17:29, 22 October 2009
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Applications are open through November 15, 2009 for the
2010 NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. Sponsored by Bank of America, the
NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing recognizes
young women at the high-school level in the USA for their computing-related achievements and interests. Awardees are selected for their demonstrated, outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology/computing; solid leadership ability; good academic history; and plans for post-secondary education.
All US high school young women (grades 9-12) are invited to apply.
A
Spanish language version of the Award promotional materials is available.
Through a generous grant from the Motorola Foundation, there will be additional Affiliate Award programs in Texas, Illinois & Florida. The application period is the same and students who apply from these states will be entered into both the local and national competitions. Affiliate award prize packages will vary by location.
"By generating visibility for these young women in their local communities, the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing encourages their continued interest in computing, attracts the attention and support of educational and corporate institutions, and emphasizes at a personal level the importance of women's participation."
Each qualified national awardee will receive:
- $500 in cash
- a laptop computer, provided by Bank of America
- a trip to attend the Bank of America Technology Showcase and Awards Ceremony, March 27, 2010, held in Charlotte, North Carolina
- an engraved award for both the student and the student's school
Past winners are not eligible to apply, however, previous applicants (including Semi Finalists) are encouraged to apply.
09:51, 23 September 2009
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If you are of a certain age, then you remember when you got an email address for the first time. What a giddy time! In thinking about it, I'm struck with how much the experience mirrors all the media and trainer/consultant excitement about
FaceBook or whatever the flavor of the day is regarding online social networking:
My first email address was on America Online, which was
the social networking site of its day; it had all its own subgroups, exclusive for AOL members, and often mirroring what was available out on the Internet for the "masses" -- why talk on a
Star Wars USENET newsgroup when AOL's
Star Wars group was sooooooooo much more exclusive?! Some things that happened on AOL even made the news!
And remember when you got your first email address and thought, gee, who else has email? For me, that was in in 1994: I made labels on my printer announcing my email address and attached each to a postcard, then mailed them out to all my friends. I think my first email was from
Todd Turner, a friend from university and now the chief writer and editor of
Dirt on Dirt. So began my reconnecting with many former classmates and associates. What are you doing now? Here's what I'm doing now! Maybe you transferred some photos back and forth. Or even a short MPEG movie! Maybe you even had your own web address to share! By the following year, I based my online value by how many emails I got every day and how many people were in my email address book. The sound of "You've got mail" almost made me squeal. By 1996, I based my value on how many hits my web site got.
But those conversations with long lost friends never lasted long, for the most part. There wasn't much to talk about past the "catching up" phase. I got tired of friends and former colleagues forwarding chain letters and
obviously fake offers from Disneyland and warnings about some product and email hugs and email prayers and what not. Email became my primary way of talking with friends and colleagues, but eventually, I didn't get excited about it anymore than I do when the phone rings. And web site views? We all realized those were as valuable as the number of people driving by a road sign.
So pardon me if I remain underwhelmed by all the excitement about
FaceBook or
MySpace (yes, there are still several million people using that) or whatever. Because it just seems like the same song by a cover band.
But it's not just the parallels between Facebook and the introduction for most of us to email and the Web back in the 1990s: I remember getting breathless myself back in the 1990s talking about how people shared essays on their web sites (now we call that
blogging) or debates and information-sharing on online discussion groups (now we call that
networking) or how you could post a question or need regarding info or tech to an online discussion group and a few, maybe even a dozen, people you never knew would write back with the answer or would do whatever it was you needed (now we call that
micro-volunteering). Has anything really changed? Is there anything really revolutionary going on? Sorry, but I just don't see it.
Not saying you shouldn't use at least some of these new tools coming out. Not saying that at all. You absolutely need to be thinking about how to strategically use "old" and "new" online tools -- the
web,
blogging,
online groups for networking,
online groups for client and volunteer interaction,
instant messaging, and even
networking platforms. But don't think there's anything new about it --
nonprofits have been leveraging online tools since the 1980s. The Internet was built to allow people and organizations to network with each other - to share ideas and comments, and to collaborate. All of its tools were built to be interactive and dynamic from day one. While their names change, the tools pretty much remain the same.
What I am saying is that, if all it takes to get the media excited is to take something that's been around for several years and give it a snazzy new name and new packaging, then I guess it's time to start working on Web. 3.0 names for everything.
