TRIALOG steps into the world of new webtools

Information provided by Anita Bister, TRIALOG Information Officer

With this first issue of the TRIALOG Information Service (TIS) being available as a blog, TRIALOG enters into the world of the web 2.0. tools which are freely available on the internet and offer a lot of new possibilities for sharing and exchanging information and open up new communication spaces. In future, you will not only receive the TIS every 1-2 months electronically as pdf file, but you can access our newsletter regularly on http://www.trialog.or.at/tis. Refer to the content on the left hand side to read all entries related to a certain topic. You can also display the latest TIS headings on your own webpage or subscribe to receive an email alert whenever there is a new entry on the site (use the links at the bottom of the left hand side). After a trial phase, we will explore further possibilities for our readers to contribute to the TIS newsletter and make the TIS more interactive. If you would like to post an article on development cooperation in the context of EU Enlargement in the TIS, please write to Anita Bister, TRIALOG Information Officer: a.bister@trialog.or.at. Feel free to also email any comments on the new TIS format.

During the last months, CONCORD together with EUFORIC (Europe’s Forum on International Cooperation) have been offering training and promoting the use of new webtools. The new TIS format is a result of these efforts. CONCORD recently became member of EUFORIC and collaboration has been established based on operational needs and synergies related to communication and information management. In June (5-6), CONCORD and EUFORIC joined forces by holding the first CONCORD Communication network meeting together with the EUFORIC Annual General Meeting. As CONCORD Director Olivier Consolo mentioned in his opening words, the aim was not only to reinforce communication within the CONCORD network but to build alliances with other actors and to increase the visibility and impact of CONCORD's work as a whole. The central theme of the event was on how to use better new techniques to increase one's impact when campaigning, advocating, raising funds or dealing with the media. In a number of parallel workshops the participants were offered trainings and had the possibility for peer-to-peer exchanges of experience and knowledge. Most of the workshops and discussions were immediately documented on the established conference blog which is available at: http://euforicagm2007.blogspot.com/

TRIALOG has circulated a questionnaire to explore the usage of new webtools in the new EU member states. If you are a development NGO from a new member state and interested in training on these topics, please reply to the questionnaire at http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/webtools_questionnaire.doc and email it to a.bister@trialog.or.at.

For more information on the CONCORD Communication Network please contact Agnes Philippart, CONCORD Communication Officer: Agnes.PHILIPPART@concordeurope.org