Weitzenegger's Web 2.0 for Development

Web 2.0 for Development

Web 2.0 has become a buzz word in recent years when talking, writing, and exchanging about Internet innovation. Free or low-cost interactive Web services designed to enhance online collaboration and sharing information are increasingly available to the public. This new dimension of innovative online services, where people collaborate and share information, where the consumer becomes the producer, has been termed Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 is primarily a social, rather than a technological evolution. Websites look as always, but now users can change the content after registering. Let us use technology to enhance creativity, information sharing, and cooperation among people. By the way, you can get our newsletter by RSS at http://weitzenegger.wordpress.com/feed/ for adding it to your reading list or website. I started to save my bookmarks at del.ici.ous (http://delicious.com/weitzenegger), from where they get included in the Focuss.Info search engine (http://www.focuss.info). Have a look at http://use.weitzenegger.de where I list my memberships in the main platforms (Facebook, XING, LinkedIn, Sonico, Orkut) in order to link international development practitioners.

In the following we list some virtual communities, where economic development professionals meet and share knowledge. If you recommend more, we list them in the upcoming Websites of the Months section.

African Diaspora Skills Database
http://www.diaspora-centre.org/NEWSLETTER/Database
This database was compiled to provide an overview of qualified African Diaspora professionals with varied areas of expertise and experience. The African diaspora contribute substantially to the social, economic and political development of Africa, and this database is set up to further mobilize this considerable potential.

Aid Workers Network (AWN)
http://www.aidworkers.net
Aid Workers Network (AWN) is an online platform for aid, relief and development workers to ask and answer questions of each other, and to exchange resources and information. AWN is registered in the United Kingdom as a charity. You will find discussions about a range of questions and issues on the AWN forum from aid, relief and development workers all over the world and representing a variety of fields, with new threads or responses posted daily. The forum is a great way to get in contact with other aid and development workers in your geographic area or working in a similar area of work

Bizzlounge
http://bizzlounge.com
Bizzlounge is where people committed to ethical behaviour meet, who want to establish and maintain business contacts in an exclusive and relaxed environment.

Business Action for Africa
http://businessactionforafrica.blogspot.com
Business Action for Africa is a network of businesses and business organisations working collectively to accelerate growth and poverty reduction in Africa.

Business Fights Poverty
http://businessfightspoverty.ning.com
Business Fights Poverty is a professional network for all those passionate about fighting world poverty through the power of good business.

Business in Development Network (BiD)
http://www.bidnetwork.org
The BiD Network Foundation runs the BiD Challenge to contribute to sustainable economic development by stimulating entrepreneurship in developing countries.

Catalogue of Poverty Networks
http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/povnet.do
UNDP is organizing an online catalogue of Poverty Networks as a means to facilitate access to knowledge and sharing this to a wider audience in 189 countries. Poverty Networks are web-based platforms that provide space for sharing and disseminating development-related information and initiatives. Below you will find information on IPC’s collaborating networks, which help foster dialogue between researchers, policymakers, civil society and multilateral organisations.

Connections for Development (CfD)
http://www.cfdnetwork.co.uk
CfD is a UK, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) led, membership based organisation committed to ensuring that UK BME communities, and the organisations they are involved in here, are supported in the process of shaping and delivering policy and projects that affect their countries of origin or interest – collectively ''our world”.

Development Crossing
http://www.developmentcrossing.com
Development Crossing was set up in 2006 by a small group of friends with diverse backgrounds ranging from business consulting to international development. In a world where the environment, corporate responsibility, and sustainable development are becoming increasingly intertwined, our goal was to create a site where individuals that shared our passion could keep up-to-date with relevant happenings in the world and connect with like-minded individuals. The idea behind Development Crossing is to provide a social network that brings together people from a variety of sectors, countries and professions to discuss corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.

DevelopmentAid.org
http://www.developmentaid.org
The one-stop-information-shop for the developmental sector, DevelopmentAid.org is a membership organization that brings together information for developmental professionals, NGOs, consultancy firms and donors.

dgCommunities on the Development Gateway
http://topics.developmentgateway.org
dgCommunities, a free online service by the Development Gateway Foundation is devoted to knowledge-sharing and collaboration for people working to reduce poverty in the developing world.

