[Greennet-l] GreenNet Newsletter, Winter 2001

[GreenNet User Support]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

GreenNet Newsletter, Winter 2001

The newsletter is on-line at:
http://www.gn.apc.org/news/newsletter/index.asp

GN is celebrating 15 years at work/
GN Services/
Strategic Use of the Internet/
Open Source Software/
GN Support News/
GN Project News/
GN Training/
GN Events

GN is celebrating 15 years at work
GreenNet has been working as an Internet Service Provider to civil
society
organisations for 15 years now. Thanks to all of you for your support
and
we look forward to many more years of working together. We have put
together a brief history of GreenNet throughout the years, at:
http://www.gn.apc.org/anniversary/reachingout.html

Also, you can see some of the people that have contributed to our
work over
the years, at:
http://www.gn.apc.org/anniversary/people.html

Many thanks to all of you who sent in messages of encouragement and
support. If you want us to add anything to this area of the site,
please email
Joanne, outreach at gn.apc.org

GN Services.

New Webmail system.

We have upgraded our webmail system. Webmail allows you to manage
your
email by using a web browser rather than an email programme like
Outlook
Express or Eudora. Using webmail means that you can check email from
any
computer (with Internet access) anywhere in the world. Webmail has
other
benefits: you can remove any large unwanted attachments and remove
any
virus-infected emails that may be causing problems for your email
program.
To access webmail go to:
http://www.gn.apc.org and click on the web email button (top tool bar
on
the GreenNet home page). Please take a moment to read the
instructions
before you use it. It is not intended to be a replacement to using
your
normal email programme but it is a very good supplement.

Strategic Use of the Internet
We are currently working with some users, developing their sites
using the
ActionApps to enable them to communicate more effectively within
their
communities and use the Internet more strategically in their work.
If you are interested in sharing content with organisations you work
closely with, or need a site that is quick and easy to update, the
ActionApps are an ideal tool to do this.
If you haven^t already checked out the ActionApps, have a look at:
http://www.gn.apc.org/ services/webdesign.html#actionapps

You can also do a test demo to see how the ActionApps work at:
http://www.apc.org/actionapps/english/general/ demo.html
ActionApps are designed to meet the growing demand for easy-to-use
content
management tools and build on the major trends that are emerging in
online
publishing, including: Database-driven web sites; Content sharing;
Open
source software.


The idea is to bypass some of the costs of creating a database-driven
web
site (sites which normally require a great deal of consultation and
custom
programming) by drawing on many built-in functions. In brief you can:
Get
content onto a web site without HTML skills; Automate the management
and
delivery of content; Make it easier to search and organize
information on
web sites; Lower the ongoing cost of maintaining web sites. So main
attractions are: ease of use, speed of content delivery and lowered
operating costs and sharing information between departments or across
organizations.

Open Source Software
APC chose to release the ActionApps as open source - to share the
software
widely intending that the result will be regularly improving software
for
APC members and others using the ActionApps. In turn, the cost of
offering
ActionApps on an ASP or consulting basis will continue to be low even
as
the software improves. The ActionApps embrace ideals like 'share your
ideas' (both your code and your content) and 'develop
collaboratively'
which are ideals we very much work towards at GreenNet. Take a fresh
look
at your web site in 2002 - is it reaching the people it needs to?
For just 50, GreenNet can run an information strategy workshop with
your
organisation to help you revisit your website and develop a plan to
work
online more effectively. If you have any questions please call us and
we
can go through the various features, costs etc

GN Support News
There will be some big changes early next year as part of our
on-going plan
to improve our service.
1) Dial up number changes. We will be changing our dial up numbers
and
outgoing mail server between mid January and the end of February. Our
current numbers will not work after early March. We will be putting
some
software on our website to help you make the changes but please be
prepared! We will be sending more details out early in the 2002. We
hope
this will cause minimum disruption.
2) Colocating our servers. We are going to house our servers in a
secure
networks operation centre to offer an incredibly reliable service

