about what the ICT topic or tool can do for you, as well as show you how to do or use each. Each tutorial contains tips, which are in essence standard operating procedures for each topic or tool. The point of these tutorials is to pass on knowledge to your organization so that you are capable of constructing the ICT house you mapped out in your ICT Plan. Blogs Computer Networks Email Lists Online Petitions Photos Skype Social Networking Video Websites

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Blogs
Do you want to communicate better and form a stronger relationship with your supporters that use the Internet? If so, a blog might be right for your organization. A blog is, in a sense an online journal. It can be personal, professional or anonymous, depending upon your needs. Some ways your organization could benefit from creating a blog are by: Informing supporters what your organization is currently up to, as well as, gaining new supporters. Commenting on real news events and how they relate to or affect your work. Telling the stories of the people you work for. Disseminating news. Raising money. Profiling and thanking donors (thus, encouraging them to give more). Creating a website. Or more!

The benefit of a blog is the interactivity and the ease of it. If you have a website, you could dedicate a page to updates from your organization or commentary on real world events, but you may have to work with the techie in your organization to actually post the material. Also, once the material is on the website, people can view it, but that is all. On the other hand, a blog allows a person with little web experience to post material in minutes and also allows the viewers of the material to voice their opinion and start a discussion. This interactivity can induce people to come back to your blog and stay more involved with your organization. If you dont have a website, a blog can even be used as your website until you can find the time and money for a more sophisticated web presence. Wordpress makes this especially easy due to its feature that allows you to add multiple pages. For instance, your blog material could be the homepage and then you could add an About Us, Services, and a Contact page and let it grow from there. You can also buy a domain name such as www.yourorganization.org and use it with your blog. It is quick and easy to get this started. For an example of a website created with a Wordpress blog, see the Yorkshire and Humber ICT Champion blog. In addition, blogs are equipped with RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which allows people to subscribe to your blog and get updates sent directly to them using a blog Reader. A Reader is software that monitors the blogs a person selects for updates and then compiles the updates in one place for them to read. There are web-based readers, such as Google Reader, My Yahoo! or Bloglines. There are also navigator-based Readers such as Live Bookmarks for Firefox. Therefore, by using a blogs RSS feature, people get all your new blog entries sent directly to them, which is preferable since people do not have visit your website to see updates.

Blogging Tips
Be factual. Dont fabricate numbers, stories or other information in your blog as it will reflect badly on you and your organization. If you want people to refer to your blog and view it as a

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good resource, dont disappoint them by providing false information. Sometimes you may have to do some research for the blog entry and ensure that your sources are credible. Write as if you are talking to someone. While you want to maintain professionalism and credibility, you also dont want your blog to be boring. Therefore, be casual and use illustrative words to convey a point. This is completely acceptable and often expected from a blog entry. Build a relationship with your readers and other bloggers. To get people to return to your blog, you need to make your readers feel as if they are welcome and encouraged to participate. Encourage readers to post comments and when someone comments with a question or a particularly good comment, respond to it. Also, find other bloggers and send trackbacks (see below) to them to build relationships. When you build a relationship with someone who blogs, they may write a blog specifically about your organization, thereby increasing your visibility. Be unique. Somehow bring something different to the blog world. Make people seek out what you are blogging about because no one else is doing it. It does not have to be 100 percent original, but make sure that something is different. Search a blog search engine like Technorati to see what others are blogging about. Update your blog regularly. Make sure you have a blogging schedule and stick to it so that you maintain readers. As Mark Glaser says a few weeks off can kill a blogs audience (From the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber Dissidents by Reporters Without Borders). Use links in your blog. If you discuss another organization, link to that organizations website. If you talk about a topic but dont expand upon it, link to a site that does (preferably on your own website). If you are taking information from another website, properly cite it by including a link to the information. Doing so enhances your blog and makes it more credible. Keep to one topic per blog entry. When blogging, do not try to jam multiple topics into one post. Instead, separate the topics so they each have their own entry. Add photos and even video. To enhance your blog and make them more interesting, add photos and video to your posts. Spell check and edit!

Free Blog Software


A blog is very easy to create, and best of all, free! See below for three of the most popular blog platforms. Wordpress http://wordpress.com/ Wordpress is a very popular platform for free blog hosting that is available in many languages. It has many features including stats for your blog, protection from Spam, various templates and add-ons to customize your blog (such as photos and calendars), the ability to add multiple pages to your blog,

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and more. The feature allowing you to add multiple pages is especially useful if you want your blog to act as your organizations website. To finance your free blog, Wordpress will very rarely put unobtrusive text ads on your blog. Blogger http://www.blogger.com/ Blogger is free blogging software that is owned by Google and available in many languages. It allows you to customize your blog with templates and colors. Blogger also has a feature that allows you to send photos and text from your cell phone to your blog when you are not near a computer. A blog on Blogger does not have ads, although you can add optional AdSense ads to make money from your blog. Note that Blogger does not have a built in way to collect statistics for your blog, but you are able to install other statistics software such as Google Analytics. Blog.com www.blog.com Blog.com is a free blogging site that is available in many languages and has a photo album feature. One downside is that advertisements will appear on your free blog and you cannot remove them. Also, you need a premium account (one you need to pay for) to view stats for your blog.

Blogging Anonymously
If you work in a country with a repressive government, you will need to be careful of what you blog about or post online more generally. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take that make it harder for the government to know who is posting the material online. While nothing is 100 percent anonymous, following the advice found in the Standard Operating Procedures for being anonymous online will make it less likely that you will be discovered.

Promoting your Blog


Just as with websites, people wont visit your blog if you dont promote it. You should follow the promotion advice listed in the Creating and Maintaining a Website tutorial such as promoting your blog address and monitoring visitor statistics. After you consult those general tips for increasing the visibility of your blog, see below for promotion tips related specifically to blogs.

Technorati
Technorati is a leading search engine for blogs, indexing more than 100 million blogs. Registering your blog on Technorati means that your blog will be more easily searchable by millions of people. While Google Blog Search (a Google feature) also allows people to search blogs, Technorati has the added feature of authority (see below), which allows people to compare blogs and compete for recognition. Once you have signed up with Technorati, you can claim (or register) your blog so that it will show up when people search for certain words. Tagging your blog with descriptive key words helps Technorati users find it.

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Descriptions of some Technorati features Favorites Technorati allows users to compile a list of Favorites so that their favorite blogs are easily accessible. The blogs that have been listed as a favorite the most times are listed on Technoratis Popular page. Authority This records the number of times your blog has been linked to by others. When someone links to your blog because they are responding to what your wrote or are simply expanding on the issue your blog addressed, this is called a blog reaction. Each time this happens your Authority rises and your blog gets more attention since people see that others have thought it was important. The green Authority button that appears with each blog listing allows people to view your Authority as well as click on the link to view the different blog reactions. Even though blog reactions and Authority are linked, they are not the same number. The number of blog reactions you have are the number of individual blog entries that have linked to your blog. Your Authority number is only the number of different blogs that have linked to you. For example if one person writes five different blog entries and links to you each time, your number of blog reactions is five but your authority is one. To get an account with Technorati and claim your blog so that people can easily search for it, follow these instructions: 1. Go to www.technorati.com 2. At the top of the page click Join, create a username and password and enter your email address. 3. Once you are registered you can claim your blog. How do you claim a blog? 1. Sign in to Technorati using your username and password. 2. When the next page loads, scroll all the way to the bottom. Under Technorati Tools, click Claim your Blog. 3. Type the web address of your blog into the box. Click Begin Claim. 4. There are often several ways you can claim your blog depending on who hosts it. Read the description of each on the page that appears and pick your preferred method. 5. After you have successfully claimed your blog, you need to tell Technorati a little bit about it in order for people to find it when they search. This is the page where you come up with Tags for your blog. For instance, if it is about discrimination of Dalit in Nepal, suitable tags could be Dalit, Nepal, and discrimination. Also consider devoting one tag to the name of your organization. 6. When you are done tagging, writing the description and choosing the language, scroll to the bottom and click Save Blog Info. 7. Now your blog will appear when people search for terms related to your blog. Whenever you update your blog, you will need to Ping (send an alert to) Technorati. To do this, go to the Technorati homepage and scroll all the way to the bottom. There you will see a Ping Us link. Click on it and then you should see the name of your blog followed by a Ping link. Click on Ping and then Technorati will be notified so they can include that blog in the search engine. An explanation about how to do this automatically is available on the Ping Us page.

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Feedburner
Feedburner is an online tool that allows you to publicize, optimize, and analyze the RSS feed feature on your blog. Feedburner helps you publicize not your blog site but your blogs feed. This encourages people to sign up for updates of your blog to arrive in their feed reader like Google Reader or in their inbox.

What is Really Simple Syndication (RSS)? The great feature of blogs is that most come equipped with RSS feeds. RSS feeds allow someone to keep up with their favorite blogs all in one place, whether it is through a Reader or through Live Bookmarks. Reader A Reader is software that monitors the websites a person selects for updates and then compiles the updates for them to read. There are web-based readers, such as Google Reader, My Yahoo! or Bloglines. Live Bookmarks There are also navigator-based Readers such as Live Bookmarks for Firefox.

Both save a person time since they do not have to check each individual blog they like to read. Updates are delivered right to them. Once someone has a Reader (or if you are using Live Bookmarks), they simply click on the subscribe button on a blog, which is usually accompanied by the RSS image (above). This allows people to easily keep up with updates. RSS feeds can help you promote your blog by sending each post you write to your subscribers blog reader. Therefore, you should promote your RSS feed to get as many subscribers as possible.

How does Feedburner promote a RSS feed? Signing up for Feedburner helps you promote your RSS feed. It allows you to see how many people are subscribing to your feed, what people are clicking on in your blog, the popularity of each post, and how many people are visiting the blog itself. Other features include an automatic Ping system that will automatically send alerts to blog search engines such as Technorati when you write a new post, an email subscription feature that allows people to receive your feed via email, and several other useful promotional features. To sign up with Feedburner: 1. Go to your blog and find the RSS feed button. You should be taken to a page that allows you to subscribe to your blog. Copy the URL of this page. 2. Go to www.feedburner.com 3. Paste the URL in the box that asks for your feed URL. NOTE: If you paste the link of your blog, it will not work. You must use the link of your RSS feed. 4. Fill in the information requested on the next page, including creating an account. 5. Click next. The next page will describe the statistics features. Check Clickthrough if you want that feature, which analyzes the number of times people clickthrough to links from your feed.

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6. Click next. You will be prompted to sign in and you will then be taken to your Dashboard where you can view stats on your feed as well as begin promoting it. To view stats, click on your feeds name once you sign into Feedburner. There you will find the number of people that are subscribed to your blogs feed and the number of hits your feed has received. A day after you sign up with Feedburner, stats will begin to appear. There are many more features of Feedburner that you may want to use: Item Use: There is an Item Use feature that allows you to monitor what people click on in your blog. To use this feature click Site Stats on the left hand side and click the box that says Item Link Clicks. Then click save. Then when you click on the Item Use tab, information about what people are clicking on your blog will be available. Site Visits: If you want to track the number of people visiting your website, not just the number of people clicking on your RSS feed, use the Site Stats feature. Click on Feedburner Stats on the left hand side and click on the box under For my Site, Track: and Click Save. You will need to put HTML code on the site for this to work. After you click Save, scroll down and click the site you use under Get the HTML Code. Follow the instructions. Ping Shot: Blog promotion websites such as Technorati require you to ping them (alert them) when you write a new post so they can include it in their search engine. Feedburner can do this for you if your blogging site does not. Go to the Publicize tab at the top of the page, then scroll down and click Ping Shot. Choose the services you want to ping and then click Activate. Headline Animator and Spring Widgets Skin: These features allow you to create a box to place on your website or your email signature that publicizes your feed in a visually appealing way. The headline animator is a banner that displays your Blogs name, the date and scrolls the titles of the five most recent blog posts. The Spring Widget carries more information. It is a small box that you can place on the web that allows you to scroll the first few sentences of your most recent blogs. Both are HTML so you can place them anywhere on the web that accepts HTML code, such as your website, your Myspace page, and even ask other people to place them on their blogs for you.

Trackbacks
Trackbacks are used when you want to refer to another persons blog in your blog entry. For instance, if you saw someone blog about a particular human rights violation and you want to expand upon what they said or blog about something similar, you should send a trackback to them. The trackback then appears on their blog as a comment and people on your blog can view the other blog by viewing your blogs trackbacks. This is good for you and the other blog as it helps you network with other bloggers and thus expand your reach and promote your blog. To use trackbacks, go to the blog entry you want to reference. Find the permalink of the post, which is the URL for that one blog entry. The permalink is usually found by clicking on the blog posts title or by scrolling to the end of the blog post. After clicking on the permalink, scroll to the bottom of that page to find the trackback URL.

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After finding the trackback URL of the blog you want to reference, go to your blog and write it as usual. You may want to add a direct link within the text to the blog you are referencing. Then, usually at the bottom of the page where you write your blog, there should be a box that says Send Trackbacks To, Send Trackbacks, or Trackback URLs. Copy and paste the trackback URL of the blog you are referencing in this box and then publish your blog. Your trackback will show up as a comment on the other persons blog and your readers will be able to see that you referenced the other blog. For more information on how to create trackbacks, go to the help section of the website you use to blog, for instance, Wordpress Help section. Search for trackbacks.

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Additional Resources
Blogging 101
http://www.unc.edu/%7Ezuiker/blogging101/index.html Gives a history of blogs, the parts of blogs, the benefits of blogging, how to find blogs and how to create blogs.

Gotta Blog Why Blogs Matter for your Nonprofit


http://www.nancyschwartz.com/value_nonprofit_blog.html An article about why blogs matter and how to know when it is the right time to launch a blog for your nonprofit.

Nonprofit Marketing Blogging in 5 Sensible Steps


http://www.gettingattention.org/my_weblog/2007/08/your-nonprofit-.html An article to help you decide if a blog is right for your organization and how to ease yourself into the blogosphere.

5 Tips for Starting a Nonprofit Blog


http://havefundogood.blogspot.com/2007/01/5-tips-to-start-nonprofit-blog.html If you decide to start a blog, this blog gives you five tips on getting started.

10 Ways Nonprofits can Use Blogs and Bloggers to Support their Cause
http://havefundogood.blogspot.com/2007/03/10-ways-nonprofit-can-use-blogs-and.html Article outlining the benefits of a blog for a nonprofit group as well as tips on how to use other bloggers to your advantage.

Introduction to Citizen Media


http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/library/Introduction-to-Citizen-Media-EN.pdf Covers the basics of blogging.

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber Dissidents


http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/handbook_bloggers_cyberdissidents-GB.pdf An excellent resource about how to set up a blog, write a good blog, promote your blog, how to blog anonymously and how to overcome government censorship. It is a couple of years old but has a lot of good advice.

Blog for a Cause: The Global Voices Guide to Blog Advocacy


http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/downloads/gv_blog_advocacy2.pdf This excellent resource introduces what an advocacy blog is, how to successfully advocate through a blog, how to best influence your government using a blog and also how to blog anonymously. It also has some great tips on how to be a good advocate in general.

Digital Storytelling Cookbook


http://www.storycenter.org/cookbook.pdf This document details what makes a good story and how to write one. The main purpose of the document is to digitize stories in the form of video, but the advice they give can be applied to telling the story of people through blogs.

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Essential Posts that Every Blogger Should Know


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page7391.cfm It is very important to post regularly but sometimes you may not have anything to say. This article gives you ideas for posts when this situation arrises.

Anonymous Blogging with Wordpress and Tor


http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/tools/guide/ Explains step by step how to blog anonymously using Wordpress and Tor. Very detailed and comprehensive.

Why Nonprofit Managers Must Use RSS and How to Start


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page7325.cfm An article not related specifically to blogs, but rather the value of RSS feeds and how to use them.

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Computer Networks
Can only one computer in your office connect to the Internet or print? Do you have multiple versions of a document because staff cannot collaborate on one central file? Do you find yourself relying on email to share files back and forth? Does working around these problems cause you to run out of time for more important tasks? If so, your organization should consider creating a computer network. A computer network can help your organization: Collaborate on projects more efficiently. Share resources such as printers and an Internet connection to increase productivity and efficiency.

Establishing a computer network is something your organization should do if you have more than one computer and want to share an Internet connection, files or a printer. A computer network physically connects the computers together so that they can communicate with each other and share resources. Using this Tutorial There are many sections in this tutorial, however, you only have to consult certain sections depending upon the purpose of your network. If the only thing you want to do is share an Internet connection in your office, all you have to do is follow the instructions under Setting up a Wired Network or Setting up a Wireless Network. You do not have to worry about the sections dealing with file or printer sharing. If all you want to do is share a printer, you will have to follow the instructions under Setting up a Wired Network or Setting up a Wireless Network as well as Sharing a Printer.
If you just need to share files between a few people, there are other ways to do so without having to go through the trouble of setting up a network.

