What is DGroups? A joint initiative sponsored by 8 different development organizations, Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, IICD, OneWorld, UNAIDS, and World Bank. An aggregation of online groups working in the development sector on various issues The DGroups server is maintained by Bellanet, a small NGO connected to CIDA, located in Ottawa.

E-discussions, Virtual Communities of Practice, and Online Consultations E-discussions: a limited time activity, multi-way discussions/dialog on a specific topic, contributors interact with one another and the moderators. Communities of Practice: an ongoing virtual community of interest informally bound together by shared expertise, contributors interact with one another and the moderators. Consultations: a limited time activity, comments and critique invited on prepared material.

Source: Source: The Wireless Internet Opportunity for Developing Countries, 2003 Wide spread internet connection but Bandwidth issues still there

Why the mailing list is so special? Use as the core of its technical operations Help your target audience with low bandwidth connections, make it easier for their voices to be heard

Sample

How does it work? & web-based discussions Mostly open to the public and moderated Focused on a particular subject Limited in duration Archived on the web for future reference

Send an Technical Admin. Content Moderator

Features share different types of resource files access subscriber activity reports access to convenient member profile forms access message sending statistics add list members easily use a built-in group calendar

How can SCARDA use Dgroups? complementing their learning and knowledge sharing activities, f2f meetings, inaugural workshop, annual conferences enhancing the impact of the SCARDA program through sustained knowledge-sharing using an online tool for working groups and task teams soliciting comments and critique on prepared materials For SCARDA members interested in:

How can SCARDA use Dgroups? (contd.) sustaining an ongoing virtual community of interest collaborating with partners and stakeholders in planning for events conducting needs assessment for planned activities initiating and sustaining outreach activities (newsletters mailings, announcements) More than 2494 discussions involving 105,184 participants

Current applications in FARA E-discussion + Community of Practice : FARA Regional Agricultural Information & Learning System Community The RAILS Dgroup is an open space for collaboration among RAILS stakeholders and/or partners. It is a tool to enhance effective implementation of RAILS, especially in capturing lessons learnt among various actors and partners with different capacities and resources. 77 members, 47 messages, 19 resources (as per 30/04/2008)

Key steps and generic timeline for organizing a discussion 3-4 weeks : set the topic for discussion, contact the SCARDA team, plan and design, set the objectives and clear indicators of success, allocate resources, define roles and responsibilities, select and recruit partners (if needed) 2 weeks: publicize, hire content moderators Before launch:         

Key steps (contd) Launching the Discussion:  Post introductory message,  set direction,  approve members,  post responses from members During the Discussion:  post messages daily,  guide participation,  guide quality and tone,  synthesize the discussion weekly/daily.

Key Steps (contd) Concluding the Discussion:  post participant survey (if needed), or seek informal participant feedback,  summarize the discussion,  formally close the discussion. Follow-up to Discussion:  Review participant feedback,  integrate the conclusions/discussion feedback in the final product/activity/document etc.

Next Steps: Fill out the form A discussion space will be created for SCARDA within a week.

Next Steps: A key resource A Networked Research Approach - A guide to conducting research in a network setting By Kate Czuczman in collaboration with Priyanthi Fernando, Urs Karl Egger, & Marinke van Riet 2006, 60 p. Click here to download the English version Acrobat 1.8 MB) _nr_manual.pdf Click here to download the French version (Acrobat 1.8 MB) nr_manual.pdf _nr_manual.pdf nr_manual.pdf