| In the last issue of Planeta, I made
a call for greater transparency and the placement of materials
online the internet, especially from universities, environmental
groups and governments. I devoted the Bridges and Borders column
to the problem that "environmental forums, the proceedings,
the workshops, the studies themselves are bundled up and lost
on some bureaucratic shelf."
I created a list of what you won't find on the internet -
information that should be publicly available, but is not. My
intention was to spotlight the well-funded laggards (United
Nations Environmental Program, Organization of American States,
World Wildlife Fund) and then promote the exceptional websites
this month. Let's be honest - everything changes on the internet
in a matter of minutes. But unfortunately, these archives are
few and far between.
Perhaps the focus on websites overlooks a greater challenge
- making information available via email. Most people still
use their email accounts to request information. And businesses,
government agencies and environmental groups alike are at a
loss for knowing how to provide this information. According
to net watchers, email, not websites, is the driving force on
the internet.
If we would consider email analogous to the fax, perhaps these
information gatekeepers would have a better idea of what to
do. An individual requests information - you fax the data. Email
has a greater advantage - it takes less transmission time and
incurs no long distance cost. So why the reluctance to use it?
Researching two environmental tourism guidebooks I'm writing
for John Muir Publications, I contacted travel agencies specializing
in this niche and requested itineraries and details. While many
had email, they couldn't figure out how to send the information.
Couldn't they send it via fax? Likewise, I've seen many companies
spent thousands of dollars updating websites, while providing
very poor turn-around time when it comes to email.
Hints - treat email as you would a phone call. Respond within
a day. If you prepare materials that are often requested, make
them readily available - both on a website and as an optional
email. I do this with the list of Mexican publications, language
schools and websites focusing on sustainable development. If
people ask for this information, I send it asap. They can visit
the Eco Travels website for more information, but it's easy
enough to speed up their search with the information I have
at hand.
Individuals want facts. How much does the language school
cost? Can I get from here to there? What's the best price of
an airline ticket to Peru? Can I get auto insurance for my trip
to Oaxaca? The businesses that can provide quick responses will
earn a new client.
Environmental groups, such as Greenpeace or World Wildlife
Fund, are eager to spread their message via fax. It's easier
to control who gets access to the information. Email's double-edged
sword means that the information can be easily and immediately
forwarded. Institutions like to be in control of the message
- leading many to believe in conspiracies, when all that is
really taking place is that some pinhead is exercising authority
on a personal whim. We should consider the dweebish phrase "institution-building"
with some alarm. As the cartoon strip Dilbert points out on
a regular basis, the brave new world of cyberspace co-exists
with administrative deadbeats and unimaginative bureaucrats.
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