You could use an external device such as an external hard drive, flash drive, or floppy disk to save the files to and pass around the office. This can become unmanageable with more than a few people needing access to the file. Also, it can result in having multiple versions of the file on each persons computer. If everyone you need to share files with is connected to the Internet, you could use an online tool like Google Docs (http://docs.google.com), which allows everyone you invite can edit and view the document. To use an online tool like this, you have to have a reliable Internet connection or else you wont be able to access the file at all times.

If you need to share files, follow the instructions under Setting up a Wired Network or Setting up a Wireless Network as well as Sharing Files. Regardless of the purpose of your network, you should always be certain to secure it. You will need to run current anti-virus and anti-spyware software, use a firewall, install the security updates for all software on your computer and backup your data. More information on each of these security measures is available at the end of the document. Information about backing up files is available in the Sharing Files section.

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Wired Networks
When a network is wired, it means that all computers on the network are physically connected to the router through cables. These kinds of networks are the most secure since to access the network your computer needs to be physically attached to the router. Wired networks are also faster than wireless networks. Using Ethernet is the preferred way to set up a wired network.
NOTE: If you have computers in multiple rooms and want to connect them using a wired network, you could run extremely long Ethernet cables, or buy a wall-plug network extender kit. This will use the power lines in your building to transmit the Internet signal to other rooms in the building. Then you will be able to run an Ethernet cable from a plug in the room where the computer is to the computers Ethernet port. You could also set up a wireless network.

Ethernet networks are the most popular networks used to connect computers. This is because they are easy to set up, cheap and are compatible with wireless technology, enabling you to connect wired and wireless computers on the same network.

Ethernet cable and Ethernet ports on a computer.

To set up a network using Ethernet cables, you will need the following hardware: Ethernet ready computers. Look at the slots on your computer. Is there an Ethernet port? If there is, your computer is Ethernet ready. If there is not, you can buy an Ethernet adapter and install it on your computer. There are Ethernet adapters that plug directly into your computers USB port, ones that have to be installed in the interior of your computer, and ones that fit into a laptops mini PCI slot (see right). See your computers user manual to find these ports and slots. Once the appropriate device is installed, your computer is Ethernet ready. NOTE: Ethernet adapters can also be called network cards, network adapter, LAN adapter, or network interface card.

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Ethernet router. This is the piece of equipment where all the computers and the Internet connection are plugged in to, thus enabling them all to communicate. Routers have different numbers of ports (places you can plug in Ethernet cables). You will need one port for each computer you want to connect to the network as well as one port for the Internet connection. Note that some modems have routers built in so if your network will be connected to the Internet, check your modem to see if it is also a router. Internet modem (if you want the computers to share an Internet connection). An Internet modem is a piece of equipment usually supplied by your Internet provider that allows your computers to connect to the Internet (see right). The modem will connect directly to your Internet provider and the Internet. Configuration information is typically provided by the Internet provider. Note that some modems have routers built in so you will not need to buy a separate router if your modem has this feature. Surge strip or uninterruptible power supply. A surge strip and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) help prevent hardware damage due to electrical spikes and power outages. Ethernet cables. You will need to purchase one Ethernet cable for each computer you want to connect to the router and one if you want to connect an Internet modem to the router. Ethernet cables come in different lengths, so make sure to buy a cable of the appropriate length for the distance between the computer and the router.

Internet source Modem Plug Surge Strip or UPS

Ethernet cable

Router

Setting Up a Wired Network Step 1 Step 2 Turn off the router, modem and all computers. Physically connect the computers to the router by plugging in one end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the computer and the other end to the port on the router.

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Step 3

Connect the Internet modem to the appropriate port on the router, labeled Internet, WAN or WLAN. (See instructions that come with router to find the right port). Use an Ethernet cable to connect the modem to the router. Plug in the routers power cable into a surge strip or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and then plug the UPS or surge strip into the wall. Turn the modem on. Turn the router on. Turn on each computer connected to the router one at a time. They should automatically detect the network connection. Verify that the network connection is working: Windows: Go to the Control Panel and then click on Network Connections. You should see a connection called Local Area Connection and its status as Connected. Mac: Go to System Preferences and the Network icon. If there is no connection, select Assist Me, which will guide you through step-by-step setup and troubleshooting procedures.

Step 4

Step 5 Step 6

Step 7

Configure the router. On one of the connected computers, open the web browser (for instance, Internet Explorer) and type the routers LAN address, which often looks something like http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.1.100. See the instructions that came with your router for your routers LAN address. You do not have to complete this step on a Mac if you used the Assist Me setup. Type the default password for your router if one is necessary. (See the instructions that came with your router for this password). Change your default password so that your router configuration is secure. This password protects someone from reconfiguring the setup of your router. Look in the routers instructions for specific details on how to do this.

Step 8 Step 9

Wireless Networks
In contrast to networking computers through physical cables, you can instead set up a network that transmits data wirelessly. While this prevents you from having to buy wires and deal with the mess of many cables, wireless networks have some drawbacks. Wireless networks are much less secure because practically anyone can tap into your wireless network if they are close enough to your office. There are security measures you can take (described below), but you should consider this disadvantage when deciding whether to create a wired or wireless computer network. Also, wireless networks have slower connectivity and connections can drop due to interference. Each drawback can be addressed but it does make the network a bit more complex.

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To set up a network using wireless technology called Wi-Fi (the most popular), you will need the following hardware: Wireless ready computers. To determine if your computer running Windows is wireless ready, go to the Control Panel, and click on System. Click on the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager. Double click on Network Adapters and see if one of them says it is wireless. If so, your computer is wireless ready. On a Mac, click on the Apple menu, System Preferences, Network, Show, and Network Port Configurations. If AirPort is listed under Port Configurations and is checked, your Mac is wireless ready. If not, you will need to buy a Wi-Fi adapter and install it on your computer. NOTE: The easiest type of wireless adapter to install is a USB wireless adapter. This will simply plug into a USB port on your computer. (Follow the instructions from the manufacturer for setup). Wireless router. A wireless router is a piece of equipment that transmits wireless signals to all wireless enable computers (see right). Note that most wireless routers have multiple ports that enable you to connect computers physically to the router by way of an Ethernet cable if they are not wireless ready. This allows for wired and wireless devices to share the same network. Note that some modems have wireless routers built in so you will not need to buy a separate router if you have a modem with this feature. Internet modem (if you want the computers to share an Internet connection). An Internet modem is a piece of equipment usually supplied by your Internet provider that allows your computers to connect to the Internet. The modem will connect directly to your Internet provider and the Internet. Configuration information is typically provided by the Internet provider. Note that some modems have wireless routers built in so you will not need to buy a separate router if your modem has this feature. Ethernet cables to connect one computer to the wireless router. Note that you will need another Ethernet cable to connect the Internet modem to the router if you want to share an Internet connection. Surge strip or UPS. Ethernet cable Modem Plug Surge Strip or UPS Wireless signal 74 Wireless Router

Internet source

Setting up a Wireless Network Consult your routers user manual while completing these steps. There may be specific steps not listed here that you need to do for your particular router. Step 1 Choose a location for the wireless router. Note that physical barriers such as thick walls, multiple floors, etc. can weaken the signal strength, so choose a central location and consider buying a signal booster if you have a large building that one wireless router cannot cover. Plug the wireless routers power cable into a surge protector or uninterruptible power supply and then plug the surge protector or UPS into the power outlet. Connect the router to the Internet modem using an Ethernet cable. Connect one computer to the router using an Ethernet cable. If the connected computer is a PC running Windows, look in the instructions that came with your wireless router for your routers LAN address, which is usually http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.1.100. Type this address in your Internet browser (for example, Internet Explorer) and then move on to Step 6. If the connected computer is a Mac, click the Applications folder and select Utilities. Click on Airport Setup Assistant and follow the setup instructions. Your Mac will then be connected to the network and you are finished. Turn on the wireless computers and they should detect the wireless signal. Step 6 Step 7 Type the default password for your router if one is necessary. (See the instructions that came with your router for this password). Change your default password so that your wireless networks configuration is secure. This password does not protect the data that is sent over the wireless network, but instead protects someone from reconfiguring the setup of your router. Look in the routers instructions for specific details on how to do this. Set up the name of your wireless network so that people can identify it and connect to it. A good name is the name of your organization. Look at your routers instructions for how to create the name of your wireless network. The name is often called the SSID (service set identifier). Encrypt your wireless network so that hackers cannot access and steal your files. To do this, access your routers configuration screen like you did in Step 5 and then follow your routers instructions for creating a wireless network key. This ensures that data sent wirelessly to and from computers is encrypted so that if a hacker intercepts data, it wont make sense to them. Turn on the other wireless enabled computers. They should automatically detect the wireless network and ask for the wireless network key or password.

Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

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Sharing Files
Once you have set up a network, you can then share files between the computers. Before getting started, you have to decide how you want to share files, either through a peer-to-peer network or a client-server network. A peer-to-peer network is one where all computers on the network share files with one another. For instance, Bob could share one file, Sue could share eight files and John could share all his files. When each user goes to access shared files, they see the files that each computer is sharing. This is only recommended for a network of less than 10 computers as it can quickly get unorganized.

Peer-to-Peer Network

Files stored on each computer and accessible by each computer.

A client-server network is a type of network where one computer acts as the storage center for all shared files. The other computers access the files or folders from that computer only. For instance, John has a folder on his computer called Our Organizations Files and every computer can access every file in that folder. When each user goes to access shared files, they see the one folder where all shared documents are stored. This is meant for large networks because with more computers, a peer-to-peer network will become unmanageable with files spread out all over the place. When you have more computers or simply want a very organized system, you should consider a client-server network so that all files reside in one place on one computer.

Client-server network

Files are stored on one computer and are accessible by each computer. The computers do not share files with each other.

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If you will set up a client-server network, choose the server computer and create a folder where the files will be stored. Give the folder a name such as Our Organizations Files. That is the folder that will be shared with all the other computers on the network. If a client computer wants to share a file with the rest of the network, they will place the file in this folder once they are able to access it.

NOTE: This document does not cover how to set up an Active Directory domain using a true server operating system like Windows Server 2003. In most cases, you will not need such an advanced network but if you require advanced security and the ability to set specific permission levels for particular users and files, seek help from a consultant.

To share a particular file or folder on a system running Windows that is networked with other computers running Windows: Step 1 Go to My Computer and then My Network Places on the server computer (in a clientserver network) or on the computer that wants to share a file or folder with other computers (in a peer-to-peer network). Click Set up a Home or Small Office Network to run the Network Setup Wizard. Follow the instructions. See the Microsoft links in the Additional Resources section for step-by-step instructions on setting up a network. If only one computer is sharing files (the server computer in a client-server network) then only that computer needs to run the Network Setup Wizard. Run the Network Setup Wizard on every computer if all computers will be sharing files (peer-to-peer). Use the same workgroup name for each computer you want to be able to share files, printers and an Internet connection with one another. Step 3 After you run the Network Setup Wizard, right click the file or folder you want to share and then click Sharing and Security. On a client-server network this will be the folder you created that will host all shared files. On a peer-to-peer network, choose the files and folders you want to share. Under the Sharing tab, find the Network Sharing and Security section. In that section, there should now be two boxes, one asking you if you want to share the particular file or folder with the network and another asking if you want to allow other people to be able to edit the file or folder. Click the first box to share the file or folder and click the second if you want other people to be able to change your file or folder (edit the file, delete or add files to a folder, etc.). To open shared files or folders from another computer, go to My Computer and then

Step 2

Step 4 Step 5

Step 6

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to My Network Places, where shared files and folders will be listed. If a shared file or folder is not listed there, then go to the Tool menu at the top of the screen and click on Map Network Drive. Click browse to find the other computer you are trying to get a shared file or folder from. Then assign it a letter. What this does is make the other computers shared file or folder appear under My Network Places. Now you can access the shared files on that computers hard drive. *Note that these instructions are specific to Windows XP. Expect variations when sharing files on other versions of Windows. To share files on networked Macs: There exists a simple way to share files (not an Internet connection or printer) on Macs. All you have to do is connect your Macs though a firewire cable and share files through the Public folder located in the finder on the left hand panel. If your network is already set up and you want to be able to share files between Macs, following these instructions. Step 1 In Menu at the top of the screen select Go and then Connect to Server (click this if you are indeed connecting to a server computer or if you are simply connecting to another computer on a peer-to-peer network). Browse for the correct computer and click Connect or type in the computer name and click Connect. Select the Workgroup that the Mac you are connecting to belongs. (The Workgroup information can be found on the computer you are connecting to). Create a username and password then the OK button. Remember this information since you will need it to share files and access other shared files in the future. To share files on your Mac, select what you would like to share from the pull down menu and click the OK button. The shared files will appear in a window and an icon to the share will appear on the desktop. To access files that are shared from another Mac, after entering your username and password, click on that Macs icon, which will appear on your desktop.

Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

To share files on a mixed network of Macs and PCs Connecting to a PC from a Mac Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Click the System Preferences icon in your Dock. Click the Sharing icon. Under the Services tab of the Sharing window, select the option Windows File Sharing.

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Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

In Menu at the top of the screen select Go and then Connect to Server. Browse for the correct computer and click Connect or type in the computer name and click Connect. Select the Workgroup that the PC you are connecting to belongs. (The Workgroup information can be found by right clicking on the My Computer desktop icon on the PC, click the Properties button and then select the Computer Name tab. The workgroup name is shown in the window.) Create a username and password then the OK button. Remember this information since you will need it to share files and access other shared files in the future. To share files on your computer, select what you would like to share from the pulldown menu and click the OK button. The shared files will appear in a window and an icon to the share will appear on the desktop. To access shared files that are on the PC, go to the Finder menu, and on the left side, the PCs icon will be shown.

Step 7 Step 8

Connecting to a Mac from a PC Step 1 Ensure the Mac has Windows File Sharing On. On the Mac o Click the System Preferences icon in your Dock. o Click the Sharing icon. o Select the Services tab of the Sharing window select the option Windows File Sharing. On the PC select the My Network Places icon located in the My Computer folder on the Desktop. In My Network Places click on the View Workgroup Computers icon. The Mac will appear as an icon. Select the icon and the files that are shared on the Mac will appear.

Step 2 Step 3 Step 4:

Backing up Files If you share files, you need to make sure that the files exist in more than one location in case of a hard drive failure, natural disaster such as a fire at your office, or other unforeseen event. This entails saving all your information to an external source such as an external hard drive. There are two main ways to backup your files: One is to manually save files to an external device on a regular schedule. For example, if you have a client-server network, every Friday before the close of 79

business, you assign one staff member to save all files on the server computer to an external hard drive. If you have a peer-to-peer network, you could require that staff members save their files to a flash drive every evening. If you have a client-server network, you can make the computer backup files automatically using software like the Windows Backup Utility (if using a Professional version of Windows not a Home Edition).

Either way you choose to backup your files, you must keep the following tips in mind: Backup often and regularly. If your computer crashes and all your files are gone, having a backup from last year is probably not going to do you much good. For this reason, you should backup at least once a week, every week. Make a backup plan and stick to it. Store a backup copy off site. If you have a fire or other disaster at your office where you store your computers and backup copies, everything will be destroyed. For this reason, you should store a backup copy off site. For example, consider buying two external hard drives and rotating them every other week (one on site and one off site).

Sharing a Printer
To share a printer, connect the printer to one computer that is on the network, preferably a computer running Windows. If you set up a client-server network, connect the printer to the server computer. On that computer: Step 1 Step 2 Go to the Control Panel and click Printers and Faxes. Right click on the printer that you want to share and click Sharing. If you are prompted to run the Network Setup Wizard, do so and then return to the Sharing box of the printer you want to share. Click Share this Printer and name the printer.

Step 3

In order for other computers to send jobs to the printer, they will need to install the printer driver on their computer. On computers on the network running Windows: Step 1 Step 2 Go to each computers Control Panel and click Printers and Faxes. Click Add a Printer and follow the Add a Printer Wizard. Once the printer is added, it should appear when you click print in a program like Word, Excel, etc. Choose the shared printer and then press print. It will print from the shared printer.

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For a Mac to send jobs to the printer, follow these instructions: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Select the System Preferences icon in your dock. Select the Print and Fax icon. Click Set Up Printers. Hold the ALT key and click the Add button. From the drop down list, click on Windows printer via SAMBA.. Create a name for the printer. In the device URI space, type in smb:// followed by the share name of the printer. (The share name is found on the PC by going to Printers and Faxes, right clicking on the printer you wish to use and clicking on the Sharing tab. The name of the printer will appear in the window.) From the Printer Model list, choose the name that most closely matches the printer. The printer is now added and you should be able to print from it by pressing print in any application.

