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and we promised that we would review with groups the progress of the project.
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This time last year we circulated information to groups about our idea to set up a directory of London based groups on the Internet. However, shortly after this it became clear that microsyster was not going to be able to successfully conclude negotiations with the London Borough of Camden to renew our lease at Wesley House. We were then faced with the fact that we had no alternative but to move out of our offices as quickly as possible.
(newssheet 15 - our virtual office).
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So the reality is that the directory itself was not properly launched until March 1999. So although women in london is not separately constituted we will apply the criteria that many new organisations have of being able to hold their first 'AGM' within eighteen months of forming, ie around International Women's Day 2000. Perhaps by then we can have a 'virtual AGM'! In the meantime here is an interim report on six month's activity.
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First of all a big thank you to all the groups who signed up for the directory this time last year (our founder members), and patiently waited whilst we sorted out our move and all the resulting administrative changes. We did try to get publicity in parts of the media once the site was accessible, but to date have not been very successful. However, through mailings and word of mouth, the number of visits to the site has gradually increased. | ||
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The chart below illustrates the number of visits to the site since January 1999 by month.
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Visits from Internet access based in this country and from '. org's, ie charities and not for profit organisations has also improved. This doesn't mean the site has not attracted interest from other countries, which have ranged from Japan and Korea to some northern European countries and then for about a month, the US military, as well as universities.
Within three months, around June, it became obvious that not only groups with entries on the directory, but women who were using it wanted more than just basic information about a group. So based on this feedback we expanded the options on the site so that groups could not only list who they were but add, as and when they needed, information about forthcoming events, training, jobs and volunteering, press releases or notices, response to policy and publications. This is offered at no extra charge after the initial cost of joining the directory. |
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The chart opposite shows the percentage of interest each of these sections attracts. Please note that visits to each of the groups' entries in total represents over 50% of all visits but is shown as an average per group. Jobs and volunteering are very popular and training by groups attracts attention the moment we list the information. Press release have been, to date, more notices from groups. But . . . we are still waiting for a group to list their response to any policy decision. This was something we originally understood groups were keen to have the opportunity to make public.
From October we are taking a chance and having a 'guestbook' which allows any 'visitor' to publicly leave a message. We hope this will be used not just to comment on the site but what is important to them as 'Women in London'. After that we may have a function that will allow a number of on-going discussions on particular themes, for instance child care. |
This will also be a way of testing out the number of surveys that show more women are now 'on-line' and that there is increased public access to the Internet, for instance, at libraries. Please let us know if you or your group has any ideas about how to develop the site to make it useful for women as individual users and as an effective way of making available information about the work of women's groups. |
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