Making
The Net Work
www.makingthenetwork.org
Aims to help those planning to get their organisation or
neighbourhood online, or create local technology centres,
including
government plans to help bridge the Digital Divide.
National
Grid for Learning
www.ngfl.gov.uk/ngfl/adviceindex.html
For help on using the Internet safely, especially if concerned
about young children or avoiding illegal or undesirable material
for some useful suggestions
IT
resources for UK Charities and Non-profits
www.itforcharities.co.uk
Specialist information on technical resources for
nonprofits.
RNIB
www.rnib.org.uk/whatsnew/pressrel/wtw.htm
For people who are blind or partially sighted RNIB have produced
a 15 min video on the design of sites to ensure that they work
well for people using text readers.
Bobby
www.cast.org/bobby
A free programme on the web can be used to check your site for
all issues to do with accessibility for people with disabilites
London Advice Services
Alliance
www.lasa.org.uk
A good organisation
for helping vol orgs with technology - produce 'Computanews'
Tucows
www.tucows.com
Get all the latest free downloads for your PC, including
Internet, unzipping and other utilities. Support
Charities
www.bigfoot.com/~support_charities
Free
services and free software for charities and voluntary organisations eBase
www.ebase.org
A free interactive mailing database for nonprofit organizations |
Get
a free website -
see our guide
How to
get online
This is the point that many groups find themselves at. Once you have decided why it
might be useful and what sort of things might benefit your organisation. Then the
practical issues need to be identified and put into place:
- Identify where to locate a PC, depending on whether it is to be
used by the office or front line staff;
- Seek out the equipment required - the SIESTA project hopes to help
with 150 used PCs which are available for internet use only;
- Agree who in the organisation will take main responsibility for the
upkeep of the equipment but also the skills required to go with it by undertaking any
training offered. It is worth thinking about how to share this out so that should that
person leave everything does not grind to a halt;
- Think about some of the costs involved - even if only used to check
on e-mail. The SIESTA project will try and monitor the sorts of extra costs groups face
which may be off set against other ones such as postage or using the telephone for calls
however there are unfortunately no funds to subsidise new users;
- Select a Internet Service Provider (ISP) to suit your
needs. There are many different ones, some free some with a monthly charge. Information on
these will be available at the SIESTA drop-in information session around the county or
visit www.fisplist.co.uk
- Finally get online and get communicating …. it doesn’t
hurt, it can be fascinating or frustrating and don’t forget it doesn’t
bite!
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