SANGONeT  and MobileActive.org invite you to contribute your expertise to MobileActive08  to take place from 13-15 October 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
 
A Call for Your (Mobile) Expertise!
Do you have expertise in the field of mobile technologies for social development?
Are you a researcher working on mobile technology for social impact?
Are you a mobile service provider with specific products to exhibit that benefit the social market?

If so, we invite you to submit your ideas to be part of MobileActive08!
MobileActive08  is the largest event to date focused on mobile technology for social development. This global gathering brings together practitioners, researchers, technologists, and donors interested in the use and application of mobile technology for social impact. At MobileActive08  participants will explore how mobile phones are effectively used to advance civil society work, assess the current state of knowledge in the use of mobile technology to advance social development, and investigate trends, needs and investment opportunities.

We invite you to submit proposals for:

•  Workshops and Skill-share Sessions (for 90 minutes) for in-depth exploration of a topic about unlocking the potential of mobile technology for social impact.
• Short (15-min) Rotating Mini-Talks for research and project overviews.
• A space in the SIMplace to showcase your product.
• A space in the SIMlab where participants can test-drive your mobile application and explore it in depth.

I have an idea!  How do I submit a proposal?
Please review the detailed Call for Your Expertise  and then submit your ideas.  We look forward to your expertise, enthusiasm, and creativity!
The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2008. More information is at MobileActive08.

How would you mashup the Network for Good donation processing service with other services to make it easier for nonprofits to raise money online? We’re working with Network for Good, the Case Foundation, and the NetSquared community to enhance the online donation process.

The DonateNow Mashup Challenge:

There are two categories to enter:

1. Build a mashup using Network for Good’s donation API, with a particular focus on enhancing the donor experience.
2. Build a mashup using Network for Good’s donation API,with a particular focus on improving or revolutionizing a nonprofit organization’s ability to fundraise.

Winners in the each category will be awarded a $10,000 prize by a panel of judges present at the N2Y3 Conference.

In addition, each winner will be granted a one-year license for the Network for Good API to be donated to an organization of their choice (if the winner is an organization, it can choose to donate the API to itself).

Network for Good’s donation API allows developers to integrate NFG's donation-processing functionality into their website or web application. Developers using the API should have a familiarity with SOAP Web Services.

Participants in the DonateNow Mashup Challenge will receive a developer license to the Network for Good Donation Web service. This free license is valid until June 30, 2008. Organizations interested in purchasing a developer license for use beyond this date should contact customerservice@networkforgood.org.

MoHo is a ‘creative chaos’, a house in California that brings together 70 participants from a variety of backgrounds for 7 days to innovate together on 4 important issues affecting the world:
•  “Digital gap”, bringing information to those who cannot access it.
•  Understanding how social networks trigger the innovation process in the Silicon Valley.
•  Energy for the bottom of the pyramid
•  Access to health care for everyone, etc…

Participants will include:
•  MBA students from Stanford and ESSEC Business schools
•  Engineers from Stanford and Centrale Paris
•  Designers from Strate College
•  Venture Capitalists, bankers and top managers from leading companies in Europe and the USA
•  Artists, athletes and journalists
•  You?

Why participate?
•  Be part of a unique experience
•  Create knowledge for public good
•  Network with key Silicon Valley professionals
•  Learn to work in diverse teams on real tasks
•  Represent your country, university or firm

To participate in MoHo, visit www.le-moho.com, and get in touch with MoHo programme coordinators.

MoHo will create an immersive environment where project teams regrouping the previous competencies will finally meet and work together on innovation ideas. MoHo will allow participants to collaborate with each other on a whole new level, to share knowledge, to build networks and above all, gain a better understanding of each other’s interests and how social blending can pave the way for true innovation with high potential for socio-economic applications.

MoHo was born of a French innovative product incubator - the “Création d’un produit innovant” (CPI) program - organized by ESSEC Business
School, Ecole Centrale Paris and Strate College Designers since 2005. CPI aims to encourage innovation and cross cultural integration
amongst students from different backgrounds. It brings together engineers, designers and MBA students around a common goal: invent an
innovative product for a partnering client company (big or small) in 6 to 9 months.

IST-Africa 2008 takes place 07 - 09 May 2008 in Windhoek, Namibia. Part of the IST-Africa Initiative, which is supported by the European Commission under the IST Programme of Framework Programme 6 (FP6), IST-Africa 2008 is the third in an Annual Conference Series which will bring together delegates from commercial, government & research organisations across Africa and from Europe, to bridge the Digital Divide by sharing knowledge, experience, lessons learnt and good practice.

