We had the honor of attending the third annual Global Diaspora Forum in Washington, D.C. last week.  The Forum is hosted by the International diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA), an initiative managed by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). IdEA was launched by former State Secretary Hillary Clinton as a way for the U.S. federal government to better engage with U.S.-based Diaspora communities in supporting their home countries through development, entrepreneurship, and diplomacy.  This is the largest global gathering of Diaspora communities in the world.

“Entrepreneurship is so crucial to addressing our development challenges, and I am a believer that great ideas come from many different places,” said Maura O’Neill, USAID’s Chief Innovation Officer.  ”That is one of the things that make me so proud of living in this country that people can have opportunities who have ideas.  And that is what we want to invest in and incubate all over the world.”

We had the opportunity to meet with many great, up and coming Diaspora entrepreneurs looking to make a difference.  While the Forum was mostly geared towards private-public partnerships, this event also highlights the great potentials for any firm that is looking to do business internationally by engaging with Diaspora communities.

Like USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said at the Forum, Diaspora communities can be the “human connectivity” between private firms and overseas clients.

Much of the success behind Global Wire Associates has been through establishing partnerships with many Diaspora tech professionals and activists who have put us in touch with clients and other business opportunities around the world.  Diaspora communities also benefit, as they are able to grow their own businesses and professional networks and financially support their families and communities still living in their home countries.

The old saying goes actions speak louder than words, but sometimes certain words can lead to really bad actions.  Take for instance the 1994 Rwandan genocide.  Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) used its airwaves to promote hate speech by calling on Hutu listeners to kill Tutsis or to “exterminate the cockroaches.”  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until long after nearly one million people were killed that those outside of Rwanda fully understood the cause of the violence.  Employees of the radio station were eventually convicted and jailed for their crimes.

The Sentinel Project, a Toronto-based human rights organization, recently launched Hatebase, the world’s largest online database for hate speech.  The ultimate goal is to use this space to find early indicators of ethnic discrimination and violence through language.

“Hatebase is available to casual users through a Wikipedia-like web interface, and to developers through an authenticating API,” said Sentinel’s ICT advisor Timothy Quinn.  “Although the core of Hatebase is its community-edited vocabulary of multilingual hate speech, a critical concept in Hatebase is regionality: users can associate hate speech with geography, thus building a parallel dataset of “sightings” which can be monitored for frequency, localization, migration, and transformation.”

Unfortunately, hate speech is common place worldwide, and has taken on a whole new level of severity on the Internet.  Furthermore, hate speech can be very broad in interpretation.  The same word can be viewed as offensive to one person and benign to another person.  Looking at the current entries on the map, there are some word metrics that could be identified as hate speech under certain cultural contexts.

Hatebase is defining hate speech as “any term which broadly categorizes a specific group of people based on malignant, qualitative and/or subjective attributes — particularly if those attributes pertain to ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, disability or class.”  They are essentially using the famed logic of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: “I know it when I see it.”

For example, the use of “cockroach” in Rwanda: Had this database been around before the genocide, people could have identified and mapped the word to use as a metric to correlate any violence or discrimination happening in a specific location.  But in another context, Quinn said, “it could be that there’s a cockroach outbreak, but in that context it’s pretty likely it’s not and in any case it’s a significant datapoint.”

The Sentinel Project plans to only focus their efforts in regions where there is a real potential for ethnic violence.  In March Sentinel staff members were in Kenya to monitor tensions during the presidential elections.  The group is currently monitoring public statements being made by public officials in Iran against the Bahai minority and any correlating violence.

Over the next few months, Sentinel plans to enhance the functionality of the site, but we think this project is already onto a good start, and we hope to follow its progress.

Global youth unemployment has been on the rise in recent years.  According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), “almost 74 million people in the 15 to 24 age group are unemployed around the world – a 12.6 percent youth unemployment rate.”  Of course, this number goes up when you include those who work in temporary jobs and in the informal economy.  A more accurate youth unemployment rate would actually be around 50 percent.

A large number of unemployed youth have been without stable work for more than six months, which can discourage them or force them to leave the job market altogether.  The long term consequences of leaving the job market so young in life can stifle any necessary professional development and on-the-job training to help them stay competitive in their careers.

Most of the youth unemployment numbers are coming out of the developing world.  Many employers argue that there aren’t enough people with the right skill sets in growing fields that are actually hiring.  Technology is a growing field that could provide more economic opportunities for youth.  Colombian social entrepreneur Andrea Cornejo believes that the economy could improve if more youth had access to technology training and skills that can help their communities.  Last year Cornejo started Coderise, an initiative based in Medellín that empowers youth from developing countries by teaching them about tech innovation and entrepreneurship by creating web applications.

