KS Course

The AAA concept is not new to the readers of our blog. We have been committed to increasing availability, accessibility and applicability of our research, what we call our Public Information Goods (PIGs) in many ways. From developing a framework, to working with centers to benchmark their current “AAA...

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...

Here is the flow of blog posts that document our recent social media workshop: Workshop Announcement Introductions Summary: A Mind Map Conference Call 1A Summary Conference Call 1B Summary The Challenge of introducing new tools: About attitudes and preferences The web site is not the community: it’s...

You Mean Unfinished is Good? Yes! In the very recently released final Institutional KS Project report, one of the lessons I am sharing is the one about Facilitation: Facilitate: We are not experts, but facilitators for research for development. Hence, the effort to cultivate networks and relationships...

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...

Social media workshop evaluation We, the workshop facilitators invited participants to review the activities through comments on the workshop platform, as well as through an online survey. We have set up surveys for all the workshops in the past. We did our own facilitator debrief as well. Here are some...

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...

The web site is not the community: it’s the people The second and last call of the social media workshop was about strategies. How do we use social media tools effectively? How do we choose the tools according to our user groups, bandwidth constraints, and organisational culture? How do we plan...

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...

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,...