(and I still think
First Class Client communities of the 1990s were better than FaceBook, but that's another essay)
10:08, 9 July 2009
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If you are reading this blog, then there is probably a tech tool you LOVE and feel you could never live without. You use that tech tool several times a day. It seems to you that all your colleagues and friends use it as well, and that means
everyone is using it.
Maybe it's texting on your cell phone. Maybe it's
FaceBook. Or
Twitter. Or
YahooGroups. Maybe its
RSS. Or your Blackberry. Or
Skype.
Whatever it is, if you work at a nonprofit organization or government agency -- and, therefore, your work is focused on a mission, rather than profit -- it's imperative that you remember this:
Just because YOU love that tech tool and, perhaps, most of your colleagues and friends love it and it's how all of you stay connected, it does NOT mean everyone is doing it, or will ever use that tech tool.
Believe it or not, not everyone reads email every day or has a cell phone. Believe it or not, there are people who still don't have FaceBook accounts, and never will. And don't assume I'm only talking about people from a particular age group!
It's like the ancient discussions from millions of years ago (actually just 15 or 20) about how some people love talking on the phone and some people prefer a face-to-face meeting. People are unique, and each has different ways they like to communicate -- both to send information and to receive it. This is how it has always been, and this is how it will always be.
You can never assume that your favorite way of staying in-touch and connecting with others -- with or without tech -- is also everyone else's.
If you think there is just one way to communicate with all current and potential volunteers, supporters, clients, colleagues, members, etc., then I challenge you to
step our of your comfort zone: talk to people, face-to-face, that you don't usually talk to. That could be your neighbors, distant family members, staff in departments at your large company that you don't work with, staff from organizations down the hall or next door to you, members of your community of faith, people at a sporting event you are attending, and so on. Talk to a diversity of people: different ages, different economic situations, different workplaces, different ethnicities, different whatever. Find out how they get their information for work, for what to do on the weekend, for breaking news, whatever.
What you discover will help you become a better communicator for your nonprofit, government agency, or other mission-based organization. And it will open your eyes to the myriad of ways people seek information and interact with each other.
Believing the hype of some of my colleagues, I thought no one read email newsletters any more. So I tried to get rid of my own email newsletter,
Tech4Impact. The
response was swift and adamant. And, because I listen to my customers, the newsletter continues, and subscriber numbers have held steady.
On a related note: what's my favorite tech tool? I still love email most, followed a close second by
online communities, particularly those at
YahooGroups.
My Google Calendar, which I've configured to send me text reminders via my cell phone at certain points before appointments, comes in third.
09:02, 2 July 2009
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Nonprofits probably have much more to fear from onsite staff or volunteers stealing computer information,
installing malware, or committing onsite sabotage than from online culprits, but the reality is that, indeed,
many nonprofits have found themselves on the receiving end of online attacks. Some of these online attacks are attempts to steal client information and other confidential information. But most (at least from my experience) are attempts to prevent anyone from accessing the organization's online information, or to take over the organization's web site and post inappropriate, inaccurate information.
An organization called
Perverted Justice reported on
its MySpace blog today about the arrest of a man who not only was harassing and threatening its volunteers online, but also set up a bot-net to conduct distributed denial of service attacks against the organization. From the blog: "Traffic ranged from 216 gigabytes a day and sometimes went up as far as over 1 terabyte in generated traffic over a 24-hour period, depending on the size of the bot-net infections. At any time there may be between 100-200 requests to surges of over 10,000 different requesters at a given time. We block usually on average 500-2,000 ip addresses making requests from the bot-net daily."
Also today,
NABUUR, a nonprofit organization that involves online volunteers,
posted to LinkedIn with a plea for help -- NABUUR is currently under attack of a spammer who spoofed his IP address and they need to know how to block this person.
All of the UN agencies I've worked with, as well as an Afghan government agency, were under constant attack from malicious computer users. I had frequent conversations with the IT staff at such about how often these attacks occurred. Large, well-known organizations seem to be of particular interest to such computer users.
If you are a nonprofit that is lucky enough to have an IT staff, sit down with this person or staff members and ask if your organization has ever been the target of a malicious computer user, and what systems are in place to prevent and to respond to denial-of-service attacks, attempts to install
malware on your agency's computers, and attempts to take over your organization's web site.
If your organization does not have an IT staff, consider recruiting a volunteer to help you with a prevention and a response plan.
Here are tips on finding a network computer consultant, which includes tips on interviewing/screening. You will want to get the volunteer's full credentials -- real name and references, maybe even a criminal background check -- to make sure this person is the right person for this very sensitive job.
