Glenda Carrière Thesis (PDF 1MB)

GOING UP THE DOWN ESCALATOR: An ethnographic case study of the uptake and utilisation of information and communication technologies by three Women in Film and Television (WIFT) organisations at the State, National and International level, 1995-2000.

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Creative Industries Research and Applications Centre (CIRAC) Queensland University of Technology

Thesis submitted in full requirement for the award of IF49 Doctor of Philosophy ii

Given our history, it’s not possible to assume that women will automatically share equally in any gains that come from the present information revolution…and there’s plenty of evidence today to suggest that women are again being kept out of the production of information as we move to the electronic networks (Dale Spender,1995:161).

...new technology seems to be doing the impossible. It is running backward - back to a period before the current Women's Movement, back before the growth of multinational corporations, before the expansion of government-sponsored research, back before the suffragist era, back to the Industrial Revolution, to the Scientific Revolution, back perhaps to the early roots of capitalism and rationalism in the Middle Ages... (Zimmerman, 1983: 3). iii

KEYWORDS

Internet: Gender issues, Access, Emancipatory, Democratisation; Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs); New Media Technologies; Women's Non Government Organisations (NGOs); Non Profit Organisations (NPOs); Women in film and Television, (WIFT) Case Study; Pamela's List; Australian Peak Women's NGOs.

ABSTRACT

This thesis examines the implementation of the new digital information and communications technologies (ICTs) by the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Non-government organisation (NGO) at the state, national and international levels through an ethnographic, participant observation case study, informed by the precepts of feminist research. A quantitative survey of Australian peak women's NGOs participating in the electronic mailing list - Pamela's List is also conducted mapping the context in which WIFT operates and providing an overview of Australian women's peak NGOs’ uptake and use of ICTs. The findings are situated in relation to a review of the international surveys available on women’s NGOs and the surveys and research reports available on the overall NGO sector, nationally and internationally.

The study addresses two neglected areas in the ICT literature. For over a decade Feminist theorists have pointed to the omission of gender as a focus in studies on the new information and communications technologies. There has also been little research and few surveys into the uptake of ICTs by either women's NGOs or the broader NGO sector, nationally or internationally.

The detailed, longitudinal case study of the implementation process from pre-establishment through to advanced use of digital communications by a women's NGO at state, national and international level is also unique. Combined with the survey, it affords the opportunity to not only document which ICTs are being adopted but also why particular technologies are being used over others and how they are being used.

Despite key successes, the results show less than optimum uptake, a lack of advanced or strategic use, and the myriad of challenges shared by all three WIFT organisations, Australian women's peak NGOs, and the national and international NGO sector in utilising ICTs. The reasons for this are analysed revealing the conflicting values between the NGO sector and those underlying the development of ICTs and demonstrates that difficulties systemic to both the technology and the NGO sector are limiting access and utilisation by women's NGOs.

While the myths of women as technophobic are seriously challenged by the findings, the study highlights the importance of gender factors in limiting access and uptake and shaping the use v of ICTs. Australian women's NGOs’ uptake is shown to be less than their mixed gender counterparts and the study also reveals a lack of acknowledgement by government of gender as a key factor in the uptake of ICTs.

It is also shown that significant funding, infrastructure support and policy initiatives recognising the special technological and communication challenges of women’s NGOs and the overall NGO sector are needed, if both are to fully and strategically embrace these technologies and function effectively in the new millennium.

The significant contribution to knowledge of this thesis lies foremost in furthering the understanding of gender as a key factor in the uptake and utilisation of the new ICTs while at the same time challenging the patriarchal myth of women as technophobic. It thus contributes to the reconstruction of the epistemologies surrounding women's relationship to technology. The study also contributes to furthering the current very limited knowledge and understanding of women's NGOs and the overall NGO sector’s uptake and use of information and communications technology. The knowledge and the critical insight provided is not purely historical but rather as the push to take up broadband begins, has relevance to this and future technological innovations. Without an understanding of the process, requirements and challenges faced by women's NGOs and the NGO sector in general, the existing problems will continue to be replicated.

