Just wanted to give you a bit of a chuckle today!
Monday, 28 January 2008
Monday, 21 January 2008
Workshops
The study of community groups in Skye & Raasay is almost complete and we are beginning to identify a number of key issues arising from it.
Here is the list of workshops we are planning for the e-Communities event in Skye on 7th and 8th March, based on the findings of the survey:
Affordable websites for community groups
Customising your website with free online tools
Generating income via the web
Create a Wiki
Funding for ICT projects
ICT security
Digitising and Archiving
Introduction to video conferencing
Distance Lab
Creating e-newsletters
Social networking
Blogging
You will be able to select three, but please note that some workshops may not run due to lack of demand.
To register your interest in the event please email rachel@solas-biz.co.uk
or telephone 01599 534999. Web address coming soon!
Here is the list of workshops we are planning for the e-Communities event in Skye on 7th and 8th March, based on the findings of the survey:
Affordable websites for community groups
Customising your website with free online tools
Generating income via the web
Create a Wiki
Funding for ICT projects
ICT security
Digitising and Archiving
Introduction to video conferencing
Distance Lab
Creating e-newsletters
Social networking
Blogging
You will be able to select three, but please note that some workshops may not run due to lack of demand.
To register your interest in the event please email rachel@solas-biz.co.uk
or telephone 01599 534999. Web address coming soon!
Monday, 14 January 2008
e-Newsletters
If your group produces a newsletter, the chances are that it is sent out by email as well as in hard copy. This can save on costs such as printing and postage, and can be a much more effective means of communication. The downside to this of course is that perhaps some members prefer to recieve their newsletter in hard copy.
An e-Newsletter can take all shapes and sizes. It may be a simple word document, perhaps with pictures and photos inserted. Maybe it is a bit more sophisticated, with hyperlinks inserted to take the reader to particular sections of the document. Or it could be a professionally produced pdf file or web page, such as an e-bulletin, whose link can be emailed to subscribers. Perhaps your newsletter is made available to download via your group's website.
At the e-Communities event in Skye in March we are planning to run a workshop on creating an e-newsletter. What would you like to get out of such a workshop? Do you have any good examples of e-newsletters? How does your group communicate with its members?
An e-Newsletter can take all shapes and sizes. It may be a simple word document, perhaps with pictures and photos inserted. Maybe it is a bit more sophisticated, with hyperlinks inserted to take the reader to particular sections of the document. Or it could be a professionally produced pdf file or web page, such as an e-bulletin, whose link can be emailed to subscribers. Perhaps your newsletter is made available to download via your group's website.
At the e-Communities event in Skye in March we are planning to run a workshop on creating an e-newsletter. What would you like to get out of such a workshop? Do you have any good examples of e-newsletters? How does your group communicate with its members?
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Celebrating Cultural Heritage
Ever wondered what to do with that big box of old photographs you inherited from your grandparents that lies in the back of a cupboard and only comes out when you are trying to make space for more junk?
Photographs are a wonderful medium to use to celebrate and share our heritage, and can often lead to re-introducing old friends or even making new friendships. Have a look at this site for an example of a great community-led online archive www.thecromartyarchive.org.
Am Baile http://www.ambaile.org.uk/ is an example of a bi-lingual site which promotes the heritage of the Highlands and Islands, by making images, stories and other material easy to access via the web.
Urras Shomhairle (The Somhairle MacLean Trust) recently launched an online memorial to the life and work of the Gaelic bard - http://www.somhairlemacgilleain.org/
On a grander scale, the Tobair an Dualchais project is busy gathering a huge range of resources to archive Gaelic cultural heritage - see http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/dualchas/ for more information.
Here are some tips for planning an online cultural project:
:) Encourage the community to get involved from the earliest stage: have meetings, invite experts along to give advice, have a community photo amnesty
:) Your local school would probably be very keen to be involved and could possibly offer skills and access to equipment
:) Make your site as interactive as possible: make it easy for people to post their own material such as photographs, poems and place name information; include a blog to allow visitors to post their comments and ideas.
:) Try to make your project relevant to the widest possible range of people in the community - include a range of topics (eg fishing, crofting, sport, education, food)
:) Make sure you have the resources to maintain the site and keep it regularly updated - there is nothing worse than reading the "latest news" from two years ago!
