Meena Arivananthan

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in ICT-KM Program, Knowledge Sharing on 17 November 2009 | 10 Comments

It’s been awhile since my last blog post – been playing detective in a very interesting work task. Early this year the ICT-KM program offered CGIAR centers the opportunity to have their research outputs put to the test. What test, you wonder? When we in the CGIAR say the work we do, belongs to everyone...

Social Media: The Next Revolution (#11 S...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in CGXchange, ICT-KM Program, Knowledge Sharing, Social Media Tools Series on 29 July 2009 | 12 Comments

Why do some of us shy away from trying out new technology such as social media? I can think of several reasons: too complicated to figure out; too expensive to implement; my supervisor/colleagues would never approve; more suitable for geeks and teenagers; it’ll take too much time … Or my personal...

Put it out there! Tools for photo, video...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in CGXchange, ICT-KM Program, KS Course, KS Toolkit, KS Workshop, Knowledge Sharing, Social Media Tools Series on 30 June 2009 | 2 Comments

Sometimes I face bouts of uncertainty and wonder if the work we do in the CGIAR really reaches the people for whom it was intended. I know others feel the same way, as I’ve had conversations with people on this very topic. Since I started working with the ICT-KM Program, I’ve had the opportunity...

Newsfeeds: delivering the latest news to...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in CGXchange, ICT-KM Program, KS Course, KS Toolkit, KS Workshop, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Sharing in Research, Social Media Tools Series on 19 June 2009 | 2 Comments

Here’s a test: Take a look at the bookmarks of your favorite websites and blog sites, and tell me how often you browse them? If your answer is not often enough, allow me to let you in on a little secret – it’s called “RSS” in geekspeak, and “newsfeeds” in English. If you’d...

Responsible blogging: is it an oxymoron?...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in ICT-KM Program, KS Course, KS Toolkit, Social Media Tools Series on 11 June 2009 | No Comments

I think I’m finally beginning to understand the fear that some organizations grapple with when it comes to blogging. First of all, the nature of blogging itself goes against the grain of any institutional setting. My first job was in a multi-national scientific firm – they expected their...

Are newsletters a dying breed? (#8 Socia...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in CGXchange, ICT-KM Program, KS Course, KS Toolkit, KS Workshop, Knowledge Sharing, Social Media Tools Series on 9 June 2009 | 4 Comments

Newsletters are like teasers – they highlight issues and activities, celebrate success stories, point to useful resources and give you a hint of upcoming events. A great way to build a relationship with your target audience, an email (e-) newsletter is cost-effective and a valuable tool for communicating...

Making agricultural research accessible:...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in ICT-KM Program, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Sharing in Research on 4 June 2009 | 2 Comments

Agricultural research and the innovations that arise from it are important in addressing food security and improving livelihoods of the poor. So those of us in the business of non-profit agricultural research really have an obligation to make sure our research data, information and knowledge resources...

Updates from Social Media Workshop 2 (II...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in Events, ICT-KM Program, KS Course, KS Toolkit, Knowledge Sharing on 1 June 2009 | No Comments

The 2nd Online Social Media workshop is well on its way, with the first week having gone by. Participants had their first tele-con session, organized on Skype and held on the 27th of May in two sessions. Telecon session B saw 14 enthusiastic participants raring to go: Helen Gillman, Margaret McEwan,...

Wikis, sites, docs and pads: the many fl...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in CGXchange, ICT-KM Program, Knowledge Sharing, Online Collaboration, Social Media Tools Series on 29 May 2009 | 6 Comments

I always enjoy reminiscing about the way things were before the advent of the mobile phone or the Internet or thumb-size music machines… and I usually think to myself, in a corny fashion: Isn’t technology amazing? Now, if you’ve been collaborating with colleagues (whether in your office or...

Social Bookmarking: storm-a-brewing (#6 ...

Posted by Meena Arivananthan in CGXchange, ICT-KM Program, KS Course, KS Toolkit, KS Workshop, Knowledge Sharing, Social Media Tools Series on 18 May 2009 | 9 Comments

When I was in university, I had an ingenious way of bookmarking important facts/points from articles: 3×5 inch white, lined cards! I would use one side to write out a key point and the reverse side for a citation of the relevant book or journal article. What can I say… it was the 90’s! My...