Information Dissemination Using the Internet as a Tool to Disseminate Information Now that we have looked at how to present information through both written and oral formats, we are now going to look at some methods of disseminating information using the Internet.

Modes of Information Dissemination Print Brochures Publications (Reports, Newsletters, Briefs) Newspapers Magazines Meetings/Conferences Radio Television Internet E-mail Websites These are some of the methods used to disseminate information. Print, through brochures, publications (such as reports, newsletters, and briefs), newspapers, and magazines. Other methods include meetings and conferences, radio, television, and the internet. When developing your messages and deciding how to disseminate your information, it is important to think about which modes are relevant for you and the audience you are targeting. In this session we are going to focus on information dissemination through the internet using both email and websites.

Why Use the Internet? Inexpensive Fast, efficient Easy to update Readily available Wide audience Target audience Easily accessible for users First, let’s take a look at why we would want to use the internet? It’s inexpensive (relative to printing and postage), as long as one already has an internet connection. It is also faster and more efficient than printing and hard copy mailings. Information on the internet is easy to update and readily available in terms of ability to update information. One can reach a wide audience AND a more targeted audience. Finally, it is also easily accessible for users. Does anyone have any additional reasons why we would want to use the Internet to disseminate information? Of course, there are also some drawbacks to using the internet, which we already discussed in the Access Session.

Methods of Disseminating Information Via the Internet Listservs Dissemination Tools Electronic News Alerts Dissemination Websites Here are some of the methods of disseminating information via the Internet: Listservs, Dissemination Tools, such as Electronic News Alerts and Dissemination Websites. Now let’s take a look at each of these in greater detail. Once again, all of this information is available in the Dissemination Guide in your Workshop Binders.

Listservs Effective way to reach target audience Require e-mail access only (except in some cases for registration) Cost-efficient Accessible We discussed listservs earlier in the workshop as a way to access information. Listservs, the ones that serve as electronic discussion groups, can also function as a way to disseminate information, since all members are free to contribute their ideas and information to the group. Because listservs are developed around particular topic areas, they are an effective way to reach a target audience. Listservs are also beneficial because they require email access only, not web access. However, in some cases, one does need Internet access in order to register for membership. Listservs are also cost-efficient, as long as one has email access, since membership is usually free. And again, as long as one has email access, they are also accessible, both in terms of distributing the information, as well as those accessing it.

Examples of Listservs COMMUNITY-HEALTH-L (Management Sciences for Health) DemoNetAsia Development Forum (World Bank) H-DEMOG (Michigan State University and National Endowment for the Humanities, US) Interagency Gender Working Group (Population Reference Bureau) Population (Audubon Population and Habitat Program) PROCAARE: Program for the Collaboration Against AIDS and Related Epidemics (Harvard AIDS Institute) Repronet-L (JHPIEGO Corporation) Listed here are some examples of listservs: Community-Health-L, administered by Management Sciences for Health, DemoNetAsia, Development Forum, administered by the World Bank, H-Demog, administered by Michigan State University, PRB’s Interagency Gender Working Group, Population, administered by the Audubon Population and Habitat Program, Procaare, by the Harvard AIDS Institute, and Repronet-L, by JHPIEGO. Again, these are all listed in your guide with more detailed information about the topics and registration instructions. Listservs also appear periodically in relation to conferences. We are going to take a look at one of the listservs, just to see how it works, the Development Forum, run by the World Bank. Although it is not particularly focused on health, I have selected this listserv because it works slightly differently, from most other permanent listservs. It is actually a series of listservs that have specified and limited durations focusing on a variety of topics, including health.

Development Forum (World Bank) www.worldbank.org/devforum Electronic forum for dialogue and knowledge sharing within development community Emphasis is on learning from stakeholders in developing countries Ongoing series of development dialogues that vary in content, format, and duration Each usually focused on a particular subject and limited in duration Accessible via web and e-mail Open to public The Development Forum is an electronic forum for dialogue and knowledge sharing within the development community, with an emphasis on learning from stakeholders in developing countries. As I mentioned, the forum is not a single listserv, but rather a series of ongoing development dialogues that vary in content, format, and duration, with each dialogue focused on a particular subject that is limited in its duration. The dialogues are accessible via the web and via email, and they are open to the public.

Development Forum (World Bank) Here is the web page for the discussion groups. As you can see, they list the discussions currently taking place. There is one on capacity building for electronic government and records and another one on meeting the millennium development goals. Let’s go to the discussion on the millennium goals.

Development Forum (World Bank) Here is the webpage for the discussion group on meeting the millennium goals. It provides a description of the topic to be discussed, the duration of the discussion group, which is from November 10 to December 5. There is a link to join the discussion group. So each discussion group is distinct. If you would like to take part in more than one, then you need to sign up for each one separately. You can also go and view the portion of the discussion that has already occurred.

