Some collection of Web 2.0 Products and Services

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Website Spell Checker

www.texttrust.com
Founded in 2004, TextTrust with the aim of developing a proprietary site checking technology. In the fall of 2005, TextTrust launched its online service and currently used by a number of international client base ranging from top 50 law firms and award winning advertising agencies to the banking industry and the public sector. TextTrust's singular focus on eliminating the negative text impressions on web sites makes it a service suitable for any organization that cares about its web properties.

POSTING VIDEO ON YOUR BLOG

POSTING VIDEO ON YOUR BLOG
contributed by E.K.Bensah II

1. GO TO http://www.castpost.com
2. REGISTER with username and password
3. in order to post either a PICTURE or a VIDEO, you simply go to “ADD ITEM”
4. Make sure that you click on BROWSE in order to UPLOAD
5. Follow instructions, making sure you UPLOAD THE VIDEO from either the desktop OR your digital camera

PROS FOR USING DIGITAL CAMERA WITH CASTPOST
1. you can simply connect your digital camera to the USB port and view your pictures/videos (provided your digital camera can record video!)
2. in castpost.com, if you want to upload the video, you simply make sure you browse to you DIGITAL CAMERA (usually in ‘E’ or ‘F ‘drive)
3. you select the video, and upload.
4. CASTPOST will do the rest for you. If the file is,say, 5MB, it will take long to upload. PLEASE BE PATIENT.
5. If you have a blog, CASTPOST will ask you whether you want to connect to your blog. If you have two blogs, it will ask you to ADD another one, or chose from your second
6. Once the upload is done effectively, a small screen, with a SNAPSHOT of the video will appear.
a. Make sure you click on ‘BLOG IT’.
b. Follow instructions—you may be asked to include “description” so that once you post on your blog, you have your whole ENTRY already done.

PLEASE NOTE CASTPOST GIVES YOU 100 MB FREE TO UPLOAD VIDEO/PICTURES!!

Job : Pambazuka News seeks Online News Editor

Pambazuka News seeks Online News Editor
2006-06-22
Pambazuka News, the electronic weekly newsletter and website focusing on social justice issues in Africa, is seeking an ONLINE NEWS EDITOR. You will be a forward thinking and independent person with a strong background in journalism and experience and/or a strong interest in the power of the internet for information delivery and campaigning.

Responsibilities will include: Assuming responsibility for the weekly production of Pambazuka News, including the coordination of editorial support staff; Editing, proofing, researching and posting content online in line with weekly production deadlines; Maintaining a contacts list and editorial diary, including research and commissioning of articles to ensure coverage of key events and issues; Research and writing of comment and analysis items on events and issues related to Africa; Participating in strategic and development issues that relate to editorial content, future development and editorial staff and interns; Completion of necessary administrative tasks. For the full job advertisement, please click on the link below.
Pambazuka News (www.pambazuka.org)

Job Title: Online News Editor

Reporting to: Director, Fahamu

Job Status: Part-time (three days a week)

Pambazuka News, the electronic weekly newsletter and website focusing on social justice issues in Africa, is seeking an ONLINE NEWS EDITOR. You will be a forward thinking and independent person with a strong background in journalism and experience and/or a strong interest in the power of the internet for information delivery and campaigning.

Pambazuka News is produced by Fahamu (www.fahamu.org), an organisation that uses information and communication technologies to serve the needs of organisations and social movements that aspire to progressive social change. You will form part of a Fahamu team working on Pambazuka News and be responsible for driving forward the development of the service.

RESPONSIBILITIES

You will be responsible for:

- Assuming responsibility for the weekly production of Pambazuka News, including the coordination of editorial support staff;
- Editing, proofing, researching and posting content online in line with weekly production deadlines;
- Maintaining a contacts list and editorial diary, including research and commissioning of articles to ensure coverage of key events and issues;
- Research and writing of comment and analysis items on events and issues related to Africa;
- Participating in strategic and development issues that relate to editorial content, future development and editorial staff and interns;
- Completion of necessary administrative tasks.