It's sad that nonprofit organizations have to deal with this issue, in addition to a frightening economic climate and their day-to-day operations.
14:43, 8 June 2009
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Among the
many blogs I read is
Dana Blankenhorn's on znet.com regarding
Open Source software. I'm no expert on Open Source software. I'm just a
non-techie who finds myself drawn to its tools and
its philosophy, and I'm trying to take advantage of it and help nonprofits to do so. Blankenhorn's blog has helped me a great deal in this endeavor. But a lot of his blogs also apply to other activities I'm undertaking or am interested in. For instance, three of his recent blogs that are must reads for anyone who wants to understand marketing, social networking, and/or the advantages of Open Source are:
These are quick reads and very much worth your time. You don't have to be a techie or an Open Source advocate to get some great tips from these three blogs, particularly relating to transparency and outreach.
05:18, 4 May 2009
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The
World Computer Exchange (WCE) is currently recruiting for two volunteer service trips to Africa:
Tanzania and
Kenya. Both trips are scheduled to start on July 10 and return July 26.
Volunteers need one or more of these skills: using the Internet in education, network troubleshooting, computer repair training, website development and Linux LTSP thin-client lab installation. WCE also seeks help
researching and developing plans for appropriate computer disposal in these countries.
Volunteers need to speak English. In most cases, volunteers need to be at least 21 years old. The WCE sites for these trips have more information about application procedures.
Volunteers must pay for all travel, accommodation, administrative and volunteer-support costs themselves. Costs range from $2,615 to just over $3000, depending on which countries to which the volunteer is traveling. Accepted volunteers for the trip are welcomed to encourage donations from friends, family and colleagues to WCE to cover the costs of his or her trip.
For those who think it's wrong to have to pay to volunteer overseas: it is much more beneficial to local communities to use funds to
hire local people than to use those resources to bring in an outside volunteer. Volunteers from outside of a community are often needed to fill gaps in local skills and experience, as is the case with WCE's project sites, but it's not cost-effective for most organizations to pay for someone to come only for a few weeks or months. If you want a short-term volunteering assignment, be prepared to pay for at least your travel and accommodations, so that no funds are taken away from the local community.
More information about volunteering abroad with other organizations.
09:56, 1 May 2009
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Back in February, I decided to start compiling a
brief review of the early history (before 1996) of Nonprofits and the Internet. I started compiling the history because I was tired of all the talk about how
everything happening now regarding the Internet is
brand new, never-been-done-before; having been involved with nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years, and having gotten started on the Internet in 1994, I knew this wasn't true, and wanted to prove it.
What nonprofits are doing now with the Internet is, in fact, not much different from what at least some of them were doing in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the 1980s, there were already several nonprofit organizations and many dedicated volunteers who were helping to promote nonprofit use of the Internet. So many nonprofits were far ahead of their time regarding use of the Internet by nonprofits, and there were more than a few people donating their time and expertise in their spare time, outside of their full-time job responsibilities, trying to help more nonprofits get real value out of Internet technologies.
This page attempts to list the efforts of these early supporters in the 1980s, through 1995.
The page is much longer and more content-rich than I ever dreamed it would be when I got started, and I'm really happy at how much information I've been able to gather -- thanks everyone who has contributed.
But... it's been disconcerting at how many people I angered because:
- My cut-off date was December 31, 1995; anything after that, I didn't include. 1996 was, IMO, the year that nonprofit use of the Internet truly exploded, and I welcome someone else to profile that year. Good luck with that.
- That I wouldn't accept an entry unless the information was at least marginally-verifiable, referencing a web page or even an old URL that's no longer valid or an old USENET posting, etc. I got lots of "I think that maybe so-and-so was doing something-or-other, but I don't really remember" emails and that's not enough information to go on.
- That I required submitters to provide one-to-three sentences with some specifics about what trainings, materials and other resources the organization or project undertook to help nonprofit organizations use the Internet in 1995 or earlier (rather than buying and reading the last 100 pages of a book in order to write the one or two sentences myself, as one author demanded).
It's always fascinating to me how even the most benign subject or minimal requirements always ends up causing hurt feelings online...
Anyway,
enjoy the page, and additional material is welcomed, per the very minimal requirements mentioned above.
