ICTworks by Inveneo

EVOKE is an online role-playing game designed to nurture social innovation / entrepreneurship, especially among African youth - a ten-week crash course in changing the world.

• EVOKE Online

Launched by the World Bank just recently, it has about 8,000 players already, with 10% coming from South Africa.

The goal of the social network game is to help empower young people all over the world, and especially young people in Africa, to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems.

EVOKE was developed by the World Bank Institute, the learning and knowledge arm of the World Bank Group, and directed by alternate reality game master Jane McGonigal.

Its part of the Bank's effort to:

1. Develop innovative approaches to ICT and development
2. Explore the link between gaming and learning
3. Get the World Bank activities happening outside the box

If you like this approach, thank Robert Hawkins for making it happen.

Don't forget that we're having a Twitter Chat today. We want to explore the impact of social networking technologies on businesses and communities in the developing world with our guides: ICTworks, Michael Downey, and Chloe Feinberg.

1. Social networking is driving ICT adoption, but which tools, why, and to what extent?
2. How can social networking increase donor, implementer, recipient participation in development?
3. What are the gaps and limitations in social networking engagement - where doesn't it work?

We'll start at 12-noon Eastern Time ( noon worldwide ) with introductions, then move into the discussion, using the #ICT4D hashtag in Twitter.

For those not on Twitter, you can watch the action via the handy embed below or this separate webpage:

For those new to Twitter Chats, its a freewheeling conversation around our central questions on the Twitter platform. Our hope is to learn from each other and find ways we can increase our impact using social media.

We'll archive the Chat too, in case you miss out.

Be sure to follow ICTworks on Twitter and RSVP today!

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Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn - these social networking technologies are driving ICT adoption worldwide. They're also increasing revenues and efficiencies in leading American and European companies.

But what's the impact, if any, of social networking technologies on businesses and communities in the developing world? Are they really driving ICT adoption and business revenues in rural areas? Or does Facebook, Twitter, and the like just reinforce the techno-elite echo chamber - bypassing the Global South completely?

Join us for the February #ICT4D Twitter Chat, where we'll explore these vital questions with our guides: ICTworks, Michael Downey, and Chloe Feinberg.

We'll start at 12-noon Eastern Time (noon worldwide) with introductions, then move into the discussion, using the #ICT4D hashtag in Twitter. Be sure to RSVP here.

• Handy Re-Tweet
  Feb #ICT4D Twitter Chat:
  Social Networking 4 Development -
  Feb 26 @ 12:00/noon Eastern -
  RSVP: http://ow.ly/18WdH

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For those new to Twitter Chats, its a freewheeling conversation around our central questions on the Twitter platform. Our hope is to learn from each other and find ways we can increase our impact using social media.

We'll archive the Chat too, in case you miss out.

Be sure to follow ICTworks on Twitter and RSVP today!

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When we were originally thinking about the promotion strategy for ICTworks, we specifically did not want to give it a presence on Facebook. It was our opinion that Facebook was too much of a walled garden, and didn't share well with the rest of the world wide web.

Yet, now ICTworks is on Facebook and here's three reasons why:

1. Going to where our audience is

Not only did we say that Facebook is driving ICT adoption in Africa, this quote from Emer Beamer of ButteryflyWorks reminded us that we needed to be where our audience is:

Somehow a lot of my Dutch contacts are on LinkedIn, my Irish and African friends are on Facebook and my globals on Twitter..

With almost 450 ICTworks followers on Twitter already, it was time for us to focus on another social networking site to expand the ICTworks engagement.

2. Driving traffic back to ICTworks

Yet, we still had a valid concern about loosing ICTworks traffic to another web property. So we're trying out services like RSS Graffiti to bring snippets of content from ICTworks and our Flickr sets to the Facebook wall, while providing direct links to the original content. We'll be experiementing with more services like this - and please offer your suggestions in comments.

3. Creating unique Facebook-only content

But its not all about recycling exterior content into Facebook. We'll also be creating Facebook-only content just for those who are Facebook-centric. A great example of that is the upcoming December ICT4D Twitter Chat which we'll be organizing using the Facebook events page - a much more robust platform than the ICTworks site.

Join Us for the Adventure

ICTworks on Facebook is very much a voyage of discovery. Expect to have updates on what we're seeing that works or doesn't, and how you can apply our lessons learned to expanding your own Facebook presence and impact in the developing world.

There's no doubt that social networking technologies have increased revenues and efficiencies in leading American and European companies. But what's the impact, if any, of social networking technologies on African businesses?

Facebook in Swahili

In my observations and conversations with technology companies in Africa, I've learned that Facebook is driving ICT adoption but has it, LinkedIN, Twitter, and the like actually increased business activity?

What have you seen? Are businesses really making money with social networking in urban or rural areas of Africa?

And if so, what technologies are they using? Is it web-based or does SMS still rule? Can voice mail be the killer sales app?