Step 8

General Network Tips


Keep your network as simple and organized as possible. If you have many computers, consider having one central location for all files to be stored (in other words, create a clientserver network). If sharing files, backing up data is essential. Use anti-virus software. When multiple computers are connected to a network, they not only can share files, printers and an Internet connection, but they can also share viruses if they can get through your networks security. For this reason, you should make sure that each computer on a network runs a virus scan daily to protect all computers from becoming infected. Use anti-spyware software. Spyware and other malware can get installed on your computer simply by visiting an unknown infected website. Running anti-spyware will help keep your computer secure and operational. Use a Firewall to protect against threats from the Internet. A firewall is something that protects your computer from unauthorized access through the Internet. It acts a barrier between your computer and everyone else connected to the Internet. Windows comes with a basic, builtin firewall. Most routers and some modems also come with a firewall. You should use both (a

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firewall on your computer and a firewall on your router or modem, or between your modem and your computer). Install the security updates for all software on your computer, most importantly the Microsoft critical security updates. You can set your computer to automatically install the Microsoft security updates. See the Standard Operating Procedures for instructions on how to make sure that your computer receives these updates. To share files, the computer where the file is stored must be turned on. Password protect folders, if possible. Password protecting folders adds an extra layer of security. If you want to password protect folders you share on the network, you will need to be using an operating system like Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional, or Windows Vista, which allow you to specify which users can access a particular file or folder. Windows XP Home Edition doesnt let you do this. To do this in the other Windows operating systems, right click on a folder and click Sharing and Security to share the file. There will be a Permissions option where you can identify which users can access the file and create a password for them. When the user tries to access the file or folder from their computer they will be prompted for their username and a password. It is best to use a single operating system on all of your computers to avoid complexity. There are differences between versions of Windows XP (Professional, Home, Tablet and Media editions) and Vista versions (Business, Ultimate, Home Premium, Home Basic and Enterprise) as well as major differences between Windows and Mac operating systems. It is recommended to use XP Professional or Vista Business when networking computers.

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Additional Resources
Windows XP: Setting up your Network
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/default.mspx How to guide on setting up a wired network, wireless network, how to add a computer to an existing network and more.

Windows XP: Using and Maintaining your Network


http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/maintain/default.mspx Article about how to start and stop sharing files, how to share printers, how to troubleshoot problems and more.

Windows XP: Securing your Network


http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/security/default.mspx This is a piece on how to make sure your network is not vulnerable to viruses and other security threats.

Network and Computer Security


www.staysafeonline.org A website with tips on how to stay safe while using computers and the Internet.

Backing up your Mac


http://maczealots.com/articles/backup/ Reviews of some software you can use on a Mac to backup files.

Versions of Microsoft Vista OS Explained


http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/default.mspx Microsofts website explains the differences between each edition of the new Windows operating system, Vista.

Technical Definitions Online Resources


www.wikipedia.org If you do not understand a particular term used in this, or any, document, search for the term online using a site like Wikipedia. The web will provide you with an explanation. Much information from: Parsons, June Jamrich and Dan Oja. Computer Concepts. Edition 10. Thomson Course Technology: United States, 2008. Chapter 5.

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Email Lists
If you find that your organization is struggling to get your news or information out to the people who are interested in hearing it in an efficient and professional way, you may want to consider creating an email list. An email list can help your organization: Send information such as press releases, newsletters and upcoming events to thousands of people. Conduct a fundraiser by sending out appeals to your contact list. Recruit support for a campaign you are working on by asking your list to volunteer or take an action. Start a discussion around a particular topic. Build a closer relationship with constituents and supporters.

An email list allows you to send information to a large number of people by sending the message to just one address. You invite people to subscribe to the email list by publicizing it on your website or other web presence. You can also send a personal email to some of your contacts to ask them to subscribe and to tell their friends. Once people have subscribed to the list all you have to do is type in the list address such as newsletter@yourorganization.org, which will send a message to everyone that has subscribed. There are two main types of lists, one-way and discussions lists. One-way lists are lists that allow the list owner to send out messages to a group, but do not allow subscribers to send messages. A discussion list allows for interaction, with everyone, both owner and subscribers, being able to post messages to the list for everyone else to see and respond to.

The alternative to setting up a list is to type in each recipients email address for an email you want to send out. Not only is this time consuming, it can cause your email to be marked as Spam. When an email is marked as Spam, the message goes to the recipients Spam Folder and may never get seen. Also, some email hosts only allow a certain number of emails per hour so if you exceed your limit, your email could be shut down temporarily. For these reasons, you should consider setting up a list if you find yourself sending email with more than a couple dozen recipients regularly. In this section, find general email list tips, newsletter specific tips and descriptions of some free/cheap email list providers.

General Tips
Carefully consider whether you want to use HTML or plain text. There are clear benefits and disadvantages of both options. HTML emails have colors, are formatted, can have fancy fonts and generally just look better. In addition, research has shown that HTML emails are more successful in getting people to click on links in the email. However, HTML emails take longer to load and some people may not be able to view HTML emails due to their email service provider.

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Also, the more HTML that is in an email, the more likely it is to get marked as Spam, which means that the recipient will never see it. On the other hand, plain text is very quick to load and everybody can view it. The downside of plain text is that it is not as fancy looking. Consider these advantages and disadvantages when choosing to send your email in HTML or plain text. You could always have the best of both worlds by asking subscribers whether they want to receive the email in HTML or plain text when they sign up. This is more work for you though. (Source: Putting Email to Work) Limit each line in your email to 59 characters. If you have long lines of text, some email clients will break up the lines resulting in a mess (see below for an example). To prevent this, limit all lines of text to 59 characters (including spaces). The Women in Black Network from Serbia and other Serbian civil society groups successfully organized a large peace march in Belgrade on March 15 to celebrate 100 years of struggle for womens rights. Run your list on an opt-in basis. Dont subscribe people to your list without their permission. Often, getting permission is accomplished by sending an email inviting someone to join your list. Subscribing people without their permission makes you a spammer. Also, it is simply bad etiquette and can create negative feelings toward your organization if you send out unsolicited emails. Let people opt-out easily. Make it clear to subscribers how they can remove their email address from the list so that they can stop receiving messages if they want. This is not only a courtesy but will save you headaches and time since people will be able to manage their subscription on their own. Moderate your list. If you have a discussion list that enables all members or the broad public to post messages, you should consider moderating your list. This means that messages come to you for approval before the message gets sent out. Without this, it is possible that your list can be abused and Spam could be sent out on it. Encourage recipients to forward the email to a friend. At the end of all emails sent out on a list, encourage your addressees to send the email to a friend. This can be done as simply as typing Click Forward to send this to a friend! Related, you should have a How to Subscribe message in each email so that when it is forwarded to someone who is not subscribed, they can easily find out how to do so. This will help build your readership. Respect subscribers privacy. When people sign up for your email list, present them with a privacy statement that ensures that you will not use their email for any other purpose other than the list. This will give people confidence that they will not be spammed if they sign up for your list.

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Publicize your email list. If no one knows your list exists, they wont subscribe. Therefore, tell people how to subscribe to the email list on your website, blog, social networking page, or any other web presence you have to build your list.

Newsletter Tips
The most useful thing you can do with an email list is send out your organizations newsletter. Newsletters vary significantly and can contain a variety of information such as news, editorials, profiles of staff or constituents, background information, calls to action, events, accomplishments, tips, links, contact information and more. What you decide to place in your newsletter depends upon what information you want to convey to your readers. For more ideas about what to include in your newsletter, read What Should Go in Your Newsletter? on the Tech Soup website. Here are some technical tips related to sending out a newsletter on an email list. These are in addition to the general email list tips presented above. Maintain a schedule. Unlike sending out news about events and other sporadic information, if you decide to create a newsletter, make sure that you create a schedule and adhere by it. If you are concerned about your organizations ability to send out a newsletter often, start off with a quarterly newsletter (every three months) and work your way toward a more frequent publication. Have two versions, long and short. This tip only applies if your organization has a website. If so, it is a good idea to post the long, full version of the newsletter on your website and send a shorter, abridged version to your list. In the email, provide a link to the full version so that those who are interested in reading more can do so. Be consistent. Choose a template for all of your newsletters and maintain it. Do not change the format of your newsletter every time you send one out as this makes your publication look unprofessional. Have one person in charge of the newsletter to maintain this consistency.

Providers
Below are some free and cheap email list providers. In addition, if you have a website host, check its features because it may have an email list provider like Mailman already included. If your host already has Mailman, consider it but do not use it just because it is there. Shop around. Google Groups http://groups.google.com/ Google Groups is a free service that allows you to start a group online and have people sign up to receive group updates via email. You can alter the settings so that it is an announcement only group where only the owner can post messages to the group. You can also set up the list so that all members can send messages to the group. Additionally, users with permission can post files to the group page so that all group members can access them. Also, there is an archive feature that lists all past messages sent to the group so that users can easily browse previous messages.

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Yahoo Groups http://groups.yahoo.com/ Yahoo Groups, like Google Groups, is a free service that allows you to start a group online and have people sign up to receive group updates via email. You can alter the settings so that it is an announcement only group where only the owner can post messages to the group, or set it so that all members can send messages to the group. Also, users with permission can post files and photos. Additionally, like Google Groups, there is an archive feature that lists all past messages sent to the group so that users can easily browse previous messages. MSN Groups http://groups.msn.com/ MSN Groups is a free email list provider like Google Groups and Yahoo Groups. It too has an archive feature that lists all past messages sent to the group so that users can easily browse previous messages. Topica http://lists.topica.com/create/index2.html This is a free list provider like Yahoo Groups and Google Groups. The main feature distinguishing it from Yahoo, Google and MSN is that Topica allows you to import a large list of contacts without permission from those people. This is useful if you are moving a list to Topica and already have the permission from people to use their email for your list. NPO Groups (project of Electric Embers) http://npogroups.org/lists/ http://electricembers.net/services.php This is the list software that AP uses for our mailing lists. It is very reasonably priced, starting at $10/month for an account with up to 10 lists and 2500 subscribers. If you want more than 10 lists or more than 2500 subscribers, you pay a small fee to upgrade. For $25/month you can get an upgraded version so that you can have your list domain be customized to match your organizations domain name.

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Additional Resources
About Email Lists
http://www.lsoft.com/products/about_emaillists.asp This website gives an overview of what mailing lists are and the difference between one-way and discussion lists.

Mailing Lists General Introduction


http://advocacylists.org/lists/help/introduction This resource gives an overview of the two types of mailing lists and their features.

Email Newsletters and Electronic Mailing Lists


http://www.summitcollaborative.com/mailtools.html This is a website with a lot of information on different mailing list software, including more sophisticated and expensive programs.

What Should Go in Your Newsletter?


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page5281.cfm An article with ideas for information to include in your newsletter, how to design it, how to send it out, and how to measure its success.

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Online Petitions
To demonstrate that you have broad support for a cause, you should consider creating a petition. In the past, petitions were created by a person going door to door asking for signatures on a piece of paper. This results in a limited number of signatures since you can only reach people in your vicinity. Now there is a much more efficient way of collecting signatures e-petitions. An e-petition is a petition that exists online and allows supporters to go a website to add their signature. While you should not abandon the traditional petition for some constituencies (like people who dont have access to computers), a move to an epetition can broaden your reach and thus get you more signatures. An online petition can help you: Demonstrate mass support for a particular action quickly and easily. Get signatures from people from all over the world rather than just in one region.

While e-petitions are very easy to use, they have some drawbacks that you may want to consider. Since people are not actually signing their name but rather typing their name and email address, the validity of the signature is sometimes in doubt. This is especially an issue when the petition allows people to sign their name as Anonymous. Some e-petition services try to overcome this by making signatories confirm their email address before their signature is posted.

Tips for Writing a Petition


(from How to Write a Petition by GoPetition)

Know your target. Who will you send the petition to once signatures are collected? Make sure this person has the power to do what your petition advocates for. Keep this in mind when writing the petition. Tailor it to that audience. Be concise. Clearly state the goal of the petition, a little background information and then link to more information if necessary. Make sure you explain what the problem is and why the solution you propose is needed. Be realistic. Write a petition for something that you can achieve. Aim high, but be realistic! Spell check!

Promote your Petition


You cannot create a petition and expect it to attract thousands of signatures by itself. You have to promote it. Here are some ideas to get your petition attention (all of which involve using your other ICT tools to promote the use of this one): Write a press release about the initiative your petition is about and urge people to sign the petition. Send this press release out to everyone on your email list.

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Promote your petition on your website. Find a popular blogger that is interested in the issue your petition is about and ask him or her to blog about the petition and urge his or her readers to sign it. Promote your petition on Facebook, Myspace and any other social networks youre on.

Petition Providers
There are several websites that will host your petition for free. Below is a sample of some of them: Petition Online http://www.petitiononline.com/ This is a petition site that allows you to create free online petitions. Two of its main features are that you can choose what information you want signatories to give and that the petition text cannot be edited after it is submitted. While the latter doesnt sound like a feature, it makes the petition more significant since you cannot change the text after people have already signed it. This adds authority to your petition. Care2 Petition Site http://www.thepetitionsite.com/ Care2 is a website dedicated to activism and change on a variety of issues including the environment, human rights, health and more. Part of their robust website includes a petition site where users can create petitions related to social change issues. This is a great place to put your petition as the people who use Care2 are the type of people who will identify with your cause. One downside is that the author of the petition can edit the text of the petition after people have signed it. iPetitions www.ipetitions.com This is another free petition site. It has features such as the ability to customize your petition pages look, add additional questions to ask your signatories, and more. One downside to iPetitions is that the author of the petition can edit the text of the petition after people have signed it CitizenSpeak http://www.citizenspeak.org/ CitizenSpeak is not quite a petition but has a similar effect. Instead of gathering signatures and then presenting them to an official, CitizenSpeak helps you manage a campaign of getting your supporters to send emails directly to officials. It creates a webpage for your cause that contains your template letter. Then you send out the URL of the page to your supporters, they fill out their personal information, add a personal statement if they like and then they can send the email to the official with the click of a button. iConcur http://apps.facebook.com/iconcur/ If your organization uses Facebook, adding the iConcur application to your profile can help you tap your Facebook network for signatures to a petition. iConcur is an application that allows you to create a petition on Facebook and invite your friends to sign it. This is an innovative idea, but you may not get as many signatures this way than if you created a petition at an outside website and just notified your Facebook friends of its location. 90

Additional Resources
How to Write a Successful Petition
http://www.ipetitions.com/how-to-write-petition.html Tips on how to write a petition that will garner many signatures.

How to Write a Petition


http://www.gopetition.com/howtowriteapetition.php Tips on writing and promoting your petition.

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Photos
A good way to disseminate your message is through photography. A photo catches peoples attention and can say more than the most compelling text. Producing and disseminating photos can help you: Personalize your work. Raise awareness about your campaigns. Gain credibility, especially if you become the leading source of photos on a particular issue. Make your website, blog or newsletter more interesting.

The best photos that your organization can produce are most likely pictures of the people you try to help. Also, if your organization tries to advocate against a certain human rights abuse, documenting that abuse through photography can be a particularly compelling thing to put on your website, in newsletters and more. Use photos in reports (when appropriate) and on your website to break up text. Also, join social networking sites focused around photography, like Flickr, to tap an audience you may not otherwise reach. This section will introduce the process of getting photos from your camera to the Internet for the world to see.

Tips for Taking Good Photos


Use a digital camera if possible. While digital cameras can be more expensive, they can take better pictures and do not require film. They also allow you to view the photos you have taken and retake shots if you want to. If you plan on posting the pictures on the Internet or in documents you produce on the computer, a digital camera will make it much easier to get the pictures on the computer. Otherwise you will have to scan pictures in, which reduces their quality. Related, check the resolution on your digital camera. Low resolution photos cannot be enlarged or reprinted without becoming blurry. If you want to use photos for reports and publications, make sure the resolution is at least 575 x 805 pixels for a picture that would cover about half of a page. If the picture will be printed smaller, the resolution can be smaller. If the picture will be printed larger, you need a higher resolution. See your cameras user manual for information on adjusting the resolution of photos. Do not shoot into the sun or other bright light. If you are trying to take a picture of a person standing in front of a window, the person will likely be too dark and the window will be way too bright. Instead, take pictures with the sun or light behind you.

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Get close to your subject and convey their personality because long shots often do not work online or in small images. Think of the composition and framing of the photo. Reduce clutter in the background of the photo and strategically pick the location of your subject in the photo (at the left, right, or center). Be creative. You want your photos to stand out so be willing to try new angles, do extreme close-ups, and crawl on the floor to get the shot you want.

Uploading Pictures to a Computer


Uploading from your camera to the computer is different depending on your camera, but the process is generally the same. If your camera came with a CD with software on it, you will have to install that first and then use the instructions that came with the software to find out how to upload the photos to your computer. If no software came with the camera, you will just have to plug the camera into the computer using a wire (most commonly a wire with a USB connection on one end and the other end fitting into a port on your camera. These wires come with digital cameras.). On some computers a screen will automatically pop up asking you if you want to download the photos from the camera. On others this does not happen so you should go to My Computer and then click on your camera that should be listed there as an external device. Click through the files to find your photos and copy and paste them to a folder.

Editing Digital Photos


Often times, you will go straight from uploading the pictures to your computer to uploading them to the Internet. However, sometimes your digital photos are not quite perfect and you want to fix them up before you post them online. It could be too dark, too light, have colors that are too strong, have colors that are too weak, could be too big, too small, etc. There is editing software that can help you solve some of these problems.

