NFP Broadband Project Officer

The Last Day 31/10/09

2009-10-30T15:08:00.006+10:30

Well today is my last day as the SA Non Profit Broadband Project Officer. I've got most of the reporting done and now its just a matter of dotting the i's and crossing the t's to ensure all obligations are met. Its a shame really but with all funding cycles it was bound to end at some stage.

For a sector that provides 3% of the GDP and employs over 600.000 Australians it is extremely disappointing to see the ‘digital divide’ grow for these hard working and dedicated people that provide so much for their communities and yet have funding resources slashed in most cases annually.

These people are desperate for help and broadband technology can make their jobs more efficient and break down the geographical issues they face every day. We take so many things for granted and yet these people work tirelessly with little support to provide for those that need it the most.

I will be returning to do some consultancy work and focus on providing IT support services for non profits. I feel that I now have the experience and knowledge to help this sector start to embrace technology.

To all those that have helped over the 2 years I would like to thank them and hope to stay in contact for many years to come.

BPO Meeting - 21/10/09

2009-10-30T15:04:00.002+10:30

Today we had our last BPO meeting at BroadbandSA. It is a shame to see the projects winding up however I feel that there was a lot of positive outcomes for rural and remote South Australia. We covered our recent events including the Untangling the Web at Port Augusta and then covered the dreaded final reporting obligations. All in all I hope to stay in touch with the team and keep my ears open for any further positions especially with the rollout of the NBN not to far in the distance.

Annual General Meeting - 16/10/09

2009-10-30T14:18:00.002+10:30

Connecting Up Australia held their Annual General Meeting today. I gave a small presentation on my project and with it winding up I presented a small slide show of some of the events and places I've visited over the last 2 years. Doug said some kind words about me and I hope that I can continue to work within the non profit industry and return some of the generosity shown to me by Connecting Up Australia and all its staff.

UTW - Port Augusta 8/10/09

2009-10-30T13:55:00.003+10:30

A couple of days ago we held another one of our successful Untangling the Web events in Port Augusta. It was combined with the opening of the Port Augusta Business Centre that aims at providing a business incubator for local start up businesses. BroadbandSA helped organise the event and was opened by the State Manager of Microsoft, Mike Duhne. All in all it was a great day and demonstrated the need for more events within rural and remote South Australia.

TCGSA 22/09/09

2009-10-15T14:00:00.003+10:30

Attended a meeting at the Telecommunications Consumers Group of SA today. Discussion covered the current changes within the consumer industry including recent changes with ACCAN. Ian has put himself forward to sit on the board and we are looking forward to see the outcome. It has been identified that recent forums etc. have not been well attended and changes are needed if any further events are to be held.

Central Local Government Region - 10/09/09

2009-10-15T13:42:00.003+10:30

Had a meeting earlier today that was an extension of our regular BPO meeting with the State Government. There is a submission being formed to over the Central Local Government area and as part of that submission there are negotiations to include BPO's similar to myself. I was interested to see if the State was going to start offering some funding arrangements so that our projects could continue after the contract period.

DRI Meeting 28/08/09

2009-10-14T15:38:00.002+10:30

Today was another DRI meeting where some of the finer points were discussed. From the many people attending there didn't seem to be anyone that had a viable project due to the funding requirements. The State made it quite clean that there was no money to be found and with such a high buy-in I can't see any projects getting the go ahead. Sadly it would seem that only those with plenty of spare cash will get any notice and considering the dire need for projects across the State I don't see many positive outcomes.

ATUG Stakeholders Forum 27/08/09

2009-10-14T15:10:00.002+10:30

Last night I attended the ATUG Stakeholders Forum here in Adelaide. The majority of the discussion was based around the NBN roll-out and where ATUG should focus its effort in regards to the end user. Though heated at times the discussions were quite well informed however as mentioned the non profit sector seems to be struggling to get any attention from both State and Federal initiatives.

Berri Untangling the Web 12/08/09

2009-10-14T14:29:00.003+10:30

This was our second UTW event in Berri due to the popularity of our first. I slightly modified this event to include set presentations after being swamped last time. David Rawlings and Alison Kershaw provided excellent presentations throughout the day and the rest of the team dealt with the many questions from the masses. Whilst we didn't get the same turnover this time it was still a very successful and enjoyable day.