06:42, 1 April 2009
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Tech4Impact is my free email newsletter, started back in early 2001. Each month, I use
Tech4Impact to help nonprofits, non-governmental organizations/NGOs, civil society organizations, public sector agencies, schools and other mission-based organizations, and the people who support them, to use computer and Internet tools. The monthly newsletter also lists all of the topics that have been covered in my blog since the last publication (and, therefore, if you subscribe to my blog, no need to subscribe to the newsletter). I
tried to get rid of it once and replace it entirely with this blog; that did NOT go over well with subscribers!
Tech4Impact is less about techno-jargon and more about the human factors in using computer and networking technology successfully to benefit people, communities and the environment. You do not have to be a "techie" to read and benefit from the newsletter -- at least that's my hope. It's a newsletter for anyone working at or with a nonprofit, NGO, etc. -- marketing staff, program staff, executives, board members and other volunteers, etc.
If you subscribe to my blog, there's no need to subscribe to Tech4Impact, since all of the information published in it is also published here, along with much more information (on
volunteering/volunteerism,
communications for nonprofits,
aid and development topics of particular interest to me, etc.).
However, if you still don't know how
RSS works (in order to subscribe to the blog), if you just aren't really interested in using RSS, or if you prefer to receive information via email (
many people still do!), then I hope you will subscribe to
Tech4Impact. Because I use
YahooGroups to host the newsletter, you can read
Tech4Impact in either via email or the web, your choice. If you want to read the newsletter via email, just send a BLANK e-mail to:
tech4impact-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The email addresses of those who subscribe are used exclusively for the distribution of
Tech4Impact; these email addresses are not sold or traded to any other organization. Unsubscribe information is included in every newsletter.
01:01, 30 March 2009
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According to a new study based on the experiences of twenty-four nonprofit groups, reported on in
The New York Times,
people who go online to donate to charity for the first time often do not return to make additional gifts online. The study was conducted by
Target Analytics, a unit of software-provider
Blackbaud.
The study suggests that while
the Internet can be a valuable fundraising tool for charities, particularly in soliciting gifts after major disasters,
it is not a replacement for direct mail or other fundraising channels. Many fundraisers have found that donors who use the Internet to make their first gift to an organization often are responding to a specific disaster or event and have no interest in supporting the group's ongoing work. In addition, nonprofits tend to add online-acquired donors to their direct mail lists, which often encourages those donors to give in more conventional ways.
Reaching donors electronically also can be costly (very glad someone has finally said so!), as organizations need to hire people to create and improve their Web sites and manage e-mail marketing. Even then, solicitation materials can get caught in spam-trapping systems or be stripped of the graphics that can be so effective in direct mail.
Still, charities find the demographics of online donors enticing. According to the study, of the donors who made at least one online gift in 2008, roughly a third had incomes greater than $100,000, compared to about a quarter of those who gave in other ways.
"Online giving is higher than offline giving, and the demographics of online givers are more attractive -- better educated, higher income -- but how you get people to routinely give online is a nut no one has yet cracked," said Tobias Smith, director of online communications at CARE, which took part in the study. "What we're learning is that we need to be less worried about what channels these donors use and offer them a variety of channels through which they can give."
Blogger's note:
I make more than half of my annual financial donations online; I'm usually prompted by the postal mailing I receive telling me it's time for my donation. What makes me renew a gift?:
- feeling that I'm investing in great work, not responding to a desperate plea for funding
- having received electronic and postal messages that detail the organization's work and show the organization really is garnering results
- my opinions being solicited by an online survey or through an online forum at the organization's web site
01:51, 23 March 2009
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Yes, it's still true:
I'm not a techie. I am frequently confused by technology.
I am not, however, afraid to try out new software.
It takes a long while for me to be convinced to try something new --there's just too much out there to think about, let alone choose from, and too often, the description of the software is so riddled with jargon that I have no idea what the value of the tool really is, in human terms. When I decide to download and try something, it's usually because I've recently thought, "I really wish I had a tool that did such-and-such", or because I've found a recommendation for such-and-such in a blog or on an online group I'm a part of or in a magazine.
Just know that, when I recommend something, it's easy-to-use. Promise.
I heard about a
free, open source tool for the Mac that would allow me to
see all my various instant messaging/chat accounts in ONE window. That means no need to log in to Yahoo AND Windows Live AND MySpace AND Facebook AND Skype AND... well, you get the idea. No need to log into each of those platforms -- I login just once, and anyone of my friends or connections can see me online and chat with me as they like, via whatever platform they happen to be using.
This is especially helpful as I work with colleagues all over the world, and they aren't always sure what time it is wherever I am; by seeing me online, they know that I'm awake and can be contacted for at least a quick chat.