Paint
Paint is a photo-editing program that comes preinstalled on computers running Microsoft Windows. It allows you to add text to pictures, paint on pictures, crop, increase or decrease the size of the photo, add lines and shapes, and more. To open Paint go to the Start menu, All Programs, Accessories, and choose Paint. Most features are self-explanatory, but cropping and resizing photos require a little explanation. To crop a photo in Paint: Open the photo by going to File, Open. Click the rectangular dotted box button on the menu at the left. Click and drag the mouse to form a box around the part of the photo that you want to crop. Right click the selected area and press Copy or press CTRL+C Go to File, New and paste the cropped image in a new Paint window. 93

To resize photos in Paint: Open the photo by going to File, Open. Click Image, then Stretch/Skew To make the photo bigger, enter a percentage higher than 100 in both the horizontal and vertical Stretch boxes. If you enter two different numbers, the photo will be distorted. To make the photo smaller, enter a percentage less than 100. Click OK For tutorials on the other features of Paint, see this Paint tutorial from Lakewood Public Library.

iPhoto
iPhoto is the photo editing software that comes pre-installed on most new Macintosh computers. Depending upon the version you have on your computer, iPhoto is capable of different features. The newer versions allow you to organize and rename your photos, crop, change the contrast, hue, sharpness and more. For video tutorials on how to use iPhoto, visit the iPhoto section of the Apple website.

Picnik
Picnik is a free online photo-editing tool that enables you to edit photos on your computer in your Internet browser. Picnik has many more features than Paint, however, it requires you to be connected to the Internet, so it may not be the most practical tool if your Internet connection is poor. Picniks features include cropping, easy resizing, rotating, changing the tone of the picture to sepia, black and white and more. It also allows you to add text to the photo, add borders, change the exposure, contrast, and apply many effects. It is very easy to use and is completely free.

Picasa
Picasa is a free program that helps you manage your photos on your computer and allows you to post pictures on the Internet. When you open it, it will scan your computer for all image files and organize them by date. It allows you to group them into albums, rename them as well as edit them using a variety of effects. For a product tour of all the features of Picasa visit its Feature page.

Dissemination of Photos
Once you have your photos uploaded to your computer and have edited them (if necessary), it is time to upload them to the Internet. You can place photos directly on your website, blog or social networking site by uploading according to that tools upload procedures. Additionally, you can upload photos to sites devoted to photo sharing such as Flickr and Picasa. Doing so will create your very own photo gallery on the Internet. You will be provided a web address to send to all your contacts so that they can view all your photos in one central location. You should promote this link in the same way you promote your website, blog and any other web presence.

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See below on more information about Flickr and Picasa, two of the most popular photo sharing tools.

Flickr
At AP, we use an online photo site named Flickr to disseminate our photos. You can find APs Flickr page by visiting our website or by viewing our Flickr page. AP Peace Fellows have their own Flickr accounts where they post their own pictures from their work as a Fellow. You can find links to Fellows Flickr accounts by going to the AP page and clicking Profile at the top of the page and then scrolling all the way down to view APs contacts (which are all Fellows past and present). Flickr is a great place to upload your photos. It is a mix between a pure photo storage site and a social networking forum. You can add people as a contact, people can comment on your photos and you can join groups of people with similar interests. It is a great way to get your photos noticed. To use Flickr, first you need to sign up. Visit Flickrs home page to do so. If you have a Yahoo ID, you dont need to sign up and you can use your Yahoo ID to log in. If you do not have a Yahoo ID, you will be prompted to create one. From there, Flickr will walk you through how to use it. When you sign in, you will see a link that says Upload Photos. This is where you will begin. Choose the photos you want to upload (you can choose more than one) and then sit back while they transfer to Flickr. After they are uploaded you will be asked to give them a title and write a caption for them. You should give them a title and caption immediately while the information is fresh in your mind. Another useful feature of Flickr is the ability to take a picture on your camera phone and email it to a special Flickr email address to have it uploaded to your account immediately. This is a great feature if you are covering an event and are away from the computer yet want photos up immediately. While the quality of photos taken on a camera phone is usually poor, the immediacy of being able to report from an event is very beneficial. For more information on how to do this, visit the Upload by Email page on the Flickr website. Note that if you have the free account, you can only upload 100MB of photos each month. This is usually enough but if it isnt you will have to upgrade to a Pro account for $25 per year. Also, with a free account, only your most recent 200 photos will be displayed so if you plan on uploading more than that, consider upgrading. You should also consider upgrading if you need your high-quality original photos displayed on Flickr. Photos are compressed to save space if you have a free account. To learn all the features of Flickr and how to use them, take the Flickr tour.

Picasa
Picasa is a program that helps you manage your photos on your computer and allows you to post pictures on the Internet. To use the online version to post pictures on the Internet, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/ and then click Upload Photos on the right. After that, follow the instructions that Picasa provides. You can only store 1GB of photos on Picasa, however you can upgrade your storage for a fee. 95

Additional Resources
GIMP
http://www.gimp.org/ Advanced, free PhotoShop-like software that allows you to edit photos.

How Nonprofits Can Get the Most out of Flickr


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page8291.cfm An article about how Flickr can help your organization, how you upload, how you organize and how you share your photos that you put on Flickr.

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Skype
To better communicate with people, you likely have to make phone calls often enough that the costs add up especially if you make a lot of international calls. Fortunately, there is an ICT tool that allows you to easily make phone calls through your computer and Internet connection for free or at a reduced cost, Skype.

Skype is software that you can download from www.skype.com and use to make free calls to other Skype users and cheap calls to actual phones. You use your computer, your Internet connection and headphones (with a microphone) to make these calls. Your organization can use Skype to: Keep in touch with people (including other organizations, constituents, funders, and more) via phone for cheap or free. Develop a closer relationship with your supporters by encouraging them to chat with you on Skype.

See below for the features of Skype and how to make calls using the tool.

Features of Skype
SkypeOut You can call a real phone number from Skype. This is not free like Skype to Skype calls but is cheaper than what the call would normally cost. SkypeIn For people to be able to call your Skype account from a phone, you need a SkypeIn number to give to them. Receiving calls from phones doesnt cost you anything but will charge the caller the same rate as if they were calling a real phone. Video calls You can make video calls for free using Skype. This enables you to see the person you are talking to and for them to see you too. Conference calls You and 24 other people can engage in a conference call using Skype. This makes having group discussions with staff that are located in various parts of the world much easier. File Sharing You can easily send files over Skype to any of your Skype contacts. There are no size limits for the file, which is a benefit over email restrictions. For security reasons, before the file transfer can begin, the recipient has to approve the transfer, thus the person has to be online for the file transfer to take place. Instant messaging In addition to talking with your Skype contacts, you can type messages to them while you are having a voice conversation or if you cannot talk to them at a particular moment. Text messaging You can use Skype to send text messages to any cell phone in the world. The rates vary but are generally cheaper than what a text message usually costs. Voicemail If you want people to be able to leave you voice messages while you are on another call or offline, you can set up voicemail on Skype for $3/month or $20/year.

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What you need


A computer with an Internet connection. A headset with a microphone You will need to purchase a headset with a microphone (most cost less than $15) that will plug into the microphone plug on your computer. You do not need to purchase a headset if you are only using Skype to send instant messages, text messages, or using other features that do not require you to speak.

How to call another Skype user


1. Download Skype from www.skype.com and create a Skype name. 2. When you open Skype there are four tabs: Contacts, Call Phones, Live, and SkypeFind. Click Contacts to make a call to another Skype user. 3. When you click on Contacts two icons drop down: Add Contacts and Search for Skype Users. If you click on Add Contacts, type your friends Skype Name into the window and click Search. If you do not know your friends Skype Name, click on the Search for Skype Users icon. You can search for your friend by typing in their Skype Name, full name, or email address. You can also search by country/region, state, city, language, gender, or age range to narrow your search.

4. After you have found the person you want to call, click on their name under the Contacts tab (when they are online) and then select the green call button at the bottom of the window with the picture of a telephone receiver.

How to call a phone from Skype


1. Go to www.skype.com and click the Account heading. There, you can log in and add money to your account. 2. Once you have money on your account, open Skype and click on the Call Phones tab. 3. Enter a phone number and click on the green call button on the bottom of the window. Skype will let you know when you run low on your credit. All you have to do is return to www.skype.com to add more credit to your account.

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Additional Resources
Skype Features
http://skype.com/allfeatures/ A list of all of Skypes features and how to use each. This website also includes links to the rate charts for services that are not free.

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Social Networking
Most organizations appreciate the value of networking with like-minded organizations and reaching out to potential supporters. The traditional ways these relationships are built are through meetings, presentations and phone calls. However, with the advent of the Internet, networking has moved to the virtual realm. In the last few years, people are using the Internet not only to find information but to interact with others. Sites like MySpace and Facebook have prospered in this environment and can be a wonderful resource for your organizations networking goals. There are millions of people on these social networking sites that you can reach out to for support. Therefore, you can reach many more people than you would otherwise. Social networking through the Internet can help your organization by: Raising awareness about your organization and your work. Disseminating information like news, photos and video. Fostering a sense of community around your organization and the causes you work for. Recruiting volunteers by empowering and mobilizing supporters. Raising money.

You should not join a social network just for the sake of it, instead you should figure out if social networking can fit in with your organizations core mission. It may not if the people you need to reach do not use social networking sites. However, in most cases you will find that networking with those on social networking sites will benefit your organization by promoting your mission. Reaching out to the wide public is a way to raise awareness, mobilize support and even raise money. The way social networking sites work is that you create a page about your organization and add friends. Some of your friends are the ones you have in real life, other ones are just people you find online that you have common interests with. The aspect of social networking that makes it so powerful is that it has a viral effect. If you add Bob as a friend, then everyone who visits Bobs profile will be able to see that he is friends with your organization. This may cause some of Bobs friends to add your organization as a friend. This is why some social networking sites are often called friend of a friend sites. There are several social networking sites that can help your organization build its network. Some are general social networking sites for meeting friends. However, others have a more targeted goal, for instance creating a community around activism, video sharing or an actual community that exists outside the Internet. Three major types of social networking sites are: 1. General social networking sites These websites are used to connect individuals and groups directly with others who share common interests and goals. There is no common interest or goal shared by all members, but rather the social network is a place for people

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with various interests. Most of these sites are dominated by people younger than 35, predominately young adults. Examples of general social networking sites are: MySpace A site with a varied constituency (from high school students to middle aged adults) and many features. Facebook Facebook has a slightly different constituency than MySpace, focusing on college students and young professionals. Orkut A profile on Orkut has three aspects, social, professional and personal, therefore Orkut is meant to be not only a place for friends but also for professional networking. Friendster Most of Friendsters users are older than 25. Hi5 Most of Hi5s users are under 30.

2. Purpose driven social networking sites There are several social networking sites with a specific purpose. They are not a place where people go to generally make friends but rather go there to undertake a particular activity. Some tailored social networking sites are: Change.org Change.org is a social networking site that focuses on activism. The visitors of this website are therefore interested in human rights and social justice. YouTube YouTube is a video sharing site that has a strong social networking component. It is a website with one of the largest audiences on the Internet. The social networking aspect of YouTube is that people can comment on videos, post video responses, choose favorite videos and subscribe to a users new videos. Flickr Flickr is a photo sharing site that has a strong social networking component as well. It allows you to choose favorite photos from other users, comment on photos, add contacts to get updates when they add photos, and join groups to share photos and discuss a particular topic.

3. Custom social networking sites In addition to general social networking sites and purpose driven ones, there are sites that allow you to create your own social networking portal. You can create one for a particular group, a certain issue, an event, etc. These types of sites are not particularly good for meeting new people but instead for building stronger relationships with people you already know. Collective X Ning

Some of the sites listed above are more popular only in certain parts of the world. For instance, MySpace and Facebook are especially popular for North American users, but very unpopular for Latin American users. Keep this in mind if you are hoping to target a specific demographic with your social networking strategy. One of the sites above may have appealed to you, but if the people you want to network with do not use that site, then you will have to consider another. See the chart below to find the primary geographic audience of each of the five general social networking sites listed above.

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Social Networking Site MySpace Facebook Orkut Friendster Hi5

Primary Geographic Audience Mostly used by North American and European users. Mostly used by North American, European, Middle Eastern and African users. Most popular social networking site in Latin America (mainly Brazil), and quite popular in the south Asia and Pacific region. Very unpopular in other parts of the world. Widely used in the south east Asia and Pacific regions, but not used much in other parts of the world. The most popular social networking site in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Central America.

Source: LeMonde, Rseaux sociaux : des audiences diffrentes selon les continents

If you decide that social networking can benefit your organization, read on for more detailed information about what these websites can do for you and how to use them. Note that only the most popular sites will be explained in detail.

Social Networking Tips


Aim for consistency when joining multiple social networking sites since consistency helps people easily find you. First, make sure all accounts have the same username because often they are displayed in your profiles URL. For instance, you should not use your full organization name on your Change.org page and only your acronym on your MySpace page. Note that your username cannot usually be changed. Second, make sure that you use the same logo as your primary picture on each social networking site as this is the image that identifies you. Integrate your social networking presence with your other online presences. Dont let your social networking profiles stand alone. If you have an email list, advertise your social networking presence there. Put links to your social networking page on your website. Similarly, you can use the social networking site to repost your newsletters, promote your website, invite people to events and more. Try to aim for integration between all your ICT tools to strengthen and reinforce each of them. Know your audience. Knowing your audience is very important for the effective use of social networking sites. For instance, in the above tip, it was suggested that you repost your newsletter so that your social networking contacts can view it. This does not necessarily mean that you copy and paste the newsletter to send out on Facebook. Instead, you should tailor the newsletter or other material to your audience, who are often young adults. This often entails communicating in a more casual way than you otherwise would. Gain a lot of contacts and build relationships. Send friend requests to a lot of people to get thousands of friends, including high profile people such as musicians, actors, politicians and even other organizations. But it is also important to develop a relationship with these friends. Having thousands of friends is one thing, but turning these contacts into supporters and

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potentially donors takes more effort. You can foster a relationship with your contacts by sending a message to everyone who wants to be your friend. You can also hold mini contests via your page, such as the person who writes the best comment on your page will be your supporter of the month. There are a variety of ways you can turn contacts into supporters, you just have to devote time to doing it. Keep your social networking page active. In order to engage your contacts, you have to ensure that your profile is constantly updated with new material. This keeps people coming back, thus serving as a constant reminder to people about what your organization does and what they can do to get involved. When people continue to come back to your page, they are more likely to get involved. For instance, if your profile has a discussion board, post a comment or topic if you find that no one else is. Become a member of the community. Dont build a profile on a social networking site, invite friends and that is all. Instead, use the networking site the same way that other users do. Join groups, post pictures, write comments on other peoples pages and customize your page. Doing so makes your presence on the social networking site more useful as you will be more visible to other users that are not your contacts (yet). Turn your contacts into activists. Ask your contacts to advocate for you. Encourage them to feature your organization in their profile, to send a message to all of their friends asking them to join your page, create groups or discussion topics about your organization, link to your website, and more. Directly appealing to your contacts through an Action section on your profile can motivate your contacts to do a little extra to promote your work. Use social networking to raise money. If you have a way for people to send you money (either through the Internet or by sending a check), ask your social networking contacts to contribute. Encourage them to give by recognizing them on your profile. This will encourage more people to give in the future since they will see donors featured on your organizations page and want to be there too. Monitor your social networking pages. Check your pages frequently to ensure that you are not getting inappropriate comments, that people arent posting inappropriate pictures, or otherwise ruining your professionalism. You need to be prepared for some loss of control when entering the social networking world, so do not censor, but rather step in only if a friend is participating in an unconstructive or inappropriate way. Be patient. Do not expect to create an account on a social networking site one day and the next day have 5,000 friends. Gaining friends and making good use of your social networking presence takes time and dedication.

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General Social Networking Sites


As stated above, there are many general social networking sites for meeting new contacts to strengthen your networking. Below is more information on two of the most popular, MySpace and Facebook.