I spent some time prior to the event setting up some new PC's and configured them to access in internet. Through a software donation from Donortec and second-hand PC's from Connecting Up Australia we were able to bring their computer room back up to spec.

COTA IT Expo 31/07/09

2009-10-14T14:24:00.002+10:30

Met today with COTA to discuss their upcoming IT Expo. This event will focus on providing up to date information on technology to the more senior members of the community. Sadly I may not be available as my project will end before it happens. Connecting Up Asutralia will provide them with some support depending on the final details.

CEH Acreditation 13/07/09

2009-10-14T14:15:00.003+10:30

This week I used my personal development money to attend CEH training. Whilst this isn't directly related to the non profit sector it has provided me with up to date information in regards to e-security. There is a massive lack of security in most businesses and this is prevalent within no profit organisations who do not have the resources to have an IT support person on staff. I hope to use this training to provide a better service to the sector.

Information Agenda Evening 07/07/09

2009-10-14T14:08:00.002+10:30

Last night we attended the Stage Governments Information Agenda Evening. Once again there was some disappointment as the non profit sector fails to gain any attention and continues to fall further behind in regards to technology. I bumped into Genevieve Bell who continues to gain my interest as she demonstrates that her understanding of communities without technology is something that needs to be accepted by those that can actually do something about it.

DRI Stakeholders 30/06/09

2009-10-14T14:01:00.002+10:30

Today a stakeholders meeting was held to discuss the next round of funding to be provided by the Digital Regions Initiative. Sadly with a buy-in of 2 million dollars the non profit sector will be unable to participate in continuing any projects funded under this initiative. On a personal level I am disappointed as this will end my project and the lessons learnt over the past year will be lost. I do feel that this decision is short sighted as with the looming roll out of the NBN on the horizon there will be a dire need for people on the ground. As with all funding cycles there needs to be a focus on the future instead of the present.

Berri Untangling the Web 24/06/09

2009-08-27T11:28:00.004+09:30

Well dare I say it but we were overwhelmed by the amount of attendees to our latest Untangling the Web event in Berri. We received registrations from 62 locals and found ourselves quickly trying to work our way through their many questions and needs. The result was a fantastic day with us covering one on one sessions as well as a number of small group presentations on broadband technologies including skype, blogging and Facebook to name a few. Due to the huge response I have negotiated to provide another open day for local non profits, small business and the general public.

Berri Senior Citizens Club 18/06/09

2009-08-27T11:17:00.003+09:30

Headed off to Berri to prepare their computer room for the upcoming Untangling the Web session. They have a mix of old and new PC's but several are in need to dire attention and hopefully through other programs I can start to replace them and increase their capability. Their previous 'IT guy' passed away a few months ago and the lack of maintenance was starting to show with several need some TLC. I updated all of their PC's and installed some new software etc. to increase the interest of their members and the general public.

Mobile Mayhem TCGSA 17/06/09

2009-08-27T10:45:00.002+09:30

Currently I am attending the Telecommunications Consumer Group of SA meetings and events. Tonight they ran an event here in Adelaide called Mobile Mayhem. Several presenters from interstate including Theresa Corbin from ACANN. A small group of interested locals attended and all in the all it was an informative session providing details on consumers issues.

Morgan Untangling the Web 10/06/09

2009-08-27T10:42:00.003+09:30

We ran another Untangling the Web event at the Morgan Internet Centre. Morgan is a small town however we had a decent amount of locals come through and ask plenty of questions relating to broadband and we endeavoured to help answer them. We had a sausage sizzle out the back and all in all had a great time. They are just about to move to their new facilities and we hope to organise another event in the near future.

e-Security Event 9/06/09

2009-08-24T14:03:00.002+09:30

It was e-Security week Australia wide so we have been providing more security focused events. Tonight I attended the e-Security forum at the Microsoft offices here in Adelaide. There was a great turn out and I watch several fantastic presentations relating to online security.

Riverland Run 26/05/09

2009-08-24T11:37:00.002+09:30

Well I headed off to do a run through Renmark in the hope of finding more non profits looking for attention last week. Whilst I was there I dropped into Morgan and had a look at the business centre there. They have several computers and run courses for the locals. They were keen as mustard to have an open day so we have tied down some dates to get a 'Untangling the Web' show there in the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to meeting with the local community and helping non profits.

