Apologies for the protracted silence, which was due to personal circumstances. I hope those of you who read my blog regularly didn’t panic too much!
I have finally put together an online survey related to my final dissertation, which will focus on how international NGOs are using Web 2.0 tools – such as blogging, wikis, RSS feeds, social networking sites, etc. – in their everyday work and how they expect these applications to change the way they work and the role of NGOs in development.
If you are an NGO working internationally, please drop me a note (A.Masetti-Zannini@lse.ac.uk) so I can email you the survey’s web-address.
So far, I’ve interviewed a couple of organisations directly, including WOMANKIND Worldwide, whose new director – Sue Turrell – has recently started blogging on the work of her organisation and on promoting the role of women in development more generally. You can access it here. I’ve also interviewed the Overseas Development Institute, which runs one of the most popular blogs in the international development sector. A must-read from one of the top UK public affairs think tanks.
Most NGOs, however, have received a general email from me, asking them to complete the survey online. Amongst the best responses I’ve had so far, this one stands out in terms of clarity and enthusiasm:
I know very little about any of these applications and am not at all interested in using them is the short answer. I haven’t got time to do your survey.
Xxxxxx Xxxx, Director
Bless.
As a means to share some of the results of my research with you online, I am going to update this entry with the list of blogs and other Web 2.0 applications NGOs are accessing in their work. Hopefully, by the end of the month I will have put together a significant list that will be useful to people working in this sector. So here goes…
Blogs regularly read by international NGO staff members about development-related issues:
- Social Edge (which has in fact 6 different and fascinating blogs: Engage in Uganda, Forging Ahead, From Tribeca to Tanzania, Global X, Kiva Chronicles and Untangled);
- TreeHugger (which describes itself as the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream);
- StyleWillSaveUs (the digital style magazine magazine that loves all things super-stylish, organic, ethical, fairtrade, eco-friendly, vintage, recycled and sustainable);
- Comment is Free (The Guardian’s popular discussion space);
- Owen’s Blog (not sure what blog they are referring to here, possibly this one, but it’s all in Chinese and my Chinese is a little rusty these days…);
- Open Veins (social movements and international development in Bolivia and the broader Latin American region)
Blogs maintained by international NGOs (+ their corresponding organisation and main focus):
- Turrell Vision (WOMANKIND Worldwide – women’s rights/development);
- Education That Pays For Itself (Teach a Man to Fish – education, sustainability, income-generation, social entrepreneurship);
- ODI Blog (ODI – commentary from leading development experts);
- Latin America and the Caribbean Blog at ODI (ODI – international development and cooperation in the LAC region);
- Just One World (CAFOD – collection of blogs about CAFOD’s international development work worldwide)
- A Day in the Life… (Amnesty International UK – collection of blogs by Amnesty staff and activists)
- Generation Why (Oxfam – development education, youth engagement, awareness raising)
- Make Trade Fair (Oxfam – fair trade)
- Around the World (Oxfam – collection of blog entries by Oxfam field staff)
- AgInfo News (IAALD – agricultural development and information technology)
4 responses so far ↓
Paul Lawrence // 12 July 2007 at 8:18 am |
Glad the blogger is back. Some of us were worried.
No worries on those indifferent responses. They say almost as much as those that give you all their details about web 2.0.
Alberto Masetti-Zannini // 12 July 2007 at 9:33 am |
I am loving the grumpy do-gooders who think that the only way to save Africa (sic!) is by fax…!
Open Source, Web 2.0 tools for social change « GlobaLab // 20 July 2007 at 4:21 pm |
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