MySpace
MySpace is a general friend of a friend social networking site with users of varying ages located primarily in North America and Europe. To create an account on MySpace, go to www.myspace.com and click the orange Sign Up button. To get started, you need to fill out your profile with the necessary information such as About Me. Then start exploring the following features of MySpace. Friends list and Top Friends To build your organizations network on MySpace, you can search for friends and add them to your friends list. Then on your profile page, there will be a box where people can view your Top Friends (you can change how many Top Friends are listed and who you feature there). People can also click on the box to view all of your friends. This is a great networking tool since you can visit the MySpace page of like-minded nonprofits, view their friends and then invite their friends to be your friends as well. One way to get the most out of the friends feature is to friend a popular organization in your field and ask them to list you as a Top Friend for a day, a week or a month. This will increase your visibility and get you a lot of friend requests. The Nonprofit Organizations page rotates their tops friends frequently so become friends with them! Comments You can post a comment on your friends profile and pictures. Your comment appears for everyone to see so this helps improve your visibility and relationship with your supporters. Groups MySpace has a large group section that you can use to increase your visibility with people with similar interests. There is a section devoted to nonprofit organizations that hosts thousands of nonprofit related groups. It is a good idea to join groups related to issues you work on so that other members of the group can find you. To facilitate this, be an active member of the groups you join to increase your visibility. Also, groups pull together people with similar interests, so if the group allows you, you can invite members of the group to be friends of your organization (some groups explicitly ban sending friend requests to members). Events section and Calendar function You can post information under the MySpace Event section to publicize an event you are hosting. Most events that are posted are ones taking place in North America and Europe, so the event feature is more relevant for outreach events in these locales rather than local events. In addition, you have a calendar that allows you to add events directly on your profile for everyone, or only your friends, to see. Photos You can upload photos to appear on your profile to highlight your work, your staff, your beneficiaries, etc. Photos can give a face to your organization and personalize your work.

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Videos You can upload your videos using the MySpace TV section. It works similarly to how YouTube works and allows other MySpace users to put the video on their profile. This can help you disseminate your videos but should probably not be the only place you post your video. Blog MySpace has a blog feature that allows you to post blogs on your profile and send updates to those who subscribe to your blog on MySpace. It is not suggested that you use a MySpace blog as your primary blog since it has limited features and capabilities, but using the MySpace blog to repost other, important blog entries or update your MySpace friends with information is useful. However, the bulletin feature is more effective in reaching all of your MySpace friends who may not view your profile often or subscribe to your blogs. Bulletins MySpace has a feature that allows you to send a bulletin to all your MySpace friends at once. You can allow people to comment on your bulletin if you want to encourage a discussion. This is a great dissemination tool and can be used for sending out your press releases, news from your organization, or anything else you want to communicate to all of your MySpace friends. Forums MySpace has a forum section that encourages people to post questions or topics in order to start a discussion with other MySpace users. Forums allow you to increase your visibility and start a discussion about an issue relevant to your organization. Unfortunately, there is no nonprofit focused forum, but there are topics that could be relevant to nonprofits such as News & Politics. Customizable profile, HTML friendly You can change the look of your profile to match your organizations brand. See Oxfam Americas MySpace page for an example of a customized profile. You can do this by inserting HTML code into parts of your page, which allows you to be creative and insert objects like slideshows. There are many websites that provide you with HTML code to insert in your profile to customize your page. Note that adding images and graphics will make your page load very slowly, especially on a slow Internet connection. Nonprofit focused section for fundraising and advocacy MySpace has recently created a section of their website called Impact, designed specifically with nonprofits in mind. The main feature of this section is the ability to have MySpace users fundraise on your organizations behalf via PayPal. This has the potential to be a great fundraising tool. Right now, only a few organizations can use this feature since it has not been opened to the public. However, you can visit MySpace to learn more and sign up your organization to be part of Impact once it is open to all.

MySpace Tips Do not add music. MySpace has a feature that allows you to add a song to your profile. While this is a nice feature for your personal page, it is not professional and thus should not be on your organizations page. It distracts visitors and lessens your message.

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Dont overdo your pages customization. It is good to customize your page to look more professional and exciting, but do not go to the extreme. Avoid animations and distracting colors that steal attention away from your organization. Think of designing your MySpace page as if it is your website be professional. Keep an eye on the comments you receive. Make sure you pay attention to the comments you receive on your profile and on your pictures. The comment feature is fun but there is a lot of spamming and inappropriate material that can end up on your page. You have the ability to delete such comments if they appear. If this turns into a large problem, you can adjust your account settings to require that you approve all comments before they are posted. Use your logo as your profile picture. For more MySpace advice, see the MySpace Best Practices website.

For two examples of good organization MySpace pages, see Oxfam Grassroots International

Facebook
Facebook is a general friend of a friend social networking site. Individuals join Facebook and make personal profiles, which include their picture, information about their interests and links to their friends. Organizations, however, do not make profiles but instead make pages and their friends are called fans. Pages are tailored for organizations, not individuals. Thus there are no unnecessary sections like birthday, gender, etc. Also, pages are public, meaning that someone does not need to be signed into Facebook to view your page. However, someone does need to be signed into Facebook to become a fan and use the features on the page. Thus, you can send people who are not Facebook users to your Facebook page, something you cannot do with an individual profile. To create your organizations Facebook page, create a profile of someone in your organization. It could be the person managing the Facebook page or you can create a pseudo profile of your Director. Do this by going to www.facebook.com and sign up for an account. Note that you will need to sign into this account to administer your Facebook page, so try to avoid using the personal account (and personal password) of someone in your organization because once that person leaves the organization, so does your Facebook login. Once you have an account, login and scroll to the bottom of any Facebook page and click on Businesses. Then click on Facebook Pages and click the button at the upper right that says Create a Facebook page. On the next screen, click Brand or Product as the category and then click Nonprofit in the pull down box. Follow the rest of the instructions to create your page. Consult The Proper Way for Your Organization to be on Facebook for step-by-step instructions on how to create a Facebook page.

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Note that while the personal profile was used to create the page, that persons profile will not be seen by your eventual fans. Everything that person does in relation to the page will be marked as an action by the organization, not the individual. While you can add friends and send messages to people as an individual on Facebook, you cannot do so as your organization. For instance, if you used Sues account to create your organizations Facebook page and you want to send a message to Bob, the message Bob receives will be from Sue, not your organization. Therefore, people have to find your page and become your fan by themselves. This actually happens a lot easier than you might expect due to the viral nature of Facebook. For instance, Facebook has a feature called a news feed. When every Facebook user signs into Facebook the first page they see is their news feed, which provides updates on what their friends have done recently on Facebook. For instance, if you are friends with Bob and Bob joins a group or becomes a fan of an organization, then your news feed will tell you so. This is what makes Facebook so powerful. If one person becomes a fan of your organization, all of that persons friends will see that they did that. Some of them will become your fan as a result and it will snowball from there. Features of Facebook Pages Fans Instead of having friends of your organization like on MySpace, on Facebook you have fans of your organization. When someone becomes a fan of your organization, it alerts all of their friends through the news feed. Once someone becomes your fan, he or she can contribute to your page by starting a discussion topic, adding photos and videos, and writing on your wall. Also, only fans receive Updates, which is described below. Whenever a fan does anything on your page, like write on your wall, all of that fans friends will be notified via the news feed. Therefore, it is important to get a lot of fans and to engage them to spread the word about your page. Updates Facebook Pages allow you to send an update to all of your fans about anything you want to inform them of. You may want to disseminate some breaking news, a new addition to your page, or anything else. Updates are sent to all fans. Notes In addition to updates, which are sent to all of your fans, you can write notes, which are displayed on your page for everyone to see. People can leave comments on them and you can attach photos to a note, both things you cannot do with an update. Discussion Boards Your Facebook page comes with a feature that allows you to start interactive discussion topics. The page administrator (you) and all of your fans can create a topic and all Facebook users can reply to a topic. This is great for encouraging people to come back to your page and actively participate in the issues relevant to your organization. Wall Like Facebook profiles, your Facebook page comes with a Wall. The Wall is the part of your page where fans can leave comments for everyone to see. Photos You can upload photos to your organizations page on Facebook. Also, your fans can 107

add their own pictures to the page, but you have the right to delete any photos fans add. This can help make your page more interesting and also foster involvement with your fans. Videos You can upload videos to enhance the appeal of your page. Your fans can also upload their videos to the page, but you have the right to delete any that you find inappropriate. Like photos, adding video can make your page more interesting and also foster involvement with your fans. Events You can post information about upcoming events on your Facebook page and update all of your fans about them. These events are posted on your page so in addition to your fans, all visitors to your page will be able to view them. This feature can help you publicize an outreach event, a presentation, and more. Other Applications You can expand your Facebook page by adding features called applications. There are a variety of applications that you can add to your page, such as ones to show your YouTube videos, show where you have been around the world, and more. By going to your page manager and scrolling down to the More Applications section, you can browse hundreds of these Facebook applications. Some useful ones are below: Facebook Causes There is a Causes application that allows people with Facebook profiles or pages to create a cause page such as Help Educate Girls in order to raise money for that cause. The cause creator chooses an organization that the cause benefits such as UNICEF and all money will go to that organization. The creator can then invite his or her friends to join the cause and donate money. Each cause page has a wall people can write on, the top recruiters and donors listed and can also have links, photos, and videos. Currently, only US and Canadian based nonprofits can be listed as beneficiaries, however AP partners can contact AP and we can discuss hosting a cause on your behalf. Then you can add the cause to your organizations page to promote it. Profile HTML This application allows you to copy and paste HTML on your Facebook page. This lets you post YouTube videos, widgets (charity badges), and any other HTML you want on your page including your newsletter subscription box if you have one. Simply RSS This application allows you to run updates from your RSS feed on your Facebook page. YouTube Box Allows you to post your YouTube videos easily on your Facebook page without having to upload them individually to Facebook. Change.org The Change.org application allows you to tap your Facebook network for support on your Change.org page (see below for more on Change.org). Therefore, this application makes a bridge between your Facebook and Change.org presence. You can post this application on your page to ask your fans to donate and take actions that you have created.

In addition to your Facebook Page, you should use your individual profile to take advantage of Facebook Groups. You can make a group on Facebook by logging in and clicking on Groups on the left hand side of the screen. It is a good idea to make a group for your organization, or even a cause you work on, in addition to your page in order to reach out to more Facebook users. Organizations with pages cannot make groups, only individuals with profiles can. Unlike a page, the

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creator of a group is listed for all Facebook users to see. Therefore, it will not show your organization as the creator of the group but rather the individual who created your organizations page. Groups are different from pages because groups can be closed, meaning that it is restricted to people who are invited (however, this is not recommended). Another difference is that groups cannot be expanded with applications like pages can. Also, while you can send a message to all group members, this only applies to groups with fewer than 1,200 members. If you have any more than that, this feature is disabled. Therefore, while it is a good idea to have a Facebook group for your organization and/or cause, this should not replace your Facebook page, which should be viewed as your primary and official Facebook presence. Facebook Tips Do not add inappropriate applications to your page. There are many applications on Facebook that you can add to your page. Some are useful for an organizations page, like the ones mentioned above, while some are inappropriate and unprofessional. Only send updates about important things. If you send too many updates, your fans may disable updates from you. Therefore, send updates about the things that matter most, leaving the less important ones for people to view on your page.

Purpose Driven Social Networking Sites


The social networking sites listed below bring people together for a particular purpose, for instance, activism or multimedia sharing.

Change.org
Change.org is a purpose driven social networking site. It is a site for nonprofits and individuals who want to change the world for the better. Change.org can help you raise awareness about an issue, mobilize people who are committed to social change, raise money and publicize your news. There are over a million nonprofits on the site, so this is a very large network you should join. US-based nonprofits can join Change.org to raise money and mobilize people to take actions related to their work. International groups can join as well, but they need a US-based 501c3 organization as a sponsor. AP partners can use AP as their 501c3 sponsor. Individuals can join to participate in Actions, create Actions for others to do, network with likeminded people and organizations, and raise money for their favorite groups and causes. This is a particularly powerful social networking site for promoting your organizations work, gathering support and raising money since all Change.org users are interested in social justice issues. This contrasts with general social networking sites that have members with all sorts of interests. It is important to note that all donations given through Change.org are subject to a 4.75 percent fee. Therefore, if someone donates $100 to you, you receive $95.25. Consider this when using

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Change.org. Most organizations end up deciding that the benefits of the social network far outweigh the 4.75 percent fee taken out of donations. To sign up, go to www.change.org and find the Sign Up button on the left-hand side in the middle of the screen. Nonprofits do not click on the Sign Up button but rather the link directly underneath. The next page gives you a choice between signing up for a free nonprofit account or the premium service that costs $20/month. The premium service gives you added features such as a customized page but remember that you can raise money on Change.org with a free account. Once you choose your account type, follow these steps: Step 1: Click on United States. Since you will be signing up as a sub-organization of AP, you need to choose United States even though you are based in another country. Step 2: Type the name of your organization. Do not type The Advocacy Project. Choose the appropriate category that describes your organizations work. Enter your website if you have one. Step 3: Email AP for our Tax Identification Number (EIN). Enter the number we give you in the EIN field. Step 4: Choose Yes in response to the sub-organization question. Step 5: Type the address of The Advocacy Project and the contact information from someone at your organization. Step 6: Click Submit. Once you are signed up, you should add information to your profile. Once you have a profile, you should explore the features that Change.org offers, including: Supporters Every individual that signs up for Change.org can become a supporter of the nonprofits they like. The supporters of an organization show up on the organizations page, and the nonprofits the person supports shows up on their personal profile page. To gain supporters, you can click on the People tab at the top of the screen and search for people that may be interested in the issue you work for. Another good way to find supporters is to search for Changes and Actions (described below) that relate to your work. Send those who are a member of the Change or have taken a particular Action a message. To do this, click on the persons name and click Send Supporter Request. Changes If someone asked you What do you want to change in the world? what would your answer be? If it is Empower women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then you should try to become a recommended nonprofit of that Change. Being recommended for a Change means that you will show up on the Changes page and all members of the Change will be able to easily find your page and donate to your organization. Therefore, encourage your supporters to make a Change and list you as a recommended nonprofit. Making a Change creates a page for the Change, which hosts the Changes mission, description, members of the Change, nonprofits that are working for the Change, news, a discussion forum, videos, photos and a comment board. Also, the Change page is where people go to donate to the Change. Your supporter will select which nonprofits can receive money from the Change when creating it. When a donor clicks on donate, they will be able to choose which nonprofit they want to donate to.

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Additionally, the Change page hosts all Actions related to the Change. For every Change that is created, multiple Actions can be added to support that Change, for instance, Hold a movie night for Congolese women, Email representatives about the state of Congolese women, etc. See below for more on Actions. Note that nonprofits cannot make Changes themselves, rather Change.org users make a Change and then recommend nonprofits that are working for that Change. For instance, one of your supporters can make a Change and then recommend your nonprofit as a good instance of an organization working for the Change. Actions In addition to making Changes to raise awareness about an issue and garner donations for their favorite nonprofit, Change.org users can create Actions to encourage people to DO something about an issue. Actions can be created through the Change page to support a Change, or Actions can be made separate of any Change. After an Action is created, people can add that Action to any Change. Both individuals and nonprofits can make Changes. There are three types of Actions you can create: Email campaigns Change.org allows you to create an email campaign to support a Change. You create a template letter to send to officials and you encourage other Change.org users to personalize it, fill out their information and send it. If you are targeting US officials, the tool takes into account where the user lives and sends the letter to his or her own representative. You can also target non-US politicians by typing in their names and email addresses. Also, when you make an email campaign, you can add a button to the Action that allows users to easily call their representatives. Events and volunteering Another type of Action that you can post is an event or volunteer opportunity. Examples of these kinds of Actions are Support Womens Day or Attend a Save Darfur Rally. Personal commitments The third kind of Action is a personal commitment Action. These types of Actions are very easy for environmental groups to create, such as Use Reusable Bags or Unplug Appliances When not in Use. It may be more difficult to come up with personal commitments if you are a human rights group, so think creatively! Fundraising Projects To raise money on Change.org, your organization should create a fundraising project. The fundraising project will show up on your Change.org page and ask visitors to donate. Also, creating a fundraising project allows your supporters to create a fundraising page of their own to support your project. See below for more details on fundraising pages. Fundraising Pages Individuals on Change.org can go to their favorite nonprofits page and create a fundraising page on their own to support a fundraising project that the organization is undertaking. For instance, someone could go to Amnesty Internationals Change.org page and start a fundraising page called Support Human Rights to support Amnesty Internationals general fundraising project. The individual could then recruit people to donate to their fundraising page, but all money raised will go Amnesty International. This is powerful, so encourage your supporters to create fundraising pages to support one of your fundraising projects. For an example of a fundraising project with many fundraising pages, see APs Help Sponsor an AP Peace Fellow fundraising project.

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Fundraising Widgets Every fundraising project or page that is created comes with a widget (also known as a badge) that allows you to post a nice graphic on other websites and social networks. The widget gives information about the fundraising project or page and asks people to donate. For instance, if one of your supporters makes a fundraising page to support your organization, they can get a fundraising widget to post on their own website, their blog, their Facebook or MySpace page, or more. You can create a widget for your own fundraising project as well. News As a nonprofit, you can post news on the Change.org News page for other Change.org users to read. If you have a press release that you want to promote, you should click the news tab and paste the URL of the news story. Give the story a description and tags (descriptive keywords). It is necessary that your news exists on an external website since posting your news on Change.org entails linking to an external website and writing a short description of the news. Note that while Changes allow the Changes members to post news about the Change, you cannot post news on a particular Change because to do so you have to be a member of the Change, which nonprofits cannot be. Blog There is a blog feature on nonprofit pages that allows you to write notes for all visitors to your page to read. This is a good way to disseminate news, ask for Actions, and communicate with your supporters since there is a comment feature where others can respond to your blog entry. Comment Wall Every individual and nonprofit page comes with a comment wall where visitors can leave a comment. This is a great way to thank supporters for adding you, to recruit potential supporters, and generally raise awareness. Changes have something similar, but instead ask members Why do you Support This Change? Compliments Change.org users can send compliments to one another. This helps strengthen relationships since you can tell your supporters that they make the world a better place, that they had a great idea, or leave a personalized compliment.