Polycom 25/05/09

2009-08-24T11:34:00.001+09:30

We had a representative from Polycom address our Adelaide office in the aim of working through some low cost solutions for non profits. One of the key technologies throughout this project has been video conferencing and we hoped to find slightly more professional installations for larger non profits. We hope to hear back from them soon about suitable packages.

CommsDay 19/05/09

2009-08-24T10:52:00.003+09:30

Paul Muskett, Louise Sladdin and myself attended the CommsDay event in Sydney last week. This 2 day event provided us with up to date information on the upcoming National Broadband Network roll-out and provided plenty of debate on where the country will head in relation to broadband technology. I found the event informative and well attended by many of the leading service providers and experts from around the globe.

Connecting Up 09 10/05/09

2009-08-21T12:03:00.003+09:30

Connecting Up Australia runs an annual conference promoting the use of technology within the non profit sector and has been widely accepted as the peak event throughout Australia. This year I attended the 3 day conference and was able to meet with a range of non profits and discuss the potential outcomes broadband technologies can have on the services they provide. Breakout sessions covered multiple streams and I was able to learn more about other work being carried out around Australia and brush up on my Web 2.0 skills. Further information can be found at - http://www.connectingup.org/conference

Untangling the Web - Maitland 6/05/09

2009-08-19T15:18:00.004+09:30

Today we held our first Untangling the Web (UTW) event in Maitland. The UTW idea came from combining forces between Paul Muskett, Louise Sladdin and myself to provide an open learning environment for local residents, small business and non profits. The open nature of these events allows people to just come in and ask questions about the internet and through one on one and small group sessions we provide the information required for them to better understand broadband technologies. The event attracted up to 40 locals and provided us with some great feedback as to how to run further events.

Digital Regions Initiative Stakeholders Meeting 30/04/09

2009-08-19T15:07:00.000+09:30

Today we attended a meeting to discuss the DRI funding made available by the Federal Government. The DRI funding is an extension of the Clever Networks program that current funds my position and we were hoping that there would still be further funding made available to continue educating non profits on broadband technology. Sadly the grants require a 50/50 investment with a minimum of $2 million buy in. This puts all non profits within South Australia out of contention and basically ends the program. We will continue to source other funding but at this stage the project will end on the 31st October 2009.

Regional Broadband Meeting 24/4/09

2009-06-01T15:24:00.002+09:30

Attended a meeting yesterday with several relevant parties.

• Central Local Government Region
• Murray & Mallee LGA
• South East LGA
• Eyre Peninsula LGA
• Provincial Cities Association
• Southern & Hills LGA
• Eyre Regional Development Board
• Mid North Regional Development Board
• Barossa Light Development Board
• Broadband Project Officers – Central, Murray & Mallee, Hills & Fleurieu
• DFEEST – Information Economy Directorate

The topics covered were relating issues with blackspots and funding available to address these shortcomings.

TCGSA 21/4/09

2009-06-01T15:13:00.002+09:30

Things have changed recently within the consumer representation community with CTN transforming into ACCAN. TCGSA are looking at becoming the SA branch for ACCAn and continue their excellent work in raising consumers isues within South Australia. Recent developments with the premium mobile services arena is a hot topic and was discussed at length. We also covered issues within the disability secotr and their rights to access suitable equipment.

Berri Senior Citizens 15/4/09

2009-06-01T14:36:00.002+09:30

Today I travelled up to Berri to meet with the local Senior Citizens group. They have several PC's set up for the local community to use and they run several training sessions and groups there. The aim for me is to use them as a case study and use several donation programs to build up their current network and expand their usage. We are looking at organising some workshops there and start to slowly build their ICT capacity. Their 'IT' guy passed away recently so my arrival was well timed as they have been experiencing some recent issues.

The Hutt 6/4/09

2009-06-01T13:45:00.003+09:30

The Hutt is a non profit organisation in the Adelaide Hills that is part of the Community and Neighbourhood Housing group I am helping increase their use of broadband technologies. They were having issues getting Skype to work and were also interested to hear whether VoIP would be a good direction for their organisation to take. I spent several hours talking to them and discussing potential outcomes.