“When you look at the most successful programmers out there, you realize that success does not depend on if you were born into a good family, but your curiosity and access to a computer,” Cornejo said in an interview.  “When we talk about technology, any child could be the next person to change the world. You just need to have the tools of knowledge and inspiration to do so.”

During a nine-week training program, the students, or “Coderisers,” learn the principles of computer programming and software development, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby and other databases.  They also have weekly opportunities to engage with tech entrepreneurs, engineers and other mentors from Colombia and the United States.  Along the way, coderisers work together on projects and figure out ways to apply their skills to solving problems in their communities.  At the end of the program, Coderisers participate in a Demo Day presentation, where they pitch their projects to the local tech community, family and friends.

Cornejo says the ultimate goal is to not only possibly train more future programmers, but also “to integrate the technology into the community and put the tools to create in their hands—so that they have the same opportunity as any other child in the world to make an impact.”

After its pilot project, Coderise will officially launch in October. In the meantime, Cornejo is fundraising to guarantee the program will be completely free for future Coderisers.  She also says that many of the students have continued their learning and are already profiting financially.

Cornejo hopes that Coderise can be a leader in closing the socio-economic gap between Latin America and other developed economies.  According to the 2012 Global Innovation Index, Latin America shows great economic disparities, but also great potential for growth.  Colombia ranks third in South America and 65th out of 141 countries when it comes to innovation.

Education is key to success and career advancement.  And it is not in society’s best interest to allow youth to go unemployed, underemployed or without desirable job skills long term.  Increasing training programs like Coderise and paid apprenticeship opportunities for low-skilled unemployed youth in the ICT sector is a start.  As for apprenticeships, this benefits both the apprentice and employer, as the trained apprentice will have better chances of gainful employment, while employers are able to lower labor costs.  Governments could provide subsidies to ICT employers to promote such apprenticeship programs.  Also, more vocational and college scholarship programs specifically for youth pursuing ICT careers should also be increased.

In honor of International Girls in ICT Day (25 April 2013), Global Wire Associates had the pleasure of working with three 16-year-old girls, who spent the last week in our office getting intensive training in strategic content development, basic HTML and CSS and entrepreneurship.  They all expressed interest in becoming web developers one day and we hope to bring them back in the next few months to provide them with more guidance.  In the meantime, they shared their thoughts with us on the importance of engaging youth in the digital economy.

“I think it is very important for more youth to have better employment opportunities through training. There should be more educational programs in ICT for kids so we can have more exposure and see ICT careers as a potential path.  I would like to use my skills to grow the ICT and programming community in Africa.” – Sophie Diakité, Dakar, Senegal

“Before I did this training, I didn’t know anything about how to build a website and why it is important to be computer literate.  After the class I see it is really easy to learn how to make nice looking websites and I can actually make a living doing that!  I would one day like to build my own online magazine about Caribbean and French fashion.” – Simone Capois, Jacmel, Haiti

“Before I did this class, I thought that only geeks did coding stuff.  After I learned that coding is not just for geeks and it is essential for everyone to have this knowledge to get a job today.  I would like to use my knowledge to build websites and apps for nonprofits in my hometown and run my own design firm.” – Aeisha Thomas, Jackson, MS, USA

We have finalized our training/consultation schedule for May through August.  If you live in or near any of these cities, please consider joining us for a private training or a consultation!  There will be special discussions on e-waste recycling, broadband advocacy and mobile entrepreneurship in many of our trainings this go around. We also have a great line up of webinars this term.

In Person Trainings:

Toronto, Canada 27-31 May 2013

Paris France – 17-21 June 2013

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 29-31 July 2013

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – 12-15 August 2013

Webinars:

Branding and Strategic Content Development – Saturday, 11 May 2013, Noon EST

Breaking the Digital Caste System – Saturday, 8 June 2013, Noon EST

Video Journalism 101 – Saturday, 13 July 2013, Noon EST

Intellectual Property and the Creative Economy – 10 August 2013, Noon EST

A full listing of what we will be doing in the trainings and webinars can be found on our Upcoming Events page.  As usual, spaces will go quickly, so sign up for a webinar or in person training sooner rather than later.   We still have some open time slots for  more customized training/consultation opportunities, but it is also first come, first serve.  If you are interested in scheduling time, please refer to our Services page.   We reserve the right to cancel or postpone in-person trainings or consultations based on travel warnings issued by the US Department of State.  Any questions about schedules or fees? Email info[at]globalwireonline[dot]com.

Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country with a rapidly growing economy.  The country recently hosted the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20), the largest ever gathering for discussions on climate change.  We had the opportunity to attend Rio+20, and participate in conversations on electronic waste (e-waste).  Brazil is way ahead of many other countries on e-waste policy.  As a matter of fact, Brazil recently enacted a national policy on e-waste management.  Currently, the government and the country’s electronics industries are looking into ways to better implement the law.

Such a policy has possibly come into place now because Brazil, along with Mexico and Senegal, are “generating more e-waste per capita from personal computers than the other surveyed countries,” according to a UNEP report.

According to the World Bank, ”Brazilians became the 10th biggest tablet buyers in the world in 2012. In the third quarter alone, sales topped almost 770,000, a 127% increase compared with the same period in 2011. Demand for smart phones is on the rise too: 4.2 million were sold in the country over these three months according to IDC, a global technology consultancy. But, as consumption booms – especially among Brazil’s emerging middle class –, so does the risk that these gadgets are inappropriately disposed when they become worn out or obsolete.”

In addition, as World Youth Day and World Cup 2014 approach quickly, demand for electronics will continue to rise.

Following this new policy, Brazil’s ministry of science and technology commissioned a World Bank report last year that shows the impact e-waste could have on the country in the near future and how to deal with the problem effectively.

Some of the recommendations included more “focus for the immediate future on improving the earlier points in the e-waste value chain.”  It specifically pointed out that Brazil should follow the model currently used in Taizhou, China, which calls for simple e-waste components to be processed locally, and to send more complex components overseas to a specialized, high-volume processing plant.

The report recommends that the federal government work more closely with regional officials to make sure e-waste policies are enforced universally and to create a certification system to guarantee that e-waste will be properly recycled.  One interesting point were the “extended producer responsibilities” which call on the electronics industry to clarify their roles and responsibilities, evaluate what their financial responsibility is throughout the value chain and “to design long-lasting, environmentally friendly and easily recyclable products.”

These are sound recommendations that could help Brazil become a world leader in e-waste management.  However, there are still some other questions about going forward with such a policy.

“It’s hard to define a single standard for collection and processing when there is such a broad array of products generating e-waste,” said Ademir Brescansin, socio environmental responsibility manager at ABINEE, Brazil’s Association for Electronic Industry.
“Besides, there are still a few recycling companies, and they are not equally distributed across the territory, which makes transport costs high,” he adds. In spite of the difficulties, Brazilian government and companies established a 2014 deadline to reach an agreement, set up recycling targets, and start taking concrete measures.

Again, it still comes down to the consumers.

“Several global enterprises are already acting up and have their own recycling policies, but there’s more to be done,” said Lucas Veloso of Oxil, a Sao Paulo-based recycling company. “In almost every house and every company there’s still a room where old electronics gather dust, and people still have no idea of what to do with them.”

Vanda Scartezini, co-author of the report, goes more in-depth in an article about the new economic opportunities e-waste management presents to both private firms and individual Brazilian states.  It is good that Brazil is taking the initiative to evaluate it’s own environmental impact and create a country-wide e-waste policy.  Hopefully, other nations will follow suit.

To learn more about this topic, check out our latest book, Recharge E-waste: Ideas for Reducing Electronic Waste and Greening the Tech World.

We receive a lot of questions on a regular basis about some of the latest trends and issues in technology and social innovation.  We are starting a new feature here where we open up our brain trust and answer your questions.

I work for a small not-for-profit company in Johannesberg and I also own a part-time catering business. I hear that content is a hot word right now.  I am always reading about content marketing.  What does it mean exactly and how can entrepreneurs and NGOs start doing content?  I would like to implement online strategies for both of my organizations. – Muriel Kalenga, Johannesburg, South Africa

Content sure is a pretty hot word right now.  As a matter of fact, content is king.  Specifically, content marketing is the strategic technique of planning, developing and distributing informational content (written, oral, visual etc.) with a clearly defined brand to attract more customers or supporters.  Branded content can be presented in a variety of media, including websites, social media, e-books, newsletters, videos, pod-casts etc.  The Virgin Group and Red Bull have been making big waves in the content arena lately.  However, many small businesses and non-profits/NGOs are also taking advantage of the new opportunities the Internet presents.  Remember, content is content and the same rules apply across the board, whether you run a multinational corporation, a mom-and-pop shop or a small charity.  Content that is high-quality, helpful and relevant to your audience is key to growing your operation.

