::fibreculture:: Global Voices

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Global Voices is an international community of bloggers who report on 
blogs & citizen media from around the world. http://globalvoicesonline.org

The 'Technology for Transparency Initiative' invites you to join an 
online dialogue on ‘Using Technology to Promote Transparency', starting 
today.

There has been an expanding and increasingly global movement of 
technology and digital media projects aimed at promoting government 
transparency, accountability, and public participation in political 
processes. 

After documenting dozens of cases around the world, the Technology for 
Transparency Network documented these transparency projects to gain a 
better understanding of their current impact, obstacles, and future 
potential. Now it is time to start the conversation.

This week we are inviting 11 experts from all over the world, from 
different projects promoting openness, collaboration and transparency, to 
answer questions, comment on interesting topics and discuss the future of 
technology in promoting transparency.

The dialogue is an opportunity to share these case studies and tools with 
the online community, learn from the experiences of practitioners 
implementing these projects, and discuss new ideas, challenges, risks and 
opportunities. 

Join us online from September 21 to share your stories, ideas & resources.

<http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/09/21/global-online-dialogue-on-
technology-for-transparency/>

About : http://globalvoicesonline.org/about/
        Updated 19 September 2011 14:38 GMT 

Global Voices is a community of more than 500 bloggers and translators 
around the world who work together to bring you reports from blogs and 
citizen media everywhere, with emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily 
heard in international mainstream media.

Global Voices seeks to aggregate, curate, and amplify the global 
conversation online - shining light on places and people other media 
often ignore. We work to develop tools, institutions and relationships 
that will help all voices, everywhere, to be heard.

Millions of people are blogging, podcasting, and uploading photos, 
videos, and information across the globe, but unless you know where to 
look, it can be difficult to find respected and credible voices. Our 
international team of volunteer authors and part-time editors are active 
participants in the blogospheres they write about on Global Voices.

Global Voices is incorporated in the Netherlands as Stichting Global 
Voices, a nonprofit foundation. We do not have an office, but work as a 
virtual community across multiple time zones, meeting in person only when 
the opportunity arises (usually during our Summits). We rely on grants, 
sponsorships, editorial commissions, and donations to cover our costs.

Our Projects

Global Voices is translated into more than 30 languages by volunteer 
translators, who have formed the Lingua project. Additionally, Global 
Voices has an Advocacy website and network to help people speak out 
online in places where their voices are censored. We also have an 
outreach project called Rising Voices to help marginalized communities 
use citizen media to be heard, with an emphasis on the developing world.

Our History

Global Voices was founded in 2005 by former CNN Beijing and Tokyo Bureau 
Chief, Rebecca MacKinnon and technologist and Africa expert, Ethan 
Zuckerman while they were both fellows at the Berkman Center for Internet 
and Society at Harvard University. 

The idea for the project grew out of an international bloggers’ meeting 
held at Harvard in December 2004 and it began as a simple blog. (Here's a 
written report and podcast of that meeting).

Global Voices quickly expanded thanks to patronage of the Berkman Center, 
support from Reuters, the MacArthur Foundation, and the energy and 
creativity of our contributors.

Our Primary Goals

At a time when international English-language media ignores many things 
that are important to large numbers of the world’s citizens, Global 
Voices aims to redress some of the inequities in media attention by 
leveraging the power of citizens’ media. We believe in free speech, and 
in bridging the gulfs that divide people.

We wish to:

• Call attention to the most interesting conversations and perspectives 
emerging from citizens’ media around the world by linking to text, 
photos, podcasts, video and other forms of grassroots citizens’ media.

• Facilitate the emergence of new citizens’ voices through training, 
online tutorials, and publicizing the ways in which open-source and free 
tools can be used safely by people around the world to express themselves.

• Advocate for freedom of expression around the world and protect the 
rights of citizen journalists to report on events and opinions without 
fear of censorship or persecution.

--

Cheers,
Stephen
"Live curious, ignorance is boring"