The material presented in this study will be useful to all women's organisations and NGOs contemplating establishing digital communications or wishing to review their current use of these technologies. It will also be of value to government and policy makers seeking to establish policies and initiatives that will enable NGOs to take up the new information and communication technologies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

KEYWORDS … … … … … … … … … iii

ABSTRACT … … … … … … … … … iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS … … … … … … … vi

LIST OF FIGURES … … … … … … … … xi

LIST OF TABLES … … … … … … … … xii

GLOSSARY OF TERMS … … … … … … … xiii

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP … … … … … xvi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT … … … … … … … xvii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION … … … … … … … 1 1.1 Introduction … … … … … … … 1 1.2 Research Question ... … … … … … … 6 1.3 Introducing the WIFT Organisation … … … … … 7 1.4 Rationale: Choice of WIFT … … … … … … 8 1.5 Significance of Research … … … … … … 10 1.6 Overview of Thesis … … … … … … … 12

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW … … … … … … 14 2.1 Feminist Perspectives on Technology and the Internet: … … 14 2.1.1 Excluded and ‘Flamed out’ … … … … … 14 2.1.2 Cyberfeminists: Technophoria and the ‘webbed utopia’ … 16 2.1.3 Technological determinism versus technology as process … 18 2.1.4 ‘Locked into locality’ … … … … … 20 2.2 Survey of Australian and International Research on NGOs’ uptake of ICTs … … … … … … 28 2.2.1 Internet Access: … … … … … … 31 2.2.1.1 Australian Studies … … … … 31 2.2.1.2 International Studies … … … … 35 2.2.2 Factors Affecting Take Up of ICTs by NGOs: … … 38 2.2.2.1 Australian Studies … … … … 38 2.2.2.2 International Studies … … … … 39 2.2.3 The Benefits of ICTs for NGOs: … … … … 42 2.2.3.1 Australian Studies … … … … 42 2.2.3.2 International Studies … … … … 43 vii

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY … … … … … 46

INTRODUCTION ... … … … … … … 46

3.1 Feminism: Interpretive Framework, Ontology and Epistemology 46 3.2 Feminist Research and Methodologies – An exploration … 48 3.3 Qualitative Research – A multi-paradigmatic focus … … 51 3.4 Ethnography & the New Ethnography: Process and Product … 52 3.5 Participant Observation: The complete member researcher … 55 3.6 Triangulation & Validity in the feminist, postmodernist research environment … … … … … 58 3.7 Case Study: The choice of study … … … … 61 3.8 Textual Representation, Voice & Reflexivity: Writing the Feminist, Postmodern Ethnography … … … 63 3.9 Situating the Ethnographer … … … … 65 3.10 Research in the Digital Realm: Process and Issues … … 68 3.11 Ethical Considerations … … … … … 69

CHAPTER 4: WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION, AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND AND INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY (PART 1) … … … … 71

INTRODUCTION … …. … … … … … 71

4.1 Motivating Factors for the Uptake of ICTs: … … … 71 4.1.1 WIFT Australia & WIFT International: Communications and Administration … … 71 4.1.2 Equity considerations … … … … 73 4.1.3 Motivating the state WIFT organisations … … 75 4.2 Implementation Policies and Strategies: … … … 76 4.2.1 WIFT Australia & the state organisations: … … 76 4.2.1.1 Evaluation of WIFT Australia Policies and Strategies … … … … 81 4.2.2 WIFT International … … … … 83 4.3 Network Establishment - Process and Challenges: … … 85 4.3.1 WIFT Australia & the State Organisations … … 85 4.3.2 WIFT International … … … … 88 4.3.2.1 The First Class System … … … 89 4.3.2.2 Yahoo! Clubs … … … … 90 4.4 Webpage Establishment: … … … … … 92 4.4.1 WIFT Australia … … … … … 92 4.4.2 State WIFT organisations … … … … 96 4.4.2.1 The WIFT International Virtual Conference 97 4.4.3 WIFT International … …… … … 100

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CHAPTER 5: WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION, AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND AND INTERNATIONAL, ICT USAGE, CASE STUDY (PART 2) … … … 105