When you begin your content strategy, think about your organization’s mission, what makes it unique, who is its audience, and how will it publish those ideas to the masses.  Once you solidify those ideas, you then want to play to your strengths and use vehicles you are most comfortable using for delivering your strategy.  Those vehicles could include writing articles or e-books, creating videos or pod-casts and interacting with customers/supporters through social media.  Along the way you want to track your success and make changes to your strategy when necessary.  The most successful content strategies are those that are consistent and make the most out of everyone’s time and resources to get the job done.

Small Business Examples:

Mari Luangrath started her cupcake online ordering business, Foiled Cupcakes, in 2009.  When she first started the business, she was not able to take orders on her website for the first six weeks.  Instead, Luangrath started tweeting and blogging.  In six weeks, Foiled Cupcakes grew from 0 customers to 2,200 targeted followers on social media in less than 6 weeks, attracted national media attention, and beat their sales targets by 600 percent.

Lauren Luke, former cab driver from London, started her make-up empire, Style By Lauren, by posting “how-to” videos on YouTube (and didn’t spend any money to make them).

Pat Flynn was laid off from his job as an architect in 2008.  Five years later, he runs a popular pod-cast and blog that helps other small businesses with online marketing and sales solutions.

Nonprofit examples:

The Make-A-Wish Foundation puts video wishes on its YouTube channel, publishes every granted wish on its website, and shares content on Facebook and Twitter.

charity: water launched an online video campaign to thank supporters who helped the organization raise the US$42 million dollars needed to launch 4,282 water projects to 2 million people in need during its fifth anniversary.

Got a question for us? Send us an email at info(at)globalwireonline(dot)org with “Ask Global Wire Associates” in the subject line.

With all the talk these days about the latest and greatest gadgets and social media tools, sometimes many of us living in developed countries take one big thing for granted: electricity.  Approximately 1.6 billion people in the world are living without access to electricity.  Most of these people use wood, coal or even dung to heat and cook in their homes, which can result in indoor air pollution that kills 1.6 million people a year.   Furthermore, those without regular access to electricity can’t recharge their electronics and participate on the Internet.  Because so much of our lives – particularly employment and education – are largely dependent on technology today, it is not in anyone’s interest to be left behind in the new digital age.

Some innovators are looking towards green technology to solve the problem.  The African Development Bank has embarked on an ambitious project to increase geothermal prospecting throughout East Africa.  This is the process of drilling geothermal regions, where hot fluids drive turbines for electricity.  The Bank will focus on building geothermal units in the East African Rift Valley.

Specifically…

……[The African Development Bank] is currently working with the government of Djibouti on the development of a 50 MW power plant in the LacAssal region. In Ethiopia, the AfDB has played a leading role in defining a geothermal development roadmap.

In Tanzania, the AfDB is leading the development of the scaling-up renewable energy programme of the Climate Investment Funds, which will include the financing of a geothermal development project. In the Comoros, the AfDB has started the identification process for a 20 MW geothermal plant, matching the needs of the archipelago…

This BBC report describes the project in Kenya:

Solar power is also being used to bridge the broadband divide.  Microsoft announced in February that it was collaborating with the Kenyan government to deliver affordable, solar-powered broadband access through white space technology.

So what exactly is white space technology?

……TV white spaces, the unused portions of wireless spectrum in the frequency bands generally used for television, are particularly well-suited for delivering low-cost broadband access to rural and other unserved communities. Radio signals in the TV bands travel over longer distances and penetrate more obstacles than other types of radio signals and, therefore, require fewer base stations to provide ubiquitous coverage. Microsoft intends to use this pilot and other similar initiatives to encourage African governments to make the needed legal and regulatory changes that would allow this type of technology to be deployed continent wide…

Microsoft’s project is similar to one in South Africa just announced by Google, which uses three base stations for ten schools.

“You’re talking about delivering broadband access to communities without any electricity whatsoever, without paved roads; all these things we take as normal don’t exist in these communities,” said Paul Garnett, director of technology policy at Microsoft. “It’s exciting to be in schools where kids have never used the Internet before. Within 90 seconds they’re surfing the ‘Net, they’re using a touchscreen, and they’re off and running. It’s an amazing thing.”

We will certainly monitor the progress of all of these projects!

