Sydney, Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th November 2004


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Final Plenary Session


In the final session, facilitated by Consultant Tim Leach small groups reflected on the conference and discussed the way forward. The tables and points below summarise what groups fed back to the main group and the discussion that followed.

Topics
 
Reflections on the conference
 
Keeping connected and building the network
 
Annual conference suggestions
 
Next steps
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Reflections on the conference

ChallengesSolutionsUnanswered Questions
Accessibility for specific population groups, universal access Raising awareness amongst developers that it's not that hard/difficult, acknowledging that there are both social as well as technical steps towards universal access.

'Howto' guides.

Keeping up to date with legal situation, how to avoid legal liability issues
Evaluation: projects get already evaluated, but tools/technology? EvaluateIT kit.

Useability testing

Where is the funding to implement necessary changes?

Processes - eg. Getting management approval for implementation of changes, post-evaluation.

Selecting and implementing technology/ tools, issues around funding, ICT, content, staffing, functions required, participation of target groups, both internal (staff) as well as external (clients).

Which is the right CMS for us?

Networking to avoid reinventing the wheel, learning from others.

Need a review of software available.

What kind of resources do you need to set up a website? Need cost-benefit analysis.

Integrate evaluation into development (evaluation not just an afterthought when it's all already done)

Promotion, marketing, make them come back, sticky websites Way forward combines both process-oriented as well as technical options, incl. issues of access + usage, e.g. search engines, reciprocal link listings, service directories, integrating and linking both online and offline communication, using existing network/ community/ membership, think of entire communication mix as a holistic approach to be linked and integrated, find out most appropriate channels of communication to reach target audience.

Include website as part of communications strategy.

Measuring success, what is affordable/ feasible, how to achieve holistic approach within org (technical training?)

Need guidelines or templates on how web fits into communication strategies.

Language/ skills levels/ understanding, digital divide, but also the divide between the technical challenged and the socially challenged.

How do you make the website "everyone's" role?

Getting commitment from your organisation.

Making Links 2004, providing a safe and friendly environment to ask 'stupid' questions.

Also bring people together across disciplines. Non techies need to access the resources and expertise of techies (and vice-versa)

Forums and skills building for web-workers.

Training for staff.

How streams should operate - how to get participation of all different parties involved.

Ongoing discussion of how to divide conference streams, the technically challenged should learn from the socially challenged and vice versa, provide break out space s, holistic approach.

Isolation and the 'one-person-band'. Building the network. (See below).   
Funding Applying for ARC grant as a consortium for research into web workers needs, & also into web tools.

Stats (including case studies) can support our funding requests.

IT faculties and TAFE students may do work as projects.

  
Web publishing standards.

Multilanguage resources.

Conference sessions.   
     Knowledge & resource digital divide.
     Censorship.

TOP

  

  Keeping connected and building the network

  • Yearly conference.
  • Everyone sign up to communityweb list, and use it.
  • Complement mailing list with a discussion board / chat room.
  • Send out a delegate list (name, State, org, email, phone).
  • Online reporting - How-to manuals, downloads, links, resources (e.g. expand on NGOgeeks.com).
  • Informal journal.
  • Techsoup (English website for community orgs).
  • Use all our e-lists to rpomte the network.
  • Document conference details on the conference site.
  • More techie workshops.
  • Presenters from amongst us.
  • Stream conferences by sector.
  • Diversity - how to bring in other groups.
  • Collaboration with trade unions.

TOP

  

Annual conference suggestions

  • Two streams over three days.
  • More high level info sessions.
  • Grant writing workshop.
  • Possibly link to CommunIT conference in Adelaide 2005.
  • Possible collaboration with Trade Union network.
  • Possible link to other related conferences e.g. This is not art.
  • Possible liaison with UTS Corporate communications (?) dept.
  • Organising committee to approach other peaks such as ACOSS and ACFID to see if they'd like to join.

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Next Steps

  • Mark Fallu will put out ballpark figures for web hosting to the email list. Jill Sergeant will arrange for it go on website.
  • Peter Samsa expressed interested in participating in organising committee for the next conference.
  • Evan Wills will talk to NGOGeeks about possibly expanding their website to include non-techie materials for the network.
  • Alice Clements will draft a review article, which delegates can send out to their networks / publish in their newsletters.
  • Organising committee will be meeting over the next few weeks to review conference and discuss the way forward. Anyone interested in joining please contact Jill on web@afao.org.au. (Teleconference possible for interstate members).
  • Organising committee can follow up on ARC submission for web worker research project and on other suggestions in these notes.
  • Need for organising on a state / territory basis as well as nationally.

TOP