Internet NZ weighs in on secret copyright negotiations
In its December newsletter (pdf file), Internet NZ is alarmed by media stories indicating a change in direction in the latest round of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations.
The ACTA negotiating round was held in Korea in early November, and has reportedly shifted focus to deal with non-commercial infringement of copyright material by ordinary citizens, and arguing for termination of people's Internet accounts.
"If correct, this is cause for alarm and shows a significant change in ACTA's focus,” says InternetNZ Policy Director Jordan Carter. [Read more →]
Welcome back to Groupings blog. Now that you are a regular, please feel free to comment on any story that you feel comfortable with.
December 15, 2009 No Comments
Sharing presentations with Slideshare
I've done plenty of presentations to various sizes of audience but the same problem always comes up, apart from the fact that the projector doesn't work about half the time. The other problem is that once you have finished, that's it, end of all that work. Sure, you can hand out slides but if you are using your presentation tool correctly, most of the content is missing from the slides, its in what you say and how you say it.
Enter Slideshare, a free service for rescuing all that hard work and making it available to others, those who were at the conference but have forgotten just what you said, or fell asleep during it, and especialyl those who didn't get to the event. [Read more →]
December 7, 2009 No Comments
IT use self assessment tool
Connecting Up Australia has created a capacity benchmarking tool for organisations wanting to know how they measure up in IT capability alongside comparable other organisations in the sector
"Are We There Yet?" lets you benchmark your technology capacity against almost 1,000 nonprofits who completed their detailed survey in October 2008. As more and more nonprofit organisations use the AWTY benchmark tool online, the richer the benchmark data will become.
They are about to add a section that also allows you to benchmark your efforts to be 'green' and environmentally responsible.
The real point of 'Are We There Yet?' is that it helps you answer the question of 'What Now?' Once you complete the survey they direct you to resources that will help you get to the next stage.
So how does this work?
1. Click the 'Are We There Yet?' button at the bottom of this page.
2. Complete the benchmark survey and click Submit. The Organisation and Email fields are optional but we'll need your email address if you want your report emailed to you.
3. After you hit the Submit button, your detailed benchmark report will be displayed, showing how your nonprofit organisation compares to other nonprofits of a similar type and size. You can print this report or email it to yourself by clicking the relevant button.
4. Click Next Steps at the bottom of the page and read some cases studies about how donations obtained through the Donortec program have assisted nonprofits.
5. Click Directory at the bottom of the Page and see the service providers and products that other nonprofits in your category are using. (The top grouping are those most commonly used but they are not in set order because these change over time.)
There are so many efforts under way to help NFPs gain more from their investments in IT, many of them little more than harangues about how others are doing this or that, often with the implication that you should to. "Are We There Yet" at least has a go at helping you figure out where your start line is.
If you give it a whirl, leave your evaluation of it in the comments for the rest of us.
December 2, 2009 No Comments
Another question about Cloud services
This potential problem for those of us thinking about storing our data "in the cloud" of the internet is more about contractual obligations and corporate attitude than actual technical issues which can occur any time and in odd ways.
But it IS worth thinking about. Mozy glitch fogs the reliability of storage clouds [Read more →]
November 30, 2009 No Comments
Your ICT and your audit
Thanks to the folks at eRider for this reminder on the role that IT plays in governance and financial accountability. Auditors watching how organisations manage IT risks.
As It systems become critical to daily operations, they also become critical to the survivability of any organisation that comes to depend on them, not just on a daily basis, but on much broader time scales.
November 24, 2009 No Comments
