Are you ready to participate in your first e-discussion on the new KoGe discussion forum? In this blog, I will give you some tips on how to get started!
Unlike chats or videoconferencing, a discussion forum is asynchronous. The great advantage is that participants post their messages according to their own time preferences. This means that you can log into discussions at any time of the day or night, participating flexibly in the ongoing talks!
A discussion forum is a great platform for big groups of people, especially when they are geographically scattered. Our new discussion forum gives us the opportunity to invite our partners in the South to join selected discussions. Please invite them to topics that you feel are of interest to them. Share the site’s password and support them to create their own account once you have opened your own.
To participate in a discussion, it is not necessary to be member of a working group. Just feel free to join the themes that you are interested in by visiting the webpage.
How to open an account
To access our discussion forum please go to the sub-page FORUM or click on the following link: https://koge.ch/forum. The KoGe discussion forum currently runs four thematic forums on “Capacity Development”, “Good Governance”, “Right to Food” and “Religion and Development”. All collaborators of our 11 partner organisations in Switzerland as well as their South partners have the possibility to use this platform for discussion and learning.
Get started by creating your own account. To do so, simply click on the “register” button and follow the instructions. The forum discussions are made more enjoyable when we see who we are discussing with. Therefore, please personalize your account by uploading your picture. You can download the short instruction manual for the use of the KoGe discussion forum under www.koge.ch/documents.
How to subscribe to a forum/topic
If you would like to receive the forum’s posts in your mailbox, then simply subscribe to either a thematic forum or a topic (which is a single discussion). It is very easy to subscribe and unsubscribe to forums and topics. Just click on the subscribe/unsubscribe button and it’s done!
If you subscribe to a thematic forum, you will receive a notification for each post made in the forum. If a new topic (discussion) is opened, you will automatically be informed accordingly. If you do not want to receive notifications anymore, just log into the forum and click on the “unsubscribe” button. If you subscribe to a single topic, you will receive notifications of all messages posted within the conversation you subscribed to. To post your own messages, please do not reply but log into the forum and post your message there. Please join our virtual discussion platform by subscribing to at least one thematic forum which you are interested in!
Launch of the first webinar
Everybody can open a new discussion (called topic). In addition, our Focal Points will regularly moderate discussions on selected subjects. These “webinars” will be announced and have a limited timeframe.
I am happy to inform you that the working group on Capacity Development will launch ist first webinar on the topic “What is a Good Partnership?” from 28th August until 12th September. Please note the date and join the discussion if you are interested in the subject. Do not forget to register to the topic in order to receive the posts in your inbox! This discussion, through its subject, offers a unique opportunity for inclusion. Please invite your southern partners to join the conversation on good partnerships for them to be able to share their viewpoint! If you need more information, please contact either me or our Focal Point Alberto Schumaker who will moderate this discussion. We look forward to a lively conversation. See you all online on 28th of August!
What is a good partnership?
A good partnership is the one between 2 parties in which benefits/success and risks are equally shared.
What makes a good partnership?
Mutual understanding between partners (roles, responsibilities, limits, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), regular communication, celebration of success, capacity building, funding, regular meetings/experiences sharing, etc.
Do you have an example?
Partnership between TSA Switzerland and DR Congo Territory as a whole /and / partnersip between TSA Switzerland and DR Congo TErritory projects Office