Toolkit Popular with Community Groups
The New Zealand Webguide and Groupings http://webguide.net.nz is an on-line learning resource focussed on providing guidance and support for tangata whenua, community and voluntary organisations in using interactive website tools (web 2.0). Webguide aims to support community groups to use the internet to achieve their goals and (via the interactive blog, “Groupings”) to connect to other groups with similar ICT-related concerns.
The Webguide website and the hard copy booklet version(cover pictured above) meet the need for immediate, free of charge and on-going opportunities to build on prior learning and gain new information about web-based tools.
Webguide News
Webguide now has a new Webmaster and site developer, Earl Mardle, thanks to funding received from the JR McKenzie Trust
Latest news from the Webguide Groupings blog
Webguide History
Webguide is jointly governed by 3 community ICT Trusts, Waikato 2020, Wellington ICT and Rotorua ICT
First established in 2006 NZ Webguide has been developed by Webmaster and blog moderator Miraz Jordan and Waikato 2020 NZ Webguide Project Champion Ted Zorn. Phase 1 focussed on the basics of connecting to the Internet and setting up a website. Grants from the Department of InternalAffairs Community Partnership Fund enabled the launch of an innovative wiki – Phase 2 – and distribution of 2500 hard copies of the WebGuide booklet, initially to public libraries and Citizens Advice Bureaux. The booklet is available free by ordering from from the Webguide site or from director@wainet.org It has proven critical for community groups that currently do not use or have limited access to the internet.
Since established the Webguide has at times attrracted up to 5500 visits per month from more than 2000 unique visitors. Two surveys have shown that visitors to the Webguide site find it useful and plan to use it again.
The Webguide project also directly resulted in the delivery of the first Engage Your Community workshop days, an initiative of Waikato 2020, first held in April 2008 and subsequently in Wellington and Rotorua in September and November 2008. Go to the Web Tools page for further information about the Waikato 2020 2008 EYC.