CommsDay 31/3/09

2009-06-01T12:59:00.002+09:30

I organised for Louise Sladdin, Paul Muskett and myself to attend the CommsDay event held in Sydney. With the NBN announcement looming we were all looking to hear of the implications it would have for our regions and what outcomes could be percieved from the round table debates. All in all it was a great couple of days spent networking and meeting other interested parties.

Adelaide Pavillion 26/3/09

2009-05-26T09:20:00.002+09:30

An event was held in Adelaide today as part of Genevieve Bells residency in South Australia. I met with several other non profits that attended and discussed my program and potential outcomes to their organisations. Hopefully they will take up the some of the technologies we discussed and allow me to help provide the solutions.

Genevieve Bell Visit 25/3/09

2009-05-26T09:17:00.002+09:30

Yesterday Genevieve came for a group session here at Connecting Up Australia. Genevieve is the SA Thinker In Residence and I have had several meetings and discussions with her in regards to the issues facing indigenous communities in remote South Australia. Genevieve provided a talke on her activities in the US working for Intel and then discussed ways that CUA could enhance their services to the community and ICT sector. She will return in the few months to follow up on her comments.

ATUG National Conference 12/3/09

2009-05-25T15:22:00.002+09:30

Last week I attended the ATUG National Conference in Sydney. Connecting Up Australia have had strong ties with ATUG for many years and besides the relevant information provided at the conference is was a great networking opportunity. With recent devlopments and the NBN announcement looming in the near future discussions were very informative. Officers and Managers from BroadbandSA also attended so that the SA team were well represented.

Riverland Aged Care 5/3/09

2009-05-25T15:19:00.002+09:30

Today I travelled to the Riverland to provide some support to the Riverland Aged Care facility. They have been quite keen for me to attend their village and source means of improving not only their staffs use of the internet but residents as well. I have provided them with a quick ICT review and provided my thought on how they could improve these areas. All in all it was a great day and I fell I provided them with some positive outcomes.

Mannum - Grant Writing Workshop 4/3/09

2009-05-25T15:11:00.000+09:30

Yesterday I attended a Grant Writing Workshop held in Mannum. The groupwas a good mix of local non profits and small businesses. The workshop was run by the local Regional Devlopment Board and attended by Paul Muskett who is another Broadband Project Officer working in the region. As my project has developed it has become quite obvious that many no profits cant access new technology without further funding so I feel that I can no w stter them in the right direction when asked.

Broadband Development Forum 25/02/09

2009-05-05T12:20:00.001+09:30

Believe it or not I had been looking forward to the forum this year as I missed last years event. The 2 days in Canberra gave us a fantastic opportunity to catch up with the other BPO's and BPM's to gauge how each others project are going and how we can pool resources on broadband issues across the country. I was able to derive a lot of information from the forum and can only hope that the programs are continued after this round of funding.

TCGSA 24/02/09

2009-05-05T12:10:00.001+09:30

I attended the Telecommunications Consumer Group SA meeting today. I have taken over Simon Gee's position within the group and hope to provide them with up to date information regarding the current telecommunications industry. Several topics were covered including CTN, ACCAN, TIO issues and premium mobile services.I was hoppe to update them on the current State and Federal initiatives and look forward to building ties with this group in the future.

Murray Bridge Community Centre 17/02/09

2009-05-05T11:58:00.001+09:30

Today I dropped into the MBCC to meet with Graham Hunt to discuss how my program can help them provide better services to the community. They currently have 12 PC's of varying age and they are looking to upgrade to more modern systems. Several community groups use these PC's including university of the 3rd Age and local youth groups. The centre is open for all of the community to use and has a large amount of traffic accessing their services. My aim is to help source these new PC's and use the variety of prgrams in place to help them access software and hardware.

Genevieve Bell 02/02/09

2009-03-11T15:53:00.002+10:30

I attended another Thinkers In Residence meeting today and actually got to meet with Genevieve. She is definitely a few thinker and looks at IT from a perspective many would not even think about. The meeting was about tying down venues for her upcoming visit to the APY lands. As I have been starting to work in this area I was able to provide information on some of the people to speak with while she is there. I look forward to meeting with Genevieve more in the future.

