Dear Goanetters,
Today Goanet celebrates its 19th anniversary! It's a monumental
achievement that each and every one of us should be proud off. Thousands
of people have been connected because of Goanet and many friendships
have been forged. The network has served as an important platform to
support the global Goan community and to keep the diaspora linked to
Goa. We've also involved in supporting important issues such as
empowering women through Goanet-Femnet and helping campaign to preserve
Goa in conjunction with the Save Goa Campaign, UK. I hope it will
continue this important work well into the future.
We can only grow with support from you. If you'd like to volunteer to
help us please drop us an email. You don't have to be tech-savy to help
out; all we need is a little time. Don't forget that Goanet is run by
volunteers like you and me.
Speaking of volunteers, we owe many thanks to FN and Bosco for their
tireless work over the years. They have remained pillars of Goanet. I'd
also like to thank all the previous volunteers for the time and effort
they dedicated to the global Goan community. A big welcome to our new
volunteer Tony De Sa and Gerald De Souza. Many thanks to all our
contributors who make Goanet a such a vibrant forum. We couldn't do it
without all of you!
Please support Goanet by making donations via our website. We don't ask
often but your financial support is much appreciated.
I'm sharing some key points about Goanet below for anyone that might be
interested.
Happy birthday to Goanet! Congratulations!
--
Herman Carneiro
www.Goanet.org
Where Goans Connect!
Some key points about Goanet
* Goanet on Facebook has been built up and has grown into an active
community with more than 2,200 members already. This allows us to share
images and draws comment from a wider base too.
* Goanet on Twitter is in the process of being activated.
* New volunteers Tony de Sa (Facebook) and Gerard de Souza (Twitter)
have been helping in a significant way.
* Goanetters are welcome to post to our Facebook group via email:
[email protected]
* The following is a list of messages relayed through Goanet:
September 2012 842
October 2012 743
November 2012 742
December 2012 889
January 2013 813
February 2013 599
March 2013 695
April 2013 571
May 2013 662
June 2013 847
July 2013 855
August 2013 700 (till date)
For more details see
http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/
* Goanet has a page dedicated to it on the Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goanet
* Goante Femnet has been taken forward during the year, thanks to Betsy
Nunes and the Femnet team. See a sample issue here
http://www.scribd.com/doc/128090237/Goanet-Femnet-Issue-12
More about Goanet:
Share a little about our organisation
A 19-year-project, run on volunteerism, that links the Goan diaspora.
Started in 1994 by Herman Carneiro, then 17 years old. Today
administered with a team of around half-dozen. It has a readership of
approx 14,000 each day, which is a significant number for India's
smallest state.
Executive Summary
This is a venture which influenced a generation of Goans in cyberspace.
It has sustained and grown itself on volunteer power.
Approach/ Strategy
This is a volunteer-driven initiative. Advertising is accepted, but the
project is not dependent on it. Likewise, there is no membership fee,
and all are welcome to become members. The goal is to network one of
India's smaller communities, and build positive change.
Stakeholders
Mostly Goans in the diaspora, but also people back home, tourists
visiting the state, and those seeking to resettle in goa.
About the initiative
Besides the main network, we have initiatives for news,
cybermatrimonials, sports, etc. Goanet also has an annual face-to-face
meeting in Goa each December. Articles generated via Goanet are also
carried in mainstream newspapers back in Goa, which says something about
the impact it generates.
Impact -- Outcome
Goanet is reaching growing numbers today, and is shaping the debate in
significant ways, both among the diaspora and back home.
Learning Points
1. Volunteer power works.
2. Volunteer power can be sustained.
3. A little can go a long way.
4. The latest technology is not necessarily best.
What Next
We're growing, diversifying, and influencing the cyberdebate even more
as the Internet becomes more ubiquitious in Goa. Meanwhile, this is also
serving as a powerful mechanism to help people express themselves, build
"citizen journalism" initiatives, and even launch a number of positive
initiatives that help Goa.
Reasoning
Inspite of being India's smallest State, Goanet (linking Goa and her
diaspora) was one of the earliest cyberprojects of its kind, starting in
1994. It has survived and grown over the years, on volunteer power. Not
just that, it has inspired a whole series of Goa-related mailing-lists
(using low-tech, email-based services) to build a whole range of
initiatives here. See a list of Goa-related lists at
http://wikiwikiweb.de/MailingListsInIndia
