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This section is intended for those people who are considering implementing official collaborative tools, sites or services, or are simply investigating the possibilities.
With the advent of "Web 2.0" comes new ways of collaborating and sharing content online and a number of FAO Departments and divisions are considering collaborative tools to share their online content.
These tools have a central role in building knowledge networks within the Organization and with external partners.
The following is a description of several types of collaborative tools, some of which are currently used by FAO. Please note, however, that most of the FAO Web sites listed below are ongoing pilot projects and are still being evaluated.
With a large number of collaborative tools available and rapidly evolving capabilities, choosing the right tool for your needs can be challenging. If you are considering implementing a collaborative tool, please contact KCEW or KCT.
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Any blogs (wikis, etc) by FAO staff that occur outside the FAO Internet domain (http://www.fao.org/) are considered personal sites, even if they describe the work of FAO.
Opinions expressed on personal sites do not represent FAO's views.
Personal sites are not to display the FAO emblem and should also include a disclaimer.
Please be cautious about the FAO information that is posted to your personal site as it likely to be copyrighted and not intended for distribution, or considered sensitive to FAO stakeholders.
For example, The Lubin Files is a personal blog that discusses the FAO's Lublin Memorial Library.
Note the absence of the FAO emblem and the presence of a disclaimer.
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As FAO is strengthening its role as a Knowledge Management Organization, it is important that staff actively participate in the process of knowledge sharing. You are therefore encouraged to also contribute to non FAO collaborative sites.
When you contribute to an external site as an FAO staff member (that is, a blog, wiki, etc. that discusses an area of FAO expertise) it is recommended that you create an account and login, rather than contributing anonymously.
When creating a user account, or making a contribution, please use the text "FAO of the UN www.fao.org" in the metadata.
Any content that is submitted to online content sharing services must have the FAO attributed as the copyright holder (using the text "© FAO of the UN" is recommended).
Using Web 2.0 ways to distribute your message requires caution, as the content is hosted on non-FAO sites whose copyright agreement may conflict with the FAO's copyright.
Using these content sharing services may instantly present your information to an audience of millions, so exercise extra care when submitting content.
The content of collaborative Web sites comes from different sources, sometimes from people unknown to the site's administrator.
It is therefore important to regularly check a wiki, blog, forum, etc. for comments, questions or inappropriate content.
What is... Web 2.0?
Web 2.0, a phrase coined in 2004, refers to a perceived second generation of Web-based services that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. Examples are collaborative tools (wikis, blogs, etc.), communication tools (online communities) and folksonomies (user-generated taxonomies).
Though the term suggests a new version of the Web, it does not refer to an update to the Internet or the World Wide Web's technical standards, but to changes in the way those standards are used.
For more information see Wikipedia: Web 2.0; and O'Reilly Media: What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 has made it easier to take content or services from multiple Web sites and merge it, to form richer, more interactive Web sites or innovative applications.
This is called a "mashup". For example, the site Earthquakes in the Last Week takes maps from Google Maps and merges it with earthquake data from the US Government's Geological Survey (USGS) Web site.
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BLOG
Blog is short for weblog; a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for the general public. Blogs usually represent the human side of an organisation, body or institution.
They typically provide a space for comments and feedback. An example of a blog is the UN Dispatch.
If you would like to create a FAO blog, please contact KCEW/KCT and they will provide access to blog software.
There is much information on the Internet regarding how to write blog posts. You may like to begin with the site Your Guide to Corporate Blogging.
If you are blogging about peer-reviewed research, you may find the Bloggers for Peer-Reviewed Research Reporting site interesting.
Please send the Web Guide the URL of any blog that you think may be interesting to FAO staff. We will maintain a list of pertinent blogs on the Web Guide Web site.
WIKI
A wiki is a Web site that allows visitors to add, remove, edit and change content. It also allows for linking among any number of pages.
This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for mass collaborative authoring.
The Web Guide has links to some short videos explaining how Wikis work. An example of a wiki is Wikigender.
SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS
Social networking tools empower people to build virtual networks of like-minded individuals.
Social networking tools can enable you to connect and consult with people with the requisite expertise, with the advantage of seeing who each person has worked with in the past (from whom, presumably, you could get evaluations).
Popular social networking tools are Facebook and MySpace. As of 2009, Facebook has 150 million active users worldwide. It offers features such as news feeds, photos, messaging, videos, events calendar, personal status, and others services.
FORUM
A forum is a facility for holding discussions and posting user generated content.
A sense of virtual community often develops around forums that have regular users.
Forums are also commonly referred to as Internet/Web/online/discussion forums, message boards, discussion boards or bulletin boards.
An example of a prototype forum at FAO is the UN Legal Advisers Forum.
E-MAIL DISCUSSION GROUP
An e-mail list allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users (subscribers).Â
Most subscribers are able to e-mail the group and typically, all subscribers receive a copy of the messages. Groups have moderator(s) that can approve or repackage messages for distribution.
An example of an FAO discussion group is the EMPRES Livestock Group.
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