Murray Bridge Community Centre 30/01/08

2009-03-11T15:18:00.002+10:30

Today I met with Graham Hunt from the Murray Bridge Community Centre. They are looking at ways to increase the services they can provide to the community. They currently have 10 PC's that area available to the community and offer them to several community groups such as the University of the 3rd Age. They are looking at upgrading their current network and I have identified that through accessing several programs such as Donortec, Cisco and the Computer Recycling Program we should be able to meet their expectations with minimal financial outlay. I will drop in a have a look over their centre next time I am in the region.

CANH meeting 29/01/09

2009-03-11T15:16:00.001+10:30

Today I met with Alison Harker and we went through the changes to be made to their website. It was decided to overhaul the entire site and start from scratch using Joomla open source software. Several key aspects of the site are to be maintained and hopefully a fully working example will be ready for their next board meeting.

New Broadband Project Manager - 27/01/09

2009-03-03T15:18:00.003+10:30

David Mitchell is our new BPM here in SA so we organised a meeting to discuss my program and where it was headed in the future. Fortunately I have had plenty of contact with David in his last role with Outback Connect and I can see that he will fill Don's shoes admirably.

Clare Valley run - 22/01/09

2009-03-03T15:00:00.002+10:30

Time for another country run through Clare and the Adelaide Hills. Hopefully I won't be termed 'human spam' however the aim is to meet with as many non profits as possible. There are a few groups I have already had contact with and I'll attempt to drop in an see how they are going.

Victor Harbour Visit 15/1/09

2009-03-03T14:32:00.002+10:30

Today I am heading off to Victor Harbour to meet with as many non profits I can muster. This growing rural town has a vast array of services and I hope to be able to expand their use of broadband and related technologies. Either that or at least get in some cups of tea and a good chin wag :P

Genevieve Bell meeting 15/12/08

2009-01-08T15:19:00.002+10:30

Today a meeting was held to discuss the upcoming Genevieve Bell residency in SA. She is travelling to the APY Lands and I was asked to attend to help provide information on what possibilities could be included in her visit to the region. Whilst the discussion was based more on what her itinerary should be I was able to gain contacts within the Thinker In Residence group and hopefully be able to help with provide the information she needs to understand the problems and shortcoming in the region.

Ceduna ICT review 9/12/08 > 10/11/08

2009-01-08T14:52:00.002+10:30

As part of the work I am doing with the Ceduna ICC I travelled to the region and did an ICT review of 5 local indigenous non profits and 4 of the remote communities. The aim of this review is to gauge where the communities are at and what help I can give them to improve services. It was clearly highlighted during the trip that they are being forgotten about in regards to infrastructure and left to battle with whatever they can which is usually a satellite connection (even though the local exchange is quite cpapable of ADSL services). I will put together a report for the ICC and this will be discussed in March at the ICT expo we are putting together.

SACOSS Christmas breakfast 5/12/08

2009-01-08T14:06:00.002+10:30

Not really something I add to this blog however I did attend the SACOSS function and caught up with colleagues and non profit members. As always the pancakes were great and managed to promote the project to several people whilst I was there. Let's hope the funding is continued so that I can make it again next year.

E-Health Forum 4/12/08

2009-01-08T13:57:00.002+10:30

Today i went to the e-Health forum that was being held here in Adelaide. My previous role was in this field so it was great to see the advances they have been making within the State and how several projects I have been involved with had progressed. By moving to an online integrated system the health industry will be able to address the shortcomings that have surfaced over recent years.

Alice Springs roadtrip 27/11/08 > 28/11/08

2009-01-08T11:09:00.002+10:30

After a lot of tracking down I managed to get some appointments with several organisations working in the APY Lands. The only way to get it to happen was to travel to Alice Springs and meet with them face to face. Luckily while I was there I managed to meet with the gentleman that looks after most of the IT needs of the APY Lands and he was able to give me a solid run down of the issues the communities face and what infrastructure issues are currently stopping them from providing better services. I found that the trip really gave me a decent insight into how I can help the Non Profits throughout the region.

Coober Pedy roadtrip 19/11/08 > 21/11/08

2009-01-08T10:57:00.002+10:30

I headed off to Coober Pedy after organising a few face to face visits in the region. Whilst there wasn't a large amount of Non Profits in the area several organisations worked in the APY Lands area and I hope to be able to make positive inroads in that region. Staying underground was definitely an odd experience and all of the people I met and discussed the program with were happy to have someone from Adelaide come up and chat about their current issues. Luckily I was able to meet with Families SA and they provided me with a lot of contacts and information about the APY Lands.