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

You will have:

- A degree in journalism or other relevant field;
- At least five years experience and a sufficient track record;
- An ability to “never miss a deadline” and work accurately under pressure on numerous tasks at once;
- Experience with the online medium and a critical eye when it comes to working with online information;
- Access to the internet and suitable infrastructure to conduct the job;
- Ability to write analytically and coherently on issues related to Africa (evidence required);
- The ability to network, commission articles and build relationships,
- A good understanding of social movement and civil society politics and the ability to peer beyond prevailing development dogma;
- Excellent written and spoken English. Fluency in French will be considered an advantage and/or knowledge of Kiswahili and/or Arabic;
- A high degree of organisation, confidence and initiative.

This job is on a part time basis (three days per week) in the first instance. Candidates should preferably be resident in Africa. Residence in Kenya or South Africa will be considered an advantage. The initial contract is for a fixed period of six months in the first instance, renewable for up to 2 years depending on performance and the availability of funds. Remuneration will be commensurate with experience.

If you believe you fit the above details please send a one-page covering letter and two-page CV to pambazukajobs@gmail.com The deadline date for applications is 15 August 2006. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Short listed candidates will be required to complete a test prior to being interviewed.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/35339

INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME FOR COMMONWEALTH JOURNALISTS FROM AFRICA

INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME FOR COMMONWEALTH JOURNALISTS FROM AFRICA
Application:
The Communications and Public Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat is seeking a young journalist from the following countries in Africa to undertake an attachment with the Secretariat in London from January to June 2007.
Botswana
Cameroon
The Gambia
Ghana
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Swaziland
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania
Zambia
The attachment provides an opportunity to gain work experience and training in the production and dissemination of written articles for our publications, including the Commonwealth News and Information Service (CNIS) - our weekly e-mail news bulletin, our website and general publicity materials. The duration of the attachment will be approximately five months. This internship is rotated among various regions in the Commonwealth.
Requirements:
a. The candidate should be 29 years old or younger.
b. Have at least two years' experience as a journalist or reporter with an English-language newspaper, news agency or national information agency. However, a recent graduate in journalism or a related discipline, who has less than two years' experience but shows promise and ability as a news or features writer, would also be considered.
c. Computer literacy, including the use of Microsoft Word and some experience of database and e-mailing software, is essential.
d. Knowledge of the Commonwealth and of development issues is an advantage, as would the experience of having lived in or visited a developing Commonwealth country.
The Attachment:
The successful candidate will be working at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London and will be paid an allowance to cover expenses. This includes a fixed monthly allowance to cover accommodation and a fixed daily allowance for living expenses. The total allowance amounts to approximately £1,800 per month (before UK taxes and deductions). A return air ticket (economy class) will be provided, as will additional reimbursements for some transportation and short-term accommodation expenses and visa costs.
If the successful candidate is in full-time employment, his or her employer will be requested to provide a guarantee that the candidate will be able to return to his/her job after the attachment is completed. While working at the Secretariat, the intern will have the opportunity to report on Commonwealth events for their news organisation, after having fulfilled his/her daily duties as required by the internship.
Applications / Deadline (1 November 2006)
Candidates are requested to apply via e-mail, attaching their curriculum vitae and ensuring that full address and contact details are included. Those selected for an interview will be asked to provide samples of their published writing, as well as a short personal statement (of about one page) stating why they would like to be considered for the internship and a letter of recommendation from their editor supporting their internship application and allowing leave of absence from the newsroom for duration of the internship programme. Interviews will be conducted by phone.
CVs should be sent to the CNIS Editor at g.goh@commonwealth.int by 1 November 2006.

