This document is a monthly e-bulletin from Lasa, a charity that provides services related to information and communications technology (ICT) for voluntary organizations. The bulletin provides updates on ICT news, events, training, funding opportunities, resources, tips, and tools. It also features a new "Opinion" section with blog posts on topics relevant to the voluntary sector. The bulletin encourages discussion among subscribers on its online forums.

1.
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Dear Sean,
As someone with an interest in voluntary and
community sector ICT we hope you find our
monthly London ICT e-bulletin useful. Our bulletin is
aimed at smaller organisations, managers, circuit
riders and accidental techies. It will keep you up to
date with the latest news, ICT events and training,
accessibility, opinions and more. You can also
forward it to a colleague or unsubscribe at any
time.
New this month!
In this issue of the Bulletin we have introduced a
new section - Opinion. The entries in this section
come from the blogs of voluntary sector and not-
for-profit commentators from around the world. We About Lasa
Lasa is a charity which delivers
hope you find them entertaining and helpful - do let innovative services in the fields of
us know! welfare benefits advice, ICT (information
and communications technology) and
Join in the discussion advice policy. Our clients are mainly
In the Bulletin we will normally have one or two from the voluntary sector and statutory
sector but we also work with some
discussion points which can be followed up by private sector organisations.
Bulletin subscribers over on the Knowledgebase
Forums - we encourage all Bulletin subscribers to Lasa publications
join in and take forward the ongoing debates. Lasa's monthly London ICT e-bulletin
Currently there are discussions running on the provides up to date ICT news, events,
importance of ICT management, training, budgeting funding, tools, tips and resources for staff
in small to medium-sized voluntary
and much more. organisations. Published in collaboration
with Superhighways
Follow us on Twitter
The team that brings you this Bulletin can now be Get Lasa's monthly London ICT e-bulletin
followed on Twitter - the account name is lasaict by email.
and we'll be using the hashtag #ictbulletin for
tweets related to the Bulletin. For more information Lasa's magazine Computanews
provides straight-forward, clear
about Twitter see the Knowledgebase article To information on the use of ICT for staff in
Twitter or not to Twitter small to medium-sized voluntary

2. Lasa Information Systems Team organisations.
Get Computanews by email
In this London ICT e-bulletin for October
2009:
Computanews is published quarterly as
a free Acrobat pdf file download.
ict news
Lasa launches funding paper, Facebook reaches ICT support in your area
300m, Flash cookies, RNLI SMS donations and
connect with NCVO. London ICT Champion
The London Regional ICT Champion
supports VCOs to better understand ICT
events, training and learning to achieve their missions of delivering
Forthcoming events include mobile accessibility, quality services more effectively.
Idealware webinars, NetSquared's Net Tuesday,
modernising volunteering, workstation Lasa ICT Knowledgebase
The sector leading ICT Knowledgebase
assessments, charity IT conference, Green IT,
contains over 300 articles in jargon free
supporting dyslexia, social media, web 2.0, plain English on all aspects of ICT.
SpiceWorld and NCVO Foresight. Discuss the articles and more at the ICT
Cafe.
funding
Lasa Suppliers Directory
Gates Foundation, BT Community Connections,
From web designers to support
Nominet Trust and help with funding partnerships. companies, use the Suppliers Directory
to locate independently verified high
resources quality ICT support in your area.
Low cost data visualisation, email campaigning,
UK riders email list
assessing and inventorying, Women's Resource
UKRiders is a discussion group for circuit
Centre and social media and successful blogs. Legal riders and others who support voluntary
guidance on privacy notices and web accessibility and community sector technology.
legislation.
Superhighways
Superhighways is an ICT Support and
practical tips Development Social Enterprise run by
Changing US software settings, domain information and for the voluntary and community
and help with Publisher. sector in South London, and collaborates
with Lasa in the production of this e-
tools & applications bulletin.
CiviCRM updates, Windows 7 and converting to pdf.
opinion
Communicating with volunteers, myths of online
communities, raising funds through web 2.0,
explaining social media to managers and second
hand PCs.
discuss
How easy is it to raise funds using Web 2.0
technologies?
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ict news

3. Lasa launches ICT funding policy paper
Lasa has launched a new policy paper as part of its
campaign for ICT to be recognised as a legitimate
cost of providing a service by funders and policy-
makers. Lasa also called for funders to support
circuit riders (or mobile ICT support workers) to
provide on the ground strategic support to help
VCOs better use ICT in their work with
communities. Download Lasa's ICT Funding Policy
paper from the London ICT Champion.
Facebook's population reaches 300 million
users
The social networking website Facebook recently
revealed it has reached more than 300 million
active monthly users across the globe, with its co-
founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg,
equating its number of users being equivalent to
entire internet population of China.
Hidden Flash cookies track even opt-out users
Over half of the most popular 100 websites use
secret behaviour-tracking software to monitor
users, mostly without their knowledge, and in
several cases the software recovers information the
user has chosen to delete. More on cookies at Out-
Law.com
New RNLI text donation service
The RNLI has launched a new text message service
that will raise funds by alerting supporters every
time their local lifeboat goes out. The charity will
receive a portion of the fee charged for the SMS
alerts, which are triggered by the same pager
system that summons a lifeboat's volunteer crew
members. More on the service on Third Sector
Online.
Connect with NCVO's online network
As part of the new NCVO website you can now
connect with others, share experiences, ask
questions and continue to find out about the latest
news, events and funding opportunities for ICT.
Come and join the ICT group after registering with
the site first.
Related Knowledgebase articles:
• How Secure Is The Internet?

