Update on GCAP online Global engagement - November 2007

Dear campaigners,

Find below some of the online tools we are using in the October 17 follow up.

We saw again in 2007 an expansion of the galaxy of GCAP sites: there are now more than 70 global, regional and national sites. Those GCAP websites propose a variety of online features, and it is essential for us to tie those efforts together, to improve the links between them and develop our general online advocacy.

This update offers you to participate to this development by:
1.    Updating your contact to be part of the GCAP Online community/focal points
2.    Getting access to your page, photo gallery, and to the blog section of the whiteband.org
3.    Contributing to the GCAP E-Advocacy 2007 Study
4.    Adding your written and visual testimonies to the newly created Testimonies-whiteband.org
5.    Adding your videos to a specific page for GCAP videos
6.    Contributing to the GCAP/AVAAZ October 17 map

Get involved!

1.    GCAP Online community

Please help us updating the list of GCAP Websites Operators. The GCAP online community will be contributing to the general GCAP online strategy for 2008/2010 that will include:
•    developing a better global branding
•    tailoring global/regional and national email letters and e-actions
•    supporting national and local e-actions
•    supporting countries willing to develop new national sites
•    sharing best practices among GCAP sites
•    etc.

2.    Whiteband.org

The whiteband.org serves as a global portal for GCAP and its constituencies and strives to strengthen the GCAP network. Click here to read its mission statement.
The website has been refurbished, its language navigation has improved and several volunteers are working hard to upload content in the various languages. If you want to support, or to give feed-back, please contact the language volunteer editors:
•    Arabic: Hikmat: hikmat@annd.org
•    French: Marie-Gabrielle: mgdenizet@club-internet.fr
•    Portuguese: Dermeval: airesjr@gmail.com
•    Spanish: Analia: info@lasociedadcivil.org and Sofia: sofia@lasociedadcivil.org
•    Copy to: Henri: henri.valot@civicus.org
Login access is being created for all national coalitions that will allow you to update your page, and photo gallery, and to post blogs.
Please contact Henri, at henri.valot@civicus.org in order to get your login name and password. Henri will also provide guidelines and online support.

3.    GCAP E-Advocacy Study starts

With input from about half of GCAP's 60 website operators, we have identified a number of common themes for the upcoming GCAP e-activism website study. These issues include learning more about our website users; their topical interests; what motivates them; how much campaigning they've done, are doing, and might do; whether our online outreach is working; e-advocacy tactics; and whether users consider our websites usable with high quality content. In addition, the study will address website credibility and its impact on user participation. We wish to thank everyone who participated in the needs assessment, and stress that the final study is open to all coalitions with a GCAP web presence. The study starts this week and GCAP Website Operators and National Focal Points will receive a link to the online questionnaire along with promotional text.  It is available in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Participation only requires you to place the announcement on your website. We'll do the rest, including producing the final report and sending you all your survey data. For more details, contact Brian Cugelman (b.cugelman@wlv.ac.uk) or visit the researching-gcap-e-advocacy page

4.    Testimonies-whiteband.org

The newly created Testimonies-whiteband.org is a common space for campaigners and the general public to get involved and share their personal experiences with the GCAP campaign or first-hand experiences with the movement’s core issues. On this website, GCAP’s primary goals will serve as a framework from which to organize personal stories that intersect with GCAP campaign, accountability, debt, aid, trade and gender issues.

You can register here. Once your registration is approved, you can post stories and photos.

5.    GCAP Videos page

Our friends from UBUNTU created a specific page for GCAP videos. See the videos which have been posted already
You can easily add your video here

6.    GCAP Avaaz map

Avaaz is offering us a map to display the best Oct 17 pictures. While we will be uploading the pictures received, you can also use it, just check it here.

This map can also be embedded on you site. Instructions for embedding: Copy and paste the snippet of code, below: <iframe name="map" src=" http://www.avaaz.org/Develop/googleMap.php"
width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0">STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT map</iframe>

Apologies for presenting such a menu of interventions! All are important, but in summary:
1.    Update your contact to be part of the GCAP Online community
2.    Get access to your page, photo gallery, and to the blog section of the whiteband.org
3.    Contribute to the GCAP E-Advocacy 2007 Study, by filling the survey
4.    Add your written and visual testimonies to the newly created Testimonies-whiteband.org; add your videos to the cs-tv.org, a specific page for GCAP videos
5.    Contribute to the GCAP/AVAAZ October 17 map

Please come back to me, should you have any questions and suggestions. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Henri VALOT
GCAP Web and New Media Coordinator
email: henri.valot@civicus.org
skype: valot.henri
messenger: hvalot
phone: + 33 2 38 54 67 99 / + 33 6 77 86 13 07