Public Sector moving too slowly on Green IT

Public sector organisations have agreed targets for reducing carbon emmissions related to their IT systems. The targets, set out last year by the then minister for transformational government, Tom Watson, call for all public sector organisations to cut 11.5% from carbon emissions by 2011 and for carbon neutrality by 2012. But a recent survey found 67 percent of respondents were ‘concerned’ or ‘extremely concerned’ about their organisations ability to meet the targets set out in the strategy. Read more on the eWeek website.

Don’t recycle your computer

A charity that recycles computers is using Twitter to remind people that it is better to re-use their computers before recycling them, as part of its support for Green Britain Day. Computer Aid International is urging companies to consider the re-use of their old PCs and laptops as part of their green initiatives.

Bursaries available from Capacitybuilders

Are you a third sector organisation with a turnover between £150,000 and £750,000? Do you provide services in any of the following areas to help meet the needs of communities affected by the recession?

• well being and health advice,
• information and guidance loss of income,
• training and skills

Could you work more closely with other organisations to increase your impact and extend your reach?

With a £1,000 bursary from Capacitybuilders’ Modernisation Fund Grants Programme, you could buy at least two days of professional advice to explore how you can become more resilient and work more closely with others, including through collaboration or merger.

Ten ways to protect yourself on Facebook

Facebook is used extensively in a variety of community activities, whether working with young people, older people or all ages in between. Although community workers may be Facebook users themselves many are concerned about privacy issues or worry about the impact of embarrassing photographs or videos or stories. The consequences may range from losing face to being bullied or traced by family or friends that you try to avoid.

Here are ten ways to protect yourself on Facebook, taken from an excellent article on AllFacebook, which describes itself as an Unofficial Facebook Resource.

Avoid embarrassing facebook moments

What does the future look like?

NCVO has published a series of short guides on a number of topics about what the future will look like for the third sector, including one about how we will use new technologies in five years’ time. It considers a number of drivers for change and how they will affect us, such as access to low cost high quality printing, new ways to engage with people and the ability to work flexibly. I thought it was very useful – it’s not a technical review but looks at the implications of how technology will change the work of the third sector.

Free Microsoft Training Resources

There are lots of free training resources available through the Microsoft site, as there are across the internet. Many can help staff and volunteers support themselves when using common tools, but which ones work best? Techsoup, based in the US, is running a free online training event/webinar (what an ugly word) at which Microsoft staff will guide you through what is available. It will take place at 7pm GMT on Wednesday 10 June – register at the Techsoup site.

Why is social media like ice cream?

‘Social Media’ is something of a buzzword at the moment. Everyone – from huge corporations to governments to community groups – are switching onto the idea that ’social media’ is happening, and that they need to get in on the act. But what is it? And what does it have to do with ice cream?

Conference for people who provide IT support to voluntary and community organisations

The National Circuit Riders Conference takes place at IBM headquarters in south west London on 9 June and is a great chance to meet and swap tips with people who provide IT support to the voluntary and community sector.

A Circuit Rider is described as ‘a mobile worker who provides ICT support and development to a caseload of small voluntary organisations and who works in collaboration with other Riders’. The UK network of Circuit Riders is linked to a similar network in the United States and the conference is open to anyone – paid or volunteer – who provides IT support to charities and other third sector organisations.

Top tips when choosing software

Do you need specialist software to manage Human Resources? Is it worth buying, what does it cost and who can supply it? The Workforce Hub has published research into the use of HR software in the third sector. This is typically used to store personnel files, training records and other HR-related functions. The research is based on 11 organisations, of different sizes, and suggests that anyone with fewer than 200 employees may well be better sticking to paper-based systems or spreadsheets.

What does the digital future hold?

This presentation was made by Steve Bridger, who addressed similar themes at a recent third sector ICT event in south west. This covers a lot of ground and may seem overwhelming to some, but I think it captures the core themes that bind together current thinking. It seems to me that the rapid changes in how we use digital media mean that the third sector must use its strengths to

• work across organisational boundaries,
• listen to one another in different ways and
• build communities in which we are active participants, not facilitators or organisers.

Is it okay to use internet shopping at work?

The internet now offers all sorts of opportunities for shopping, browsing and distraction and it can waste a lot of time for even the most diligent worker. On the other hand familiarity with the web can only come by using it, so this is possibly the only way to understand what it can do and then apply those lessons to your own work. So what is your policy?

Adobe funds for activity near south west London

Anyone who works with communities near south west London may like to know that Adobe is keen to support charitable activity that will help to make the communities around its London, Heathrow Corporate Headquarters better, stronger, and more vibrant places to live, work and do business.

Printing booklets using a word processor

The latest version of Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader includes the ability to print a document as a booklet, which means you can use a wordprocessor to produce simple newsletters or reports in a smart format. Until now this had been difficult or required special software. The excellent OfficeWatch website offers instructions here: tinyurl.com/bookletprinting

BT offers free laptops and broadband connection

BT Community Connections is now open for you to apply for a free laptop and a year’s broadband connection. There are approximately 1,000 award packages on offer in 2009/10, so make sure your group doesn’t miss out!   To find out more about the scheme, read  case studies and apply online please go to www.btcommunityconnections.com

Idealware: Comparing WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Plone

If you have anything to do with web design you’ll know that there are more and more robust open source tools available to run a site built around a content management system [CMS]. WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and Plone are amongst the most popular and have been reviewed in an excellent article by Idealware – a US-based site that reviews software used by not for profit organisations.