Change.org Tips Encourage supporters to make a Change related to your organization, but do not encourage the creation of a Change that already exists. Search Changes before asking supporters to create a Change. If the Change you want a supporter to create already exists, instead try to become a recommended nonprofit on that Change by sending supporter requests to members of the Change. When sending the request, tell them about the work you are doing to support the Change. When creating fundraising projects, have a specific campaign. While it is okay to have a general fundraising project to support your work, you should also create fundraising projects with very clear goals. An example would be to Give $50 to Send a Girl to School for a Month. Encourage your supporters to do the same when they are creating fundraising pages for your projects. 112

View the Change.org Best Practices for more tips including how to promote your Changes, Actions and fundraising projects.

YouTube
YouTube is the most popular video sharing site, and one of the most popular websites in general. There, you can upload videos that you have created and share them with the entire world. To view videos on YouTube, you do not need an account, but to upload videos and interact with the YouTube community, you need to sign up. To sign up go to www.youtube.com and click Sign Up at the top of the page. Choose your username wisely as it will appear as your channels URL like www.youtube.com/user/username. Your channel is the page that hosts your profile as well as lists all your videos, your friends and subscriptions. It is the page that you will direct people to go to in order to see a list of all your YouTube videos. Therefore, it is a good idea to have your username be the name of your organization. While your channel indexes all your videos, each video lives on an individual page, which hosts the one video, its comments, ratings and video responses. While using YouTube as a place to host your video is a good enough reason to create an account, there are several other features of YouTube that make it a social networking community: Comments and Video Comments Every YouTube member can write a comment on videos posted on YouTube. Also, users can post video responses to a video that you post. At the bottom of their video, there will be a note saying that the video is a response to yours. On the page where your video is, there will be a box underneath the video with all the video responses to that video. This can help your organization start a discussion around a particular issue with your video acting as the catalyst. The more comments you get, the more likely you will appear under the Most Discussed YouTube section. The more video responses you get, the more likely you will appear under the Most Responded YouTube section. Being featured in either of these sections will raise awareness about your work and your video. Rate Videos YouTube allows all users to rate the videos they watch, from one to five stars. One of the YouTube browse options is to view the highest rated videos. Therefore, the higher your video is rated, the more likely it will appear under the Top Rated section of YouTube. Friends You can add other YouTube users as friends in order to send them bulletins and easily share videos with them by clicking the Share Video link under a video you want to share. If someone adds you as a friend, you appear in their friend section of their channel so all people viewing their page will see that they are friends with you. Also, it acts like a bookmark so they can easily refer to your channel if they want to see your new videos. Subscriptions YouTube users can subscribe to your channel to receive email updates when you post a new video. These email updates are sent out once a week. In addition to emails, when the user visits YouTube, the home page will list new videos from channels the user is subscribed to. Try to build up your subscriber list so that your video gets disseminated widely when it is posted. 113

Favorites When YouTube users view a video they like, they can add it as one of their favorites. This essentially bookmarks it so they can refer to it later. Marking a video as a favorite also allows everyone who visits that users channel to view that users favorites. Therefore, you want people to mark your video as a favorite so that it is more visible. Also, the more people that add your video as a favorite, the more likely you will appear under the Top Favorites YouTube section. Bulletins You can send bulletins out to all of your YouTube friends with the click of a button. Go to your channel, scroll down and click Broadcast a Message. You will be able to send a message to all your friends YouTube inboxes. You can use this to announce a new video you posted (if your friends are not also subscribers), draw attention to a discussion forming around a video, tell people about a group you made, or more. Groups Users can join groups on YouTube to post videos related to a topic and have discussions about them. If you have a lot of staff in your organization shooting video, you can create a YouTube group for your organization where all the videos can come together and be discussed. Also, you can search for or create a group about an issue you support in order to bring together your and others videos about the topic. Additionally, you can use a group to host a video contest for your organization. For instance you can ask YouTube users to compete to create a video about a certain issue. Note that while there is a specific Contest section on YouTube, that is only for paid advertisers. People or groups that are not paid advertisers are allowed to create a contest for free using YouTube groups. This makes you a more active in the YouTube community and will drive more traffic to your videos.

Flickr
Flickr is a photo-sharing site with a social networking component. Thus it is a purpose driven social networking site, forming around the goal of posting and sharing photography. If you have a great deal of photos that you want to share, this is a great site for your organization to be part of. Flickr is a site with users from all over the world and is available in eight languages. Flickr works by having its members upload their photos to the site, tagging them with keywords and allowing other users to search those keywords to find photos. The social networking aspect comes in by the multitude of Flickr features, allowing people to comment on photos, add notes to photos, join groups, choose favorite photos and more. To join Flickr, you will need to make an account for your organization. Note that it has to be clear that the account you make is an individual account, not an account that is shared by everyone in the organization. It is acceptable to create an account, name it your organization and upload your logo as the icon picture. Flickr just wants to make sure it is an individual account to prevent accidents occurring from an account with multiple users. If you have many people wanting to add photos to your organizations account, create a group for your organization, have the others create their own account and then have them add their photos to the group. For more on the topic of creating a Flickr account and group for your organization, read How Nonprofits Can Get the Most out of Flickr.

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For more on Flickr as a place to upload and store photos, see the Photo tutorial in this manual. Below is a description of the social networking features of Flickr. Contacts Like friends on other social networking sites, Flickr has a feature that allows you to add contacts so that you can stay up-to-date with other Flickr users. When you add someone as a contact, you can see on your Flickr homepage when they post new photos. In reverse, if someone adds you as a contact, then they are updated whenever you post new photos. All users can see who has added them as a contact. Also, a user can view the contacts of his or her contacts, which allows people to create a network and become contacts with their friends contacts. Therefore, you should try to encourage people to add you as a contact so that your photos reach a large number of people. A good way to do this is to join groups and to search for photos similar to your own, comment or leave notes on them and hope that those users add you as a contact. There is more on comments and notes below. Favorites You can browse other peoples photos on Flickr and add them as your favorites. Then all people who view your profile on Flickr can view your favorites. Therefore, you should try to get a lot of people to favorite your photos so that their contacts see your pictures and potentially add you as a contact if they like what they see. Comments Other Flickr users can view your photos and leave comments about them. You can do the same. To build a relationship with your Contacts, consider commenting on the photos that you like. Also, consider commenting on photos that do not belong to your contacts to encourage people to add you as a contact. Notes Flickr allows users to post notes on other users photos. A note is different from a comment because a note shows up directly on the photo. For instance, if you think a part of the photo is particularly interesting you post a note on that part of the photo. When other users scroll over the picture with a note on it, they will see a transparent square where the note was placed. When they scroll over the square, they will be able to read the note. Posting notes has a similar effect as posting comments (building a relationship and increasing your visibility so that others add you as a contact). FlickrMail You can send messages to other Flickr users using the FlickrMail feature. To send mail to a user, hover over a users icon, click on the arrow and click Send FlickrMail. Use this to network with other users and foster a relationship with them. Do not use this feature to spam users with Add me as a contact mail. Groups The most exciting feature of Flickr is its groups. Users can create and join groups to share their photos with other members of that group. For instance, if your organization takes a lot of photos of womens rights activists, then you might want to create or join a group about womens rights. In the group, you can post some of your photos and start a discussion with other group members. Creating and joining groups is a good way to increase the number of people who add you as a contact.

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Additional Resources
Social Networking
http://www.fundraising123.org/social-networking NTEN has an entire section of their website devoted to social networking tips for nonprofits. Explore the website for a variety of articles and tips.

Should Your Nonprofit Use Social Networking Sites?


http://www.idealware.org/articles/should_you_social_network.php A great resource that helps you figure out if social networking is right for your organization. If you have more basic and important tasks to do, or simply cant devote time to it, social networking may not be right for your group. If you find that it is, the article then addresses the advantages that social networking can bring to your organization.

What Can Social Networking do for Your Organization?


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page5504.cfm Intorductory article covering what is social networking, some useful social networking sites, challenges of social networking and how to get noticed.

Eight Secrets of Effective Online Networking


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page8075.cfm Eight great tips on how to get the most out of social networking.

7 Tips for Successful Social Networking Campaigns


http://www.christine.net/2007/04/7_tips_for_succ.html A few tips on how to best use social networking websites.

Using Social Networking to Stop Genocide


http://www.idealware.org/articles/social_networking_genocide.php A case study on how the Genocide Intervention Network has used social networking to promote its cause.

How to Use MySpace to Raise Awareness


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page6016.cfm This article consists of an interview with three organizations that provide insights into how they are using MySpace.

Nonprofit Dos for MySpace Success


http://www.gettingattention.org/my_weblog/2006/12/nonprofit_dos_f.html A few tips for using MySpace, including limiting the amount of fundraising you do on the site and letting your participants take control.

Sunny the Seal Melts Hearts on MySpace


http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2007/5/7/sunny-the-seal-melts-hearts-on-myspace.html A profile of how the Humane Society has used MySpace to promote its cause.

A Beginners Guide to Facebook


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page7430.cfm An article going over the main features of Facebook. It was written before the time of Facebook pages so disregard the part about making a profile for your organization.

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Using Facebook in Your Nonprofit


http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooprojectblog/2007/04/some_resources_.html A blog entry about the basics of Facebook, as well as how to use it like an expert.

How to Promote your Non-profits Cause on Facebook in Five Easy Steps


http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/archive/2007/06/05/six-simple-ways-to-promote-yourcause-on-facebook.aspx A guide about the Facebook Causes application, covering how to create a cause and how to promote it.

How Nonprofits Can Get the Most out of Flickr


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page8291.cfm A great article about Flickr and what it can do for your organization. Includes information and tips on how to use Flickr in compliance with its community rules and how to take advantage of its many features.

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Video
Video is an unbelievably powerful tool that can improve your advocacy dramatically. It allows people to see and hear information rather than just read it. Watching something is also more fun and easier than reading a report about it. The possibilities for video are endless. You can create a short documentary about what your organization does, the struggles your beneficiaries face, a fundraising video appealing for money, interviews with staff members, how to videos, and more. Video allows you to be creative. From the Human Rights Video Project, Video as advocacy can:

Elicit a powerful emotional response from audiences Connect viewers to personal stories, bringing testimonial voices to new audiences Help illustrate stark visual contrasts Provide direct visual evidence of abuses Help build coalitions with other groups in the campaign Reach a wide range of people as it does not require literacy to convey information Help counter stereotypes Help a campaign to reach new, different and multiple audiences, particularly if it is widely distributed Help diversify the face of an issue Be used in segments of varying lengths for different purposes.

There are many genres of video meant for the Internet, two of which are vlogs and podcasts. Vlogs (or video blogs) are essentially video blog entries with one person talking to the camera in the same way he or she would write a blog. A podcast on the other hand is a form of a broadcast, for instance a radio show through the Internet (podcasts can be just audio or have a video component as well). These are in addition to informational videos that you will most likely want to produce. Video creation, editing and dissemination can seem like a task that is out of your reach, but it is very easy as long as you have the time and patience to dedicate to it. This document will walk you through how to create, edit and disseminate video on the Internet.

Equipment Needed
Camera You can use a camcorder, digital camera with a video function or a camera phone with a video function. They are of varying quality, but all will be capable of shooting video. A camcorder is the best option as it has the best video quality and can record for an extended period of time. A digital camera or camera phone with a video function is beneficial as it is small and discreet, but you may run into complications with image quality and if you want to edit the footage. Storage Media You will need tapes or discs to record the video using a camcorder. Some cameras use tapes in the form of mini cassettes. Other video cameras use memory cards to record, while others use mini DVDs. Depending on what your particular video camera uses, you will need a supply of the storage media.

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Fire Wire This is the wire that you use to connect your camera to your computer. It should come with the camera. Computer with editing software. Tripod (optional) A tripod is recommended so that you can avoid camera shake. External microphone (optional) Camcorders come with a built-in microphone that is usually sufficient for taping sound in a quiet place, but if you want to conduct an interview outdoors in a noisy area, you will need an external microphone. Most camcorders have a port that allows you to plug in the external microphone. This allows you to capture the sound that you want without it being drowned out by background noise. Note that not all digital cameras and camera phones come with a built-in microphone and may not have a port to use an external one.

Depending on your needs, you may also need lights to achieve an appropriate lighting level, a backdrop to set behind an interviewee or other things. For basic videos, however, all you will need is a camera, the wire to connect it to your computer and a computer to edit it.

Tips for Shooting Good Video


Make sure you have good lighting. Outside this usually isnt a problem. Inside make sure its bright and there are not shadows. When filming inside make sure to stay away from all unnecessary noises such as fans, computers, and open windows. When filming outside, if you have a microphone, make sure it is as close to the subject as possible to keep out unwanted noise (but try to keep the microphone out of the shot). If the camera will be actively moving make sure to move slowly and concentrate on holding the camera steady so that the viewer does not become distracted. When shooting video, leave room around the subject so that you do not cut off the top of their head, for instance. Begin recording slightly before needed and stop recording slightly after needed so there is room for editing. Avoid using the zoom as it often takes away from the video. The image is best when you stay zoomed out. Only zoom in to focus on a specific detail in the shot and even consider walking closer to what you want to focus on instead of zooming in. Enunciate, especially if you are moving. Dont mumble. Speak as if you are teaching someone something.

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Editing Video
To edit video footage, you will need editing software. Computers running Windows come with Windows Movie Maker. Windows Movie Maker allows you to make slide shows with pictures and add music and most importantly edit video clips. When you open Windows Movie Maker a bar comes up on the left side of your screen. The last option lists Movie Making Tips including how to capture video, how to edit clips, how to add titles, effects, transitions, and how to save and share movies. For a great tutorial on how to use Windows Movie Maker, visit the Make Internet TV website. New Macs come with iMovie preinstalled on the machine. A useful tutorial on this program can be found at the Apple website. Note that everything in your video must be your own work. If you want to use other peoples clips, photos or music, then you have to make sure that it is not copyrighted. If it is, then you have to ask permission to use it. A good way to find a lot of photos and music that are not copyrighted, search the Creative Commons website. When you are done editing, it is a good idea to compress your video file when saving it to your computer. Compressing it makes the file size smaller and therefore your video will upload quicker to a site like You Tube. It will also download faster for viewers of your video. When you are done editing your video and click to save it, there should be options asking you if you want to compress. Choose a mid-range size and continue saving. For more on compression, read the article How to Compress Your Movie on the Cambodian Bloggers Summit website. Many places suggest that you keep your video to one to two minutes in length. This is because viewers on sites like You Tube have a short attention span. This is just a recommendation and is not a set rule as some topics simply cannot be covered in two minutes. Also, if your audience will be those who are passionate about the topic rather than casual viewers, you might be able to capture attention for a longer period of time. Use your discretion but either way, make sure to stay on topic.

Disseminating Video
Online
You Tube is the most popular place to upload videos, but not the only place. We recommend uploading to various websites as different video sites have different audiences. However, you should definitely upload to You Tube as posting on You Tube makes it much easier to embed the video on other websites such as MySpace, Facebook, your blog and your website. This is important because you should strive to embed the video on every web presence you have to promote it. Here are links to and brief descriptions of major places you can upload video. You Tube www.youtube.com This is the most popular video-uploading site. There is no central theme but instead videos uploaded to You Tube cover various topics. File sizes are limited to 10 minutes and 100MB. 120

Witness http://hub.witness.org/ This is a website that is meant for videos documenting human rights abuses. Each upload can only be 100MB. DoGooderTV http://www.dogooder.tv/ DoGooderTV is a portal where nonprofits can post their videos. Every video is given a page where people can view the video and where the organization can place links to more information on the topic of the video and how to donate to support the cause that the video covers. When you upload your video to these kinds of sites you can give it Tags, which are descriptive words to describe the content of your video. This enables people to search for terms and find related videos. For instance, if your video is about discrimination against women in Afghanistan, possible tags could be women, discrimination and Afghanistan. Also, you can give your video a title. Be descriptive when giving your video a title so people can find it easily. Once a video is uploaded to one of these sites, it is easy to put it on MySpace, Facebook or your own website. On Facebook videos can be uploaded onto member profiles or group pages. There is also an application called Posted Items that allows Facebook users to place a You Tube video on their profile without linking to a new page (to post an item, sign into Facebook and find the Posted Items link on the left). To place the video on your website or on MySpace, go to your video, find the field that says Embed, copy and paste the code there and paste it on your page as HTML code. Also, once videos are uploaded to a website like You Tube, they are given a RSS feed which enables you to post your videos on iTunes. iTunes is a popular program that allows you to download audio and video to your computer or iPod. For more information on putting a video on iTunes visit the Make Internet TV website.

