A Thin Line Between Excitement & Overwhelming

Just the first few weeks in this platform and having to familiarise myself with the space, the terminology, trying to read everything and become familiar with everyone (which of course is impossible!) has been a bit overwhelming and that is my fear with Web 2.0, that while it creates great opportunities for those who know, it could be a bit of a disenchantment for those who do not grasp technological concepts easily.

Web 2.0 means nothing to the female who has limited or no internet access - which surprisingly still includes a large number of women across the globe! How can their voices be heard?

So now I don't have to wait for CNN, FOX, BBC or Reuters
Web 2.0 has made us all writers
Change agents in a global community
But sometimes this reeks of exclusivity

How can I apply what I have learnt here?
Does this mean I need to lay my soul bare?
I will listen to the stories of my Caribbean people
And share the grass roots, on the ground experience that we grapple

It's not perfect, but it's a start
A lot more opportunity than existed in most parts
I just hope we don't become a community hidden behind our screens
But we go out, interact, meet people - there is so much to gleen

So when I get excited, I tend to break out into a song, dance or crazy poem :) So you can say I am excited about Web 2.0.

The solutions that this platform can bring to the global women empowerment movement is one of ease and accessibility of information. With one status update I am informing my colleagues, friends and women across the world - about opportunities and events. My Facebook friends list started off as an intimate list of close friends. Now after every conference and leadership training, my friends lists spikes by 50 persons! But I am keeping connected with young female leaders and having easy access to their resources and stories through this media. I think being more open with our information and sharing is also one of the solutions to be derived. For too long, NGOs and other groups are very territorial and all fighting for the same space - I think with the availability of information these walls can be torn down as we realise we are all fighting for the same cause...

I think if you want to SEE how Web 2.0 is already empowering me and can empower other women in the future then just check out www.MDGFive.com and create a video with the resources and tools available on the site. I was introduced to this site at Women Deliver 2010 where in our group sessions we were the guinea pigs for the site and worked on creating our videos address MDG 5 ...

Link to my first video: http://mdgfive.realitydigital.net/Media.aspx?key=3DEF09691C66FECA

So much information out there ... but now I'm going to stop because I am starting to be overwhelmed :)