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Dear Ian,
As someone with an interest in voluntary and community sector ICT we hope you find our monthly London ICT e-bulletin useful. Our bulletin is aimed at smaller voluntary and community organisations, managers, circuit riders and accidental techies. It will keep you up to date with the latest news for circuit riding, ICT events and training, ICT accessibility and more. You can also forward it to a colleague or unsubscribe at any time.
How are we doing?
This is the fourth issue of the Bulletin and we'd like to know how we're doing. Is the Bulletin useful to you in your ICT work? Are we including the right sort of things? Want more or less of something? Anything we're not covering? Any feedback is really helpful, just email us
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The team that brings you this Bulletin can now be followed on Twitter - the account name is lasaict and we'll be using the hashtag #ictbulletin for tweets related to the Bulletin. For more information about Twitter see the Knowledgebase article To Twitter or not to Twitter
Lasa Information Systems Team
In this London ICT e-bulletin for August 2009:
ict news
Clay Shirky, Windows 7, spam increases, non-profit social media take up and privacy, .ngo domains, web video.
events & training
NetSquared NetTuesday meetup, Facebook webinar, Data Protection, Collaborative Working, video training, AbilityNet courses, Green Expo, iT4Communities mentoring project, Idealware webinars.
funding
Communitybuilders, Hardship Fund, Grassroots grants.
resources
Website testing, arts toolkit for deaf community, Common Craft videos, UKRiders rides again, web data control, disclaimers.
practical tips
YouTube, memory stick security factsheet. Discuss security issues.
tools & applications
Picture passwords, Intranet in a box.
ict news
Here Comes Clay ShirkyClay Shirky, author of the book on Web 2.0 tools and activity Here Comes Everybody addressed NTEN's annual conference earlier this year.
6 in 10 companies won't take up Windows 7
A US survey has revealed that 6 out of every 10 companies plan to skip Windows 7 in concern over its cost, the time it'll take to deploy, and compatibility with existing software. Many companies have said that they're going to wait for the first service pack before implementing the OS. 39% said that they were concerned about compatibility problems with existing apps, despite the promise of an XP compatibility mode.
Source: Pocket Lint
Spam increasing
According to Google, overall spam levels in the second quarter of 2009 were 53% higher than during the first quarter, and 6% higher than a year ago. Source: Google Enterprise blog
Nonprofit groups outpace businesses in adopting social-networking tools
A forthcoming study by the University of Massachusetts shows non-profit groups are well ahead of businesses in their use of social-media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs. The study found that 89% of non-profit organisations are using some form of social media. Source: Philanthropy.com
Social network users reportedly concerned about privacy, but behavior says otherwise
New data from security solutions company Webroot revealed that a majority of users (78%) reported concerns about their social network profiles' privacy, but when asked about specific behaviors it was apparent that "concern" didn't translate into action. Source: ReadWriteWeb
New domain name .ngo would be for charities only
Human rights charity Article 25 proposes internet scheme to be funded by philanthropists. Source: Third Sector Online
Digital TV losing out to web video
Online sites such as YouTube help voluntary organisations target niche groups better, according to nfpSynergy report. Source: Third Sector Online
Related Knowledgebase articles:
events & training
1 September: NetSquared NetTuesday meetup This month on youth work and social networking. More information and sign up. You can also get a flavour of the event by watching videos from the previous meetup.9 September: Facebook: Successful Strategies to Boost Donations and Engage Constituents - a free webinar presented by Marc Osten of Summit Collaborative for CharityHowTo.com. Case studies, getting started, effective practices to deploy and avoiding pitfalls. Register
15 September: Social Media in Action - A Cascade Network morning learning session showcasing the Women's Resource Centre's use of Social Media to engage with their audience. Further details Please note this is primarily session for members - more information about joining this network for London's Second-Tier Information and Communication workers.
24 September: Data Protection and Communications for the Voluntary Sector @ NCVO, London N1 - Find out how to ensure your organisations' communications are lawful. Prices from £95, more information and booking.
29 September 2009: NCVO's Collaborative Working Conference 2009 @ NCVO, London, N1 - NCVO’s fourth annual Collaborative Working Conference will discuss current practice in collaborative working across civil society organisations and look at new opportunities offered by collaboration. Prices from £121.52 for NCVO members. More information and registration
7-9 October: Video training course for charities @ CTX, London, SE1 - Charity Technology Trust is running its video training course designed for charities and not for profit organisations which covers pre-production, production and post production. The full course fee is £450, however if you enrol before the 15th September, you will benefit from a reduced rate of £399. Places limited, book now.
21 October: Mobile Access Solutions @ British Computer Society, London, WC2 - AbilityNet's course explores the key issues identified by disabled users in selecting portable technology such as mobile telephones and netbooks, demonstrating how, through free solutions, they can be made increasingly more accessible. Information and Booking: Call free on 0800 269545 or book online
10 November: Effective Assessment of Problems at Computer Workstations @ British Computer Society, London, WC2 - This AbilityNet course helps participants respond to problems, make a workstation assessment and identify practical solutions. Call free on 0800 269545 or book online
10-11 November: Green IT Expo 2009 @ The Barbican Centre, London More information and registration
12 November: Using ICT to Support People with Dyslexia @ British Computer Society, London, WC2 - This AbilityNet course will equip delegates with information on software and hardware that helps those who have reading and writing difficulties. Call free on 0800 269545 or book online
18 November: Web 2.0 @ British Computer Society, London, WC2 - This AbilityNet course demonstrates how to make the most of web 2.0 technologies to communicate and collaborate. Information and Booking: Call free on 0800 269545 or book online
iT4Communities Mentoring Project
The Nominet Trust has funded iT4Communities to expand its volunteering programme and help newly qualified IT people gain experience by working on charity IT projects with an experienced volunteer as a mentor.
