Step 1: Internet Awareness Building

Step 1
Internet Awareness Building

Cultivate a general appreciation and knowledge of what the Internet is and what it can do for your organization.

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The Internet is a huge and ever-growing network that links computers and computer networks around the world. The network is fast, especially considering the technical complexity to connect, for example, a computer in Cape Town with one in Washington, D.C., or in Accra. (For a visual depiction, see the map in the background section of the appendices.) Complicated as the global network is, however, it starts with the basics: a computer loaded with Internet-access software, access to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP), a modem or other method of connection, and an open telephone line to make the connection.

Just as important, access to the Internet starts with the initiative and willingness of one person or a group to experiment. Remember, any new idea or technology takes time to become accepted. People often need many opportunities to hear about and observe change before they start to include it in their realm of "doing business." Your initial job as the Internet champion in your organization may be to build awareness so that people see how the Internet can help them.

Overview: Building Internet Awareness

By building awareness of the Internet within your organization, you will cultivate a general appreciation and knowledge of what the Internet is and what it can do. You need to think about each person you will be talking to and make the discussion or demonstration relevant to his or her job responsibility and level of technical expertise. Some strategies to do that include the following:

1. Show it! Demonstrate the Internet to your colleagues, giving key features and introducing different possibilities for using it. If your office does not already have Internet access, perhaps you can visit a nearby place that does.

2. Provide concrete, relevant examples of what can be done with the Internet. Again, you can use the examples in this book, or better yet, share examples from organizations your audience already knows.

3. Consider carefully how you will launch this Internet introduction. In some organizations, it's better to start with senior management first; elsewhere the whole staff should be involved from the start.

4. Make it fun. Don't get bogged down in overly technical explanations of how the Internet works or in other specifics.

How would you describe a car to people who have never seen one? Would you focus on the details of how it runs? Probably not. Instead you would first tell them how much easier it makes getting from point A to point B. Think of your first descriptions of the Internet in the same way. Get people thinking about how the Internet can enhance what they are already doing.

Starting the Discussion

At this early point, your objective is to transfer some of your own enthusiasm and curiosity to others. Combine group discussions, either at a regularly scheduled or special staff meeting, with conversations and demonstrations with just one or a few people at a time. Identify others in your office most inclined to favor connecting to the Internet and enlist their support. Conversely, identify the people resisting the change and learn more about why they are reluctant to use it. Think about ways to address this resistance.

Get people acquainted with what they can find on the Internet. Someone working on health issues might want to know about education materials easily available from the World Health Organization or about statistics that can be downloaded from a country's health ministry. A human rights activist may be interested in resources available from the Red Cross or Amnesty International. The person in your organization who has to address and send your mailings may be most interested in communicating with constituents via e-mail or a Web site.

A list of Web sites, organized by topic, is available on the Leland Initiative site, or you may already have some sites that you want to show others. Below, too, are short descriptions of some Internet applications that interest many people.

The Internet can expand your audience without regard to the costs of postage and printing. For example, the Programme for Development Research (PRODDER) in South Africa set up a free, weekly e-mail service for the development community in southern Africa. Each week, subscribers receive an e-mail message with news about programs, events, training courses, and job openings.

A Wealth of Possibilities

The Internet is an interactive network that allows people to receive and send information. These capabilities have resulted in a range of applications, and you will want to share these as you build awareness of the Internet with others.

Communication

E-mail, or electronic mail, is the most common use of the Internet. Your organization—or each of the people who work there—can have a unique e-mail address that allows people to send and receive messages from others. You can save on long-distance phone and fax charges and not worry about the time differences and busy schedules that sometimes hinder communicating with others.

In addition, people can subscribe to e-mail discussion groups, in which they exchange information with dozens or thousands of people with similar needs.

Publishing

If your organization publishes newsletters, brochures, special reports, or other printed documents, you can publish them on the Internet—with all their graphics or just the text. You can reach a potentially unlimited audience, without having to pay for postage and printing costs, update addresses, or do time-consuming mailings. Internet publishing does not substitute for traditional paper publishing, but it can expand your audience at a very low marginal cost.

Examples of creative uses of the Internet:

The Centre for African Family Studies Web site has an online catalog of its training courses. It also has summaries of research reports and an easy way to e-mail the Kenya-based NGO for full texts.

The Uganda Coffee Federation became a savvy Internet user within one year. It began with e-mail, then a Web site. A few months later, it hosted a coffee-tasting event in Kampala and Washington, D.C. via the Internet.

Research

Various tools are available to help people do research on the Internet. The amount of such information is astounding. To sort through it all and select what is potentially most relevant, powerful "search engines" have been developed that automatically search millions of Web sites when a person types in a keyword or phrase.

Fundraising and Marketing

Many organizations use the Internet to research funding opportunities, requests for proposals, and other means of raising money. Others have what is called a "presence" on the Web—a site that presents general information in an attractive format—to supplement their brochures and other marketing materials.

Teaching and Training

Schools, NGOs, and others are now using the Internt to expand their distance learning programs. Some offer formal courses with mandatory assignments that offer academic credits; others are less formal. A few examples include classes for health workers on how to process, submit, and access health statistics; advanced training for teachers on the latest pedagogical research; and online "agricultural extension" for farmers.

Commerce

More and more businesses and organizations are selling products and conducting other transactions over the Internet. They can post photos or drawings of their products, answer questions, and take orders when a customer supplies his or her credit card information. Although the technology is sophisticated (particularly to ensure that financial transactions are secure), companies are turning to the Internet as a way to substitute for or supplement their more traditional means of selling.

If you do not have access to the Web, you can still access lots of information and connect with people with similar interests. For example, there are hundreds of thousands of online discussion groups on every possible topic, as well as text-only sites with many organizations' resources. For information on some of these text-based sites, send an e-mail to leland.resources@rrs.cdie.org.

BUILDING AWARENESS AMONG HEALTHLIK 2000'S STAFF

Tina, HEALTHLINK 2000's information specialist, wanted to introduce the organization's president, staff, and board to the Internet. Her challenge was to make the demonstration vivid, and she knew that just showing them copies of her printed materials would not catch their interest. But she had no way to show them on the office computer.

A colleague from another organization suggested asking a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) to set up a demonstration, since in effect he would be marketing his services. Tina did a lot of preparation to make the session a success. First, she worked closely with the provider to make sure that he tailored the demonstration to HEALTHLINK 2000's needs. Together, they developed a list of Web sites that the staff would find exciting and relevant, and Tina looked at each one beforehand. Tina also held a brief introductory session with the staff to find out if people had specific questions or concerns before they went to the ISP's office for the demonstration. She relayed these questions to the ISP representative so that he could research any answers he did not already know.

Tina had worried that the field trip might not go well, but the session was a success. Although a few people cancelled at the last minute because of schedule conflicts, those who attended were excited and curious to learn more. Best of all, the people who did not attend later came up to Tina and asked if she could arrange another demonstration.

Are You Ready for the Next Step?

Do you feel that your colleagues have a good sense of the possibilities of the Internet? Has your supervisor given his or her okay to move ahead, if such approval is needed in your situation? In Step 2, we suggest that you facilitate an assessment of how your organization currently uses information. Understanding your information needs will help you make decisions about how the Internet can help fulfill those needs.

Overview | Table of Contents | Step 2