INTRODUCTION … … … … … … … … 105

5.1 Overview of WIFT Australia’s ICT Usage: … … … … 105 5.1.1 Email use during WIFT Australia’s dissolution 1998-99 … 109 5.1.2 Financial impact of ICTs … … … … … 111 5.1.3 Advanced ICT use & strategic implementation … … 112 5.2 Overview of WIFT Queensland’s ICT Usage: … … … … 113 5.2.1 Accounts and usage … … … … … 113 5.2.2 WIFT Queensland: the virtual organisation – 20th September, 1999 to 8th September, 2002 … … 118 5.2.3 Financial issues … … … … … … 120 5.2.4 Email use – Communication with WIFT Australia … … 122 5.2.5 Summary … … … … … … 123 5.3 Overview of WIFT International’s ICT Usage: … … … … 124 5.3.1 Email use … … … … … … 124 5.3.2 Advanced ICT use & strategic implementation … … 126 5.4 Benefits of ICTs: … … … … … … … 128 5.4.1 Email … … … … … … … 129 5.4.2 Webpages …. … … … … … 131

CHAPTER 6: SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN PEAK WOMEN'S NGOs & INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S NGOs … … … … … … … … 133

INTRODUCTION … … … … … … … … 133

6.1 Survey Aims and Objectives … … … … … 133 6.2 Methodology: … … … … … … … 134 6.2.1 The Questionnaire … … … … … 135 6.2.2 Study Cohort … … … … … … 136 6.3 Results: … … … … … … … … 137 6.3.1 Percentage of organisations with email access … … 137 6.3.2 Email account used … … … … … 138 6.3.3 Establishing email … … … … … 139 6.3.4 Impediments – organisations without email accounts … … 140 6.3.5 Impediments – organisations with email accounts … … 141 6.3.6 Technical problems … … … … … 144 6.3.7 ISP problems … … … … … … 145 6.3.8 Telephone service problems … … … … 146 6.3.9 Training … … … … … … … 147 6.3.10 Summary Comparison of Email Problems … … 148 6.3.11 Women’s NGOs - Embracing the technology … … 148 6.3.11.1 Utilitarian Use … … … 149 6.3.12 Board communications … … … … … 150 6.3.13 Member communications … … … … 150 6.3.14 Email use … … … … … … 150 ix

6.3.15 Key findings - Pamela’s List … … … 155 6.4 WIFT / Pamela’s List Comparison: … … … … 157 6.4.1 Key Similarities … … … … … 157 6.4.2 Key Differences … … … … … 159 6.4.3 Summary … … … … … 159 6.5 An Overview of International Women's NGOs Surveys: … 161 6.5.1 The APC Global Women's Networking Survey: … 161 6.5.1.1 Training needs … … … 162 6.5.1.2 Funding … … … … 163 6.5.1.3 Gender differences … … … 164 6.5.1.4 Summary of findings … … … 165 6.5.2 The Asia Pacific Study … … … … 166 6.5.3 Harcourt: Women@Internet (1999) … … 170 6.6 Women’s Issues or Generalised NGO Problems? … … 170

CHAPTER 7: THE ISSUES: DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS … 173

INTRODUCTION … … … … … … … 173

7.1 Technological Decision Making: Centralised Vs Grass Roots Empowerment: … … … … … 173 7.1.1 Incompatibility of evolving systems … … 173 7.1.2 NGOs’ egalitarian structures & decision making … 174 7.2 Technical Support: Techno- Nirvana Vs NGO Reality: … 175 7.2.1 Lack of technical advice … … … … 176 7.2.2 The necessity of networking plans … … … 178 7.2.3 Lack of guides … … … … … 178 7.2.4 Webpage issues and the problems of an early adopter 180 7.3 Training Vs Experiential Learning … … … … 181 7.4 Cost Vs Funding: Tokenism Or Empowerment?: … … 184 7.4.1 Establishment and ongoing costs … … … 184 7.4.2 Lack of Financial Plan … … … … 187 7.4.3 The cost of success … … … … 188 7.4.3.1 Increased profile … … … 188 7.4.3.2 Communication overload … … 189 7.4.3.3 Increased workload … … … 189 7.5 Organisational Factors Vs External Factors: … … … 191 7.5.1 Internal Factors: … … … … … 192 7.5.1.1 Administrative control … … … 192 7.5.1.2 Lack of communication protocols … 192 7.5.1.3 Administrative procedures required … 194 7.5.1.4 Security protocols Required … … 194 7.5.1.5 Structure & Internal Politics … … 195 7.5.1.6 Email as Written Communication … 196 7.5.2 External Factors: … … … … … 197 7.5.2.1 Lack of universal access … … 197 7.5.2.2 Lack of critical mass … … … 198 7.5.2.3 The nature of email … … … 199 7.6 Outcomes … … … … … … … 199 x