GN Project News
Internet Rights. Aside from developing tools for you to use the
Internet -
an important challenge we continue to face at GreenNet is raising
awareness
about new legislative threats that are emerging (and recent
legislation)
which impacts upon groups that are using the Internet for social
campaigning purposes. The GreenNet Civil Society Internet Rights
Project
has produced a number of important briefings, including:
- - Civil rights and Internet legislation
- - Campaigning online
- - Privacy and surveillance
- - Encryption and electronic signatures
- - Interception capabilities
- - Media regulation and convergence ...to name but a few.
These will go online before Christmas. You can find a link to these
at:
http://www.gn.apc.org/action/csir/index.html

GN Training
Web Design
Practical, hands-on courses by the end of which you will understand
how to
design and promote your own web site.
*Using HTML
Next training: 19th and 20th January, Sat & Sun and, 6th and 7th
April,
Sat & Sun
*Using Dreamweaver
Next training: 9th and 10th February, Sat & Sun
We are planning to run a Dreamweaver training as 5 evening classes
throughout March (every Tuesday, starting 26th February).
Please contact Joanne for more information. Further details for all
trainings, course outlines, costs and how to book can be found at:
http://www.gn.apc.org/training.

GN Events
News from the APC
We have just returned from the APC (Association for Progressive
Communications) council meeting in Uraguay where the APC members met
to
discuss solutions and tools for our communities.
It was a very productive meeting with exciting outputs which we hope
will
benefit you all in the work that you are doing. An area that GreenNet
is
very involved with is building information communities working with
the
ActionApps.

GreenNet focused on sharing skills and tools and a working group has
been
set up (within the APC) to further this.

Itrain website was launched at the APC meeting, Nov 01
http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/english/

This is a joint effort from the APC, Bellanet, IICD, IISD, INASP and
OneWorld. The site is a technology resource centre for people who
want to
learn how to use the Internet effectively for social justice and
sustainable development.

There are different sections of the site and materials include:

- -Audio Online and Community Radio
- -Building Online Communities
- -Computer Basics
- -Computer Networking
- -Databases
- -Finding Information   Online
- -Internet and E-mail Basics
- -Internet Video
- -Multilingual Computing
- -Online Security
- -Open Source
- -Strategic Use of the Internet
- -Telecentres
- -Web Design
- -Web Programming
- -Web Site Management

You can also make suggestions about other resources that could be
useful at:
http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/english/submit.shtml
http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/english/

The APC Betinho Prize has been awarded to Women's Voices, a video
initiative to give women a voice in public policy making in Nairobi,
Kenya.
Their work brings together ICTs and direct help to communities in a
way
that truly exemplifies the ideals of the work of Betinho.
http://www.apc.org/english/index.htm

Thanks to Poptel for inviting GreenNet to talk at their Social
Enterprise
Conference.e are different sections of the site and materials
include:


If you would like GreenNet to attend an event you are organising,
please
contact joanne at gn.apc.org
You can also post details of your events at the GreenNet calendar:
http://webboard.gn.apc.org:8086/default/

GreenNet office hours over Christmas
Our office will be closed from 5pm on 21-12-01 (Friday) until 2-1-02
(Wednesday). We will not be taking voice calls and enquiries for that
period.  However, we will have technicians monitoring the systems
daily
(aside from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day). If you have
any
problems, please call us on 0845 055 4011 and leave a message on our
answer
phone or email: support at gn.apc.org.

Please make sure you include any error messages that you are getting
and
your email address.

We wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas time in whatever way you
plan to
spend it.

For further details on any of the newsletter items, call or email
Joanne:
0845 0554011, joanne at gn.apc.org

Written and edited by the GreenNet collective.
Dec. 01

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.1 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com>

iQA/AwUBPB4nY92+b1OBR2GWEQITtACghEOc8FRxpfNWEUjCEVJO5KMNmocAmQHx
MHWZXnkrpil4BjxrKxQbKZjk
=QeWs
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----