DRAFT new "about" for IFIWatchnet website
From IFIwatchnet Wiki
The currently "about" shown in the IFIwatchnet website is quite old and doesn't correspond to the new IFIWatchnet orientation. Hence, we have updated some information, but would like everyone to take a look and contribute to these profile. Here is a start with two of the "about" sections: "Who is IFIWatchnet for?" and "What does IFIWatchnet do?". another needed section is '"How is IFIWatchnet run?" Go ahead and edit it!
Who is IFIWatchnet for?
Users of IFIwatchnet
- IFIwatchnet is for anyone interested in the activities of the IFIs and the impact of those activities eg civil society organisations, policy makers, activists, journalists or researchers
- It will help these users find independent and critical perspectives via the internet that otherwise might be hard to locate.
Participants in IFIwatchnet: IFIwatchers
- Participants are those organisations or individuals actively involved in monitoring the activities of the IFIs and committed to working more closely together
- There are now over 60 participating organisations from around the world, and this number continues to grow.
- IFIwatchnet is particularly interested in expanding the space for the voices of IFIwatching organisations and individuals from the South
- Participating organisations do not need to have a website
What does IFIwatchnet do?
IFIwatchnet is based on a commitment of a range of IFI watchers around the world to share information and work more collaboratively. IFIwatchnet provides a range of web-based information sharing tools.
Documents and newsletters collection:
IFIwatchnet maintains the most extensive collection of civil society resources relating to the IFIs, categorised by institution and with tags in each institution's section for ease of use. It is also fully searchable by keyword. Regularly updated by participants, this is the place to find who is working on what, what a particular bank is doing in a particular region, what is the latest on a particular bank-funded project. Like events in the calendar, documents posted can appear immediately on multiple sites and any organisation can feature listings of latest documents added to IFIwatchnet.
IFIwatchers calendar:
The calendar is an online tool that allows participants to share their information about relevant events with each other. All information is entered by participants to create a comprehensive listing of IFI related events. Events can be searched by date, issue, location or target institution. Web feed technology means that any event posted by users will appear immediately on multiple sites worldwide. Any organisation can install the calendar on their sites, which once installed will update automatically.
Blogging on IFIWatchnet:
One of the most exciting developments of IFIWatchnet website is the blog section. To start blogging all you have to do is login and go to "My blog" section on the user menu. Inside My blog reside all your blog postings, and of course you can add new entries. The entries are displayed in the Blog section of IFIWatchnet, together with the entries of other members. In this general display, you can filter entries by poster. So, each member has his/her own blog section, which is accessible from the general blog section of the website.
Campaign in a box:
"Campaign is a box" is a new tool, which allows any member organisation to include campaign banners on the IFIWatchnet site. You can see the campaign's banner on the IFIWatchnet homepage. This banner will link to the campaign's website, if there is one, or to a site specifically designed for that purpose by IFIWatchnet. So any member organisation will be able to include campaign banners that point to specific campaigns, even if their host organizations are not able to post the campaign on their own websites.
IFIWatch.tv:
Information hub for independent film and video on the IFIs. Searchable using keyword tags, and with search results generating RSS feeds, it is a unique resource for film-makers, distributors and viewers, educators, broadcasters, film programmers, campaigners, journalists, activists and anyone else who wants to see and hear what IFIs are doing with our money and our world.
Search engine:
The IFIwatchnet search engine allows users to search for alternative and independent perspectives on the activities of IFIs. Currently, searches using traditional search engines are swamped by results from official sources. A specific search engine of this kind is necessary to address the imbalance of information available on the internet which marginalises the voices of smaller organisations. The IFIwatchnet search engine is provided by Choike, a portal on Southern civil society that has developed a tailored search engine dedicated to improving the visibility of work done by organizations from the South.
IFIwatchers shared area. Private area for discussion, strategising and sharing sensitive documents:
This part of the site is password protected and extremely secure. If you are a member of a participating organisation and would like to access this area, please contact your regional animator.
IFIwatchers jobs board:
Listings of vacancies with IFIwatchnet participating organsiations and other civil society groups relating to monitoring the IFIs. Participating organisations can post jobs directly to the jobs board, non participating organisations can advertise their vacancies by completing the public submission form.
IFIwatchers webloop:
The webloop, creates a loop of IFIwatchers' websites which allows interested users to navigate easily from one site to another. Users can find new organisations which monitor the IFIs by following the loop from any participating organisation's website. Only IFIwatchnet participating organisations are eligible to be in the webloop.
'How is IFIWatchnet run?'
The Steering Group is made up of experienced activists on IFI issues, combining regional balance with commitment to and experience with work on ifiwatchnet. The SG meets regularly over the net, oversees progress and takes strategic decisions regarding the direction of ifiwatchnet. Current members are: do you want to be listed???
The Animators are mainly more junior staff in IFIwatching organisations, combining regional balance with a focus on specific areas of attention, say a certain international campaign, or video. The Animators meet over the next every three weeks, and are responsible for outreach, helping members engage and share materials through IFIWatchnet.
The Host Organisation is responsible for technical development and maintenance of the website, ensuring financial sustainability and so forth...
