Report (Part 2): International Symposium on Volunteering and Development of Capacity in the Information Society (ISV 2003)

Workshop 1: Content Development

Date: 24 October 2003, 9h00 to 17h30
Moderator: Diane Trahan, Director of Netcorps Canada, Canada
Reporter: Djibril Ndaw, Direction informatique de l'Etat (Republic of Senegal)

Methodology

Participants first established an inventory of important points and then put together a list of recommendations.The inventory identified four main means used for contents development: the Internet, radio, television, and newspapers. It also looked at the positive and negative impact of ICTs on social, economic and cultural development in various countries around the world.

Synthesis

Major issues and impediments for contents development were identified:

• Technical knowledge required for updating contents;
• Cost linked to web hosting;
• Reliability and credibility of information sources;
• Hosting and referring: complexity of procedures at the national level;
• Access to information technology and the Internet by target populations and beneficiaries;
• Challenges for partnerships: true participation and control of civil society over the development of contents.

Recommendations

Recommendations aimed at (1) solving issues that might hinder the development of contents, (2) develop a short-term strategy to consolidate acquired knowledge and promote the development of contents in other fields such as education and training, health and nutrition, human rights, environment, agriculture, security and disaster relief, culture and cultural exchange, marginalized populations.

• Considering their multiple applications and low cost, increase the use and distribution of free and open source software for content management.
• Volunteers are an asset for social, economic and cultural development. They often contribute their own skills and knowledge when developing content. Their contribution should thus be fully recognized and valued.
• In order to develop trustworthy content ensure that volunteer editors have access to reliable information sources.
• Make wider use of volunteers for the production of electronic content. Depending on the situation, volunteers may need training and assistance, but this can help them become trainers in turn.
• The creation and management of content by volunteers can be particularly valuable in rural areas. Affordable connections should be extended to these zones (e.g. by negotiating reduced rates for non profit organizations).
• Include language diversity into national cyber-strategies. The translation of content into local languages should be increased and this might be possible through volunteer action.
• Considering the cost and difficulties of including civil society content into commercial portals, develop online platforms or portals for civil society. This can also help with information sharing and the development of better communication strategies.