The platform I'm using is called
Adium. It supports:
Want to see me online? Then
contact me and I will give you my IM address, and you can use your cross-platform tool to see me online and instant message me, as you like. (If you want to video chat, I prefer
iVisit; it's free, and easier to use and "smaller" in size than Skype).
You non-Mac users -- what are your options for a similar tool? I
think your options are:
Don't be afraid! Try such a tool!
06:28, 20 March 2009
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I'll say it again:
I'm not a techie. How
my computer works is largely a mystery to me. Yet, I'm able to use my computer in what I think most people some really interesting and productive ways -- just as I don't know how a car works, but I can use it to go to some amazing places.
That said, I am also mystified why more people aren't using
free and open source tools --
tools I use myself! Free, open source software is software that can be used, modified, copied and redistributed freely, because its authors have decided to give these rights to all users. Quality free, open source software is frequently updated with new features and bug fixes, just as fee-based software is, with an army of passionate developers and testers behind it, all dedicated to making the tool meet all needs. It's as easy to use as any proprietary software out there, and has just as small or large a learning curve to use. The reasons people don't use it, it seems to me, is that
- they don't know about it,
- if they know about it, they think it's too good to be true,
- they aren't sure what to use or where to find it, or
- since it often doesn't come already loaded onto whatever computer a person buys, they don't seek it out.
Fouad Bajwa posted about what it's like to help people and organizations in Pakistan use the
free Ubuntu operating system, one of the most popular open source tools out there, and the opportunities this tool brings to people in Pakistan. Here are excepts below, which I think offer a tremendous testimonial to the power of open source tools, as well as the power and value of
volunteers far beyond "free labor" (the links in the block quote are mine):
"How much will a Ubuntu Linux CD cost in Pakistan", this student of University of Jamshoro asks me via SMS after a session of exchanging introductory messages, "My friend gave me your number when I asked about that where can I acquire an original CD for an operating system?" she clarifies. She further inquires, "Where can I get a free Ubuntu CD?" to which I reply, "The CD is free to order, will be land mailed to you for free, you can use it for free and after you have benefited from it, pass it on to your friends because it takes around 2-3 weeks to be delivered!" I continue to share, " and it's pretty simple to order, you can visit http://shipit.ubuntu.com, register a free user account and order a server or desktop Linux Operating System Free Ubuntu CD!".
After four years today, nearly half a million Ubuntu Linux CDs have been distributed for free either by http://shipit.ubuntu.com or by volunteers in Pakistan. I know about more than a hundred thousand CDs distributed by Ubuntu volunteers, friends and myself. This is the current scenario of an environment of local demand for adoption and use of Free and Open Source Software FOSS in Pakistan. I used Ubuntu Linux for the first time before taking up the responsibility for evolving its community and the ecosystem for generating a demand and supply system, when I wanted to something other than my copy of Windows Xp... I was to learn to use various other technologies and platforms without the word Windows in them. It was fun, I could run my FOSS solutions on Windows too...
I wanted to share these findings with other people. I did so during my service in the govt. When I left the govt. I brought it to the academic sector and civil society. I grew an affiliation with like minded people and FOSS users all over the world and got a visit to see the amazing things they were doing with their solutions in their countries, both developed and under developed. I thought for a moment, to share the spirit for mutual respect of intellectual property with my local friends and others in my city. I tried to remove bugs from my research work using Ubuntu Linux, today, thousands of my countrymen continue to do so from Karachi to Quetta to Peshawar to Islamabad and of course, in Lahore, I thought you would figure that out already. From I its now about you, us and we. We are a community, we work for each other's continued benefit. We want to help each other keep away from stealing other people's property, prosper with open and inclusive technology, grow together as a nation.
You know about Ubuntu Linux, your family members, your friends and colleagues know about Linux in general, everyone that has installed software on their or someone's computer knows about Linux or even FOSS or Free Software. I can relate to this mindset as a result of evident change. I feel happy that the FOSS platform developed by the old community members of the Debian Linux Distribution and thousands of others under the umbrella of www.Ubuntu.com and www.Launchpad.net is used so much or people know about it to a large extent in the Government, Academia, Civil Society and Private Sectors has reached this level due to our volunteers and people who use it for learning, fun, research, work or business find it useful.
We have visited your offices, we have written stories and case studies about you. We have shared with the world that you are an aspiring and inspiring nation. You are open to intellectual change. You are free to experiment and adopt. Thank you Pakistan for sharing the freedoms of Free and Open Source Software FOSS and by the way don't forget to continue sharing it with your friends and neighbors!