IST-Africa 2008 will focus on Applied ICT research topics addressing major societal and economic challenges, which is part of the European Commission's Information Communications Technologies (ICT) programme. The programme combines strategic keynote presentations, technical and policy papers, case studies, workshops, an exhibition and social activities.

The Advance Programme is available online and in PDF format. All participants should complete registration prior to the event via Online payment registration

IST-Africa 2008 will be officially opened by Honourable Nangolo Mbumba, Minister of Education on behalf of His Excellency, Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Republic of Namibia and closed by Dr. Libertina Amathila, Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia.

Other Keynote Speakers confirmed to date include Honourable Joel Kaapanda, Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, Namibia; Honourable Dr. Shukuru Kawambwa, Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Tanzania; Honourable Mosibudi Mangena, Minister of Science and Technology, South Africa; Honourable Dr. Ham-Mukasa Mulira, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Uganda; Honourable Dr. Sally Kosgey, Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Kenya (tbc); Senior Representative, African Union Commission, Ethiopia; Mr. Remigious Makumbe, Acting Chief Director and Director of Infrastructure & Services, Southern African Development Community; Mr Antti Peltomäki, Deputy Director-General, DG Information Society and Media, European Commission, Belgium; Mr José Manuel Silva Rodríguez, Director General, DG Research, European Commission, Belgium; Dr Hakim Elwaer, Director, HRST, African Union Commission; Dr John Mugabe, Director, NEPAD S&T; Ms. Aida Opoku-Mensah, Director, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Ethiopia; Dr. Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Division of Science Policy and Sustainable Development, UNESCO and Ms Magda Berhe, The Swedish Programme for ICT in Developing Regions.

This year’s NetSquared Conference, a Mashup Challenge, will bring together a unique mix of people from the public and private sectors to develop and release Mashups designed to provide deeper insight into the social issues affecting communities around the globe.

We have limited seats open to the public till May 16, so please register here.

NetSquared's mission is to spur responsible adoption of social web tools by social benefit organizations. There's a whole new generation of online tools available – tools that make it easier than ever before to collaborate, share information and mobilize support. These tools include blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, podcasting, and more. Some people describe them as "Web 2.0"; we call them the social web, because their power comes from the relationships they enable.

The Tech Museum Awards is a prestigious program that honors and awards innovators from around the world who use technology to benefit humanity in the categories of:
* Education
* Equality
* Economic Development
* Environment
* Health

Reward those making a difference and nominate today. A simple nomination form and program details, including judging criteria, can be found at The Tech Museum Awards website www.techawards.org.  Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged. Individuals, nonprofit organizations, and companies are all eligible. 

Each year, 25 Laureates are honored at a gala dinner, invited to participate in press and media coverage, and introduced to a network of influential advisors. An inspirational and unforgettable event, the black-tie celebration will be held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, on November 12, 2008.

One Laureate in each category will be granted a $50,000 cash prize. Gillian Caldwell of WITNESS, 2003 Laureate in the Equality category and cash prize recipient, called The Tech Museum Awards"...a truly remarkable program that has given WITNESS acclaim for using technology to document human rights abuses. I was deeply honored to be recognized along with 24 other innovators from around the world who are working to improve human life through technology. The exposure generated from receiving this award and the $50,000 cash prize will surely lead to expanded services, awareness, and improved solutions for ending violations of human rights."

We encourage you to forward this information to any contacts you have that may be interested in nominating a candidate for this award. Thank you for your support.

Tech Awards Partners & Sponsors

Social Edge friend and contributor Paul Lamb writes in ComputerWorld: "It is not just hosting Internet access that’s always on and everywhere available that makes a truly great digital city. It is the services built on top of wireless and wired broadband platforms, along with the implementation of cutting-edge mobile technologies, that will allow us to leverage the true benefits of public technology."  Read the rest of this fascinating feature here.

Social entrepreneurs all over the world have discovered how empowering the Internet is. Online access is becoming an important utility, like access to clean water and electricity.  OneWebDay participants around the globe will be making their own short videos and posting them on blip.tv or YouTube tagged "onewebday2007". 

Making these videos available via dotSUB.com, a free platform for creating subtitles, will mean that people using all languages will be able to understand everyone else. 

Suggested topics:

+ how the web has changed your life

+ how you'd like the web to change the world in the future

+ highlights of what you've seen online the day you make the video

+ your favorite online event ever

+ something you've done online to help people in other countries.

OneWebDay is Sept. 22, every year.