"This report covers a research study of Dgroups which took place during September 2006-July 2007. Dgroups is a number of things at the same time: (1) it is a web-based technical platform which supports and provides for the creation and use of discrete e-mail based discussion lists and web workspaces
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that are used to support knowledge networking by people and institutions working in development; (2) it is also the plural name for these online networks, individually known as a dgroup; and (3) it is also a partnership of development organizations who share a commitment to collaboration in development and who are developing a common vision of the need for such a platform and such online groups.
The Dgroups platform currently supports 2,308 dgroups and 88,700 individual users (15 July, 2007), but there has not yet been an analysis of the development role of dgroups on a global scale. Many partners and members of the Dgroups Partnership continue to support the platform, not only because of the access to online knowledge networks with which it provides them, but also because of an intuitive understanding of the processes supported by dgroups.
The study examines whether and how dgroups: • facilitate the spread of information and knowledge among the actors (individual and institutional) working in the thematic areas of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); • facilitate learning processes (individual, social, and organizational learning) in the diverse institutions working in areas related to the MDGs; and • facilitate the bridging of the multitude of ‘knowledge divides’ in development between the North and South, and South-South; between different sorts of institutions (multilateral, bilateral, NGOs, universities, ministries) and professional groups (practitioners, researchers and policymakers); and in terms of language [...]
It has been concluded that dgroups facilitate information and knowledge sharing within the subject areas of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and that they also facilitate individual, social and organizational learning within these subject areas. Dgroups also play an important role in bridging the ‘knowledge divides’ between North and South, between different types of institutions, and between different professional groups, as well as crossing the
digital divide. An ability to bridge South-South divides and to forge links between different language groups has not been demonstrated.
In terms of development impact, Dgroups was found to represent a very cost-effective manner of hosting groups (an average of Euro 60.70 per dgroup per year) and most moderators felt that participation in dgroups was an ‘effective’ use of their time. Dgroups were also found to have had an organizational impact on the way many of the partner and member organizations work. It is argued that Dgroups provides a unique resource: there is nothing comparable within development that facilitates information and knowledge sharing on such a large scale. Finally, some recommendations are made for the future development of Dgroups." (Executive summary)
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"The first seven chapters in Talking theWalk look in detail at the realities of communicating in partnership. As well as narrative, each chapter contains a number of boxes and tables giving examples or “Practitioner Tips”. Near the start of chapter 7 (pages 58-59), you will find a diagram outlin
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ing the communication aspects of the Partnering Cycle. Chapter 8 comprises nine tools that you can use or adapt for your own purposes. Since the manual is about communication, we invited as many contributors as possible to participate in this project, to demonstrate the collaboration that we saw as a vital ingredient of partnering communication. Woven throughout the manual are think pieces that some of these contributors have written. In addition, chapter 9 contains communication stories and communication case studies reflecting the experience of a range of practitioners in the field." (Page 1)
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"The extraordinary editor” provides media leaders with the skills to run their news organisations by learning about the mistakes and successes of other experienced editors. The presented examples are mainly derived from South African newspapers, but the issues tackled may apply to other media anyw
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here in the world as well. The seven chapters cover the essence of editing, the editor’s self-management, staff management, content and process management, business management, public relations, change management and media convergence. The book is quite a practical resource, full of checklists as well as brief statements from acknowledged practitioners. The clear language and the excellent caricatures and design add to the value of this publication." (CAMECO Update 1-2010)
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"Planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) remains a challenge for many development organisations in spite of countless PME workshops, experts and manuals. Yet, we believe that effective PME is essential for organisational survival (and therefore for sustainable development) and that this can be nur
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tured through careful and sensitive PME training and facilitation. We do not propose here a PME manual: our aim in these pages is rather to share some of our real-life experiences as PME facilitators and to offer suggestions to support PME processes, with a focus on civil society organisations. As a group of facilitators who have worked on PME issues in different contexts, we realised that we confronted three common challenges: 1. First, a perception of PME as imposed, ‘technical’ and expensive [...] 2. Second, in terms of PME contents, there is a frequent focus on a particular project, or programme, rather than on the wider organisation, its reason for existence and the broader context in which it operates [...] 3. Third, we see PME support processes that emphasise training workshops which, however well delivered, seldom lead to successful PME application, let alone sustained use. This refl ects the limits of a one-shot method, as opposed to a more process-oriented approach, where PME is about day-to-day activities and attitudes, rather than ‘PME events’. So why this book? While we work in various countries, for different organisations and in different roles, we propose to share experiences that refl ect these common challenges and help to: 1. Embrace a ‘total organisation’ approach to PME, not only rooted in programmes, or projects, but with a wider perspective: that of the ‘total organisation’, with its financial dimension, its environment, its collaborators and competitors, in a context informed by local and national cultures [...] 2. Enhance custom-made PME. We have found that PME support is rarely effective if it is not customised to a particular organisation and its stakeholders [...] 3. Bring PME into daily learning practice so that it becomes part of mental processes within a partner organisation, changing mindsets and attitudes, while refl ecting contexts and capacities." (Pages 3-5)
