PANUI Issue 48, February 2006

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PANUI Issue #48, February 2006.

The CommunityNet Aotearoa monthly newsletter.

"News and views on community networking throughout Aotearoa."

Contents.

  1. Community News
  2. New Community Sites
  3. CommunityNet Tip: Set your start page.
  4. Web Tip of the Month: Website Review.
  5. What's Hot on CommunityNet

Community News

(Includes December 2005)

First Accessibility Accreditation Awards presented.

Colin Jackson, President of InternetNZ, presented New Zealand's first Accessibility Accreditation Awards to www.community.net.nz, Department of Internal Affairs; www.odi.govt.nz, the Office for Disability Issues; and www.rnzfb.org.nz the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. Congratulations to all.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/accessibility-accreditation-awards.htm.

CommunityNet gets accessibility tick.

(8 February) Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Luamanuvao Winnie Laban today accepted an inaugural AccEase Accessibility Tick Accreditation award, for the CommunityNet Aotearoa website (www.community.net.nz),
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/accessibility-award.htm .

Digital Strategy Advisory Group Appointments.

Minister for Information Technology, David Cunliffe, announced the final appointments to the Digital Strategy Advisory Group.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/digital-strategy-advisory-group-appointments.htm.

Telecom Community Connection Regional Sponsorship Programme.

Telecom's Community Connection Programme will replace the Voluntary Welfare Organisations Sponsorship (VWOS) Programme from 1 July 2006 and will see Telecom provide about $5 million a year.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/telecom-sponsors.htm.

Mental health workforce development plan.

A three-year plan to develop and strengthen the New Zealand mental health workforce was launched in Wellington by Health Minister Pete Hodgson.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/mental-health-dev-plan.htm.

Trustpower Community Awards.

TrustPower celebrates and rewards volunteers through the Community Awards programme.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/awards-recognise-volunteers.htm.

2006 Peoples Choice NetGuide Web Awards.

NetGuide presents the premier annual event in the Internet industry.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/net-guide-awards.htm.

Participate disability newsletter No. 23.

News and information about Disability issues.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/disability-news-23.htm.

Age wave hits New Zealand as Boomers turn 60.

The baby boomer age wave will have a significant impact in New Zealand as the first of the post-war babies start turning 60 on 1 January 2006.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/age-wave-hits.htm.

Search for Community Skills and Spirit.

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Luamanuvao Winnie Laban is urging skilled people to put their talent to good use within the community, with a Community Internship.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/community-skills-spirit.htm.

Computerworld Excellence Awards 2006 Open for Entries.

The Computerworld Excellence Awards has kicked off for 2006, calling for entries from IT teams and individuals that are achieving outstanding results through the smart use of technology.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/computerworld-excellence-awards-2006.htm.

Ministers' briefings 2005.

Lists briefings for many of the incoming Ministers.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/minister-briefing-2005.htm.

Internet Safety — better practices needed.

The Internet Safety Group (ISG) has released the results of a new online survey of the cybersafety and security practices of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) across New Zealand. These results highlight some of the serious risks online.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/internet-safety-surveys.htm.

Hui strengthens youth workers.

Forty youth workers from throughout central and lower North Island gathered at te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ngati Kahungunu ki Heretaunga for the 'Strategies for Youth Workers Training Hui'.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/hui-youth-workers.htm.

Changes in CommunityNet Advisory Group.

Three new community representatives were welcomed onto CommunityNet Aotearoa's Advisory Group.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/ag-membership.htm.

Keeping It Legal E AI KI TE TURE launched.

The 'Keeping It Legal' resource was launched by the Hon Winnie Laban, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, during International Volunteer Day.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/keeping-it-legal-launched.htm.

Community Matters marks International Volunteer Day.

The December edition of Community Matters marked International Volunteer Day on 5 December and highlighted the contribution volunteers make in New Zealand communities. Inside you'll find information and profiles on volunteering.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/community-matters.htm.

Does your community group want to make a documentary?

'Open Door' — the new 2006 series — offers you the opportunity to speak to the people of New Zealand.
www.community.net.nz/CommunityCentre/News/National/community-documentary.htm.

New Community Sites

(Includes December 2005)

IMAN — The International Muslim Association of New Zealand.

Contains an introduction to Islam and Moslems, prayer times, classes, notices, contacts details for centres in the Wellington Region and much more.
www.iman.co.nz.