Email or call Anne Stafford, Programme Manager. Tel: 020 7796 2144 More information
Idealware's online seminars continues in August and September
Topics cover online donations, creating web graphics, online conferencing, building email lists and choosing a broadcast email tool. More information
Event/training organisers - if you are planning an event please send us brief details so we can include it in the e-Bulletin by emailing ictbulletin@lasa.org.uk
funding
Communitybuilders now open
The programme opens for applications on 7 September.Register your interest by phoning 0191 261 5200. More
Hardship Fund
The Government's Hardship Fund is now open for applications. It offers grants between £50,000 and £250,000 to provide support to third sector organisations in England delivering front line services in health and social care, housing support, education and training, information, advice and guidance.. More information, guidance and application formsGrassroots Grants of £250 - £5,000
A reminder that this programme could help with the costs of IT equipment or venue hire. It is being run in most London boroughs - find out who to apply to in your borough.Related Knowledgebase articles:
- Writing a Winning Grant Proposal
- Fundraising and the Internet
- Funding for ICT
- Download: How to Cost and Fund ICT (PDF 1.2MB
resources
Five second website test
Working within the Deaf community on arts-based projects
Common Craft YouTube technology in plain English
Common Craft have created a number of brief (usually around 3 minutes) low-tech videos to explain how web 2.0 and other new technology can work for you. Topics include blogging, Twitter, RSS, wikis and photo sharing. View their video list.
New UK Riders website launches
Following the demise of ukriders.info because of hosting difficulties, a new website for UK Circuit Riders has recently been launched.
Legal:
Anonymous web data can be personal data
A data protection specialist claims that users can gain control of their browsing history and have it protected by the UK’s Data Protection Act just by contacting companies such as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft and telling them their identities.
Source: Out-Law.com
Time to review your website disclaimers
In the first case of its kind, the Court of Appeal has endorsed website disclaimers. Mistakes can be excused by warning notices, it ruled.
Source: Out-Law.com
Related Knowledgebase articles:
- Website Disclaimers - Why Have Them And What Should You Include?
- Website Testing On A Budget
- Should Your Organisation Use Social Networking Sites
practical tips
Each month we look at some practical tips and techniques to help you get the most out of using ICT.Using YouTube
Summit Collaborative recently ran a webinar on using YouTube in a non-profit setting. There are three short videos which address questions raised during the webinar. View
Memory sticks and security
Memory sticks are so convenient that sometimes we forget that their use comes with huge security implications. Download this Superhighways guide which takes you through assessing the risks, to installing third party encryption software. Proactively addressing other security threats posed by memory stick usage will feature in the next bulletin.
Discuss
Have you lost data on memory sticks or other portable devices? How did it affect your organisation? Or do you have more advice for users? Why not dicuss over on the Lasa ICT Cafe
Related Knowledgebase articles:
tools & applications
Each month we look at some handy tools to help you get the most out of your technology:
Picture this
SafeLogin's picture-based password system is now free for qualifying non-profits - more information
Open Atrium intranet releases soon
Open Atrium is an open source intranet in a box that has group spaces to allow different teams to have their own conversations. It comes with six features - a blog, a wiki, a calendar, a to do list, a "shoutbox", and a dashboard to manage it all. Currently in beta it's planned for the first full release very soon. More information and download
Related Knowledgebase articles:
- How Am I Supposed To Remember That? Choosing And Using Secure Passwords
- Using Microsoft SharePoint Services To Create An Intranet
About Lasa
Lasa is a charity which delivers innovative services in the fields of welfare benefits advice, ICT (information and communications technology) and advice policy. Our clients are mainly from the voluntary sector and statutory sector but we also work with some private sector organisations.
Lasa publications
Lasa's monthly London ICT e-bulletin provides up to date ICT news, events, funding, tools, tips and resources for staff in small to medium-sized voluntary organisations. Published in collaboration with Superhighways
Get Lasa's monthly London ICT e-bulletin by email.
Lasa's magazine Computanews provides straight-forward, clear information on the use of ICT for staff in small to medium-sized voluntary organisations.
Computanews is published quarterly as a free Acrobat pdf file download at www.lasa.org.uk/computanews
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The London Regional ICT Champion
supports VCOs to better understand ICT to achieve their missions of delivering quality services more effectively.
Lasa ICT Knowledgebase
The sector leading ICT Knowledgebase contains over 300 articles in jargon free plain English on all aspects of ICT. Discuss the articles and more at the ICT Cafe.
Lasa Suppliers Directory
From web designers to support companies, use the Suppliers Directory to locate independently verified high quality ICT support in your area.
UK riders email list
UKRiders is a discussion group for circuit riders and others who support voluntary and community sector technology.
Superhighways
Superhighways is an ICT Support and Development Social Enterprise run by and for the voluntary and community sector in South London, and collaborates with Lasa in the production of this e-bulletin.
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