India Social Case Challenge – Edition 1

Category- Long-term Initiatives

Title-Goanet: linking the Goan diaspora across the world

Share a little about your organisation

A 14-year-project, run on volunteerism, that links the Goan diaspora. Started in 1994 by Herman Carneiro, then 17 years old. Today administered with a team of around half-dozen. It has a readership of approx 14,000 each day, which is a significant number for India’s smallest state.

Executive Summary

This is a venture which influenced a generation of Goans in cyberspace. It has sustained and grown itself on volunteer power.

Approach/ Strategy

This is a volunteer-driven initiative. Advertising is accepted, but the project is not dependent on it. Likewise, there is no membership fee, and all are welcome to become members. The goal is to network one of India’s smaller communities, and build positive change.

Stakeholders

Mostly Goans in the diaspora, but also people back home, tourists visiting the state, and those seeking to resettle in goa.

About the initiative

Besides the main network, we have initiatives for news, cybermatrimonials, sports, etc. Goanet also has an annual face-to-face meeting in Goa each December. Articles generated via Goanet are also carried in mainstream newspapers back in Goa, which says something about the impact it generates.

Impact – Outcome

Goanet is reaching growing numbers today, and is shaping the debate in significant ways, both among the diaspora and back home.

Learnings

1. Volunteer power works.
2. Volunteer power can be sustained.
3. A little can go a long way.
4. The latest technology is not necessarily best.

What Next

We’re growing, diversifying, and influencing the cyberdebate even more as the Internet becomes more ubiquitious in Goa. Meanwhile, this is also serving as a powerful mechanism to help people express themselves, build “citizen journalism” initiatives, and even launch a number of positive initiatives that help Goa.

Reasoning

Inspite of being India’s smallest State, Goanet (linking Goa and her diaspora) was one of the earliest cyberprojects of its kind, starting in 1994. It has survived and grown over the years, on volunteer power. Not just that, it has inspired a whole series of Goa-related mailing-lists (using low-tech, email-based services) to build a whole range of initiatives here. See a list of Goa-related lists at http://wikiwikiweb.de/MailingListsInIndia

Credits Strategy

Self

Credits Execution

Self

Testimonials

Going Goan on the Goanet… (Alberto G Gomes) 1/2

Going Goan on the Goanet… (Alberto G Gomes) 2/2

Factsheet

Name of the company: Goanet

Category: Not-for-profit institution

Case submitted by: Frederick Noronha

Website: http://www.goanet.org