Muslim Association of Canterbury.

Information about local mosque, history, prayer times etc.
www.mac.net.nz.

Eden Park Residents Association.

A focal point for views and opinions on the neighbours and residents surrounding Eden Park. Free to join and take part in online surveys which will form the basis for submission to council when resource consents affecting the area are lodged.
www.edenparkresidents.org.nz.

Trustpower Community Awards.

The TrustPower Community Awards aim to recognise and reward voluntary groups and organisations.
www.trustpower.co.nz/content/community.aspx.

Disability perspective toolkit.

Intended for government officials, this online resource helps policy makers incorporate a disability perspective in laws, policies, strategies and services.
www.odi.govt.nz/disability-perspective.

Participate — disability newsletter.

Participate is a newsletter from the Minister for Disability Issues, available by email (Word and text-only) or by hard copy.
list.beehive.govt.nz/mailman/listinfo/dyson-participate.

Sport Waikato.

Sport Waikato is one of 17 Regional Sports Trusts in New Zealand, whose role is to foster participation and success in sport and active living, building active communities in the greater Waikato.
www.sportwaikato.org.nz.

Indian Base.

A website for the Indian Community in New Zealand where you can find information and entertainment. We have news, community events, immigration and entertainment information. Contains advertising.
www.indianbase.co.nz.

Pa o Te Ora Charitable Trust Hikurangi.

Pa O Te Ora Charitable Trust is a non-profit social services and community development organisation based in Hikurangi, Northland, New Zealand.
www.paoteora.org.nz.

Raglan News, Webcam and Weather.

Raglan News, Webcam and Weather - updated every 15 minutes.
www.raglanweather.co.nz.

Local Government New Zealand.

Local Government New Zealand is the national body for local government. It acts as the champion of best practice in the sector, and represents the diversity and local democracy of local government.
www.lgnz.co.nz.

The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army is a worldwide church and social services organisation, modelled on quasi-military lines.
www.salvationarmy.org.nz.

CCS Southern.

CCS Southern: working in partnership with children and adults with disabilities and their families and whanau in the South Island, south of the Waitaki River.
www.ccs-southern.org.nz.

NZ Relay (phone services for hearing / speech impaired).

Telecommunication services for people who are deaf, hearing-impaired, deaf-blind, or speech-impaired.
www.nzrelay.co.nz.

EnviroLink Network.

EnviroLink maintains a database of thousands of environmental resources and provides internet services to non-profit organizations.
www.envirolink.org.

Cultureflow.

Cultureflow teaches Maori language & culture, and is endorsed by the Maori Language Commission. Check out the free learn a Maori word a day:
www.cultureflow.co.nz/mainsite/Newsletter.html,
www.cultureflow.co.nz.

Te Ropu Whakahau.

Te Ropu Whakahau is an organisation which unites Maori librarian and information workers in New Zealand.
trw.org.nz.

CommunityNet Tip: Set your start page.

When you open up your web browser, what do you see? Does it automatically take you to some web page or other? If so, is it a web page you'd like it to go to, or does it go to somewhere you're really not very interested in?

You can take control of this, by choosing your own Start Page, or you could set the browser to start up with a blank page. The instructions are similar whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera (all both work on WIndows and Mac) or Safari (Mac-only) or some other web browser. First find the place where you can alter the settings for your web browser: look for a menu item called Options or Preferences.

Internet Explorer for Windows.

Go to the Tools menu and choose Internet Options. Make sure you're viewing the General tab. If you're already viewing a page you'd like to have as your start page then click the button called Use Current. If you'd like to start up with a blank page then click Use Blank. Otherwise type in an address for a page you'd like to have as your start page — for example www.community.net.nz. Then click the Apply button and finally the OK button.

Firefox for Windows or Mac.

Go to the Tools menu and choose Options. (Mac users: Go to the Firefox menu and choose Preferences.) Make sure you're viewing the General tab. If you're already viewing a page you'd like to have as your start page then click the button called Use Current Page. If you'd like to start up with a blank page then click Use Blank Page. Otherwise type in an address for a page you'd like to have as your start page — for example www.community.net.nz. Then click the OK button. (Mac users: just close the Preferences window as there is no OK button.)

Opera for Windows or Mac.

