Unlocking the potentials in Web2.0 at CSIR-INSTI

Well, until the 15th of  April 2013 all that I knew about social media was the notion that it was only used for getting contact with with friends and relatives. This perception however changed when Mr. Justin Chisenga a social media for development practioner took me through the usefulness of the social media in income generation, advertising,promote agriculture productivity, enhance research capabilities and collaboration among others. Social media could also be used for branding of organisations and personalities.
The only problem however is that you should be able to get good internet connectivity to be able to use this social media. Were informed that good mobile phones or Ipads could come in handy. The mobile phones are now being used by about 80% of the population in Ghana so coverage would not be a problem so too will be the affordability of recharge cards from the various Telecom service providers.
We were introduced to Twitter and had practical exercises on how to use it effectively. I must admit that until I came to this workshop, I thought twitter was only for the youth who are looking for fun and entertainment. How wrong my thoughts were. The good thing is that it will open new doors of opportunity for me and the organisation I work for.
The Thriller is the development of Blogs. Mr. Chisenga made it possible for me to understand that blogs could be used as personal websites and a good way of sharing knowledge in an organisation. Blogs are not the the lazy ones. They have to be maintained and kept active.

Web2 Training Workshop at CSIR-INSTI

The CSIR-INSTI in collaboration with FAO and CTA is organising a one week (15-19 April 2013) workshop for partcipants drawn from diverse organisations and backgrounds. The main Facilitator for the workshop is Mr. Justin Chisenga from the FAO Regional Office for Africa. The workshop took participants through the World Wide Web (Web2.0) Social Media. It was the first time some of us have a hand on practice on how to tweet. The Twitter could be used for professional networking, reputation management and personal learning among others. Organisations could also use it for promoting events, disseminating news, engaging with customers and many more.We were also taken through Micro-blogging using twitter. It was apparent that there were a lot of opportunities that some of us were missing. Blogs could also be used as personal website and a good way of sharing knowledge in an organisation.The social media could be used for development, income generation, become more visible as an organisation. I am sure at the end of the workshop very useful lessons would be learnt and would be put to good use.
I am most grateful to the organisers of the workshop for accepting me to participate.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinchisenga/8657633470/in/photostream

golden tulips



Income Generation and Nature Conservation

Nature conservation contributes immensely to wealth creation and income generation. The Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute has about 10,000 accessions of plants of different species.