Offline
You may not be able to reach your target audience only by posting your video on the Internet. To get around this you could hold public screenings of the video with a question and discussion session afterwards. This is especially effective for local audiences and those affected by the issue you cover in the video.

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Additional Resources
Make Internet TV
http://makeinternettv.org/ This is an excellent resource that covers everything you need to know about basic video creation, editing and dissemination. It starts with the equipment you need, to how to shoot video (including lighting and sound tips), how to edit video using popular programs and how to publish and promote it.

Internet Video Publishing


http://www.masternewmedia.org/video_internet_television/internet-video-publishing-making/beginnersguide-to-web-video-20071226.htm This site has information on creating a video, editing, publishing, making money off your video, licensing it, and promoting it.

YouTube Video Toolbox


http://www.youtube.com/video_toolbox See this section of the YouTube website to view how-to videos about lighting, sound, and other shooting and editing tips.

How to Shoot Better Video for the Web


http://www.ehow.com/how_2185685_shoot-better-video-web.html An article with tips for shooting good video.

Introduction to Citizen Media


http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/library/Introduction-to-Citizen-Media-EN.pdf A publication that contains basic video creation tips.

Eight Tips for Telling your Story Digitally


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/training/page6738.cfm This website gives advice on how to tell your story through video clips, photographs and voice.

5 Vlogging Basics
http://www.bloggingtips.com/2007/09/07/5-vlogging-basics/ Tips for making a good video blog.

Make an Impact with Advocacy Videos


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page5280.cfm An article about how to make a video with an effective advocacy message.

Moving Pictures, Moving Mountains: A Primer on Using Video in Advocacy Campaigns


http://www.humanrightsproject.org/content.php?sec=essay&sub=moving How video can be used for advocacy with tips on how to identify your goal, your audience and how to use your production.

FAQs for Podcast Fans


http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcastsfaq.html Information about podcasts including how to create and access them using iTunes.

How to Make a Podcast in 5 Easy Steps


http://www.cyberneur.com/content/view/9277/1/ This site covers what you need to make a podcast and how to do it.

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Websites
If you want to broaden the reach and increase the visibility of your organization, you should consider creating a website. Most organizations want a website and even need one to be more successful. A website can help you: Provide information about your organization to the entire world. Post press releases and news (thus save money on printing and mailing). Engage supporters and raise money. Increase awareness about your organization and your work. Let people know how to get involved with your organization through volunteering or employment. And more!

Websites come in all shapes and sizes, all you have to do is find what is right for your organization. Not every organization needs an expensive website and a dedicated web team to support it. Some organizations can use a free website or even a blog to create their web presence. This document walks you through the process of creating and maintaining a website. It begins by helping you figure out what you want your website to do, what technical requirements you need and what kind of website would be appropriate for your needs. After that, there are web design tips, advice on writing text for the web, tips on updating and maintaining your website and advice on how to promote your site after it is up and running.

Planning Your Website


The first thing you have to do is brainstorm what you want to accomplish with your web presence. Below are some suggested brainstorming ideas from Guide to Managing ICT in the Voluntary and Community Sector by the ICT Hub. Know your objective. How do you want to use a website to achieve your organizations goals? Do you want the site to be a static, brochure site or will it be a website that is constantly updated with new information? Know your audience. Who do you want to visit your site? Keep this in mind when designing the site as well as producing content. For instance, if your target audience is people in your own country where connection speeds are slow, you dont want to include a lot of graphics on your website that take a long time to load. Also, think about what this audience will want to find on your website. Know how you want to organize the site. Make a list of the main headings you want to include on the website and what kind of information will go under each. If you plan to have subsections under the main headings, outline them as well. Here are some sample section headings to help you begin to brainstorm: About Us Services/Projects News 123

Multimedia Resources Donate Get Involved Take Action Contact Us

Now that you have brainstormed what you want your website to accomplish, who it will target and how it will be organized, it is time to address the technical specifications you require. Once you know what you need, you will able to make an informed choice about what to use to create your website and then be able to start creating it! The following technical issues MUST be addressed: Ease of use You should consider the ease of creating and editing your website when deciding how to build it. If the person responsible for editing and maintaining the website does not know HTML, then you will need a website that can be edited without such knowledge. Some web hosts have a feature called WYSIWYG editing (What You See Is What You Get), which allows people to edit a webpage as easily as they would edit a Word document. Wordpress has this feature, as do most wikis and free websites. If you require an advanced website, ask your web host to install something called a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS is software that is installed on your website so that it is very easy to create and edit content on your pages through a WYSIWYG editor. If the person responsible for editing your website is familiar with HTML and updating a website using FTP (file transfer protocol) it is not necessary to have a WYSIWYG editor or CMS. However, for websites that will be updated frequently, it is recommended to use these tools to make updating a quicker and more efficient process. Budget How much money you can dedicate to your website will determine what you use to build it. If you have no money to build your website, you will have to use a blog, wiki or free website program. On the other hand, if you have some money to dedicate to the website, you could choose some more advanced options that allow you to create fancier websites with many more features and individual customization. Disk Space You need to consider how large your website will be so you know how much disk space you will require from your host. If you plan on having a very small website with just a few pages you will only need about 5MB of disk space. If you want a medium size website with about 100 pages, you will need about 20MB of disk space. If you think that one day your website will grow to be over a thousand pages (like the AP website), you will need more than 50MB. Also, the more graphics you have on your website, the more disk space you will need (the AP website uses about 1GB of disk space because the site has a lot of graphics). As a rule, get much more space than you think you will need so that you have room to expand your website in the future. Bandwidth How many visitors to your website do you expect? If you expect a lot then you have to make sure that your website has a lot of bandwidth. Bandwidth can be explained as the amount of traffic that is allowed to occur on your website. Every time someone visits your website, they take up some 124

bandwidth. A good analogy that FindMyHosting.com uses is to think of the amount of bandwidth you have as lanes on a highway. The more lanes, the more people can drive on the highway. If too many cars come, the highway slows down and may come to a standstill. The same thing happens to a website. If your website has a lot of bandwidth (lanes), many people can visit it without shutting the website down. If you dont have enough bandwidth and a lot of people come to your website, your website can become slow to load or even shut down. You will most likely need more than 1 GB of bandwidth unless you expect very little traffic. For instance, in March, the AP website received around 40,000 page views and used approximately 16GB of bandwidth. Note that if you do not get enough bandwidth and then exceed your limit, your website may go down or your host may charge you extra fees. Therefore, it is always better to get much more bandwidth than you think you will need. (For more information on figuring out how much bandwidth you need, read the Bandwidth article on the Find My Hosting website). Look and Feel Do you need a website that looks a certain way? Do you require a very professional, sleek look? Or can your website use generic templates or even have advertisements on it? Depending upon the answers to these questions, you may need to use a particular kind of website. For instance, most free blogs, wikis and free websites do not allow for advanced customization but instead allow only for the use of pre-made templates. Also, some of these free options require you to have ads on your site. If this is not want your organization wants, you will need to consider an advanced website.

Ways to Create a Website


There are several ways you can create your web presence online, through a blog, a wiki, a free website or an advanced website. They were introduced in the above discussion of technical specifications but this section will describe them in more detail and provide links to specific providers.

Blog
Believe it or not, a blog can be used as your website until you can find the time and money for a more sophisticated web presence. Wordpress makes this especially easy due to its feature that allows you to add multiple pages. For instance, you can create a page for your homepage and add About Us, Services, and Contact pages. Then the page that has the blog posts can be used for the news or updates section. You can also buy a domain name such as www.yourorganization.org for under $10 and use it with your blog. It is quick, free and easy to get this started. Anyone familiar with Microsoft Word is capable of creating a basic blog on Wordpress.
Wordpress www.wordpress.com Free Wordpress blogs come with about 3GB of storage space for file and image uploads, and unlimited bandwidth. See the blogging section of this manual and the Wordpress website for more information on this blog provider.

Wiki
A wiki is a type of web page that allows multiple users to edit it easily. For instance, Wikipedia is a type of wiki. Wikis are meant for collaboration, but you could use a wiki to make your website and

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only allow people with passwords to edit it. Some wikis are very easy to edit, while others are as complicated as advanced websites. Therefore, you may be able to use someone in your current staff to create the wiki. More complex wikis will likely require outside help. Additionally, some wikis are free and some are very expensive. Below are just three options, all of which are free and easy to use. For more details about each kind of wiki software available and to compare different ones, see the WikiMatrix website.
PBwiki www.pbwiki.com PBwiki is a free wiki host. It restricts disk space to 10MB but has unlimited bandwidth. This means that you will not be able to have a lot of pictures on your site, unless you upgrade. It does not run ads on your page, except a PBwiki logo at the very bottom. Wikispaces www.wikispaces.com Wikispaces is a free wiki host. The amount of disk space available is limited to 2GB and there is no bandwidth limit. This amount of disk space will allow for a lot of graphics. It comes with a variety of features allowing you to easily embed videos, chat rooms, Google maps, and more. Ads will be featured on your wiki but they can be removed for $5/month. Wetpaint http://www.wetpaint.com/ Wetpaint is free wiki host. It allows for unlimited disk storage and bandwidth, is extremely simple to use and comes with Google Analytics tools to monitor your statistics. If you have your own domain name, you can use it with your Wetpaint blog. Downsides of a Wetpaint wiki is that it contains advertisements and is not as professional looking as other wikis.

Free website
There are many website hosts that allow you to create a website for free. These websites often restrict the customization level of your site and may also place ads on your website. Also, they often have limitations on how much storage and bandwidth you can have. However, they are free and are often very easy to use. If you have someone on staff that is comfortable with the basics of computers and the Internet, they will likely be able to create a nice looking free website.
Dot Easy www.doteasy.com The free Dot Easy hosting plan includes 100MB of storage, 1GB bandwidth a month, 10 email accounts, 24/7 email support and has no ads. Also, you are able to use your own domain name. If you need more, Dot Easy has plans with more features that you have to pay for. Free Servers www.freeservers.com Free Servers free option includes 50MB of disk space, 1GB of bandwidth per month, and limits the size of each file you upload to .25MB. It gives you three email accounts and allows you to use your own domain. Since the web hosting is free, your website will have ads. Microsoft Live http://smallbusiness.officelive.com/ With Microsoft Live you can get a free website, your own domain and email addresses all free for the first year and then $14.95/year after that. It gives you 500MB of storage and 10GB of bandwidth a month. There

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are no ads on the site except a small graphic at the bottom of the website with the Microsoft Live logo. Note that a credit card is required to sign up for the free first year. Freewebs http://members.freewebs.com/ Freewebs free option gives you 40MB of disk space and 500MB of bandwidth per month. If you exceed 500MB of bandwidth per month, you can opt to put advertisements on your website to pay for it. Also, it allows you to use your own domain name. SiteKreator www.sitekreator.com SiteKreators free website package gives you 10MB of disk space. It is unclear how much bandwidth you receive but it seems as though there is no limit. It comes with a built-in feature to track your websites statistics; there are no ads besides a link to the SiteKreator website at the bottom of your page, and it allows you to use your own domain name if you like. Tripod www.tripod.lycos.com/ Tripods free hosting service provides you with 20MB of disk space and 1GB of monthly bandwidth. It is not possible to use your own domain name with Tripod and there will be ads on your site. Geocities http://geocities.yahoo.com The free Geocities plan has 15MB of disk space and 3GB of monthly bandwidth. Geocities does not provide you with email accounts and is not compatible with your own domain. Also, ads will appear on your website.

Advanced websites
The other alternative is to pay for an advanced website. Depending on how much money you have, you can create a website from scratch with complete customization, a lot of bandwidth and storage space. This requires strong computer skills, but does not require that someone be a website expert. You can design your website and make it easily editable by ensuring that your web host allows you to use a content management system (CMS). Otherwise, you will have to create each webpage in a program like Dreamweaver and then upload the HTML file to your website using FTP. If the last sentence does not make sense to you or the person who will be responsible for updating your website, make sure that your web host supports a CMS (such as Joomla or Drupal). A CMS makes designing your website as easy as downloading and installing a template and updating your website as easy as editing a Word document no HTML or FTP knowledge required. For completely original and customized sites, you will need to hire a web designer.
LunarPages www.lunarpages.com This is the web host AP uses. For $6.95/month you get a free domain name, 1,500GB of storage, 15,000GB of bandwidth a month, unlimited email accounts and a number of other great features such as the ability to add blogs and great 24/7 support. The $6.95/month plan comes with a CMS like Joomla that you can use to edit your website. Hostgator www.hostgator.com For $4.95/month, you get 300GB of disk space, 3,000GB of bandwidth a month, unlimited email accounts, and the ability to add a CMS to make your website easy to create and edit.

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BlueHost www.bluehost.com
For $6.95/month, BlueHost gives you 1,500GB of disk space, 6,000GB of bandwidth, a free domain name, 2,500 email accounts, and the ability to add a CMS.

Netfirms www.netfirms.com Netfirms cheapest package is $4.95/month and has 10GB of storage, 500GB of monthly bandwidth, 24/7 support, 10 email accounts and a number of other features. The $4.95/month plan does not include the Joomla CMS, so to ensure that your website is easy to create and edit, you will need the $9.95/month plan.

What type of website is right for your organization? Ease of use Blog Extremely easy (only basic computer and Internet skills needed) Very easy (can be done by someone comfortable with computers and the Internet) Very easy (can be done by someone comfortable with computers and the Internet) If your website has a CMS, creating and editing is relatively easy for someone very comfortable with computers and the Internet. If you dont use a CMS, someone with advanced knowledge in web design will be needed. Budget Free Disk space Wordpress has 3GB Bandwidth Wordpress is unlimited Look and Feel Wordpress rarely places ads, limited customization Often places ads, limited customization

Wiki

Often free

Generally enough for a medium size site Generally enough for a medium size site As much as you need and enough to ensure that you can expand without worry

Usually unlimited but varies Limited

Free Website

Free

Often places ads, limited customization

Advanced Website

Varies, there are excellent cheap, but powerful options available

Enough bandwidth for most heavily visited sites

Does not have ads and are fully customizable

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Design Tips
The best way to understand good web design is to surf the web and see for yourself the mistakes other people have made, as well as the things they have done that are effective. But, here are some suggestions to get you started: Make your website easy to navigate. When thinking about how your site will look and be used, make sure that the menu bar is easy to find and is clear. Use headings that aptly describe the information they contain. Also, dont try to be overly creative or innovative in a way that makes people confused when they come to your site. Stick to what has worked for other websites and try to make your site look (in general) like the majority of other sites out on the web. For instance, have the menu along the top of the page or on one of the sides. Dont try to be creative and put it on the bottom of the page or make your headings unclear; this will only confuse and aggravate your visitors. Make sure it is well-organized. Make sure each page you create goes in a particular section for a reason. Ask yourself, if I was a visitor to this site and wanted to find the information contained on this page, where would I look for it? Use a simple font. Do not write the text of your pages in a font that is hard to read. Use a simple font so that people can read the information on the page without having to struggle. Also, do not make your text too tiny or too large. Doing so will make your website ineffective and look unprofessional. Moreover, your font should be consistent throughout your website. To ensure that all font is consistent, copy and paste all material into Notepad, Text Edit or another plain text editor to remove all formatting from the text before pasting it on your website. Avoid animations. Do not use unnecessary animations on your website. This especially applies to flashing text, scrolling titles, etc. These animations are distracting and make your site look very unprofessional. Also, they take a long time to load. Choose an appropriate background. Do not choose a background color that is distracting and that clashes with the text on the page. Use white or a color that complements the rest of your website. Use graphics, but dont overuse them. While it is good to add pictures and other graphics to break up text and add flavor to your website, it is not a good idea to overload your website with them. Use graphics only when there is a purpose for them. Have a search option. Having a feature that allows people to search your website for a particular term can help them navigate your site better. If they come to your site and dont immediately see where to find the information they are looking for, they may search for it. If there is no search option, they may not make the effort to click on each of your pages to find it. You just lost a visitor.

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All content should be within three clicks from the homepage. You lose visitors on each click that is required, so keep the number of clicks required to find material at a minimum. Three clicks is the suggestion, but definitely keep it to less than five. Approve and finalize design at the beginning of the process. If you have a web designer building your website, tell them exactly what you want and approve the design early on. Be sure that you like the design because often custom designs cannot be changed or tweaked once the site is published. Test your site before it goes live or before you promote it. It is a good idea to have people outside your organization look at your website before you invite the whole world to look at it. This way, if people dont understand how to navigate the website or dont like certain parts of it, you can make changes before it goes live or is widely promoted.