MRDB Internet tools and Web 2.0 - 13/11/08

2009-01-08T10:52:00.003+10:30

Paul Muskett organised a workshop at the Murraylands Regional Development Board with Steve Davis presenting. I felt that by attending I could not only meet some Non Profits but also gain further knowledge on internet tools and web 2.0. The event was well attended and Steve did a great job throughout the day getting everyone up to speed on the latest trends. I'll definately be contacting Steve about doing some presentations for me in the future.

ATUG Roadshows - 21/10/08

2008-10-31T12:29:00.002+10:30

This week the Australian Telecommunications User Group help several events in rural South Australia. I was asked to present at these events and I travelled 1200kms over 3 days to 3 of the events. I covered web 2.0 and whilst the presentations were kept quite short I would hope that some of the attendants partake in technologies such as blogs, wiki's and online social networking.

CAHN Country Meeting - 19/10/08

2008-10-31T12:23:00.002+10:30

I don't normally work on a Sunday evening however I ventured to partake is a meeting of the CAHN country group who were participating in Skype training. This is part of the endevour to use Skype as a suitable medium for online meetings and training. A small session was held on laptops and the participants worked through installing and using the Skype software. I am hoping to build upon this and provide ongoing support and information to them in regards to online meetings.

Teleconference with ICC - 16/10/08

2008-10-31T11:56:00.002+10:30

One of my major projects has been to work with the Indigenous Coordination Centre in Ceduna. Today we held a teleconference and started to work through the ideas surrounding an expo style day to be held at their offices in March. This would also include a meeting with all of the Elders and community leaders to discuss my role within the Clever Networks program and how we can improve services in the area. By combining all of their current IT initiatives into one day should be a great event and start to increase the interest from local councils and organisations in the area.

Meet with Intervention Officer- 10/10/08

2008-10-31T11:34:00.002+10:30

Today I met with Sarah Rayner in regards to the intervention program being run in the Northern Territory. It was interesting to hear how the program was progressing and we discussed how the Clever Networks program could help to develop programs in the area. We also discussed her contacts with several indigenous communities in northern South Australia and the APY lands.

Dim Dim training - 09/10/08

2008-10-31T11:31:00.001+10:30

Today the other Officers and myself met online using the open source Dim Dim software package. This was partly to test the software over Louises satellite connection. Whilst there were some hassles in regards to latency the software demonstrated the ease in which people can provide meetings and training online without any cost. I have promoted this technology within the secotr and hopefully in the near future more organisations will see the benefot of using this sort of easy access software.

CANH - 01/10/08

2008-10-31T11:27:00.002+10:30

Community and Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Assoc. Inc. contacted me in regards to the program and today I met with them to find strategies to implement within their organisation. We looked at several aspects of their business and found several key areas that can be improved upon within the online arena. I have decided to take on the task of improving their online metting via Skype and have offered my services to their members. I will attend one of their training evenings in the near future and develop a program to help ease them into online meetings and communications.

Barossa Light Development 30/09/08

2008-10-31T10:50:00.002+10:30

Today I travelled to the Barossa to partake in a discussion of climate change in the area. Embracing such technologies as video conferencing is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Leading practitioners and business leaders presented valuable insights into programs and initiatives currently undertaken to adess these issues.

Meeting with SACOSS 18/09/08

2008-10-31T10:46:00.002+10:30

Today I met with Celia Brissenden to discuss directions that SACOSS are looking at within the online arena. The meeting was very productive and several initiatives will be looked at and hopefully progress to provide positive outcomes to the sector.

Riverland Field Day 17/09/08

2008-09-29T15:03:00.002+09:30

After being asked if I was attending I hesitantly headed to Barmera for the annual Riverland Field Day. To be honest I thought it would be a small local fair however was quite surprised to find a massive turnout with over 100 stalls. The idea behind the visit was to pass out information and also visit any of the particiapting non profits and community groups. All in all it was a great day and I really got to see a thriving rural show (however the 6 hour drive there and back took its toll).

