[Imc-africa] Re: [IMC-Process] update and translation of IMC hand book

Mon Apr 19 18:17:26 PDT 2004

Hello Everybody,

I would like to give you feedback from a practical
perspective.

Thanks to the people who put much work into creating
the INDYMEDIA "booklet idea"

Also how are decisions made around these issues.

I was in Dakar -Senegal and worked closely with the
African delegates and the Senegal students attending
the conference and I would suggest we ask them for
their feedback as to the concrete use of the hand
book.
Each delegate went home with a CD, that had on it the
copy of the english and french version.

My own opinion is that the english version is really
well written but extremely long.

That  in practice if people are reading details on the
computer few have the time to read  x amount of pages.

Feedback at the conference already, was that the
French doc. was more workable because of its concise
nature.

Just today I recieved a help mail from the first IMC
forming group in Dakar and the evidence is there that
despite having the CD book in French and English it is
not an instrument that can be used easily  as  areal 
working tool. They all speak french as a 1st language
and read english.

They were briefed and workshopped by one of Berlins
indymedia "Experts" as well as other computer
competent users.

I was also going to ask the question of why it is
necessary to have a book-when all the relevent
information is on the various sites/docs.

All the delegates who attended the Dakar workshop/s
can be reached via email via IMC forming Senegal or
myself.

Glenda/NeBe

--- libby <libbylibby at skynet.be> wrote:
> Hello Everybody,
> 
> I'd just likte to put in my two cents worth on this 
> issue
> 
> Firt of all, wouldn't it be a better idea to use the
> translations that 
> are allready on the wiki and more up to date then
> start translating the 
> outdated info in the book?
> I don't see the point in putting time and effort in
> the translation of  
> the info that was originally on newimc.indymedia.org
> (which has recently 
> be replaced with links to the wiki because it was so
> outdated)
> Ok, the damage on the english version has been
> done,I suppose that 
> cannot be changed anymore, but there is no need to
> repeat it in other 
> languages.
> 
> Next, this project was originally presented as
> "compiling a small 
> brochure" for limited distribution and internal use
> at the Dakar 
> conference. Somwere along the way one or a few
> person(s) decided to make 
> it into a book (to be spread wider) with an
> author/publisher without 
> seeking consensus about it with the whole network.
> 
> Once it got to this point it would only have been
> fair to annouce the 
> plan of a book that was gonna be printed and have
> the editor/author be 
> Indymedia with as content the new imc process to the
> new imc list, so 
> people actually envolved in getting new imc's on
> their feet could have 
> been envolved. I am sure newimc volunteers would
> have been willing to 
> help out and the book would have been up to date.
> 
> It would also have been better if  it had been
> annouced on the process 
> list, requesting consensus on having a book
> published with "Indymedia" 
> as author/publisher. This is not a decision that can
> be made by one 
> person, a small group of people or just one
> collective, that is a 
> decision that should give every imc in the network
> the chance to be 
> envolved in the decision making process, i believe
> that is how it 
> usually works.
> 
> In itself it was a great initiative, but the result
> is that now there is 
> a book outthere, a recent book, by Indymedia with
> totally outdated 
> information, which i'm affraid makes the whole
> network look like a bunch 
> of amateurs that  cannot do any better than publish
> outdated (so false) 
> information about something as basic as how to join
> the network.
> 
> 
> In solidarity,
> 
> 
> Libby
> 
> valentine V eben wrote:
> 
> >Hi all!  from our discussion in January and Febuary
> in process and continued in print we did print the
> handbook materials as was proposed and amended.
> >For those who are new to process and print, this
> handbook is an attempt at producing a hardcopy of
> http://newimc.indymedia.org, of course including the
> updated text from the twiki pages. The idea is to
> provide a print version of what indymedia
> is-internal processes and how to be involved.
> >IMC-UC covered the cost of the first printing.
> >
> >TRANSLATION AND DISTRIBUTION
> >Presently there is a discussion with UCIMC(IGAP)
> and Seattle IMC(GSF) on translation and more
> distribution.
> >Dri from imc-Brasil is trying to coordinate
> translation.
> >At the moment it seems Mike from schNEWS is also
> into  translation into spanish. Sherri is talking
> with 
> >Luz from imc-Chiapas she too may be into assisting
> with the  spanish translation. Dri will surely be
> taking charge of portuguese translation. 
> >We need more people to help with translation in
> other languages. We also need to discuss about how
> to handle distribution especially for those who are
> trying to organise imcs in areas without much online
> access. Again the place for this is
> imc-print at lists.indymedia.org
> >
> >PROPOSALS FOR UPDATING THE FIRST EDITION
> >-1.)There have been a proposal to update the
> documentation to included the recent changes that
> came into place since the womyn proposal. Which
> includes changes on the application form. There was
> a discussion to have the womyn proposal be included
> in membership Criteria and or in Principles of
> unity. If there is any other place other than the
> link below where this proposal have been included in
> the  
> >network documentation please mail the link to
> imc-print.
> >-2.) There was also the proposal to include a small
> introduction/howto on twiki in future editions of
> the book.
> >-3.)There was the proposal to include what
> mainstream media say about indymedia in the next
> edition.
> >Please we are inviting people to take a while and
> look at the book as it is and to join the discussion
> on changes and improvements need in the next
> editions, in imc-print. 
> >
> >
> >DISCUSSIONS SINCE THE PRINTING OF THE FIRST EDITION
> >Some activists have complained that thought the
> book contains material from indymedia online
> resources put together as a printed version of the
> network online documentation IT IS NOT CORRECT TO
> HAVE WRITTEN ON THE BOOK
> > PRINTED BY INDYMEDIA. The activists in question
> think that though there was a presentation to
> process and a discussion in print, it was all about
> the content. That this presentation did not make
> clear that it will be written on the book "published
> by indymedia" though the content is a print version
> of indymedia online text. The point was that it
> gives the book too much authority, that such a
> decision  needed to be arrived at from a network
> consensus.
> >The other side of the argument is that writing on
> the book that it was published by indymedia was to
> give credit for the book where it belongs-indymedia
> network, which have right to the content on
> http://newimc.indymedia.org.
> >Well I'll ask that you take time off and read
> atleast the introduction page of the book in the
> link below and give your opinion what you think on
> this issue preferable in process. 
> >
> >
> >-Links to download book
> >http://www.hedonistpress.com/indymedia/    
>
>http://docs.indymedia.org/twiki/pub/Global/FirstEditionOfINDYMEDIAHANDBOOK/v1.1.pdf
> >-Link to page for book translation 
>
>http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/FirstEditionOfINDYMEDIAHANDBOOK
> >-link to newimc form including womyn proposal
> >http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewIMCForm
> >-link tp what mainstream media say about indymedia
>
>http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/StoriesAboutIndymedia
> >
> >
> >
> >--------- Original Message ---------
> >
> >DATE: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 10:47:42
> >From: "dri" <dri at indymedia.org>
> >To: imc-print at lists.indymedia.org
> >Cc: 
> >
> >  
> >
> >>oi,
> >>
> >>since the discussion about the imc book is going
> on here i felt i should
> >>subscribe to get involved and check the status of
> the project.
> >>
> >>i added a link to some ideas about trasnlations
> into other languages here:
> >>
>
>>http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/FirstEditionOfINDYMEDIAHANDBOOK
> >>
> >>for those who don't know me, i'm a olunteer of imc
> brazil, involved in the
> >>indy world since june 2001.
> >>
> >>peace,
> >>
> >>dri
> >>    
> >>
> >
> 
=== message truncated ===

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