Prison activists have long advocated that recidivism among ex-offenders goes down when proper rehabilitation and re-entry training is offered while they are still in prison.  The United States has the largest incarceration rate in the world.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), approximately 2.3 million adults were incarcerated in U.S. federal and state prisons, and county jails at year-end 2010 – about 0.7 percent of adults in the U.S. resident population.  Bureau statistics also show that over two-thirds of ex-offenders were rearrested within three years of their initial release.

Most prisoners who are released are generally not given the necessary training and resources to properly reintegrate into life on the outside. Their criminal records make it impossible to access proper employment and housing, which in many cases can lead ex-offenders back into a life of crime.  One man in California is trying to change that outlook in the San Quentin State Prison.  Venture capitalist Chris Redlitz started the Last Mile program in 2011 not with the intention of any financial gain, but rather to teach inmates about tech entrepreneurship and other skills that could possibly help them get jobs in the tech sector once they are released from prison.

This can be quite a challenge.  For one, if the inmate has been incarcerated for at least the last 10 years, they most likely don’t know how to use a computer, a smart phone or the Internet.  Secondly, inmates are not allowed to use these items or run a business in prison.  While San Quentin is home to the state’s only death row, it also supports a vigorous learning environment with a unique college degree program.  So this would be a perfect space for the Last Mile program to grow.

The program graduated its first class last year, and it accepted 10 inmates out of 50 applicants for its latest batch.  The inmates meet twice a week to discuss their startup ideas and business plans.  Check out this video about a Demo Day they held last year.

“What’s frustrating is that all these companies in [Silicon] Valley, they’re ideas for the 1 or 10 percent,” said John Collison, co-founder of online payments startup Stripe who attended the Demo Day. The San Quentin inmates “were talking about urban obesity, or PTSD.  It’s a completely different perspective. We actually really need that.”

The inmates will have to wait until they are released to test out their business ideas. Many of the ideas are great, but what is the likelihood they would get funding?  Slim, but still possible.  This is not just because of their criminal records; venture capital funding is very hard to navigate.  It is even harder for minority and women led tech startups trying to pursue their business dreams in the very white and privileged worlds of Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley.

It is possibly time to rethink what society’s role is in making sure ex-offenders don’t reoffend.  Some critics would argue that the lack of education, employment opportunities and familial structure need to be address before people become criminals and go to jail.  Others would argue that criminals should never be given another chance, whether inside or outside of prison, and that resources should be invested into those without a criminal record.

But the reality here is that most inmates do eventually leave prison.  If society expects ex-offenders to become productive, law-abiding citizens, then it will have to reconsider society’s role in making this happen.   Furthermore, creating a permanent underclass with ex-offenders is not in the best interest of supporting a strong economy in the long run.  There are many complexities to this issue that go beyond what we can discuss in this post.  However, giving ex-offenders who repent for their crimes and genuinely want a second chance at life through training programs like the Last Mile and job opportunities post incarceration could be one step in the right direction.

Not only is prison rehabilitation and re-entry training better for prisoners, but there is also a financial incentive for society as well.  According to Xconomy, incarceration costs US$50,000 per inmate per year in California, and the budget for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is almost US$10 billion.  With recidivism at nearly 70 percent, it would be more cost-efficient to make sure inmates at San Quentin don’t reoffend and are gainfully employed either with their own business or at a job in the tech sector, which is a rapidly growing field with a high demand for qualified technologists.

We have been rolling through a lot of conferences and tech events lately, the most recent one being the Global Conference on Citizen Voices for Enhanced Development Impact hosted by the World Bank in Washington D.C. last week.  This gathering focused on innovative uses of technology and open data to support better engagement between governments and their citizens. From interacting with elected officials on Twitter, to finding details online about a new public infrastructure, digital media has made the world a smaller place, as citizens can now access information, track delivery of services and sound off about community problems all with a click.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim spoke to the crowd about the “science of service delivery” and how technology has broken down walls and created more transparency in how organizations are run today.

“Whether it’s bed nets, or medicines, or textbooks, or roads, we know a lot about what could make lives better—but not always how to ensure that these goods and services reach those that need it most,” Kim said.  “If we can help governments and other actors overcome these failures in implementation, we could truly ‘bend the arc of history’ and rapidly bring millions out of poverty and boost prosperity.  Citizens can help provide critical information for solving complex delivery programs.”