Port Augusta Trip - 09/09/08

2008-09-15T13:38:00.004+09:30

Last week I ventured to Port Augusta and did the rounds with local non profits and community services. I was pleased to find several organisations open to new technologies and we discussed what was available and hopefully we can progress together and provide a better understanding and use of their broadband connections.

Yorke Peninsular Broadband Celebration 19/08/08

2008-09-04T11:54:00.003+09:30

Yesterday I attended and presented at the Yorke Peninsular Broadband Celebration event in Minlaton. The town hall was packed for the opening ceremony that was attended by South Australian Minister for Science & Information Economy, Paul Caica, Internode Founder and Managing Director, Simon Hackett, Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy and District Council of Yorke Peninsula Mayor, Ray Agnew.

The lunchtime ceremony was followed by a full afternoon program of activities for the community, arranged by the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology and designed to encourage community members to fully explore the range of activities now available to them in their homes and businesses through high-speed access to the internet.

Sessions covered online services including learning, tourism, education, buying and selling, Government services, virtual meetings/training rooms, cyber safety and E-security, and social networking. There was also an exhibition of broadband/internet technology, tools, programs and live demonstrations.

Dim Dim presentation 18/08/08

2008-09-04T11:34:00.001+09:30

Today I demonstrated the capabilities of the new upgrade to Dim Dim. The new features include the ability to allow any participant to become the presenter, a record feature, greater security, improved VoIP quality and shared desktops. These features increase the functionality of the software and considering its still free for up to 20 attendees it’s a great product to promote to no profit organisations.

VolunteeringSA - 14/08/08

2008-08-26T10:54:00.004+09:30

Held a metting with VolunteeringSA to discuss the expanded use of video conferencing technology to provide training and online meeting rooms. It has been decided that a trial of Dim Dim (open source video conferencing software) will begin in the next couple of weeks and group meetings will be done online. This not only saves money in regards to room hire, travel and accomodation but the environmental are an included bonus. I will provide feedback as to how this program is rolled out.

Murraylands Trip - 31/07/08

2008-08-02T10:50:00.000+09:30

I recently travelled to the Murraylands area and dropped into many non profits and community services in Mannum, Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend. I was able to get some great responses from several organisations and we will incorporate the needs of these businesses in our upcoming workshops in the region.

OPTUS meeting - 29/07/08

2008-07-29T10:45:00.000+09:30

Today we met with the OPTUS State Manager, Mark Warren. Mark was very enthusiastic to meet with the BPO and we discussed the OPTUS proposal to cover 90% of the Australian population by 2009. Several remote and rural areas will soon be covered by the OPTUS wireless broadband network and this brings hope to many communities currently unable to access affordable broadband services. We look forward to further information from OPTUS's future plans.

Mount Gambier Trip - 23/07/08

2008-07-24T10:50:00.000+09:30

Flew down to Mount Gambier yesterday to meet with local non profits and push the broadband agenda. Several local organisations were interested in the project and what I was able to provide so within the next couple of months I will return to provide some training and perhaps workshops on broadband technologies. Should there be enough interest I have discussed flying down a presenter to provide an evening presentation for the community.

ADAM Technology Show - 04/07/08

2008-07-07T09:18:00.000+09:30

Attended the local technology show at the Adelaide show grounds this week. Sadly the 4 workshops that were being held on the day were cancelled which was a disappointment. The show itself was quite small and hopefully future events receve a better backing from the South Australian technology community. The day was not lost however as I was able to talk to several exhibitors about their future projects and connections with broadband in SA.

MEGA event - 27/06/08

2008-06-27T14:47:00.002+09:30

Today I attended the annual MEGA pitch day here in Adelaide. The background of this event is that 11 teams compete to develop mobile applications using skills learnt in feasibility studies, market research and business planning. These new applications are then presented before a panel and judged on their merits. Previous MEGA events have produced new and exciting mobile applications for non profits and small business and pushed the limits of this new technology.

Blyth Web Development - 24/06/08

2008-06-26T09:39:00.000+09:30

On Tuesday night I attended a presentation by David Rawlings on developing small business websites. This event was organised by Louise Sladdin as part of her role as Broadband Project Officer in the region. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to meet with some no profits in the region and passed on information to those that attended.