Go to the Tools menu and choose Preferences. Make sure you're viewing the General tab. Choose Start with Home Page from the Startup pop-up. If you're already viewing a page you'd like to have as your start page then click the button called Use current. If you'd like to start up with a blank page then choose Start with no pages from the Startup pop-up. Otherwise type in an address for a page you'd like to have as your start page. Then click the OK button and close the Preferences window if it doesn't close automatically.

Safari for Mac.

Go to the Safari menu and choose Preferences. Make sure you're viewing the General tab. Choose New windows open with Home Page from the pop-up. If you're already viewing a page you'd like to have as your start page then click the button called Set to Current Page. If you'd like to start up with a blank page then choose New windows open with Empty Page from the pop-up. Otherwise type in an address for a page you'd like to have as your start page. Then close the Preferences window.

Website Tip: Website Review.

[February 2006] When did you create your website or last do a major overhaul? Chances are that quite a few months or even years have slipped by since the last time you really paid attention to what's on your website.

February is a good time of year to do a review of your site. Get it all up-to-date and in order for this new year of action. You don't need any special skills for a review, just the ability to use a web browser and make some notes.

Here's a checklist for you.

Contact details

  • are they on your website?
  • are they easy to find?
  • are they accurate?
  • do email links and contact forms still work?

News

If you have a News section:

  • are the items listed still news or are they now "olds"?
  • have things happened recently that have not been listed?
  • should you move older items to a News archive?

Activities

If you have a section about your activities:

  • are the activities still current?
  • are contact details correct?
  • are dates correct?

Newsletters

If you have a section for newsletters, meeting minutes etc:

  • have the most recent materials been added?
  • should older materials be put into archives by year?
  • do the links contain information about size and format?
  • is there a link to download Adobe Reader (if materials are in PDFformat)?

Resources

If you make books, videos, brochures or other resources available for loan or purchase:

  • are items listed which are no longer available?
  • are prices or loan conditions current?
  • are new items available but not listed?
  • are contact details correct?
  • does the online order form work correctly?
  • does the order form for download and printing work correctly?

Review date

It's a good idea to let visitors know you check and update your website regularly.

  • do pages have a note of when they were last reviewed?
  • do any pages show a review date older than 12 months ago?

Statistics

Check your statistics regularly.

  • how many visitors did you have last year?
  • which were the most popular pages?
  • what search terms did they use?
  • who links to you?

There are other things you could check on your website, but these are items you should check regularly. Print off a copy of the checklist and assign the task to a volunteer or paid worker. Add the review to your regular meeting agenda. We've made the checklist available as both a web page and a PDF. You can download a copy from the CommunityNet Aotearoa website: www.community.net.nz/How-ToGuides/IT/PublicationsResources/website-review.htm.

Past Website tips are all available on CommunityNet Aotearoa.

What's Hot on CommunityNet

VolunteeringNZ to edit CommunityNet Volunteering page.

We're delighted to announce that Volunteering New Zealand has accepted an invitation to take on the editorship role for the 'How-to-Guide' on Volunteering. Work on reviewing and updating the site has now started. If you have any suggestions for improvements, please let them know by email to office@volunteeringnz.org.nz.

Work started on Organisational Sustainability How-To Guide.

We're putting together a How-To guide for community and voluntary organisations covering people, financial and environmental aspects of Sustainability. If you have any suggestions, or would like to be a peer reviewer for the new guide, please let us know of them by email to bill.dashfield@dia.govt.nz.

AccEase Accessibility Accreditation.

We were delighted to receive this Accreditation. Accessibility is very important to us, and we work hard at it. Accessibility is for everyone too — these good practices help make websites fast, clear and easy to use.

CommunityNet Statistics.

In January 2006 there were 25,233 visits — down due to the time of year.

New items (includes December 2005):

  • 15 links to new websites.
  • 13 jobs advertised.
  • 14 events advertised.
  • 19 news articles.
  • 5 training courses or resources.

Send in your free community advertisement at: www.community.net.nz/About/Submit/default.htm.

The most popular file download was:

  1. Pandemic planning guide: 171 downloads.

Please do forward the complete Panui to others who'll find it useful.

Miraz Jordan, Webmaestro.

Notes

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Credits.

Panui and CommunityNet Aotearoa are guided by an Advisory Group drawn from community organisations and are published by Department of Internal Affairs, PO Box 805, Wellington. Phone: 04 4957200. Email: information@community.net.nz.

Disclaimer.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information in this publication, the publishers accept no liability for any errors and omissions. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors, not the publishers.