Much of what Dadamac does (and has been doing) is scattered around the Internet. It will gradually connect up with the website: rather like activities in scattered annexes gradually moving into a new main building.
Identity and Community
Developing a website is a bit like decorating a room, or buying an outfit for a special occasion. It raises questions about identity, about how we see ourselves, what we want other people to recognise about us, and how we want to relate to those people.. Somethings just “are” Dadamac and some things just “aren't” - but what are those things and how do we get a website to reflect them?
A recent exchange illustrated this point:
Question: What about search engines? How well will they find the site?
Answer: But this site isn't for search engines – it's for people!
Good point. Dadamac has grown the way it has through people knowing people. It is built on trust and relationships, collaboration, shared vision – all that kind of thing. Now, more people are wanting to know what we are doing and how they can get involved. The website is an easy way for them to start finding out more about us, how things fit together, and ways they might join in.
Welcoming People to Dadamac
Dadamac is a community and it is growing. It is connecting with more people and needs to be able to do the online equivalent of “inviting people back home to get to know us better”. If people do type something like “ICT for Development”or “rural Nigeria” into a search engine and finish up at our website that is fine, but it is not our main objective.
There are lots of things that we want to make happen through Dadamac, and the this website and blog are steps along the way. It will take a while before we have all our projects described here, and before we have all the photos and videos that we need if we are to give a full picture of Dadamac. Also we don't just want to talk about ourselves, we want to find ways to help our friends to meet each other too. We want to bring together resources that we find useful, and share them with others. Our vision for the website is not just about what we do, but how we collaborate.
How we move forward will not depend on web-masters and search engines. It will depend on the people who come here and what we are able to do together. If you want to be part of Dadamac in some way, or simply want to know more about what we are doing please contact us. We don't share email addresses with other people unless we have permission. We will send you updates of our activities once we get organised to do that, and if you have any thoughts, ideas or questions relating to Dadamac we will be delighted to discuss them with you.