Bravo to the students of the University of Jamshoro in Sindh, Pakistan! Bravo to all of you, that has atleast thought about Linux or FOSS! Welcome to Freedom of Choice, congratulations for accepting change! That's quite a large number of people! Bravo to all the FOSS and Linux Users and Volunteers
Fouad posted this to several online communities, and I am listing some of them here to show the variety of online groups that can be used to talk with others about this subject, as well as to show how you can keep up with Fouad's activities: the
Digital Divide Network discussion group (where I saw it),
the Pakistan ICT Policy group,
bytesforall readers,
pakgrid group,
Telecom Grid Pakistan Group,
nidu_it_policy, the
Pakistan Computer Association, and the
Ubuntu Pakistan group.
03:17, 4 March 2009
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I
love the
Girl Scouts of the USA, so much so that
I've blogged about them before. The Girl Scouts rock.
But I'm bothered by a new Girl Scout campaign,
LMK (Let M Know), an "interactive Web site for teens from Girl Scouts and Windows." Part of its pitch is: "Join us and learn how you, your friends, and your parents can take advantage of all the great things technology has to offer. "
So, since this initiative is also from Microsoft Windows, will LMK talk to girls about Apple Macintosh products, Linux,
OpenOffice,
NeoOffice, alternative operating systems to Windows like
Ubuntu, and other non-Microsoft tools, all that will help girls "take advantage of all the great things technology has to offer"? Or does the LMK initiative assume all computer users are Windows users, and, therefore, conversations will be limited to Microsoft products?
Let's see if Girl Scouts answers (yes, I've asked them directly).
00:31, 3 March 2009
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Contrary to what the media might tell you, there are still parts of the USA where Internet connections are slow. And people working in aid, relief and development must often try to pull critical information off the 'Net using an unpredictable, slow connection. And, ofcourse, there are still lots and lots of people
using older computers and, therefore, older browsers. When you are in any of these situations and need content from a web site, rather than the flashy images, what do you do?
loband is a web site that you can use for free to simplify web sites you want to view, in order to make them download faster over slow Internet connections, or make them accessible for users of older web browsers. To use the service, type the URL (web address) of the page you want to visit into the grey bar at the top of the page, and click the "Go" button.
Try your own web site in
loband -- how content-rich is your web site? You will find out quickly with loband.
10:47, 23 February 2009
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If you are in are near Austin, you should go to this.
If you aren't, you should consider flying into Austin to attend this.
If you believe that the web should empower ALL people, if you need information about how to meet state and federal accessibility mandates, if you are a commercial web developer who wants to understand emerging best business practices of accessibility for the web,
John Slatin Access U is the place to be in May. It's presented by
Knowbility.org
John Slatin Access U 2009
at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, USA
Monday May 11th and Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
(with post-conference sessions on May 13th)
In addition to two-days of the best hands-on accessibility classes, you will hear keynote presentations, attend a captioned and audio described movie, participate in communities of practice sessions where you can share experiences, and meet hundreds of others who share your passion for accessible IT. From absolute beginners to advanced practitioners you can customize your learning to meet your specific needs.
Some new options in 2009 include:
Usability Track with Certificate
Created for usability professionals who know how to test for usability and want to learn to test for accessibility. We are pleased to offer a set of classes to build the skills and knowledge you need to help your clients meet mandates and to help you conduct usability tests that include people with disabilities. Specific Courses with several electives are delivered within the two day basic conference period and an additional certificate fee applies.
Molly Holzschlag Track – HTML/CSS/Accessible Design Intensive
Spend three days with Molly Holzschlag learning HTML/XHTML and CSS for accessibility, SEO, and superior web site performance. If you have solid experience in CSS and need only the more advanced techniques, sign on for Day 3 as a post-conference only.
Post Conferences:
- Derek Featherstone: Breaking New Ground: Designing for Accessibility in Emerging Technologies
- Molly Holzschlag: Advanced CSS techniques
PLUS: you will be in AUSTIN, TEXAS, one of the BEST cities in the WORLD: fantastic live music, great food, friendly people, and Shiner Boch!
Visit the
conference web site for more info and to register. Tell them Jayne sent ya!
11:49, 19 February 2009
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I'm a bit annoyed at some of the things I've been reading online lately about
nonprofits and the Internet, as though nonprofits started using the 'Net only a few years ago. I'm also annoyed by all the claims that nonprofits are doing things now with the Internet that they NEVER did before: they are not. The Internet has
always been about people and organizations networking with each other, sharing ideas and comments, and collaborating online. It has
always been interactive and dynamic. And there were many nonprofit organizations who "got" it early -- earlier than many for-profit companies, I might add.