Computer Professional for Social Responsiblity (CPSR) Announces 2006 New Board Members

Press Release

Computer Professional for Social Responsiblity (CPSR) Announces 2006 New Board Members, Officers, and A Change of Address, and Clarifies Policy on Elections

Palo Alto, CA, July 20, 2006:

CPSR announced the election of its new board of directors. The election results made public July 1, added new Board Members: Kwasi Boakye-Akyeampong, Lillie Coney, William McIver, Jr., and Fyodor Vaskovich to the roster.

At the first Board meeting, held July 10, 2006, the following members were elected CPSR's Officers for 2006-2007:

Todd Davies - President
Annalee Newitz - Vice President
Lauren Gelmen - Treasurer
Robert Guerra - Secretary

CPSR is pleased to announce the lease of a new office at 1370 Mission Street in San Francisco. It is on a floor shared with other technology- based activist organizations, and also less expensive than our former headquarters in Palo Alto. The board unanimously amended the bylaws at its recent meeting to allow this move.

All mail should still be sent to Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, P.O. Box 717, Palo Alto, California 94302 USA until the contact information is updated on our contact information page .

For the first time, the CPSR board was elected electronically. CPSR's decision to conduct one experimental election online was not an endorsement of Internet voting for governmental elections. CPSR today reiterated its longstanding opposition to the use of electronic and Internet voting systems in government elections (see below). CPSR first called for all government elections to use reliable, paper ballots in 1989.

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Policy Position
Computing Professionals for Social Responsibility Policy Statement on Internet Voting 2006

Computing Professionals for Social Responsibility has as its core mission- to engage in policy discussions on the development and use of computers within society. This mission recognizes that ultimately those decisions to adopt or reject integration of computing to provide benefits, policing functions, or services have far-reaching consequences. In CPSR's effort to develop sound public policy and good corporate practices we have challenged policy and decision makers to address the hard questions regarding the implications for privacy, civil liberty, and human rights when adopting computing technology.

In recent years, one of the most intense and conflict driven debates is over the adoption of computing technology intended for use in public elections.
Electronic voting had long been a point of concern for technologists who were practitioners in the area of electronic voting, but only recently emerged as a policy issue with the adoption of electronic voting systems for public elections.

Public elections require voter privacy and a secret ballot to ensure that coercion and fraud are discouraged to the greatest degree practicable. For this reason, CPSR recognizes that at this point in time public elections could not be assured by the adoption of paperless voting systems. Our position has and continues to be that the use of electronic voting without a paper audit trail for government elections, including municipal, state, and national elections is ill advised. Further, it is our position that Internet voting is not appropriate for public elections, or any other election where voter privacy and ballot secrecy is essential.

As a nonprofit organization, without the same constraints as public elections, such as the requirement of secret ballots and voter privacy, CPSR is free to engage in experimentation of new voting systems. One such effort occurred the summer of 2006 with the election of new board members. It was determined by the board that Internet voting would be a cost-effective way to encourage our members to participate in the elections. The participation of members in the governance of CPSR is of tremendous importance to the health of our organization. Making the voting process as accessible as possible for members of CPSR is the highest objective of the Board.

CPSR voter participation in the election was about 19 percent of the membership, which is roughly the same participation from last year's election.

Our decision to conduct one experimental election online was not an endorsement of Internet voting for government elections, nor was it an endorsement of specific software. We will continue to seek out the most appropriate means of engaging the largest number of our members in the governing decisions of the organization.
http://www.cpsr.org

The Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships

The Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships (AFPF) is an American non-profit, non-governmental organization that gives developing-world journalists the opportunity to work as reporters in American newsrooms. The program, which runs from mid-March to September, is offered annually to approximately ten professional print journalists between the ages of 25 and 35.

Created in 1984 by Alfred Friendly, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and former managing editor of The Washington Post, the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships is one of the most successful and admired programs in international education for journalists. AFPF is unique in that it is the only program to offer foreign journalists a non-academic, long-term, hands-on experience in a single news organization. Convinced that healthy democracies need strong, free media, Friendly conceived a fellowship program that would both impart American journalistic traditions and respond to worldwide interest in the dissemination of fair and accurate news.