David's presentation was thorough and covered all aspects of setting up, developing and maintaining their websites. The response from the 38 local businesses was excellent and should expand their services on the web.

Saddleworth Expo 18/06/08

2008-06-18T10:59:00.002+09:30

Yesterday I travelled to Saddleworth to participate in the Mid North Regional Development Board's Rural Expo. The theme was 'Staying on the road to recovery' and directed at the local farming community and community services. Louise Sladdin provided information on the Clever Networks Program and updated people on the Australian Broadband Guarantee. Whilst numbers were low the attendees were kept well informed on all sorts of topics including climate change, mental health, contract negotiations and other community services.

West Torrens Library - 16/06/08

2008-06-17T09:14:00.002+09:30

Yesterday I attended a function at the West Torrens Library for South Australian Library Assistants. Originally the plan was to set up a video link to Ceduna so that staff there could participate in the event but due to illness I videotaped the presentations and will convert them to DVD format so that the staff there can still keep up with the information provided.

Several topics were covered including future directions for community based libraries and the uptake of new technology. Discussions on wireless internet hotspots and Web 2.0 technologies highlighted several needs within libraries and my role as BPO was identified as one that could help build these technologies.

All in all it was a very productive day and has left me to discover ways of helping them increase the use of the broadband connections, if indeed they have broadband.

Ceduna Training - 29/05/08

2008-05-30T14:37:00.003+09:30

After a quiet experience on my last visit to Ceduna this time was a lot more successful. I had been invited to provide training at the local community library on Web 2.0 technologies. Staff had been seeking funding to travel to Adelaide for separate training so I was most happy to be able to help them receive this training in house.

The 4 hour session involved discussions and demonstrations on:

Blogs
Wiki
Flickr
Podcasts
Flock
Ning
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Second Life
Rollyo

Whilst I was in town I visited the local Ceduna Council and discussed issues they had relating to broadband infrastructure and services with their CEO, Tony Irvine and several Councillors. Then I visited the Indigenous Co-ordination Centre (ICC) and met with Kerrie Harrison who was eager to have me return and provide up to date information on broadband technologies with several of the local indigenous communities.

All in all it was a very successful trip and I look forward to returning and developing better outcomes for the ICC in regards to their use of broadband services.

ATUG Regional Conference - 20/05/08

2008-05-30T14:02:00.003+09:30

The Australian Telecommunications Users Group has a long standing relationship with CISA and as an active supporter of their activities I was lucky to attend their Regional Conference in Canberra. Situated at the Australian War Memorial the conference provided a wealth of presenters Hon. Bruce Billson,Lynda Summers, Michael Cosgrave (ACCC) Simon Bryant (DBCDE), Michael Simmons (G9) and several other notable individuals representing major ISP's, State and Federal Governments.

Clare VRC Workshop - 16/5/08

2008-05-26T08:53:00.002+09:30

Through Volunteering SA - http://www.volunteeringsa.org.au it has been identified that the South Australian Volunteer Resource Centres (VRC) are excellent established groups of not for profit volunteer organisations.

Last Friday I provided an introductory workshop at the Clare VRC on broadband technologies such as:

What is broadband?
What to look for in an ISP
VoIP
Video Conferencing
Skype
e-Business
e-Commerce

Thanks to Ian Masterman (VRC Manager) who helped promote the event, a small yet eager group of local nfp's attended and we were able to focus on individual issues and questions relating to broadband. It was identified that several of the local exchanges were not ADSL enabled and there was growing frustration at the lack of services outside of the Clare CBD.

Louise Sladdin the Central Local Government BPO attended the workshop and provided a wealth of local information in regards to local coverage and infrastructure issues.

If you are looking for a similar presentation in your area please contact me.

First Post !!!

2008-05-23T10:51:00.001+09:30

In an effort to embrace the Web2.0 revolution I have decided to use this modern age soapbox 'The Blog' to provide information on my Broadband Development Project.

My 2 key objectives as the Broadband Project Officer is to:

Build capacity and promote awareness by non profit and community groups in regional and rural South Australian and
Assist non profit communities in regional and rural South Australia to enhance their understanding and use of broadband services

Please feel free to contact me regarding my project at mm@cisa.asn.au and hopefully I can help achieve positive outcomes in the not for profit sector.

Welcome all!!!