So I'm attempting to set the record straight: I've prepared
this page that talks about the early history of nonprofits and the Internet. It focuses on 1994 and 1995, the years that saw the first somewhat widespread use of the 'Net by nonprofits. It talks a little about what nonprofits were using the cyberspace for as well at that time.
I've also tried to list the names of key people in 1994 and 1995 who helped get nonprofit organizations using the Internet. Credit to them is LONG overdue.
Edits welcomed.
04:10, 22 January 2009
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I hate using pirated software. It's not only unethical and usually illegal, but also, I really know where it comes from and what could be a part of the code.
But I cannot afford to use some of the most famous software out there.
But I also need high-quality, feature-rich tools to do my work efficiently.
But I'm also not a "techie", so I need tools that are oh-so-easy to use.
So, when I finally
upgraded to a new computer, I decided to switch to free software as much as possible, both because of my own budget, and because I have advocated for the use of such tools for nonprofit organizations and people living in developing countries -- how can I ask others to do what I'm not willing to do myself? So, for a year now,
I've been using such software for all of my activities related to word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, database needs, email, and web browsing. And I've experienced no problems interacting with clients and others in sharing documents -- in fact, no one knows I'm not using, say, Microsoft, unless I tell them.
Free, open source software is software that can be used, modified, copied and redistributed freely, because its authors have decided to give these rights to all users. Quality free, open source software is frequently updated with new features and bug fixes, just as fee-based software is, with an army of passionate developers and testers behind it, all dedicated to making the tool meet all needs. Such software, such as
NeoOffice, which is what I use for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, is not only just as stable as its fee-based counterparts, and not only has most of the features of, say, its Microsoft counterparts, it often has even more features.
Some have fewer defects than the industry average.
Evaluate and choose free software the same way you choose fee-based software:
- how long has the software been around?
- how often is the software upgraded?
- how much documentation for the software is provided?
- is there an online forum where users freely post questions and offer support to each other?
- look for reviews of the software (these are very easy to find online). Read many different reviews from many different sources, not just one or two, and not just the "official" review from the software's manufactuer(s).
- beware of unsolicited email offers or web page pop-ups for free software. These are often associated with malicious software, viruses, and scams.
It's easy to find quality free, open source software. When such is reviewed by web sites, magazines and other sources that review proprietary software, links are provided to download the software yourself. For Macs, my favorite source to find such software is
Opensourcemac.org. For Mac users and non-Mac users alike, try C-NET's
download.com.
If you are wondering how to get started, I recommend that to do so when it's time to upgrade your office software (word-processing, spreadsheets and presentations). For Mac users, try
NeoOffice. For non-Mac users, try
OpenOffice.
It's not easy to make the switch from one software to another.
Bruce Byfield notes: "When you first switch to a different software, any claims that its better than what you were using probably won't fly." You will be too busy trying to find your favorite features and functions, first believing that they don't exist and then, once you find them, thinking they aren't as good. But being able to use different software than what you have been used to is a learned skill, and will make you a better user of all software. And there's also the reality that some upgrades of your favorite fee-based software are so radically different from what you have been using that it's the same experience as switching to a completely different package -- in other words,
there's no getting away from having to continually learn how to use software, even if you choose not to switch to open source.
If you discover that a feature really, truly isn't a part of the free software you are eyeing, remember more words from Bruce Byfield: "features are an arms race in which superiority rarely lasts for more than one version."
06:34, 11 January 2009
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I'm transitioning email clients from
Eudora to
Thunderbird. And, luckily, I'm not the first one to do so: thanks,
the College of Letters and Science at UC Berkeley for sharing your experience and tips!. I so love
the Google.
Eudora has been the best email client EVER. I have used oh-so-many and, hands down, Eudora has been the best. I will miss it terribly. I didn't start using it because it was named after
Eudora Welty, per her short story
"Why I Live at the Post Office". But that was just an added bonus. Sadly, Eudora stopped being developed in 2006. That means no more improvements, no research into or fixing security holes, etc. So, time to change.
Why have I chosen Thunderbird? Because it's a
free,
open source,
cross-platform package from an organization I've had very good experiences with, the
Mozilla Foundation. It also got a very good review from
MacWorld magazine. And, finally, how can I advocate that nonprofits, as well as organizations in the developing world, use such software unless
I'm willing to myself?
