Pressure to reduce travel costs and the carbon footprint associated with flying to meetings led scientists from the Australasian Conversation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) to trial running a conservation planning process using free web tools.

Focused on saving the endangered mala, which inhabits Australia's dry centre, an online workshop process unrolled over a two month period from early August 2009.

The online workshop mimics a similar process typically run using face-to-face meetings. Just as important as the technology (which included Google Sites, Vyew web conferencing and Skype) is adapting processes and activities from the face-to-face world, and mentoring around technology uptake for the participants.

Caroline Lees, co-convenor of CBSG Australasia, has generously agreed to talk about the workshop process, including sharing some early lessons and reflections. Although this case study is about a conservation project the lessons have very broad applicability to any organisation wanting to trial online collaboration at low or no cost.

If you’d like to find out how to make effective use of online tools, come along to an online seminar. Find out more about webinar.

Webinar details:

2pm Monday 23 November
RSVP required. Use the contact form or email me and I will send you login information.

About the format:

This will presentation be done via an interactive website using a webinar format (ie web plus seminar). You can participate from the comfort of you seat - yes, there’ll be lots of chances for you to ask questions. The webinar is free and offered as part of a course in Facilitating Online Communities I am enrolled in offered through Otago Polytechnic.

What you need to join in:

• computer connected to the internet
• headphones or speakers to listen to the presentation
• a microphone to ask questions (optional - you can ask questions using text based chat).

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