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"'La otra cara de la libertad' busca servir de mapa a los gerentes, directores y dueños de medios que, desde la perspectiva de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial -RSE-, intentan atender las crecientes exigencias a las que se enfrentan sus empresas. Contribución al desarrollo sostenible, alianza
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s con organizaciones de la sociedad civil, impacto ambiental, transparencia en la política editorial o publicidad responsable son solo algunos aspectos que poco a poco comienzan a aparecer en la agenda de los medios, ya no como una preocupación de académicos sino como parte integral del negocio mismo y de su cadena de valor." (Introducción)
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"This is an introduction to the collective marketing strategy with a regional and thematic emphasis on Nepalese community radio stations. In this publication, airtime is viewed as the "product" that all community radio stations sell, and which builds a link between them, as well as their mutual aim
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to contribute to the social progress of their communities. Hence, this publication suggests building partnerships to support each other in various contexts, eg, by sharing programmes on topics like immunisation, which are relevant for many radio stations, or by assisting each other in finding sponsorships or advertisers. The term "collective" refers to partnerships of Nepalese community radio stations amongst each other, either on a national or a regional level, or amongst those who have something else in common, although partnerships can also be built by community radio stations and commercial radio stations. The text includes an explanation of the principles of social marketing, and considers its specific features in relation to community radio. The desired structure and the underlying principles that follow this strategy are also discussed. All in all, the publication can inspire radio activists who wish to improve the programmes and the promotion of their radio stations by building a network with others." (commbox)
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"This is an overview of strategic planning tools designed for Nepalese community radios. In plane language, it introduces to the basics of strategic planning, situation and stakeholder analysis, long-term vision and guiding principles, identification of risk factors, definition of indicators and the
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implementation of strategic planning. Many graphs and tables illustrate and facilitate the use of the different concepts, as well as the concrete example of a strategic plan in the annex. Every issue is treated quite briefly, so maybe reading this manual will not be enough to really start a strategic planning process. Nevertheless, it serves the purpose of an introduction quite well." (CAMECO Update 3-2009)
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"Setting up a community radio station can seem complicated and intimidating. However, there is a lot of information and resources available to guide you and your community through this process. This section will help you find some of that information. This manual is divided into six steps: Getting S
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tarted; Legal Considerations; Funding Options; Selecting Equipment; Managing a Community Radio Station; and Broadcasting. This guide briefly explains the significance of each of these steps and then points to where you can look to find additional information." (Page 4)
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"We examine the sustainability of Community radio (CR) as a tool towards achieving the overall development in the South Asian region. A cross-country comparison of CR in areas including people’s participation, regulatory scenarios, human resource development, technology usage trends, financial pra
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ctices etc. shows a wide variety of CR applications and challenges. An indepth analysis of financial data and practices of several Nepalese CR stations (rural, urban, and semi-urban) alongside regulatory and anecdotal references from India and Bangladesh shows potential viability through advertising and other mechanisms. Even with an advertisement cap of 5 minutes per hour, every station shows the potential of achieving financial sustainability by selling a fraction of the allotted ad time (7%-46%). Our model shows that the monthly operating expenditure of types of stations turns out to be more significant than the annualized capital expenditure. In our analysis (and borne out in the real world), of the three considered stations, the semi-urban station has the highest cost per listener. Stochastic cost modeling of real world CR data show the trend of increased cost for content development is a trade-off for expanding the listener base and transmission time. We conclude with a proposed set of policy and operating recommendations to enable CR to play a significant role in overall South Asian development." (Abstract)
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"Community broadcasters are united by six guiding principles. We will work to:
1. Promote harmony and diversity and contribute to an inclusive, cohesive and culturally-diverse Australian community
2. Pursue the principles of democracy, access and equity, especially for people and issues not adequate
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ly represented in other media
3. Enhance the diversity of programming choices available to the public and present programs that expand the variety of viewpoints broadcast in Australia
4. Demonstrate independence in programming as well as in editorial and management decisions
5. Support and develop local arts and music
6. Increase community involvement in broadcasting.
Throughout the Codes, community broadcasting licensees are referred to as ‘we’ or ‘our’. The terms are legally binding." (Guiding principles, page 3)
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