Message-ID: <01BD4677.8FBB20E0@131.vita.org> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 07:39:46 -0500 From: Joe Sedlak <mailto:jsedlak@VITA.ORG> Subject: Moderated Internet Conference To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
------ =_NextPart_000_01BD4677.8FCBE9C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bitI just want to call you attention to an item in the march developNet news.
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THE REVOLUTION OF INCLUSION - AN EMAIL NETWORK FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
VITA will initiate a moderated electronic discussion conference starting = in March 1998. This conference will focus exclusively on using email for = critical health, education, disaster and other information for people in = the rural areas of developing countries. It will result in definite = action plans to actually bring schools, health facilities, businesses, = commerce, transportation and other activities in rural areas into the = mainstream of development! This conference will help shape what author = Frances Cairncross describes as the "Revolution of Inclusion" in her = book Death of Distance: How the Communications Revolution Will Change = Our Lives.
Between now and the start-up of the conference, we need your advice and = comments on the organization of the conference. Our present thought is = to select several key topics for discussion and then conduct short-term = conferences by small panels of experts on each particular topic. At the = end of each panel discussion, we will then open the conference results = for comments from non-participants for another definite short period of = time. At the end of the conference an action plan will be created.=20
Sample topics: "What are the three top priority communications needs in = developing country Education? Health? Disaster Prevention? "
"In the context of real conditions, can "store and forward = communications fill the gap until "real time" communications become = available?'
"Effective cost/time use of the Internet in rural areas of developing = countries"
"Email access to "qualified" (i.e. preselected) WWW sites"=20
"Your suggestions" =09 Please: 1/ comment or make suggestions on the above; 2/ indicate your = interest in participating by sending your name, title and organizational = affiliation and your email address to mailto:VITAlink@vita.org.
You will receive notification soon about the first discussion topic and = how to participate.
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