Sharing the goals of AFPF, the Daniel Pearl Foundation partnered with AFPF in 2003 to offer special fellowships to honor the life and work of journalist Daniel Pearl  the Wall Street Journal South Asia bureau chief who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Daniel Pearl Fellows have worked at the Washington, DC bureau of The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and The Berkshire Eagle and North Adams Transcript. Applicants for the Daniel Pearl Fellowships must come from areas where Daniel Pearl worked as a journalist South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Applications for the 2007 fellowship program are now available online.
Visit http://www.pressfellowships.org/application.html to download AFPF and DPF application materials.

Online Leadership: Fundamentals of a Changing World

Date Starts: 10/31/2006
Date Ends: 11/3/2006
Deadline: 8/28/2006
Tuition: $595.00 (includes hotel)
Who will benefit: Editors and leaders who want a better understanding of the changing media landscape. Print or broadcast media welcome.
Seminar Description: You’ll learn:


What's really happening on the Web
How newsrooms are adapting and changing
What the future holds in terms of connectivity and technology
How to share this to your staff, colleagues and bosses
http://www.poynter.org/seminar/seminar_view.asp?int_seminarID=3786

PIWA contest Prize : the Results/ Resultats-Concours IPAO

Pour le français, voir en dessous

Hello everybody,

PIWA has just released the results of its contest on ICT media production launched in the framework of the project called "Print media in West Africa: mediator for information society issues".

The winners are :

- For Print media
- 1st prize : Mr Olusegun Ohimeh ORUAME, journalist – Editor of IT Edge
magazine (www.itedgenews.com), Nigeria. Title of his production « In Nigeria … Change is mobile phone ». Mr Oruame will receive a F CFA 1, 000, 000 grant + an invitation to the official prize-giving ceremony to be held on 14 July, 2006 in the framework of the regional workshop organized by PIWA. The workshop theme is : "ICT Governance and Post WSIS strategies in West and Central Africa ", 13-15 July 2006, Saly, Senegal (see.http://www.cipaco.org/article.php3?id_article=833&lang=en). The panel of judges have particularly appreciated Mr ORUAME’s proficiency on the subject of ICT and the quality of his article.

- 2nd prize : Mrs Ramata SORE, journalist, l’Evénement of Burkina Faso.
Her article : « Faire du Bio à l’aide des TIC » has won the judges’approval thanks to its originality, its accuracy regarding African realities and Mrs Soré’s proficiency on ICT. Mrs Soré will be awarded a cash prize of FCFA 500,000.

The Special CIPACO prize will be awarded to Mr Fernand NOUWLIGBETO, Journalist at the « Proximités » Agency in Benin. His production entitled : « Télécoms/Tic en Afrique : Réformer le cadre juridique pour doper la croissance économique » meets all the requirements on ICT proficiency, it also reveals the investigations made by its author and represents a fairly good analysis of the situation of telecommunications regulation in Africa.

- For radio

The winner is Mr Filifing Diakité, journalist at Radio Guintan, Bamako, Mali. A cash prize of FCFA 500, 000 will be awarded to him. His production entitled « Le registre des dossiers judiciaires et
statistiques judiciaires (logiciel) - Le Magazine de l’Internet) won
the panel of judges’acclaim thanks to its originality, its author’s proficiency on the issues of ICT in Africa.


In terms of applications, PIWA has received the total number of
- 33 productions for print media
- and 4 radio productions

The applicants come from the 10 following countries : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, the Centrafrican Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Chad.

Most of the applications come from Benin (5), followed by Senegal (4).
Cameroon ranks 3rd with 3 applicants. The other countries fairly record the same number of applicants with about 2 applications per country.

The panel of judges was made up of :

Mr. Gaston Zongo, Senior ICT Policy Consultant, former IDRC Program Director, Mr.Pierre Dandjinou, ICT Policy Regional Advisor, UNDP-SURF, M. Ibrahima Sané, Journalist-Consultant, specialist of the radio and former director of the Senegalese National Radio, M. Alain Just Coly, Journalist-Consultant, specialized in ICT.

