Comments on: Violence 2.0: some lessons from Ushahidi http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/ because information can save lives Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:58:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Interview with Ory Okolloh on post-election violence in Kenya, cyber-activism and Ushahidi « ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/comment-page-1/#comment-169523 Interview with Ory Okolloh on post-election violence in Kenya, cyber-activism and Ushahidi « ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:47:15 +0000 http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/#comment-169523 [...] post-election violence in Kenya. I’ve reviewed at Ushahidi a while ago on this blog and so have others, including this story by GlobalVoices Online that details the evolution of her idea and [...] [...] post-election violence in Kenya. I’ve reviewed at Ushahidi a while ago on this blog and so have others, including this story by GlobalVoices Online that details the evolution of her idea and [...]

]]> By: Paul Currion http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/comment-page-1/#comment-145540 Paul Currion Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:40:33 +0000 http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/#comment-145540 To be fair to the NGO community, I can understand their reticence - partly due from simple misunderstanding of what you're trying to do, and partly from security concerns of their own. I think the key is to embed this sort of tool into processes - at the moment, it feels to me as if the tool is the process, if you see what I mean. Good luck meeting in Istanbul! To be fair to the NGO community, I can understand their reticence – partly due from simple misunderstanding of what you’re trying to do, and partly from security concerns of their own. I think the key is to embed this sort of tool into processes – at the moment, it feels to me as if the tool is the process, if you see what I mean. Good luck meeting in Istanbul!

]]> By: Erik Hersman http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/comment-page-1/#comment-143465 Erik Hersman Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:02:54 +0000 http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/#comment-143465 Tom/Paul, we're listening, thanks for your feedback on Ushahidi. We didn't at first realize what we were truly getting into when we cranked out Ushahidi over a weekend. I guess, if there's one thing we can take away to this point it's that Ushahidi is a starting point for a different model of online crisis response by citizens. While we continue to try and improve it, both technologically and with the processes that take real people on the ground, we know that there is more that needs to be done. For instance, two of our biggest hurdles come from closed NGOs who don't want to share information and from finances to market it in Kenya. So, it's a prototype that gives some indication of how a web/mobile-based tool can be used in crisis situations, but lacks some structure for growth and increased credibility. The team is in Istanbul right now discussing what we need to do to upgrade the system and make it better. Your points are being discussed. Tom/Paul, we’re listening, thanks for your feedback on Ushahidi.

We didn’t at first realize what we were truly getting into when we cranked out Ushahidi over a weekend. I guess, if there’s one thing we can take away to this point it’s that Ushahidi is a starting point for a different model of online crisis response by citizens. While we continue to try and improve it, both technologically and with the processes that take real people on the ground, we know that there is more that needs to be done.

For instance, two of our biggest hurdles come from closed NGOs who don’t want to share information and from finances to market it in Kenya. So, it’s a prototype that gives some indication of how a web/mobile-based tool can be used in crisis situations, but lacks some structure for growth and increased credibility.

The team is in Istanbul right now discussing what we need to do to upgrade the system and make it better. Your points are being discussed.

]]> By: Tom Longley http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/comment-page-1/#comment-143422 Tom Longley Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:24:39 +0000 http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/#comment-143422 I guess this approach to monitoring is still a novelty, and no truly superior method or technical system, or even consensus about role, has emerged from past efforts. By way of comparison with the outsider status of Ushahidi.com, have a look at the website of the <a href="https://www.trcofliberia.org/" rel="nofollow">Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission</a>, whose hearings are currently ongoing. Anyone with an opinion on the conflict in Liberia can <a href="https://www.trcofliberia.org/interact" rel="nofollow">submit a statement</a> to the Liberia TRC through the website. I have no idea how popular or successful this has been; an indicator of this might be that the accompanying discussion forums have had only six posts since coming online in November 2007. I guess this approach to monitoring is still a novelty, and no truly superior method or technical system, or even consensus about role, has emerged from past efforts. By way of comparison with the outsider status of Ushahidi.com, have a look at the website of the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission, whose hearings are currently ongoing. Anyone with an opinion on the conflict in Liberia can submit a statement to the Liberia TRC through the website. I have no idea how popular or successful this has been; an indicator of this might be that the accompanying discussion forums have had only six posts since coming online in November 2007.

]]> By: Paul Currion http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/comment-page-1/#comment-143367 Paul Currion Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:16:34 +0000 http://www.humanitarian.info/2008/02/08/violence-20-some-lessons-from-ushahidi/#comment-143367 I notice that the strengths that you identify are mainly to do with the service itself (functions), while the weaknesses mainly address questions of where that service is located (processes). Maybe that sums up my concerns with a lot of the Web2.0 hype - it's so easy to set things up that people don't need to think about how that set-up is going to become sustainable. Now there's a strong argument for "just doing it" and seeing what sticks - but on the other hand, that might have the cost of people getting disillusioned if they see the same thing being repeated every time. I notice that the strengths that you identify are mainly to do with the service itself (functions), while the weaknesses mainly address questions of where that service is located (processes). Maybe that sums up my concerns with a lot of the Web2.0 hype – it’s so easy to set things up that people don’t need to think about how that set-up is going to become sustainable. Now there’s a strong argument for “just doing it” and seeing what sticks – but on the other hand, that might have the cost of people getting disillusioned if they see the same thing being repeated every time.

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