Resources

The author describes the development of an on-line social networking website. Members of the international Forest Connect Alliance had expressed a strong demand for greater information-sharing. The website provided a platform for members to quickly and easily access and share information about state-of-the-art practice in small and medium-sized forest enterprises. Since its creation, the online social network has attracted an increasing number of genuinely active members. Although donors still need persuasion to fund further website development, early indications are that the initiative is having a positive impact.

The author examines how we appropriate simple tools for development purposes and also how æusing the right tools for the right job at the right time, is something that we all have to understandÆ. He describes how grassroots activists have been leading innovators in the use and appropriation of Web 2.0 tools and explores how the mobile phone revolution is helping to overcome issues of access and connectivity. Lastly, he discusses the importance of filtering online content for relevance, meaning and context, and the emergence of trusted, expert online editors and aggregators.