CHAPTER 8: KEY FINDINGS & CONCLUSION … … … … … 202

INTRODUCTION … … … … … … … … 202

PART 1: KEY FINDINGS - DISCUSSION: … … … … … 202 8.1 The Process … … … … … … … 202 8.2 Back to the Future … … … … … … … 204 8.3 The Digital Divide … … … … … … … 205 8.4 A Clash of Values … … … … … … … 210 8.5 Non Technological Barriers … … … … … 212 8.6 WIFT Australia – Implementation Models … … … … 214 8.7 NGO Implementation Models … … … … … 218

PART 2: CONCLUSION: … … … … … … … 220 8.8 The Hardwiring of Women … … … … … … 220 8.9 Pragmatic Conservatism … … … … … … 221 8.10 Spender Revisited … … … … … … … 222 8.11 The Research Questions Answered … … … … 225

APPENDICES: Appendix A: WIFT Australia Aims & Objectives … … 228 Appendix B: Establishing a State Email System … … 229 Appendix C: Establishing a National Email System … … 231 Appendix D: List of WIFT Australia Email Enquiries … … 233 Appendix E: Email Status of WIFT Queensland Board of Management … … … … 234 Appendix F: WIFT Queensland Financial Notes … … 237 Appendix G: Email Use: G. Carrière … … … … 239 Appendix H: Member Chapters of WIFT International … 242 Appendix I: Transcript of WIFT International IRC Board Meeting 24 February, 1998 … … 246 Appendix J: WIFT International Board Email Problems … 252 Appendix K: Pamela's List Survey … … … … 253 Appendix L: Sexual Harassment – Australian Examples … 305 Appendix M: Recommendations … … … … 309

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... … … … … … … … 315 xi

List of Figures

Figure 1: WIFT Queensland - Email Volume, 23 May – 4 December, 1997 … … … … … … … … 113

Figure 2: WIFT Queensland - Email Correspondence, 23 May – 4 December, 1997 … … … … … … … 114

Figure 3: Pamela's List organisations - Percentage with Email Access: … 137 Figure 3 (a) June 1999 … … … … … 137 Figure 3 (b) August 1999 … … … … … 137 Figure 3 (c) September 2000 … … … … … 137

Figure 4: Ownership of Email Accounts used to Access Pamela's List … 138

Figure 5: Email Establishment Process, Pamela's List Organisations WITH Email … … … … … … … 139

Figure 6: Impediments for Pamela's List Organisations WITHOUT email accounts … … … … … … … 141

Figure 7: Impediments for Pamela's List Organisations WITH email accounts … … … … … … … 142

Figure 8: Pamela's List Organisations - Prior Email Use … … … 151

Figure 9: Pamela's List Organisations - Emails Sent Per Week … … 151

Figure 10: Pamela's List Organisations - Emails Received Per Week … 152

Figure 11: Pamela's List Organisations - Reliance on Email … … 152

Figure 12: WIFT Queensland Board of Management Email Access (Appendix E) … … … … … … … 235

Figure 13: Glenda Carrière Emails Sent/Received re WIFT Queensland 1996 - 2000 (Appendix G) … … … … 239

Figure 14: Percentage of paid or unpaid positions Pamela's List Responding Organisations (Appendix K) … … … … 255

Figure 15: Difficulty of Subscribing to Pamela's List (Appendix K) … … 257

Figure 16: Pamela's List Organisations - Email Account Used (Appendix K) … … … … … … … 267

Figure 17: Pamela's List Organisations - Prior Email Use (Appendix K) … 268

Figure 18: Pamela's List Organisations - Emails Sent Per Week (Appendix K) … … … … … … … 271 xii