Diaspora African Forum
http://www.diasporaafricanforum.org
This Forum exists ''to invite and encourage the full participation of Africans in the Diaspora in the building of the African Union, in its capacity as an important part of the Continent''. We will provide the vital linkage for Diaspora Africans to become involved in Africa's development as well as reap the fruits of African unity.

Eldis Communities
http://community.eldis.org
Eldis aims to share the best in development, policy, practice and research. The Eldis Community is a free on-line community where you can meet others involved in international development and discuss the issues that are important to you.

Enterprise Development Exchange
http://edexchange.seepnetwork.org
The Enterprise Development Exchange links related communities of practice to advance sustainable poverty eradication. It is facilitated by The SEEP Network through the Value Initiative.

Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Forum
http://km.fao.org/fsn/
The FSN Forum is a global community of FSN practitioners. It bridges the knowledge divide among the different communities involved in FSN policies and strategies - such as academics, researchers and development practitioners - to improve cooperation and impacts; members in many countries across the world’s five continents.

Global Development Matters
http://www.globaldevelopmentmatters.org
Global Development Matters is designed to engage U.S. citizens and leaders in examining how rich world policies affect global poverty reduction. There is an Election '08 blog.

GTZ-Communities Sustainable Economic Development
Africa: http://www2.gtz.de/network/wiram-afrika/gtz-community/
Middle East and North Africa: http://www2.gtz.de/network/mena/open-community/
Asia: http://www2.gtz.de/assets-asia/gtz-community/
The GTZ-Communities Sustainable Economic Development are open to all practitioners, counterparts, research institutions, donors and interested consultants worldwide facilitating an inter agency exchange of experiences and best practices. This weekly updated website provides you with recent news and lessons learned from GTZ as well as from other development agencies and research institutions in the field of economic development. Its core is a comprehensive database. Participation in this open community is free of charge. However, registration is necessary.

LED knowledge
http://www.ledknowledge.org
This website is an online space for sharing the experiences and resources of people and organizations supporting local economic development processes at the local level. LED Knowledge is the result of a joint effort of the ILO-LED programme team based in Geneva, and the ILO training arm, the International Training Centre, based in Turin, Italy. Source: GTZ NEDAnews.

Network of Networks Impact Evaluation Initiative (Nonie)
http://www.worldbank.org/ieg/nonie/index.html
Nonie is a network of networks for impact evaluation comprised of the DAC Evaluation Network, The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), the Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG), and a fourth network drawn from the regional evaluation associations. Its purpose is to foster a program of impact evaluation activities based on a common understanding of the meaning of impact evaluation and approaches to conducting impact evaluation.

TakingITGlobal.org
http://profiles.takingitglobal.org
TakingITGlobal.org is an online community that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action in their local and global communities.

The Global Development Network (GDN)
http://www.gdnet.org
GDN is a worldwide network of research and policy institutes working to provide a fresh and relevant perspective to the development challenges of our time.

The Global Resource Site for Local Economic Development
http://www.ledknowledge.org/
This website by ILO-ITC is an online space for sharing the experiences and resources of people and organizations supporting local economic development processes at the local level. We would like to think of this space as your virtual work place, where you can find and share several resources relevant for LED practitioners and promoters; share your experiences with colleagues in government, NGOs, donor agencies, international organizations, research centres, think tanks and academia all over the world; and keep yourself updated on the latest development in the field of local economic development.

XING Group Microfinance Industry
http://www.xing.com/group-21391.0fc826/4466179
In this new XING Group, microfinance professionals from all over the globe link and discuss topics of interest. Use this forum to discuss financial technology, find employment, identify training opportunities and events, and share knowledge resources with fellow members of the microfinance industry. XING is an online networking tool to manage all personal contacts and to find interesting new business contacts. It's amazing how quickly it facilitates contact with key people.

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