My Blog

On line Chat - how Dadamac can help Ramadhan in Tanzania April 24, 2011

Hi Ramadhan and readers of my open letters at http://dadamac.posterous.com

Arranging a chat on Tuesday

Ramadhan you suggest we arrange a chat on Tuesday 26th to discuss the Maranye project. That is possible. Let's discuss the practicalities.

I could be available sometime between 13.00 and 15.30 GMT or after around 19.30 GMT (GMT is the same as standard universal time, and I think it is two hours earlier than your time see Clock - world time home page         http://www.timeanddate.com/  )

Are you thinking typed chat or voice chat? Do you prefer yahoo or skype? Alternatively we could set up an etherpad, then we could prepare an agenda in the big space and have our chat in the side box. What do you think?

It would be helpful to me if you would complete a profile before we have our chat - See Introductions for the collaborators      http://dadamac-collaborators-connect.posterous.com/introductions-for-the-collaborators

Expectations and what Dadamac can, and cannot, do

I hope that you have realistic expectations regarding our chat. You need to understand what dadamac is and what it is not. It is not like a big NGO with money to give away. Dadamac is simply here to raise the visibility of projects and help people to share information. It is an attempt to bring grass roots initiatives to  the attention of more people

Becoming more visible through Dadamac.net

Perhaps you have seen the information that we share at www.dadamac.net about John Dada's work in North Central Nigeria. I am are setting things up so that you, and other people in Collaborators Connect will be able to become visible in a similar way. 

Placing your information

I do not have time to put the information in the right places for you. If you think it would be useful to become more visible through dadamac,net you will need to learn to put information up for yourself. I am happy to help you learn how to do that. I have already mentioned completing your profile. I suggest that you put links from your profile to all the posts you have published at posterous dadamac collaborators connect       http://dadamac-collaborators-connect.posterous.com/

Posterous

Posterous is a good place to put things, but it has benefits and disadvantages. Benefits include the way that it gets sent out to all the other collaborators, and the way that anyone with the link can view it, and the fact that other people may come across it too. A disadvantage is the way that what you write gradually gets buried under more recent posts. I have found the information that you have posted to http://dadamac-collaborators-connect.posterous.com/ interesting and informative. I am glad you posted it there. If you put links to all your posts on your profile then it will be easy for people to find what you have written, even if it is months (or years) later.

A Special Interest Group

Something else we might do is set up a Special Interest Group on a general topic that is dear to your heart. Then we can see who else we know who can join this group. The group can rub minds  through emails and online meeting and explore how to help each other to move forward. Once again I have to warn you that I do not have time to run such a group, but I can give you advice based on other groups I have run in the past, and generally give you a bit of support in the background.

Looking forward

I look forward to your reply and discovering together how Dadamac can help you to further your work in Tanzania.

Pamela