WEB SEMINAR

Improving Communication, Part 1
by Ron Mader

PLANETA WIKISPACE
WEB 1, 2, 3 FORUM

Part 1 - Bridging the Digital Divide
Part 2 - Changing the World
Part 3 - Seeking Answers
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION

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PHOTO GALLERY: Signage

FYI -- This document is part of our popular Web Seminar. As such, it is always a work in progress and we welcome helpful editorial suggestions. If Planeta.com can assist you, please consider making a financial donation or organizing a webinar.

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What sort of conversation do we want?
- Language Notebook

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Planeta.com launched a global dialogue about practical ecotourism in 1994.

We were the very first website connecting environmental conservation with tourism. Not to say others were not leading the way, but they were not online. Organizations and individuals are acknowledged throughout this site, but what really surprised me was how we were the first on the Web.

Being new carried both advantages and disadvantages. But I like to call attention to the fact that in 1994 there was little online attention to ecotourism. We focused on this niche not to copy but to create, innovate and inspire. If there is a 'digital divide' we aimed to create a bridge.

Our site provides information to an ecclectic group of readers, including travelers, policy-makers, hotel owners, environmentalists and academics.

With more than 3,000 documents and a plethora of links to other sites, Planeta.com reamins a content-rich site that engages active learning and dialogue. This means to make the most of this site (and the Web itself), you need to be an active player.

As founder of Planeta.com, I enjoy corresponding with dozens of webmasters and hundreds if not thousands of readers. This feedback (collected online and off) has been instrumental in developing this website.

Tourism and conservation can be improved through collaboration. We are all on the learning curve. And it's not just about individual skills, it's also about the way we work and learn with others.

QUOTABLE

Not only did we fail to imagine what the Web would become, we still don't see it today! We are blind to the miracle it has blossomed into. And as a result of ignoring what the Web really is, we are likely to miss what it will grow into over the next ten years.
- Kevin Kelly, Wired

DEWEY WAS A FOOL

On an episode of the cult fave Futurama, aliens take over the Earth by devouring information. One slimy creature shrieks: "Dewey, you fool. You made it so easy!" Later the heroes dumbfound the aliens and save the planet.

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PERCEIVING THE WORLD

If you are looking for the moral of the story, it's simple. The lesson is 'how we organize information influences how we perceive the world.'

Over the past decade the number of Web users has grown exponentially. But are we truly making effective use of the Web? Let's take a look at a few examples.

COMMUNITIES -- Small towns and large cities use the Web to promote themselves in the era of "globalization."

STUDENTS -- Students can ask questions of professors working abroad instead of depending on the "expertise" of a local professor who had been in South America "a long, long time ago."

TRAVELERS -- Travelers research places long before they take a trip. They book reservations and solicit feedback from others via forums and bulletin boards, most of which are independent of official tourism boards.

TRAVEL OPERATORS -- Local vendors provide information about trips, prices, location, etc. using the Web at a fraction of the cost of printing and distributing brochures to potential clients.

	STATUS	IMPROVEMENTS
COMMUNITIES	Small towns and large cities use the Web to promote themselves in the era of "globalization."	Communities can improve communicating online AND offline
UNIVERSITIES	Students surf and ask questions	Universities could post proceedings from academic events online and conduct parallel conferences online that link to events on campus.
TRAVELERS	Travelers research places long before they take a trip.	Travelers could provide public feedback.
TRAVEL OPERATORS	Local vendors provide information about trips, prices, location, etc. using the Web	Operators could explain their standards
FOUNDATIONS	Foundation websites list what they fund	Foundation websites could provide status reports and links to grantees

A FEW WORDS ABOUT MANNERS

There are no formal rules to netiquette. Part of the charm of the Web is that it encourages multiple viewpoints.

BEYOND BRAGGING

Be aware that the vast majority of people on the planet are simply not wired. How do we make the Internet experience comfortable for leaders in rural communities? This is one of the many tasks we all face in bridging the digital divide.

The solution does NOT require additional hardware, but rather an understanding of how to create more with available tools. Otherwise, we're just bragging about the hardware.

I'm reminded of the university student who in 1994 boasted about how many gigabytes of data he had downloaded about the Zapatistas in Mexico. Without on-the-ground experience or contacts, information lacks substance.

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you feel inspired, do one of the following

FORUM - Post a link to a relevant news story in the Planeta Forum
NETWORK - Announce an event in which you are participating on the Planeta Forum
FLICKR - Buy a Flickr account and give one to a friend
ALLIANCES - Invest in a Planeta Alliance