ICT Hub May 2007 Newsletter
The content of this newsletter was last edited on 8th August 2008
Spring has sprung! Longer evenings and bright sunshine offer plenty of opportunities to
escape the office so this month we focus on more thoughtful opportunities.
We have a feature on the ICT Hub Awards, including a case study on how one person makes a
difference. Also featured are telephony - an often forgotten but critical part of ICT - and
the role of older people in ICT.
Contents
ICT news
Digital Challenge winner
Sunderland won the Communities and Local Government’s ‘Digital Challenge’ competition and will
receive £3million to deliver its plans for a digitally enabled community that will benefit some of
the most vulnerable and socially excluded people in the area.
Broadband in rural areas
Rural Communities report on the rollout, availability and usage of broadband and ICTs in
rural communities across England, including a Best Practice Guide on community broadband and a
report on the future of ICTs in rural communities.
Almost free anti-virus software
CTXchange have added some Symantec (including Norton Antivirus, Firewall and pcAnywhere) and
Winfrasoft (VPN) products to their offering. The software is available free, with a small
admin charge, to registered charities.
Providing public information via online communities
Cabinet Office Minister Hilary Armstrong has set up a review of how government can help
internet advice sharing sites, such as Rightsnet and NetMums, empower people with (public sector)
information that could improve their lives.
Hasty la vista?
ICT Hub Knowledgebase offers a frank assessment of the latest Microsoft operating system.
Digital storytelling
How to make the best use of ICT in telling stories and engaging others. There’s a digital
storytelling cookbook and a tutorial in ten easy steps. Audio content can also make a big
difference to your services – it’s not just podcasting.
Text donations without the mobile bills
Charities can now receive SMS text donations without paying mobile phone operators.
What was it again? Don't forget your password
A timely reminder on making sure you store all your technical information (usernames, passwords
and details) in a safe place i.e. not under the keyboard or on the whiteboard.
Mouse aerobics
Honest! and
Dr Seuss on why
computers crash.
News from the ICT Hub
Web 2.0 Case Studies
Media Trust has been on an exciting journey around the UK demonstrating web 2.0 on behalf of the ICT Hub. More than a 1,000 people from small voluntary and community organisations were shown techniques such as blogging, podcasting and wikis. We’ve put together a free booklet to share with you some of the valuable advice and stories which have emerged over the course of the project. Download a free copy of the case studies booklet.
Article of the month
Great Examples of ICT Making a Difference
Our feature on the ICT Hub Awards – who won, why and how they changed the world around
them.
Where does telephony fit into an ICT strategy?
Telephone Helpline Association on why it's time to put our main communication tool into ICT
planning.
ICT and older people
It's not just about accessibility. If your older trustees can't use computers, how much less
effective is your Board? Do we worry enough about ICT and media literacy in the
'non-economically active'? How are your service users missing out? Gill Adams on why
Silver Surfers Day matters to you whether you're 7 or 70.
Case study of the month
How does one person make a difference in ICT?
Rob French from Devon based COSMIC recently won the award for invidual contribution to ICT in
the voluntary sector. How did he do it and what can you do to make a difference?
How does recording telephone conversations make you a better organisation?
In March 2007 the Breast Cancer Care Helpline was highly commended by the Telephone Helplines
Association for its use of call monitoring as part of its training processes. Call monitoring
enables the team that supports the helpline to record calls and discuss them with individuals to
help to improve quality.