Writing for the Web


Online, people scan, they dont read. Because of this, you have to write in a particular way for the web. See below for some tips on writing text for the Internet. For more information, visit EWRITE, an organization devoted to providing advice on writing for the web. Write clearly and concisely. Do not use long sentences or long paragraphs. Write in clear and concise sentences so that people can scan a paragraph easily. Also, write in short paragraphs so that people can scan a page easily. Use bullets and lists. To help make your page easier to scan use bullet points and lists when appropriate. However, do not over use lists since a long bulleted list is just as hard to read as a list in paragraph form. Use bold type. To help people scan your page, bold section titles and bold important points. Dont create a wall of words. Do not create text that results in paragraphs that take up an entire screen. Break the text up with graphics, add section headings, add bullets and try to write more concisely. Create a style guide. A style guide should be created if there is a lot of content on your website. The purpose of a style guide is to ensure consistency. For instance, in a style guide, you decide whether you write out numbers (like nine children) or not (like 9 children), how you spell words that have multiple spellings, etc. Making sure that your text is consistent will make your website look more professional.

Tips for Updating and Maintaining Websites


You may have a site that you need to update very often or you may have a static site that isnt meant to be updated regularly. Regardless, you need to maintain your website. Here are some tips for doing so effectively.

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Clarify how long you will have website support. If you hired someone to build your website, make sure it is clear how long they will be available to help you troubleshoot problems and provide general assistance with the site. You dont want to be in a situation where you face a website problem and have no one to call for help. Make this clear in writing. If you did not hire someone to build the site, simply make sure you write down the contact information for your web host (like Wordpress customer service, or Lunar Pages support) in your Tech Binder in case you run in to technical problems. It would also be helpful to have a website design specialist in your eco-network to turn to for design related help. Designate one person to be in charge of maintaining the website. You will need a person in-house who is able to update the website, regardless of whether this is a daily or monthly task. Depending upon the ease of editing your site, this person could very well be the accidental techie or you may have to hire someone knowledgeable in web design and HTML. Either way, there should be one person in charge of editing the website in order to ensure that the content posted is well organized and consistent. For these reasons, you should make all content pass through this person before it is posted online. It is ok to have a web maintenance team, but do not allow everyone in the organization to post content to your website without passing it through the person in charge of the websites look and style. Create a website tutorial. Once the website is up and a person has been designated to oversee it, create a tutorial on how to maintain the website. This will make it easier to train other people to make updates to the site and will also prevent confusion if the person in charge of the website leaves the organization. If you plan to update your site regularly, make sure you do so. Dont update your homepage five times and then never update again. This will disappoint visitors and make you look unprofessional. If you are unsure whether you will be able to update your website often, start off updating once a month and then move to more frequent updates once you are capable.

Website Promotion Tips


Now that your website is live and is being maintained, you should think about promoting it. Just because your website exists does not mean that people will find it, so here are several ways to get more people visiting your site. 1. Get your own domain name. If you use a blog, a wiki or free website to host your website, you are most likely going to be given a long domain name like www.yourorganization.wordpress.com. It is a good idea to purchase your own domain name to use instead like www.yourorganization.org. This way it is easier for someone to remember or guess your web address. Also, it simply looks more professional. If you chose an advanced website, you will be required to purchase a domain of your own either through the web host or through another domain registrar. It is very easy to purchase a domain name. You have to visit a domain registrar, check to see if your domain has been taken, and if not, you purchase it. Make sure to include all contact information for your domain registrar in your Tech Binder because you will have to renew your domain name yearly.

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Here are some popular domain registrars if you are not required to buy the domain through your web host: www.gkg.net www.godaddy.com www.networksolutions.com www.namecheap.com 2. Publicize your website address. Make sure your web address appears everywhere. This includes on print documents like reports and brochures, in your email signature, and on your blog, social networking site or other online presence. Promote your website at every opportunity! 3. Ensure that your website appears on search engines. When people search for terms related to your website on search engines like Google or Yahoo, you want your site to be the first result. There are some simple tips to help this happen, which are discussed below. More advanced things can be done to improve your placement in search engines, but they will not be discussed here. Ask a tech consultant for help if you want more advanced, technical suggestions. First, make sure your website is indexed by search engines. To do this, search the search engine for site:www.yoursite.com If nothing comes up in the results, it means that your website has not been indexed by the search engine. If your site is not already indexed, you need it to be before you can worry about your placement in search results. To do this, submit your site to the search engine (often by going to the search engine and following a link at the bottom of the page) and follow the next tip. Ask other websites to link to your website. The more websites that link to your website, the higher your ranking in search engines. So contact like-minded groups and ask them to link to your content and offer to do the same for them. Some websites do this through a Links page, but you can also mix in links throughout your website where relevant. Think of words or phrases that people use to search for your organization and use them on your website. If you are a human rights organization working for womens rights in Uganda, you should make sure to have the terms human rights and womens rights on your homepage and other key pages, perhaps even repeated two or three times. You may also want to include terms such as non-governmental organization, Uganda, advocacy group, support group, or any other term you think people may search for you as. Put these words or phrases in prominent places such as in titles and headers and near the top of the page to help search engines find them. Dont put key information in a graphic. Search engines search the web for text so they wont be able to read text that has been put into an image. Therefore, dont hide your mission or other important information in a graphic. Do not use Click Here to link to other pages on your website. If you want to link to a press release from your homepage, dont link to it by hyperlinking Click here. Link to it by hyperlinking the title of the press release or what it is about. Therefore,

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when a search engine comes across that link and sees that it links to the particular press release, it will learn more about what that press release is about and improve the press releases placement in the search engine. There is a useful tool that can help you promote yourself on search engines. The tool allows you to type in your web address and see how many websites link to your site in order to analyze the popularity of your website. It also allows you to see if your website places within the first three pages of search results when a particular keyword is searched for. This can help you with the task of placing keywords on your website in order to improve your placement. The tool can be found at Market Leaps website. Consider using it as part of your search engine optimization strategy. 4. Monitor your sites statistics To see whether your web promotion strategy is working, you should monitor your websites statistics. There is a lot of powerful software available that allows you to view detailed reports about how many visitors come to your website, what pages they are viewing the most, what search engines are referring people to your site, where your visitors live, and more. Keeping an eye on this data can help you improve the design and content of your website as well as your promotion strategy. Some common statistics that are collected are: Visitors This statistics monitors how many visits your site received. For instance, if someone visits your website and views 10 pages, you have one visitor, not 10. If this number is low, you know you need to promote your website better. Be careful with this statistic because it can count the same person multiple times over a given time frame. For instance if you are looking to see how many visitors you received in May, it may say that you got 1,000 visitors but half of those visits could be from the same person. If you want to know how many individuals visited your site in a given time frame, you will need to look to see how many unique visitors you have, not simply the number of visitors. Page views per visit This statistic counts how many pages were viewed in an individual visit. For instance, if everyone who visits your website views 10 pages, your average page views per visit is 10. The more page views per visit, the better as it shows that your website encourages people to explore multiple pages. If this number is low, then you may need to improve your navigation and make people want to explore different parts of your website. Time spent per visit This statistic shows you how long each visitor spends on your website. If each visitor spends only a short amount of time, it shows that your website is not effective in retaining visitors. You may need to write better content or improve navigation. Bounce rate This statistic is a rate that measures how many visitors come to your website and then leave it within a short time without visiting other pages. If this rate is high (over 50%), then you know that people are coming to your site but once they are there, they leave it rather quickly. As a result, you may need to provide better content or improve navigation.

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Exit pages This statistic shows you what pages visitors tend to leave your site from. If visitors tend to leave your website from obscure pages, then you should probably not worry. However, if visitors are leaving your website from high profile pages like your homepage, you need to figure out why they leave your website from that page and alter the content or navigation appropriately. Keywords This statistic shows you what keywords people type in search engines to find your website. If you find that people are searching for appropriate keywords and are successfully finding your website, then the keyword placement part of your search engine optimization strategy is working well. However, if you find that strange keywords are directing to your website, you may need to rework your content so that it better reflects the keywords you want people to find you under. Search engine referrals This statistic shows how many visitors come to your site from major search engines like Google or Yahoo. This is a key statistic to monitor in your search engine optimization strategy. If you see that no traffic is coming from Google, that means that your website has not been found by Google or it is buried in the thousands of search results. Visitor Location This statistic lets you see where your visitors are located. This can be useful if you are trying to target populations in a particular country or city. Also, it can help you decide whether it would be a good idea to have your website in multiple languages so that your visitors from other countries can better understand your content.

There are a lot of free website statistic tools available, two of which are below. Google Analytics http://www.google.com/analytics/indexu.html Google Analytics is the website statistic tool that AP uses. It is a powerful piece of software that monitors all the statistics listed above as well as tracks specific goals you set and if they are accomplished. For instance, if you want visitors to view a particular page, you can use Google Analytics to see how many people do so and if they do not, where they go instead. To set up Google Analytics on your website, you need a Google account and will need to be able to copy and paste code on every page of your website. Stat Counter www.statcounter.com Another popular and free website analytic tool is Stat Counter. It monitors all the common statistics listed above as well as detailed information on each visitor including what browser they use, their screen resolution and more. Like Google Analytics, you will have to be able to copy and paste code on every page of your website.

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Additional Resources
Establishing Your Web Presence
http://www.kabissa.org/wiki/ttgo/4/start This website walks you through planning your website, developing it, and maintaining and improving your website.

Guide to Managing ICT in the Voluntary and Community Sector


http://www.icthub.org.uk/publications/managing_ict_guide.pdf Pages 42-49 discuss websites, including how to work with a web designer, how to plan for a website, software to use to build a website and a ton of other information.

10 Usability Nightmares You Should be Aware of


http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/09/27/10-usability-nightmares-you-should-be-aware-of/ This website gives you 10 things that you should not do when designing a website, including not relying on popup windows, not making your links blend in with the rest of the text and not overloading the page with information.

Nonprofit Website Tips


http://www.fundraising123.org/web-site-101 This is Network for Goods website tip section that gives advice on how to use your website to fundraise, how to create an effective Contact Us page, how to design your website, and more.

Branding your Nonprofit Through your Website


http://www.alderconsulting.com/branding.html Interesting article on how to create a brand for your organization through your website design, your text and graphics.

Web Style Guide


http://www.webstyleguide.com/index.html An excellent resource with detailed information on website design, individual page design, font choices, editorial guidelines for the web, using graphics and using multimedia on the web.

Eight Ways a CMS Can Help with Search Engine Optimization


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page8520.cfm This article discusses how using a content management system can help your website get found by search engines.

Lunarpages Quicksite CMS Demo


http://quicksite-demo.lunarfun.com/login.php To see what a basic CMS is and how it works, see Lunarpages Quicksite demo. There, you can design a test website using a CMS by simply entering your email address and trying out each feature available.

HTML Tutorial
http://www.w3schools.com/html/ A website devoted to teaching people HTML, starting with the basics. You will most likely not need to know HTML to make your website, but in case you do or just want to learn, this resource will help.

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Introduction to Search Engine Optimization


http://seo.grassroots.org/guide Easy to follow guide for getting your site on the first page of search results.

10 Steps to Being Found on Search Engines


http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page8319.cfm Includes 10 tips on search engine optimization, including the easy ones you can do yourself and the more complicated ones you make need your webmaster to do for you.

Website Statistics Tracking your Site Investment


http://www.alaskainternettoday.com/experts/connor_website_statistics.php Excellent article that highlights the importance of tracking website statistics and what common stat language (such as hits, page views, entry pages, etc.) mean.

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Helps you find ways to solve problems you encounter when building and maintaining your ICT house

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At some point while building your ICT house, you will encounter problems or come across technology that is too advanced for anyone in your organization to figure out on their own. When these scenarios present themselves, you have two options to solve them. You can self-help to solve the problem. You can consult the tutorials in this manual, user guides, search the Internet, post questions online and simply use trial and error. You can consult your eco-network for support. If you cannot solve the problem on your own, you should contact people and groups in your eco-network for help.

Troubleshooting is often thought of in terms of specific and very technical computer problems. However, troubleshooting can also encompass more general questions about using particular ICT tools effectively and appropriately. For instance, when you are planning your website, you may be confused about what web host to choose. There are so many options that you may feel overwhelmed. You should start by checking the Website tutorial, looking online for web host comparisons and posting questions on email listservs to ask for others opinions. If this self-help approach doesnt answer your question, turn to your eco-network. Contact other NGOs that have websites to talk to them about their experience choosing a web host, talk to groups that specialize in creating websites, attend trainings about creating a website conducted by computer groups, etc. This is where the importance of your econetwork comes in, when you have problems and need their help. Below are more detailed tips for each method, including how to approach self-help and how to best use your eco-network to solve the problems you encounter when building your ICT house.

How to Self-Help
The first thing you should do when faced with a problem is to try to solve it on your own. Not only is this usually the quicker and less costly approach, it also helps build your troubleshooting knowledge. If you always call others to fix your technical problems, you will never know how to deal with problems on your own. Below are some suggested ways you can approach troubleshooting. Sometimes you may believe that you have nothing to consult for answers, but this is often not true. Simply knowing where to look and what to search for can help you troubleshoot some of your most frustrating problems.

Consult Manual
Your first step when encountering a problem is to consult this manual. It does not cover everything you will have problems with, but the Standard Operating Procedures and tutorials have information and tips that can help you if you encounter a problem with computers or ICT tools.

Consult User Guides


If the manual does not answer your question, you should then consult the user guides that came along with the equipment, software or ICT tool you have questions about. User guides not only tell you how to use the technology but often help you with common problems in the frequently asked questions or troubleshooting sections. With equipment such as computers, printers, routers, etc. the user guide often comes as a written booklet in the box with the equipment. Additionally, it may 138

come installed on your computer as a Help file. With software or ICT tools, the user guide is usually found by opening the software or tool and clicking on Help.

Search the Internet


If the user guide isnt helpful either (or if there is no user guide), you should then search the Internet for the answer to your problem. Go to a search engine like Google or Yahoo, type in your problem and search. Usually someone else has had the problem and has found a way to fix it. If your problem is that you are receiving an error message and you dont know what it means or how to fix it, copy and paste the message into a search engine. Often, this will get you an answer. If you have a more general question, for example, how to get more friends on Facebook, type in your question in a search engine to find other peoples suggestions. If nothing comes up, try altering your search terms to specify exactly what you need an answer for. You will most likely be able to find something related to your question quite easily as there are a lot of websites that are devoted to providing technology help and tips for nonprofits. You will probably find these by searching for your problem on a search engine, but it is also a good idea to look at technology-focused websites to generally get an idea of what resources they have. The following websites have great technology resources: Tech Soup Npower Compass Point I Train Online Nonprofit Technology Network Global E-riders Kabissa

Post a Question on a Discussion List


There are many discussion groups that exist to help nonprofit professionals find answers to their technology-related questions. With many, you can post a question in the morning and get a great answer by the evening. What is particularly great about these discussion groups is that when you subscribe you can see questions and answers to other peoples problems, thus enhancing your knowledge. If in the future you experience the same problem, you will know how to fix it or at least know that the question has already been answered. Most discussion groups have archives where you can access old messages (if you delete them from your inbox). Some good discussion lists you should consider signing up for are: The Nonprofit Technology Network hosts over a 100 discussion groups about particular ICT related topics. Go to NTENs website to browse a list of their groups.

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Progressive Exchanges discussion list covers all sorts of questions related to ICT tools. Information Systems Forum is a discussion group for nonprofit staff to ask questions about using technology in their work. There are three discussion lists meant for questions and discussion by eRiders, or roaming technology consultants. Join the lists to ask your questions to a pool of tech consultants: Riders Talk Riders Tech Global eRiders

Remember that a discussion list only works if people participate and answer questions. If someone else sends a question to the listserv and you know the answer, respond! This is not only nice, but publicizes your organizations name for free.

How to Use Your Eco-network


Some problems are easier to fix on your own than others. For instance, you may be able to figure out how to upload a video to YouTube through self-help, but perhaps not be able to figure out complex video editing techniques. When your problem is too complex for anyone in your organization to figure out, turn to your eco-network. You began the formation of your eco-network when you completed the Enviroscan. That assessment asked you to look for groups in your area that can help you with various technology issues, such as ICT focused NGOs, computer societies, consultants, universities, etc. Even though you may have put together a list of possible groups to form your eco-network after the Enviroscan, now is the time to actually start contacting them. For instance, if you have a technical problem with your office network and no one in your office can figure it out, you may want to contact a consultant or ICT-focused NGO in your area to help you with your problem. Likewise, if you find that you need staff training in using Microsoft Excel, but no one in the office is capable of putting together a training, you should look into classes at universities, trainings conducted by computer societies, or even hiring a consultant to train your staff for a few hours. While this is a straightforward process, below are some tips for getting the most out of your econetwork. Go to an eco-network partner with a specific need. Being as specific as possible with your problem or request will ensure that you get exactly what you want from them.

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Use your eco-network to build your own knowledge. When consulting outside help with a problem, work with the person or group so that you learn alongside them. Dont simply hand over your problem to someone and let them figure it out. Instead use your eco-network as essentially pools of knowledge that you can draw upon so you have more institutional knowledge after consulting them. Become an eco-network partner for other organizations. You will get the most out of your eco-network if you offer something to your partners. You may go to an organization for help one day and the next day, they may need your help. Building a reciprocal relationship will strengthen your ties with your partners.

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