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The Internet as a means of communications is the first truly global system that we have had. With about 300 million users, of which about 4.5 million are in India, it is interactive, immediate and with the same sense of immediacy that TV has, the Internet offers instant feedback channels.

Information on the Internet is organized into units called web pages that are computer files containing text and pictures and occasionally, sound and video. A collection of interlinked web pages is called a website that can be linked to the office of the organisation that owns the site. A website can be viewed anywhere in the world 24 hours, seven days a week.

The Internet can move large quantities of data around the world in minutes. Anybody in any country can view a site with the help of a computer and modem. It is a truly democratic medium of communications, not controlled by large corporations. Anybody with fairly basic computer knowledge can create the content on the Internet at a reasonable cost.

The distributiveness of the Internet makes it unique. There is no ownership, which is a good as well as a bad thing. Nobody owns the Internet but people do own websites. Large news organizations own a large news network and websites that are updated frequently. But, there is no bar on anybody else setting up a news website- it is cheap to do and as acceptable as a large one. For example, the website of Gomantak Times will be as visible as that of Reuters. You only need to know the website address.

As the Internet is a computer-based medium, there is no restriction on the quantum of data that can be put on it. This is important for organizations publishing large volumes of data, such as this project purports to do. The full text of research papers can be placed on a Website and changed whenever there is a need to do so. The cost of updating a Website is small as compared to the cost of bringing out a full-fledged print publication. The Internet’s versatile nature makes it possible to put text, still and video pictures on a website.

However, the flow of information on the Internet continues to largely emanate in the "North" and is commercial. More than 95 percent of websites are hosted in the USA and have US or European content that is of little relevance outside those regions. This needs to be changed, and urgently by putting quality "alternative" information from the "South" on the Internet.

The obvious way is through a website that provides information on sustainable development and human rights. Such a website should provide news, views and interactive forums for people to discuss issues. More than anything else, this website should be a way of presenting information without any filters.

Such a website exists – OneWorld.net. It is different things to different people – a network of NGOs, a source of "alternative" news, a forum for NGOs and thinkers to interact- much like the elephant to the five blind men. Except that it is the leading source of news on the Internet on sustainable development and human rights.

One World picks up material from its 1000-odd partner NGOs from around the world and publishes this on its pages. This material is presented in a news magazine format for the general audience, and the site gets upwards of four million visitors a month. There are language and regional editions that focus on the South Asian issues and provide over 100 NGOs in the region a forum to be heard.

The One World model works with the NGOs and not with their beneficiaries. It provides a voice to the voiceless amplified through the NGOs that work with them. The argument here is that as the NGO beneficiaries are usually people who do not have access to computers or the Internet, it is simpler and in some ways better to work with NGOs, helping them to reach a global audience.

People search for information on the Internet using devices called search engines. These are databases of web pages organised according to the category or area of interest. There are some that are specific to environment. Much like Yahoo! and Excite are search engines for general information, One World is the de facto search engine for "alternative" information.

One World adds value to the information on NGO websites. Its network of editors, spread from Singapore in the East to the United States in the West scan the websites of partner NGOs daily. They pick up newsy and relevant information and present it in a way that is easy for a general reader to understand. Links from the site lead to partner sites, creating a win-win situation. One World gets a good and rich selection of news and the partners get visitors.

One World partners are usually NGOs, though there are UN agencies, universities and donor organizations also. Currently, there are some 1000 partners worldwide working in diverse fields related to sustainable development and human rights. Some of these partners update their websites regularly while others do so occasionally. This is reflected in the number of times they appear on the One World opening page and other pages.

Putting news on the website is part of the job. Helping NGOs use the Internet as an effective means of communication is the other. To this end, One World offices in different parts of the world organize capacity building workshops for NGOs working in areas related to sustainable development and human rights. These look at how information communications technology can be used in their day-to-day work.

One World also helps those who want special applications related to the Internet. These include setting up and customisation of databases and a sophisticated search engine. Between them, these two features boost the utility of a large website tremendously. They make it easy for visitors to find what they want from a mass of data on a website without wasting time. One World also provides assistance to those wanting to set up a website. It has a database of Internet Service Providers in different parts of the world that is available to partners and potential partners.