The World Bank has not been known for its transparency.  As a matter of fact, many critics have said the organization has a long history of not being accountable to the public.  Kim himself acknowledged that he protested the Bank 20 years ago about these issues.  Since he took over the Bank last summer, Kim has pushed hard internally with a more open agenda with many new initiatives.  The first ones being the access to Information policy, Open Data, and the Open Knowledge Repository – all of which are designed to increase access to information at the Bank and to make its research as widely available as possible.  Also, the Bank created the Global Partnership for Social Accountability last year, “which is providing knowledge and financing to civil society organizations to strengthen citizen voice in development,” Kim said.

Jay Naidoo, Chair of the Board of Directors and the Partnership Council of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), reminded the audience that while technology has created unprecedented access, it is not the total picture and these issues still need to be put into perspective.

“I haven’t seen a country run by Facebook or Twitter yet,” Naidoo said.  “The reality is that technology platforms are one part of the equation of building democracies and building deeper engagement.”

Jean-Claude Kibala N’Kolde, Minister of Public Works for the Democratic Republic of Congo, spoke on how mobile technology has supported better governance in his country.  The DRC has suffered a great deal due to the many civil wars and human rights abuses going on within the country.  Many Congolese living in poverty felt left out of the process of how their communities were financed.  Recently government officials started organizing community meetings in one area as an experiment to discuss budget issues with citizens through text messaging.  Citizens continued to interact with these officials on their mobiles about other problems in their communities.

This new open relationship has been a success for both the government and its citizens.  N’Kolde said citizens are now paying their taxes because they realize that the government can’t afford to pay for infrastructure issues on its own.  Also, the government has reassessed its budget priorities based on citizen input, such as building a bridge the citizens want instead of a school the government wanted to build.

“There was a real responsibility among the citizens, as they felt empowered,” N’Kolde said.

There were many other examples throughout the conference about Government 2.0 globally. Luis Revilla Herrero, Mayor of La Paz, Bolivia, discussed how residents in his city play a proactive part in improving their quality of life and urban improvement services through the True Neighborhoods program, also by way of mobile technology.  Ana Guerrini, a city official from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, spoke about how citizens are pressuring government officials on Facebook to do better inspections for dengue fever.

The private sector was also well represented at the conference with lessons for public officials.  Craigslist founder Craig Newmark mentioned that he created his popular site as a simple way to connect with others.  Newmark views himself as a customer service representative first and spends an hour a day just dealing with customers.

“You don’t need to do big things; just what helps others get through the day,” Newmark said.  “Listen, act, repeat forever.”

Luther Lowe, public policy director at Yelp, said that his organization spends a great deal of time thinking about how to be “transformational.”  This week, Yelp launched a service where users can view public health inspection records for restaurants in San Francisco.  To his surprise, the city’s public health department is not to pleased about this data being exposed because it might create friction between inspectors and restaurant owners.

This brings up other issues about transparency: how open is too open?  Are there certain things that just should not be available to everyone online?  Are there limits to good customer service?  Is there a threshold customers and engaged citizens must meet to get the public and private sectors to pay attention to their needs?  Is there a threshold public and private sectors must meet to be accountable to those they serve? These are questions we will continue to find answers for in the months and years to come.  Many conference attendees online are also open to this discussion as well.

“Technology is like democracy itself: deeply flawed, but the best we’ve got so far,” tweeted Frontline SMS.

Today’s correct answer is tomorrow’s wrong answer,” tweeted Edith Jibunoh of the One Campaign.  “Be flexible to the changing answer.”

Global Wire Associates is ready to take requests for trainings and consultations for May – August 2013.

Check out our Services page to see how we can best take care of you.  Based on the requests and ideas we have been receiving lately, we are going to organize more webinars and less in person meetings.  The firm agrees with this trend as it is more cost efficient and eco-friendly.

We do both in-person meetings and web conferences conducted in English with non-English language translation whenever possible.  We can also customize any trainings for different skill levels.  Check out our Upcoming Events page to see all the exciting activities we have been up to lately.

Last year, we hosted over 100 trainings and consultations in 23 countries with over 2,600 people in attendance.

All we need you to do is send us an email at info (at) globalwireonline (dot) org with training/consultation requests and fee schedules by Friday, 19 April.  Any training/consultation requests received after that date will be looked at on a first come, first serve basis based on time availability and other logistical concerns.

Please Note: We reserve the right to cancel or postpone in-person trainings or consultations based on travel warnings issued by the US Department of State.

This is also your opportunity to tell us how we are doing.  Tell us what you would like us to do for you in the next few months.  What digital tools for social change would you like to learn more about?  What topics would you like to see featured on this site?

In Solidarity,

Talia, Marjane, Philip and Maria