Figure 19: Pamela's List Organisations - Emails Received Per Week (Appendix K) … … … … … … … 271

Figure 20: Pamela's List Organisations - Reliance on Email (Appendix K) … … … … … … … … 272

Figure 21: Pamela's List - Barriers to Sharing Information (Appendix K) … … 282

Figure 22: Pamela's List - Overall Rating (Appendix K) … … … … 297

List of Tables

Table 1: Delegates with Email Access during the period of WIFT Australia’s Email Access, March 1996 to December 1997 … … … … … … … 107

Table 2: Summary Comparison of Email Problems – Pamela's List Organisations … … … … … … … … 148

Table 3: WIFT Queensland Telephone Expenditure (Appendix F) … … … 237

Table 4: Summary Comparison of Email Problems – Pamela's List Organisations (Appendix K) … … … … … … 266

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Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

ICTs: Over the period of conducting this study the terminology denoting the broad array of emerging digital communications has undergone various modifications and ‘fashions’ from ‘CMC’ (computer mediated communications), hypermedia, ‘new media technologies’, electronic media, and ‘multimedia’ in the early 90s through ‘ICTs’ and ‘NICTs’ (new/information and communication technologies) in the late 90s and an array of variations on the themes of ‘electronic’, ‘information’ and ‘communications’ such as information superhighway, electronic networking, etc. For the purposes of this study I have used the term ICTs (information and communication technologies) as an umbrella term to encompass all these variations in nomenclature and to include the entire range of Internet, computer facilitated, digital and electronic communications.

NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS and NON-PROFIT organisations: These two categories are not mutually exclusive (all the organisations I have surveyed are both NGOs and Nonprofit) although the term NGO can also include for-profit organisations (cf. Lyons, 2001:9). At the practical level and in the research sphere these terms are more or less interchangeable. In America the tendency is towards labelling organisations as Nonprofits or Not-for-profits while in the European and Australian context the current preference is for the term NGO. Furthermore the definition of an NGO tends to be quite loose with any organisation that defines itself as such accepted as an NGO. Alternatively while WIFT Australia never gave particular attention to how it was categorised, the OSW included it within the category of Australian women's NGOs. Historically the term NGO was primarily associated with Aid agencies to developing countries but from the 1970s the role and focus of NGOs began to expand and diversify which evolved by the 1990s to acceptance of a broadly inclusive categorisation including professional associations, institutes, clubs and associations with only peripheral interest in development work, community service organisations, and a broad expansion in the women's sector of organisations included within the category of NGO.

AFC Australian Film Commission

AFTRS Australian Film Television and Radio School

AIMIA Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association

AUSFEM-POLNET An Australian feminist policy electronic mailing list xiv

APC Association for Progressive Computing - a global network of NGOs with a mission to promote electronic networking around the world among women's organisations

Broadband A fast, always-connected data connection, allowing users to download large files (movie clips, music tracks etc.) quickly

CBO Community Based Organisation

CU-C-ME (See You See Me) a video protocol that enables a camcorder to connect to a PC to transmit live video images

Email list A list either open to anyone or ‘closed’ with controlled membership, that can be moderated or unmoderated, to which members post emails that go out to the entire list membership.

FTP File Transfer Protocol

ICT Information and communication technologies: in this thesis used to embrace the array of communication and information technologies facilitated through Internet connected computers including email, web based email, email lists, IRC, CU-C-ME, ICQ!, FTP, etc.

Internet A world wide system for linking computers. Email and the World Wide Web are part of the Internet.

ICQ ‘I seek you’ a chat program that facilitates chat, sending/receiving files (single, multiple or whole directories), supports sound, enables PC-to-PC phone calls and PC-to-phone, video-voice connection, and game playing.

IRC Internet Relay Chat

ISP Internet Service Provider. An organisation that provides the access point through which customers connect to the Internet and from there email and the World Wide Web.

MEAA Media Entertainment Arts Alliance

Narrowband A low bandwidth data connection to the Internet eg., a standard fixed line telephone connection

NICT New Information communication technology / ies

NGO Non Government Organisation, ie., an association consisting of individuals or institutions sharing a common interest which has no governmental status or function, is not created by a government, nor has its agenda set or implemented by a government.