Dissemination Tools Electronic News Alerts Dissemination Websites Reach a wider audience More permanent Examples id21 InfoShare In addition to electronic discussion groups, such as the Development Forum we just looked at, one can also use electronic news alerts to disseminate information, especially research findings. There is a list of electronic news alerts in your guide along with submission information for press releases. Another method is through dissemination websites. These are websites that you can use to distribute information. Dissemination websites, as opposed to listservs, allow you to reach a wider audience, since anyone surfing the web can access that information, not just those who have chosen to join specific listservs. Also, putting your information up on a website is also more permanent than distributing it via a listserv. Id21 and InfoShare are two examples of dissemination websites. I am going to focus on InfoShare since it has a broader scope, but I did want to mention id21 since it may be apply to some of you. Both of these are websites where organizations can submit publications to be uploaded on these websites, however id21 is limited to organizations that are UK based or receive Dfid funding. I have only listed two websites here, however, some of you may have local dissemination websites that are similar in nature. For example, Cambodia has a similar website, Racha. Do any of you know of dissemination websites in your countries?

Population and Health InfoShare www.phishare.org Electronic library of material from partner organizations Platform for sharing information on reproductive and child health, HIV/AIDS, and population Partner organizations present study results, reports, presentations, and other materials Now let’s look at Population and Health InfoShare in greater detail. Population and Health InfoShare is an electronic library of material from partner organizations, managed by the Population Reference Bureau. It is a platform for sharing information on reproductive and child health, HIV/AIDS, and population. Partner organizations use the website to present study results, reports, presentations, and other materials. Partners register in order to become members and they simply upload their materials onto the website. Anyone can then download and view the publications. In order for you to better understand how this resource works, I am going to show you some of the user features of the website.

InfoShare Homepage Here is the homepage for the website. From here, you can browse all the documents on the website. You can browse the list of partners, you can browse the documents by topic. The homepage also lists the documents that have been most recently added. And the homepage also features one partner, that changes periodically. On the right hand side, you can use the local search engine to search for documents. You can also subscribe to receive email updates of newly added documents. You can request a catalog of all documents by either downloading it, receiving it via email, or in hard copy format by regular mail. And you can also use of the links to become a partner.

InfoShare Features Web pages about the organization Email document distribution Data on use of the material Material listed in InfoShare E-mail updates Each partner receives a webpage about their organization. Each partner can also upload their publications on the website which users can view by downloading the document or by subscribing for email distribution. Partners also receive data on use of the material, such as how many requests they received for a particular publication. Additionally, the uploaded publications are listed in the InfoShare email updates.

Web Page About Organization Here is an example of one of the partner’s homepages, Community Health and Nutrition Research Laboratory. There is a brief description about the organization along with contact information. They also provide additional information about the organization at the bottom. You can browse all of their documents or receive emails of newly added documents.

Email Distribution & Updates Data on Use of the Material Here is the list of publications that we can view if we browse all of their documents. You can see all of the titles. There are a total of 11 documents listed for this organization. You can see the number of requests that each document has received, and you also have the option to download the document or receive it via email.

Membership Free Complete registration form Organizations with science-based research, policy, or program findings relevant to less developed countries Membership for InfoShare is free. All one has to do is complete the registration form online, and it is open to organizations with science-based, policy, or program findings relevant to less developed countries.

Registration Here is the registration page. The required fields are listed with a red asterisk, meaning that you must fill in these fields in order to become a partner. You need to provide such information as your organization’s name, description, and contact information. You can also provide additional information, and a regional or country focus. You can also upload a logo that would appear on your homepage on the InfoShare site. The administrator in your organization will have access to the site and documents through a password protected system, such that only he or she will be able to manage your documents.

Contributing Material Add new documents Manage documents View usage statistics Edit account information and website profile The administrator can add new documents, manage existing documents, view usage statistics, and edit the account information and website profile. Currently, there are about 60 organizations that are partners. InfoShare is still very new and we welcome new partners to join. InfoShare is a relatively inexpensive method to distributing information using the Internet, and it is available not only to the partners but also to the general public for viewing purposes. While InfoShare is especially beneficial to those organizations that may not have their own websites, it is also used by many organizations that already have their own websites, as an additional method of information dissemination. We hope that many of you will take advantage of this inexpensive, accessible, and user-friendly resource for disseminating your information.

Review Listservs Dissemination Tools Electronic News Alerts Dissemination Websites So now we have seen how to disseminate information using the Internet through listservs, electronic news alerts, and dissemination websites. Again, all of this information is listed in your Guides. Does anyone have any questions?