4. • Reaching Out Through Mobile
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events, training & learning
21 October: Mobile Access Solutions @ British
Computer Society, London, WC2 - AbilityNet's
course explores the key issues identified by
disabled users in selecting portable technology
such as mobile telephones and netbooks,
demonstrating how, through free solutions, they
can be made increasingly more accessible.
Information and Booking: Call free on 0800 269545
or book online for mobile access solutions
22 & 28 October: Idealware's series of online
seminars continues with an Introduction to
Website Analytics, on Thurs Oct 22nd and Building
an Effective Email list on Weds Oct 28th. Go to
Idealware for further information
03 November: Netsquared Net Tuesday @
venue tbc - This month's meeting looks at Project
Management. Sign up for Net Tuesday
9 November & 13 January: Modernising
Volunteering by Red Foundation - a series of free
training seminars and workshops, providing an
introduction to working with social networks for
volunteer support service workers and those who
are thinking of or just starting to use these
networks for volunteer recruitment and
communication with their peers or members. Find
out more about modernising volunteering
10 November: Effective Assessment of
Problems at Computer Workstations @ British
Computer Society, London, WC2 - This AbilityNet
course helps participants respond to problems,
make a workstation assessment and identify
practical solutions. Call free on 0800 269545 or
book online for workstation assessment
10-11 November: Green IT Expo 2009 @ The
Barbican Centre, London More Green IT Expo
information and registration
11 November: Charity IT Conference @ QE2

5. Conference Centre, London - a key strategic event
addressing topical concerns. Register your interest
for Charity ICT Conference
12 November: Using ICT to Support People
with Dyslexia @ British Computer Society,
London, WC2 - This AbilityNet course will equip
delegates with information on software and
hardware that helps those who have reading and
writing difficulties. Call free on 0800 269545 or
book online for supporting people with dyslexia
17 November: info 3.0 - Introduction to Social
Media Workshop @ NCVO, London, N1 - In this
half-day workshop, Steve Bridger and Euan Semple
will provide a comprehensive introduction to social
media along with practical guidance in making best
use of web 2.0 technologies. Cost from £176.40 for
NCVO members. Booking for info 3.0
18 November: Web 2.0 @ British Computer
Society, London, WC2 - This AbilityNet course
demonstrates how to make the most of web 2.0
technologies to communicate and collaborate.
Information and Booking: Call free on 0800 269545
or book online for Web 2.0
4 December: SpiceWorld London @ Roxy Bar
and Screen, London SE1 - A full day's learning on
the free SpiceWorks helpdesk and inventory tool.
Register for Spiceworld London
8 December: NCVO ICT Foresight Seminar @
NCVO, London, N1 - What's round the corner in the
world of technology and where might your
organisation be in 5 years' time? Find out more
about this afternoon seminar (2.30 - 5.00pm
followed by drinks reception) and book online.
Lasa ICT Learning Programme
A reminder that applications are open for this new
innovative programme which will help circuit riders,
development workers and accidental techies
develop their awareness of the sector and its ICT
needs, consultancy, planning and non-technical
skills. More information and application forms
Event/training organisers - if you are planning
an event please send us brief details so we can
include it in the e-Bulletin by emailing

6. ictbulletin@lasa.org.uk
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funding
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launches
social investment fund
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has launched a
$400m (£252m) social investment fund that will
provide loan financing, underwriting and equity
investments for not-for-profit organisations and
businesses with a social purpose. UK charities will
be eligible to apply for loans and investment from
world's largest philanthropic trust. More on the fund
on Third Sector Online
BT Community Connections
If you volunteer with a community group or
charitable organisation, you can apply for a laptop
and contribution to a year's free broadband
connection. Round Two opened on 1 September,
postal applications must be received by 5 January
2010 and online by 7 January. Find out more about
BT Community Connections
Nominet Foundation
A reminder that
the Nominet
Foundation's grants programme to support
distinctive and inventive Internet-related projects is
still open for business. More on the Nominet
Foundation
Find a funding partner
NCVO's Funding Central site will now allow you to
search for potential organisations to collaborate
with. All you need to do is create a public profile
outlining what you do plus your experience and
expertise that others can benefit from. In the Find a
Partner area, you can seek organisations that are
looking to work together on a project or who are
looking to put in joint bids for funding opportunities.
Related Knowledgebase articles:
• Writing a Winning Grant Proposal
• Fundraising and the Internet

