Who can help with Community Internet?

Free web space

Although many Internet service providers now supply free web space to subscribers, the task of developing and then advertising your web site will be down to you. If you have a parent organisation, they may be able to help; otherwise, attaching yourself to the index of a local information site (such as a council or community group) or joining one of the national bodies for your type of work can help.

• As an example, the Charities Aid Foundation (http://www.charitynet.org/), along with it's information resources, offers its members 5Mb free web space. Other charities can get 1/2 Mb for free, and this is enough for most purposes. (A page of A4 with a couple of pictures is about 25K, giving you approximately 20 pages.) This is very useful if you want to publish information on the 'Net perhaps every couple of months and don't want the the bother of maintaining it yourself. The information can be sent via email or post and they will even convert from text files to simple web pages for £30 per update and scan pictures as well for a further £20.

Advice

These following organisations provide advice and support particularly relevant to community and voluntary sector organisations.

• VOIS (http://www.vois.org.uk/), the Voluntary Organisations Internet Server offers Internet services and provides information on a variety of issues and topics from a voluntary sector perspective
• OneWorld Online (http://www.oneworld.org) is a 'supersite' for a wide range of non-profit organisations, and 'How-to's' on the site introduce partners to important Internet applications, highlight good new freeware products and answer technical, editorial and marketing questions.
• GreenNet and Poptel - see below under communications - also provide specialist support for voluntary bodies.

Communication: Discussion Areas and Interest Groups

Some suppliers target themselves at even more narrow sector of the market. They provide bulletin boards, mailing lists and other discussion areas on the Internet and through other means, perhaps on a world-wide basis. Some examples:

• GreenNet (http://www.gn.apc.org/), along with a complete range of internet services, has the APC confrences, a special information resource focusing around environment, human rights, labour issues and development. The Association for Progressive Communication (APC), is an international partnership of member networks providing low-cost computer communication and information services to individuals and non-governmental organisations. Its includes public and private discussions; standard UseNet newsgroups, discussion-areas, announcements, alerts, newsletters and the Inter Press Service's full news feed.
• ChurchNet (http://www.churchnet.org.uk/churchnet/) is aimed at all Christian churches, groups and organisations in the UK, but has connections with the US. It resource base, technical training and help. Charities and voluntary organisations are charged cost, plus a little bit extra.
• Poptel (http://www.poptel.org.uk) provides mailing lists and Bulletin Board Links. This allows a link from your Web page to a Bulletin Board, enabling messages sent as e-mail to be displayed in a Web
• Nearly two million pages are read per day from the OneWorld Online (http://www.oneworld.org) web site which brings together NGOs, magazines or organisations working for social justice and sustainable development under an umbrella site. Walled Garden, its networking system, containing a partners' mailing list, newsletter and top level statistics for members.

Information

Often there will be one or more organisations providing information or a gateways to other resources for topics of interest. You may be able to find this information elsewhere on the web using global search engines, but here someone has taken the work out of finding it organising it for you as an index, menus or a database of links. For example;

• Bede Island Community Association surveyed local community groups and listed sources of information they found of value; see their BICA's Voluntary Sector Directory (local).
• CharityNet has a search engine listing over 70,000 community groups, links to Corporate Community Involvement Pages on Company Websites (http://www.charitynet.org/caf/cafcompanies/corpgive.html) and the CharityCard Directory (http://www.charitynet.org/charities/Chcardacceptor.html) which lists companies which accept charitycard.
• GreenNet has a menu of its members, environment, progressive, spiritual and government links (http://www.gn.apc.org/gn/links/)
• Poptel has two indexes, Grey Pages (http://www.poptel.org.uk/greypages/), a listing of names, addresses, email and URL of organisations and public bodies and an information directory (http://www.poptel.org.uk/poptel/dir-net/index.html) of other useful information.
• VOIS offers a resource centre, a volunteers noticeboard and a searchable database

Training

Along with technical support, some organisations may be able to offer training.

• Poptel offers tailored training covering subjects such as Internet and Email Essentials, MailStation and Website Design at £90.00 per person for a one day course.
• GreenNet staff and volunteers offer 3 hour evening courses twice a month at £15 per person. For either beginner, intermediate or advanced levels of use of GreenNet.

There are also online courses available. for a fuller list see the communities online web site.

• Netskills (http://www.netskills.ac.uk/TONIC) is a free, full tutorial , complete with exercises, from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Lets you work through in sections and, by registering yourself, come back later to the place you got to.

How to choose your service provider

Choosing your supplier will depend on whether you require these additional services or whether cost is the overriding factor.
In the second case, it may be more appropriate to choose a private company. You can find a lists of UK Internet service providers at InetUK (http://www.limitless.co.uk/inetuk/providers.html), the University of Liverpool (http://www.connect.org.uk/techwatch/providers/index.html) and Mecklermedia(http://thelist.iworld.com/country/United_Kingdom.html). You'll find more in Internet (and other) magazines and perhaps some advertised in your local area. Perhaps there's a local group that may help you.