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You don't have to publish in a print
medium to get your point of view across. Blog!
Or better yet podcast.
Write a letter to the editor or be an editor.
If you find something you disagree with or find a dead link,
it's easy to suggest a change. How we choose to use the Web
influences us all. What we choose to do -- or what we choose
not to do -- determines the rules of the Web.
FACILITATING CHANGE
Information is power and those without information are at a
serious disadvantage.
For those of us not satisfied with the status quo -- poverty,
war and unsustainable development -- the Web is an effective
tool in facilitating change.
We apply technical fixes to many problems. But if the solutions
do not address social issues and make sense to the principal
players, they provide a band-aid solution.
In information-rich cultures, information is taken for granted.
Our neighbors are most likely literate. Libraries are well-stocked
and open to the public. However, many do not enjoy such privileges.
The "developing world" in particular is at a serious disadvantage
in terms of information access and distribution.
Sadly, most development programs have not been successful.
The focus tends toward investment in infrastructure ('let's
buy computers for everyone') or specific serivces ('this environmental
group needs its own website').
Not that there is anything wrong with purchasing computers
or developing websites (!), but such programs fail when they
do not provide incentives for continued communication. Identifying
what needs to be changed is one thing. Supporting the transformation
over the long-term is another.
ECUADOR EXAMPLE
One of my favorite 'lessons learned' comes from Ecuador
circa 1990. Surprisingly, the country was wired and internet-savvy.
The Quito newspaper Hoy was the first of its kind on the Web
and many of the leaders of environmental groups had email.
The problem for the environmentalists, however, was that they
were using email to communicate with foreign donors and supporters
moreso than they were communicating by any means with each other.
Local communication among environmentalists usually involved
shouting matches.
If the Web is to be used to promote collaborative work, we
need to bridge the virtual and natural worlds ... locally and
internationally.
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