Web 2.0: Creating A Web of News

I am an advocate for women’s empowerment in and through sport. Sport is one of the most male dominated spaces in our society, part of my work involves advocacy through media- both electronic and print. The Web 2.0 technology is an opportunity for me and my organisation to speak out on our own terms, time and space. For example, we had no funding to run a website, so while we are working on our website, I run a Web 2.0 based site on word press where we have continued to share our work.

The ease with which I can transfer my thoughts, opinions and feelings from my mind and straight to the world stage is really exciting. Putting my verbal energy where it is accessible to children, young people, adults- whose interests range from fun, academic pleasure all the way to the people who make things happen in political circles.
Web 2.0 places in our hands (or finger tips!) the power to demonstrate our views, to lobby, to gather support and share energy in a variety of circles. With Web 2.0 we can link with social networks, we can communicate in a diversity of ways including mobile blogging, videos and pictures.

I am inspired by the diversity of people who are online publishing, sharing commenting and just checking out sites. I find it exciting to be part of this great electronic crowd; it is like a massive ongoing rally with various speakers, including myself, with topics connecting and splitting and re-emerging.

I am empowered because for a start I am here learning, adding on to my skills and knowledge which improves my work as an activist. It provides an opportunity for me to publish works and thoughts that would otherwise not be heard or published by mainstream media.

Empowerment through access to information and access to people and conversation in a language that is simple, with real life stories and experiences from real people in real time- that is the power of Web 2.0.

Last year, I published an article on media bias in coverage of women in sport, it was published on Citizen Journalism portal- that was a fulfilling experience- but even more exciting was that a reporter from a Zambian national newspaper got the story and published it in the Daily Mail newspaper.

I know Web 2.0 can do wonders, but more important are the wonders we can do with it.