<incom> Social networking tools and development

[Anriette Esterhuysen]

Hallo again

I think the key is NOT to think of social networking tools 
(or Web 2.0) as a completely new set of 
tools/applications.  I think many people do this, which is a 
pity. And the developers often promote these tools on the 
basis of their 'newness' and uniqueness.

Nor should one think of Web 2.0 tools replacing existing 
tools such as lists.

But coming from the perspective of having used ICTs for 
development and social justice networking since the 
1980s I see these tools as more of a feature or trend in 
the continium of "people making technology work for 
themselves". Seen from this perspective they represent 
significant changes to power structures that characterise  
the creation and use of content on the internet.  Some of 
these changes are positive.

Use of mailing lists as a platform for online discussion 
and networking was prevalent in places with poor 
connectivity long before it was common practice in the 
north.

People with good connectivity used newsgroups, which, 
even with offline readers, were not all that friendly to the 
slow speed dial-up user. 

Adoption of new tools is always a layered process.

Some Web 2.0 tools an actually work well if one does not 
have terribly fast links, as long as you know what you do. 
E.g. content agregration tools such as RSS cuts down on 
time one needs to spend online.

Podcasting and photosharing makes it easier for people 
with poor connectivity to share audio and visual material.  
Sending large files is still a really difficult thing for dial up.  
I use dial up a lot, sometimes with really slow speed, and 
I would much rather be pointed to a website where I can 
browse large files and select to download them than have 
them bring my mail download to a standstill.

Social bookmarking is a good means for people who do 
not have lots of time to spend doing online searches to 
share resources.... and so on.

And often social networking tools can be used well with 
offline applications.  Digital storytelling for example.

Steve Cisler's point about access is very relevant, and so 
is Mike Gursteins that it is  not easy to find 
field/community level applications. And the culture of 
some social networking tools can be alienating.

But there are opportunities which those of us working in 
the online/offline universe can use and should explore, 
and play with.

When using the Web as a content sharing platform first 
became common it also seemed to be, and was, an 
inappropriate tool for dial up users.  There were lots of 
web skeptics around in the 1990s.

The Web has limitations, but people in the developing 
world are making excellent use of the Web, in lots of 
ways, from culture to protest to organising and sharing 
information.

I believe we can do the same with social networking tools.  
As long as adoption, and appropriation takes place 
inclusively, and ideally that people in the south begin to 
create their own tools, or variants of existing tools.

There are challenges... language being one of them.  Not 
all the tools work easily in languages other than English.

Anriette

> 
> I'm not sure if there is an overlap with Incom, but the KM (Knowledge
> Management) for D(evelopment) group (there is a quite active e-list
> <km4dev-l at dgroups.org> and on-line community) seems to be using a lot
> of web 2.0 tools/strategies both internally for their own purposes and
> as part of their own work (with NGO's and governments)... 
> 
> However, from an on-going casual contact with that group there doesn't
> seem to be a lot of direct field/community level applications (proving
> Geert's point below, I think...
> 
> MG
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: incom-l-bounces at incommunicado.info
> [mailto:incom-l-bounces at incommunicado.info] On Behalf Of Geert Lovink
> Sent: March 8, 2007 1:53 AM To: incom-l at incommunicado.info Subject:
> Re: <incom> (no subject)
> 
> 
> 
> > IS any body doing work on WEb 2.0 technologies and development? 
> > Would
> 
> > love to hear from you if you are.
> 
> Dear Moira,
> 
> it depends what you mean with 'development'. Do you mean the official
> NGO sector and ministeries? Or do mean actual Internet users in the
> so-called former South? Brazil is an interesting case in this point.
> Slightly unexpected for early adaptors and the founders of Orkut (a
> classic Web 2.0 site, I would say), millions of Brazilians took over
> this social networking site.
> 
> I would analyse Web 2.0 from a post-development point of view, even in
> poor countries. If and when NGOs and ministeries will catch with Web
> 2.0 or not is not such an interesting question. The people are so far
> ahead of them, and that's a good thing, I would say.
> 
> Best, Geert
> 
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------------------------------------------------------
Anriette Esterhuysen, Executive Director
Association for Progressive Communications
anriette at apc.org
http://www.apc.org
PO Box 29755, Melville, South Africa. 2109
Tel. 27 11 726 1692
Fax 27 11 726 1692