Tagged:
Jayne Cravens
03:03, 8 January 2009
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Using a map to track information about anything -- maternal death rates, water quality, incidents of graffiti, permeation of schools, whatever -- creates a powerful communication tool. It's a visual representation of statistics and it's much harder to dismiss than a press release or series of statements.
With that in mind, there is growing interest in crisis mapping initiatives, which use information communication technology (ICT) to create maps that can serve as early warning systems to prevent mass atrocities, mitigate the effects of natural disasters, strengthen international aid agency coordination, improve resource allocation, develop timely policy, and help evaluate current humanitarian practices. One of these initiatives is the
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI), which I learned about via the online discussion group
humanitarian-ict. HHI is working to catalyze a discussion between disparate groups of experts, within and external to Harvard University, in a sustained forum that will culminate refine tools and promote best practices to save lives. Their
web site on Conflict Early Warning and Crisis Mapping links to several operational conflict prevention projects and lists some of the major players in this program area.
Technology is only part of the equation, of course; even more important is ways to gather reliable information for such an online system. Hope as much time is being spent on that component as the technology.
06:41, 7 January 2009
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Google Labs is described as a "technology playground." It's a simple web page that showcases some of the free tools that Google is working on but "that aren't quite ready for prime time." Graduates of Google Labs include the
Google Reader (its
RSS reader) and
Google Maps. Visitors to
Google Labs are asked to "please play with these prototypes and send your comments directly to the Googlers who developed them."
Can you imagine nonprofits embarking on such an open way of working, allowing volunteers, clients and other stake holders via a private intranet, or even the public via the Internet, to read draft materials, play with online tools in-development, and offer feedback on such? What if instead of just launching as a final project your organization's web site,
wiki, internal data tracking system, program strategy or other tool you expect staff, volunteers or the public to use, you allowed them to see and offer advice on drafts throughout the development process of such?
Do you dare?
12:14, 4 January 2009
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As I noted in a
in a blog in November, USAID launched the 2008
USAID Development 2.0 Challenge, a contest where individuals and organizations working with mobile technologies to create positive change (in areas such as health, banking, education, agricultural trade, or other pressing development issues) were invited to share their projects via NetSquared.
15 finalists have been chosen by the NetSquared community; a panel of judges, selected by USAID, will now select three winners.
Here are MY favorite projects from
all that were submitted (only one of which was a finalist). I liked these six projects in particular because I believe they help people immediately once launched, they can be easily replicated, what they offer is very much needed, and local people and local institutions can run these projects themselves. You are invited to continue to
comment on any project on the web site:
- Water Technology Assistant - cellphones supporting access to clean water This is a cell phone application designed to support drinking water and sanitation projects in the field. Much of the technical content is from existing online resources reformatted and rewritten for small screens.
- Using SMS technology to improve knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding HIV/AIDS in Uganda. This isn't a one-way project: participants will also reply to multiple choice questions related to HIV/AIDS subjects, retaining their anonymity. If someone submits an incorrect answer, a rectifying SMS will follow with the correct answer in combination with an explanation. To stimulate the participants, the quiz will be linked with a reward system (incentive).
- M-deposit will allow people in Bangladesh to access banking services via cell phone: check an account balance, make a withdrawal, etc. The consumer doesn’t have to visit banks which are normally located in distance for getting the service and the bank doesn’t have to make any human resource available to directly serve the low-value depositors.
- LUTW Mobile Solid State Lighting Medical and Dental LampThe goal of this project is to develop and distribute a mobile, robust and ultra-bright lighting system for use in medical and dental treatments both in the developing world and during disaster relief efforts around the world.
- ECAMIC project using ICTs innovatively to promote market access for farmers Farmers anywhere need up-to-date market information to be able to make good decisions in selling their farm produce. This project uses both low and relatively high-tech approaches to disseminate of market information to cooperatives of farmers in Salaga, Chamba and Kpandai, along the northeast farming belt in Ghana. There is also the benefit of building new social network and capital as farmers and community members establish links with relations near and far.
- Agrotext in Kenya Studies have shown that Kenyan farmers think that they lack information on the technical details of farming. This project provides farmers with cheap access to a database of agricultural knowledge. The only thing they have to do is send a text, after which they will get an sms back with the answer.
My how far we've come since I first wrote about
Handheld computer technologies in community service/volunteering/advocacy for the United Nations back in 2001...
