Development Gateway dgCommunities June 26, 2006 Topic: community building tools and member support --------------------------------------------------
Dear Members,
Greetings! I am writing to update you on our pledge to deliver robust community building tools per your request, and to ask you to consider a small financial contribution in support of this important knowledge sharing program of the Development Gateway Foundation.
Your financial support, no matter how small, sends a clear message that you value dgCommunities as a high quality resource for global knowledge sharing, collaboration, and professional development. Since we began our fundraising campaign in January, we have been greatly encouraged by the donations we've received. For those of you who may still be considering a contribution, and increasingly rely on us to keep you well informed within your areas of interest and specialization, won't you consider making a donation today at (https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=7947)? For regular and/or long-term users, please consider making a recurring donation. Simply select "I want to make a recurring donation", and choose the frequency that best suits your budget (e.g. quarterly, or annual basis).
Contributions to the Development Gateway Foundation, a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, are deductible for computing income and estate taxes in the United States. Our annual report can be viewed online at (http://home.developmentgateway.org/aboutus).
Your contributions help cover the costs of providing the dgCommunities platform. Is it worth it? Consider the truly global composition of the community of practitioners that have gathered together to share and collaborate on dgCommunities:
------------ DEMOGRAPHICS ------------
East Asia & Pacific: 11% Europe & Central Asia: 21% Latin America & Caribbean: 11% Middle East & North Africa: 4% North America: 23% South Asia: 16% Sub-Saharan Africa: 14%
---------------- INCREASING USAGE ----------------
dgCommunities serves over 30,000 broadcast subscribed members, and we've recently had record breaking months in terms of usage, with over 200,000 unique visitors to dgCommunities!
------------------------- ENHANCED MEMBER DIRECTORY -------------------------
The Member Directory now provides a one-stop shop for key contacts and collaboration worldwide. We invite you to take advantage of this unprecedented collaborative tool and add your profile today!
Our new Member Directory enables you to more easily contact fellow professionals in the international development community for expert advice, information, and collaboration. You will be able to find development practitioners from over 200 countries, with interests and expertise in dozens of areas, including your own! We invite you to update your member profile to let your colleagues in development know more about your interests and expertise. You"ll find the profiles very useful when using the Member Directory to communicate and collaborate with fellow members on your next program or project. From http://www.developmentgateway.org?intcmp=504 simply click on "My Gateway" in the upper right corner, log in, scroll down to "My Member Profile" and click "Edit this information."
Quick Start - 4 Easy Steps:
-ESTABLISH YOUR PROFILE Let your colleagues in development know more about your interests and expertise through your dgCommunities profile. Simply log in, go to My Gateway, scroll down to "My Member Profile", and click "Edit this information". http://www.developmentgateway.org/topics/um/user/ showUserAccount.do?intcmp=504
-SEARCH FOR MEMBERS
Log in to the Development Gateway, and click the Member Directory link located in the right column on any dgCommunity home page. You can search by: name, country, interest, expertise, organization, organization type, or by keywords in member bios. Search results will show you a list of members with a link to their profiles. You can also reach the Member Directory when you log in, go to My Gateway and click on "Add Members to My Contacts". http://topics.developmentgateway.org/um~user/ showMemberDirectory.do?intcmp=504
-COMMUNICATE WITH MEMBERS
When viewing a member"s profile, click "Contact this user". This will open a message box in which you can type and send a message through our message forwarding system.
-CREATE OWN CONTACT LIST OF MEMBERS
You can build a list of key contacts and form your own network of members. Searching for members will produce a results list; you can then select members to be added to your "My Contacts" list by clicking on the plus sign under "Status" for each desired contact. Or, when viewing a particular member"s profile, click "Add this member to My Contacts". Your full "My Contacts" list can be viewed when you log in, go to My Gateway, scroll down to "My Contacts" and click "View My Contacts."
------------ MEMBER FORUM ------------
People are talking! Our new Member Forum provides a platform for your views and comments on a wide range discussion topics (see http://topics.developmentgateway.org/openeducation/discussion/ showAllDiscussions.do).?intcmp=504
In addition, the Member Forum is now being used as an official venue for civic engagement in the formulation of public policy. dgCommunities members are invited to share their views in a virtual consultation forum with civil society and indigenous peoples sponsored by the Government of Bolivia and the Organization of American States, in cooperation with the Development Gateway Foundation. The forum will address sustainable development issues. A summary of dgCommunities member comments will be presented by the OAS to the First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development, to be held in Bolivia on October 5-6.
To participate in the consultation in English: http://topics.developmentgateway.org/environment/discussion/ showDiscussion.do~id=1441?intcmp=504
To participate in the consultation in Spanish: http://topics.developmentgateway.org/environment/discussion/ showDiscussion.do~id=1461?intcmp=504
To explore similar collaborative opportunities with the Development Gateway, please contact us at partners@dgfoundation.org
----------------------------------------------------------- Thanks very much for your generous support and continued participation! Please don't hesitate to contact us with your comments, requests and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Mike Pereira Director, Global Online Communities Development Gateway Foundation 1889 F Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Tel: 202-572-9259 Fax: 202-572-9290 "connect-collaborate-change your world" http://www.developmentgateway.org?intcmp=504
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