The awarded productions and some of the other productions will be on line in the coming days and PIWA will offer some of its publications to all the other applicants.

PIWA is grateful to all the applicants and congratulates the winners.
PIWA hopes to have the opportunity to reward the other applicants in the future contests it will organize.

Best regards

Aïssatou Tounkara
PIWA ICT Programme Assistant

Bonjour à tous


L’IPAO vient de livrer les résultats officiels du concours de production médiatique qu’il a organisé sur le thème « « TIC, gouvernance démocratique et développement en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre ».

Les lauréats sont :

Catégorie Presse Ecrite

- 1er prix : Monsieur Olusegun Ohimeh ORUAME, journaliste – Editeur du
IT Edge magazine (www.itedgenews.com), Nigéria. Titre de sa production « In Nigeria … Change is mobile phone ». Pour rappel, le premier prix consiste en une enveloppe de 1.000.000 FCFA et une invitation à Saly au Sénégal pour la cérémonie officielle de remise du prix dans le cadre de l’atelier régional organisé par l’IPAO, notamment son projet CIPACO, sur
: "Gouvernance des TIC et stratégies post - SMSI en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre", 13-15 juillet 2006 (cf. http://www.cipaco.org/article.php3?id_article=833) ; Le jury a surtout apprécié la maîtrise du sujet discuté et la qualité de l’écriture.


- 2e prix : Mme Ramata SORE, journaliste à l’Evénement du Burkina Faso.
Son article « Faire du Bio à l’aide des TIC » a convaincu le jury par son originalité, et son ancrage dans les réalités locales, ainsi que la maîtrise du sujet. Mme Soré recevra une enveloppe de 500.000 FCFA.

Prix Spécial CIPACO : Monsieur Fernand NOUWLIGBETO, Journaliste à l’Agence « Proximités » au Bénin. Titre de sa production : « Télécoms/Tic en Afrique : Réformer le cadre juridique pour doper la croissance économique ». Cet article remplit les critères de maîtrise du sujet, illustre les recherches réalisées par l’auteur, et constitue une assez bonne analyse de la situation de la régulation des télécommunications en Afrique.

-

Catégorie « Radio » :

Le prix Radio revient à Monsieur Filifing DIAKITE, - Journaliste à Radio Guintan 94.7 FM « la Voix des femmes » à Bamako au Mali. Sa production « Le registre des dossiers judiciaires et statistiques judiciaires
(logiciel) - Le Magazine de l’Internet) a séduit le jury par son
originalité, son professionnalisme et la maîtrise des enjeux des TIC pour l’Afrique par son auteur.

L’IPAO a reçu au total :
- 33 productions écrites
- 4 productions radiophoniques

Les candidatures sont venues des 10 pays suivants : Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Nigéria, Sénégal, Tchad, République Centrafricaine, République Démocratique du Congo.

Le jury était composé par :

M. Gaston Zongo, Consultant Senior en Politiques TIC, ancien Directeur de programme du CRDI ; M.Pierre Dandjinou, Conseiller Régional sur les politiques TIC au PNUD-SURF ; M. Ibrahima Sané, Journaliste-Consultant, spécialiste de la radio ; ancien directeur de la Radio Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS)Nationale du Sénégal ; M. Alain Just Coly, Journaliste-Consultant, journaliste spécialisé sur les TIC.

Les productions primées ainsi que certaines des productions soumises seront mises en ligne dans les jours à venir. L’IPAO offrira ses publications à tous les autres candidats qu’il remercie d’avoir bien voulu participer à ce concours.

L’IPAO félicite les lauréats du concours 2006 et espère avoir l’opportunité de récompenser les autres candidats dans le cadre des prochains concours qu’il organisera.

Salutations distinguées

Aïssatou Tounkara
Assistante au programme TIC
IPAO