One of the One World primary objectives is to increase the flow of development information on the Internet from the developing world. Over the last two years, regional editions have been launched in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It is fair to say that 40% of its news now has a bearing on the South.

The One World strategy in the region is two-fold. The first is to increase web content from the South Asian NGOs. The second is to train NGOs to use the Internet effectively to communicate.

The first goal has a three stage build up – training voluntary organizations in the use of the Internet, web content creation and updating; bringing them on as One World partners and ensuring that they undertake to keep their websites updated; and highlighting their material on different parts of the OneWorld.net super site.

This will be the first such venture in the region that will give a platform to all partner organizations, environmentalists and other people working on sustainable development. It is unique as this is the first time such networking is being attempted on the Internet at an international level.

1.	New material from partners’ Websites is highlighted on the One World super site that receives upwards of four million hits a month.
2.	This material is also sent out in e-mail digests to partners and individuals who have joined One World.
3.	Sometimes, this can result in a 50 percent increase in the number of visitors or hits, to a partner’s site.
4.	There are specialised publicity and training guides available to partners from the One World site.
5.	Partners can also access details about site visitors – who came from where and when.
6.	One World indexed each page on a site individually; this means the entire site’s visibility increases, not just that of the home page.
7.	One World has an advance search engine that allows visitors to search for information on the site. Partners can customize this for their individual use.

The biggest plus of joining up is becoming part of this huge community that has grown to nearly 1000 organizations.

The second prong of the strategy is training. To this end, One World will conduct courses for voluntary organizations in the region. Since One World South Asia was started in 1999, it has held 14 courses and trained nearly 200 people in the use of the Internet. All the course material has been prepared in-house and is designed to be easy to use. At the end of the course each person will be able to independently manage his or her organization’s Website. This includes designing individual web pages, putting in links and building the site and finally uploading it on to an Internet server.

The training is not conducted in vacuum. One World identifies and works closely with regional NGOs who serve as a resource organization. They identify and invite organizations in their region for the course and provide inputs – resource people, computers, and space – for the training sessions. As One World is a partnership-based entity, it endeavors to establish these even in the field of NGO training. This ensures that training is put on a firm footing and does not remain a one-off affair. It also ensures that NGOs that have trouble with their websites don’t have to go very far to look for help.

In order to maintain standards, One World has put an appraisal system in place. This will evaluate the levels of proficiency before and after training courses of the participants. It also evaluates the proficiency of potential training partners. One World has also build up an independent resource group of free-lance web designers who can work with NGOs and provide them inexpensive web solutions.

However, One World is not an Internet Service Provider like Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited or Mantra Online. Nor is it a web design firm. Instead of taking on the actual designing of web pages One World will point interested people in the right direction.

Another part of this objective is to identify new source of information on the Internet. Our partners provide us the bulk for this at present and it is adequate for a single page. However, that is likely to change with the introduction of more pages. q

Video Resource Centre at Development Alternatives

Development Alternatives (DA) became a VRC in January 1994. A video library was set up where people could access films on different issues of sustainable development.

DA’s VRC has an extensive collection of high quality TV and video programmes on environment and development issues. Besides generating awareness, this effort is also aimed at creating a better understanding of key environmental issues among the public and help bring about a change in people’s attitudes. These films not only highlight the global environmental crisis, but also bring to the fore the pioneering work and experiments carried out by our counterparts in various countries in facing the environmental degradation challenge.

To make the information on this collection accessible to all users, two catalogues have been published containing information about the films - the title, length, summary etc. and the cost of the film on VHS format. An order form is attached to the catalogue. The orders are dealt with through mail and over-the-counter sales at DA Headquarters.

Besides duplicating and distributing films on a non-profit basis, DA VRC is also engaged in dubbing films of foreign language into local language versions. DA also offers its services as a film production unit to other actors in the field of environment and development.

For more information, please write to:

Communications Unit, Development Alternatives

B-32, Tara Crescent, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016, INDIA

Email : dainet@sdalt.ernet.in