Resources

Compilation of 5 videos on one tape.

The authors explore the use of Web 2.0 tools for development and introduce readers to the concept of Web2forDev. Web 2.0 tools are radically changing the ways we create, share, collaborate and publish digital information through the Internet. Participatory Web 2.0 for development (Web2forDev for short) is a way of employing web services to intentionally improve information-sharing and on-line collaboration for development. It presents us with new opportunities for change - as well as challenges - that we need to better understand and grasp. The authors consider learning and reflections from practice and consider ways forward.

The author explores the potential of blogging for development. A blog enables users to engage in two way conversations and link to one another to form new information-sharing networks. Blogging represents a shift from a more traditional, top-down mode of communication to a more publicly open and transparent one. While the use of blogging for development is beginning to gain popularity, these blogs are still in limited use û and issues of access and literacy remain a fundamental challenge in many parts of the world.

The author describes the use of video blogging by the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (GINKS). Similar to a blog, a video blog û or vlog for short û contains short segments of video content. Usually in the form of interviews, these vlogs help members to share information about work and experiences. The author also considers the potentials of vlogging for advocacy puposes, as well as the challenges inherent in using Web 2.0 tools in countries such as Ghana, where Internet access in still mostly limited to urban areas.