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THE WEB IS GOING BAREFOOT!!! WEB 2.0, SOCIAL MEDIA AND DEVELOPMENT

Hello Team!


The Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) is holding learning opportunities on Web 2.0 and Social Media for Development across ACP countries. They are just completing one in Zimbabwe at the Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) and I have been privileged to be part of this one, the first in Zimbabwe and a really exciting opportunity. Probably two or more will run in Zimbabwe so keep watching this space for more information on Web 2.0 for development in your country!

From my participation in the course I have just learned that the web is gradually "Going Barefoot." Great News!!!

So closer are we to saying "bye-bye" to the technical jargon and complexities of "sailing in the digital sea of the internet." Through Web 2.0 and Social Media, not only the "webmasters" or "expert programmers" can publish content on the internet. Even a young black, barefoot boy sitting under tree can do so... as long as they have internet connection... And that's the magic word, "internet connection" and the reason why Afrikan governments and entrepreneurs need to start thinking really serious about ICT infrastructure. (Not taking away any of the great work being done in countries like Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt. 

Through, blogs, vlogs, social media, netowrking, and mash-ups (a combination of various technologies on a single platform) the  ground to co-create knowledge is becoming bigger and the scope for collaboration is becoming much deeper, and the possibility of transformation more probable. Knowledge can grow to become a global public good unlike a "monopolistic product." The world is changing and let's face it. Information is power, but information SHARED is much powerful, that's why Web 2.0 presents the greatest possibility of achieving effectiveness in any area, #African #Agriculture #Development also included. 

As opposed to the one-way traffic of Web 1.0 kind of internet preceding Web 2.0; Web 2.0 allows paves way for the Web to "Go Barefoot" across four broad areas:
  1. connecting with other people via social networks like facebook, twitter or LinkedIn);
  2. collaborating and doing things with other people (even if they are in remote locations through applications like Google Drive and Wikis);
  3. creating and sharing content (e.g. blogging and vlogging); and
  4. finding, using, organizing and reusing content.
Through a more open Web 2.0, we can capture the power of people and communities we never imagined we could tap into. 

Nonetheless, there are challenges we need to look into and be able to overcome to get the best out of this technological evolution. This includes:
  1. The possibilities of overload and competition for attention
  2. Uneven distribution of resources, resulting in marked differences in challenges organizational and personal processes of sharing knowledge
  3. It is also difficult to change personal and organizational traditions and processes.

Anyway bloggers, I always say, "the only way to do a hard thing is to do it." The only way we can find solutions for all these challenges is to... FIND THEM!! Get thinking about the future, getting thinking about yourself, your organization, your country, the world... HOW WILL YOU CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING IT A BETTER PLACE? Get blogging we need your views...

Go Barefoot

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