7. • Funding for ICT
• Download: How to Cost and Fund ICT (PDF
1.2MB
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resources
A Consumers Guide To Low-Cost Data
Visualization Tool
You've got data. How do you
transform it into charts, graphs,
and maps that will help your
audience understand the data
and move them to take action?
This 30-page independent
Idealware report provides an
overview of the types of graphic
formats that might work for
you, and then compares eight
low-cost tools that can help you
create them.
Send email campaigns? Six things to consider
before you send the next one
Claire Rollinson at NCVO advises on how to increase
response rates and conversions from making the
best use of your email newsletters and email
campaigns. This blog article outlines some of the
basics to consider when putting together an email
newsletter or campaign.
Developing a sustainable technology plan
starts with a thorough assessment
A very helpful TechSoup article on how to assess
and inventory your ICT assets in advance of
creating a technology plan or strategy.
Women’s Resource Centre’s Journey into
Social Media
Social media tools are the new normal. By now
almost everyone has heard about blogging, and
other social media tools such as twitter and
Facebook. But how are these tools actually being
used by non profits to communicate and engage
with their audiences? In this new article on the
Knowledgebase Leah Williams shows how social
media tools have benefitted the Women's Resource

8. Centre.
Measuring the success of your blog
The success of your blog, or any social media effort,
depends on your willingness to solicit feedback and
take corrective action when necessary. If you want
to have a successful blog that supports your
organization’s goals and adds value, improvement
should be continuous. Beth Kanter examines the
ways of measuring your social media efforts.
Making video and audio accessible
The W3C shares its website Multimedia Accessibility
FAQ.
- legal
Guidance on privacy notices
The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued
a ‘Privacy notices code of practice’ on the use of
privacy notices when collecting information about
people for use by an organisation. It sets out
guidance on what a privacy notice should contain,
with examples based on real privacy notices, and
emphasises that it needs to explain the less
obvious elements of how an individual’s personal
data could be used. Source:
European Commission floats idea of web
accessibility legislation
The European Commission has proposed legislating
to ensure that all EU nations adopt accessibility
rules designed to ease disabled people's access to
the web. More on web accessibility at Out-Law.com
Related Knowledgebase articles:
• Sample ICT Inventory
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practical tips
Each month we look at some practical tips and
techniques to help you get the most out of using
ICT.
UK settings

9. Often when installing software, US settings are
installed by default. Two new factsheets from
Superhighways show you how to change these
settings:
• Changing language settings in Word & Office
from US to UK
• Changing printer settings - default US Letter
size to A4
Domain details
How can you find out when your organisation's
domain needs to be renewed or indeed if you are
the registered owner? Download the Superhighways
guide Checking your organisation's domain details
which takes you through the process.
Publisher frustrations
To find out how to remove unwanted hyphens from
within text boxes, download the Superhighways
guide Removing automated hyphenation in
Publisher.
Related Knowledgebase articles:
• Printer Not Working?
• Domain disputes
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tools & applications
Each month we look at some handy tools to help
you get the most out of your technology:
CiviCRM version 3.0 Stable released
CiviCRM is an open source and freely downloadable
constituent relationship management solution
designed specifically to meet the needs of
advocacy, non-profit and non-governmental groups.
The latest release includes 20 report templates,
redesigned screens, event templates and more.
Windows 7 released next week
The latest version of Microsoft's PC operating
system, Windows 7, is released on October 22.
Converting documents to pdf format for free

10. There are occasionally times when you'll want to
convert a word processed, dtp or spreadsheet
document into pdf (portable document format) but
do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer.
There are now a number of options which are free
to use - examples of software includes pdf995,
CutePDF and CC PDF or there are online services
such as ExpressPDF which emails the document
back to you after uploading it to their website.
You Send It.com
If you have a large file which you NEED to send by
email e.g. an Annual Review that needs to be sent
to the printers - YouSendIt allows you to upload the
file to their website and send a link to the recipient
enabling them to download it from this site, without
blocking either your own email outbox or your
recipients.
Related Knowledgebase articles:
• Utilities and Useful Free Software
"Who's that I just talked to?" Contact
Management for the Voluntary Sector
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opinion
Our new section takes a tour around the sector's
blogs...
Preferred communications methods - can you
accommodate everyone?
Jayne Cravens looks at the issues around problems
with communicating with volunteers.
Diffusing the myths around becoming part of
an online community
As with anything new, the world of the online
community can be daunting and frightening to
those not used to communicating in this way. In this
article, KnowHow NonProfit explore some of the
myths and shows how being part of an online
community can be a valuable, even fun experience.
Raising funds through web 2.0 campaigns -
just how easy is it?
Gavin Claybaugh explains in his blog The Message

11. in the Cryptex how easy (or not) it is to pull in the
dollars (or pounds) through social media.
Explaining social media to senior managers
Michele Ide-Smith looks at the growth of social
media and how and why organisations can and
should engage with it.
Is the second hand computer market going
away?
TechSoup rounds up current research which
concludes that the secondary PC market remains
viable.
Related Knowledgebase articles:
• Accepting Second Hand Computers
discuss
If you are using social media tools to raise funds,
how easy have you found it? Do you agree with
Gavin Claybaugh's blog post above that it's the
message not the medium that's important? Discuss
over on the ICT Knowledgebase Forum.
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