Any more tips or examples of good heritage projects? Please post your comments!
Photographs are a wonderful medium to use to celebrate and share our heritage, and can often lead to re-introducing old friends or even making new friendships. Have a look at this site for an example of a great community-led online archive www.thecromartyarchive.org.
Am Baile http://www.ambaile.org.uk/ is an example of a bi-lingual site which promotes the heritage of the Highlands and Islands, by making images, stories and other material easy to access via the web.
Urras Shomhairle (The Somhairle MacLean Trust) recently launched an online memorial to the life and work of the Gaelic bard - http://www.somhairlemacgilleain.org/
On a grander scale, the Tobair an Dualchais project is busy gathering a huge range of resources to archive Gaelic cultural heritage - see http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/dualchas/ for more information.
Here are some tips for planning an online cultural project:
:) Encourage the community to get involved from the earliest stage: have meetings, invite experts along to give advice, have a community photo amnesty
:) Your local school would probably be very keen to be involved and could possibly offer skills and access to equipment
:) Make your site as interactive as possible: make it easy for people to post their own material such as photographs, poems and place name information; include a blog to allow visitors to post their comments and ideas.
:) Try to make your project relevant to the widest possible range of people in the community - include a range of topics (eg fishing, crofting, sport, education, food)
:) Make sure you have the resources to maintain the site and keep it regularly updated - there is nothing worse than reading the "latest news" from two years ago!
Any more tips or examples of good heritage projects? Please post your comments!
Monday, 7 January 2008
Learning from good practice
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
Problems associated with rural life are rarely totally unique and there's often no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to solving them. There's every chance that a group in the next village / Caithness / the Borders / Cornwall /Finland / New Zealand has tackled a similar obstacle. And we have the most amazing research tool at our fingertips - the internet!
Before you write your project plan, find out as much as you can about issues in other areas, and the innovative approaches groups have taken to solve them. Often you can contact groups by email or via their website to save a long and expensive trip.
Many organisations hold databases and case studies to showcase excellent project examples, such as:
SLCVO http://www.slcvo.org.uk/local-projects/index.html
commission for rural communities http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk//projects/bestpractice
rural gateway http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=1096
New Zealand community net aotearoa http://www.community.net.nz/casestudies/
Some of the main grant giving bodies hold information on projects they have funded, e.g.
UK LEADER+ http://www.ukleader.org.uk/ and click on services / publications
Big Lottery http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding-uk
Awards for All grants search http://www.awardsforallgrants.org.uk:8080/a4a-search
And here are some examples from other areas:
Cornwall community foundation http://www.cornwallfoundation.com/making_a_difference/case_studies.htm
New Zealand community net http://www.community.net.nz/casestudies
Happy Researching!
Please post your comments on websites you use to find out information, or actual projects you think are outstanding examples of community action.
Problems associated with rural life are rarely totally unique and there's often no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to solving them. There's every chance that a group in the next village / Caithness / the Borders / Cornwall /Finland / New Zealand has tackled a similar obstacle. And we have the most amazing research tool at our fingertips - the internet!
Before you write your project plan, find out as much as you can about issues in other areas, and the innovative approaches groups have taken to solve them. Often you can contact groups by email or via their website to save a long and expensive trip.
Many organisations hold databases and case studies to showcase excellent project examples, such as:
SLCVO http://www.slcvo.org.uk/local-projects/index.html
commission for rural communities http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk//projects/bestpractice
rural gateway http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=1096
New Zealand community net aotearoa http://www.community.net.nz/casestudies/
Some of the main grant giving bodies hold information on projects they have funded, e.g.
UK LEADER+ http://www.ukleader.org.uk/ and click on services / publications
Big Lottery http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding-uk
Awards for All grants search http://www.awardsforallgrants.org.uk:8080/a4a-search
And here are some examples from other areas:
Cornwall community foundation http://www.cornwallfoundation.com/making_a_difference/case_studies.htm
New Zealand community net http://www.community.net.nz/casestudies
Happy Researching!
Please post your comments on websites you use to find out information, or actual projects you think are outstanding examples of community action.
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