NPO Nonprofit Organisation

NOIE The National Office of Information Economy established by the federal government and charged with ‘helping Australians create a world-class online economy and society’ by developing, overseeing, and coordinating Commonwealth Government policy on electronic commerce, online services and the Internet.

NWJC National Women's Justice Coalition

Peak Organisation An organisation representing state organisations and related organisations in a specific field

OSW Office of Status of Women attached to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

QANTM Queensland and Northern Territory Multimedia Cooperative Multimedia Centre (CMC) an initiative of the Keating Federal Government’s Creative Nation statement established to provide multimedia training.

QDOX Queensland Documentary Filmmakers

QMAC Queensland Multimedia Arts Centre

QPIX The Queensland Screen Resource Centre

SOTA State of the Art (formerly Brisbane Independent Filmmakers)

WIFT Women in Film and Television

WIFTI Women in Film and Television International

WIFT Australia Delegates: The delegates to WIFT Australia were appointed as representatives of their states and on appointment became Directors of WIFT Australia. The Executive of WIFT Australia were the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary elected from among the delegates/directors. The Executive Officer (EO) was a paid employee. xvi

Statement of Original Authorship:

The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree or diploma at any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made.

Signature: ______

Date: ______

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

There are many who have helped with this thesis along the way but special thanks must go to Brad Haseman without whose encouragement and belief the thesis would never have been completed.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction:

This thesis examines Women in Film and Television’s (WIFT) uptake and use of the new information and communication technologies. A key motivation for this study was my concern over the celebratory hyperbole surrounding the Internet when it first emerged in the early 1990s and the seemingly universal agreement that its advent represented a revolution in communications comparable to, among other things, the shift from oral to written culture (Spender, 1995), the invention of the printing press (Spender, 1995), the Copernican revolution (Al Gore cited in Kyrish, 1994: 8), and the industrial revolution (Burnell, 1993). It was also widely claimed that the Internet heralded ‘a new Jeffersonian democracy’ or an ‘electronic Athenian Agora’ (cf. Barbrook & Cameron, 1996).

Harold Rheingold’s book The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier (1993) one of the earliest exploring the cyber domain, offered a celebratory account of various forums in Japan, Brittain and France, and the technologies of Usenet, BBS, IRC, MUDS and MOOs and the WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link). He warned of pitfalls should ‘big power and big money’ take over the Internet, and canvassed some of the problems likely to be encountered but his perspective was fundamentally euphoric and utopian. He described experiences of participants in a usenet group as ‘magical, intensely personal, deeply emotional bonds that the medium had enabled them to forge among themselves’ (1993: 237). As well he argued that:

If a BBS (computer Bulletin Board System) isn’t a democratising technology there is no such thing. For less than the cost of a shotgun [sic], a BBS turns an ordinary person anywhere in the world into a publisher, an eyewitness reporter, an advocate, an organizer, a student or teacher, and potential participant in a worldwide citizen-to-citizen conversation (1983: 131).

Similarly Robins argued that:

The virtual community of the network is the focus for a grand project of social vitalisation and renewal. Under conditions of virtual existence, it seems possible to recover the values and ideals that have been lost to the real world (1996: 18-19).

In 1997, Michael and Ronda Haubens who published their book Netizens (1997) initially on the Internet for cooperative editing and input, argued that through the Internet ‘a new more democratic world is becoming possible’ (chp 7 http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook) and lauded the many benefits of the Internet and usenet and their potential for the future.

Many other examples of celebratory rhetoric could be cited: as Lockard points out ‘… cyberspace has arrived virtually unchallenged as a democratic myth, a fresh field for participatory citizenship’ (1997: 220).

To assume that democracy and egalitarianism was inherent in the technology itself was hyperbole. Yet theorists argue these utopian ideals have become self-perpetuating: when one revolution fails to live up to its promises, the hopes are simply passed on to the next:

What cable television failed to do, home video would now do; what home video didn’t accomplish, the camcorder revolution would; what camcorders missed doing, now the Internet would do. And on and on it goes, technological break through upon technological break through, ad infinitum (Rich 1997: 225).

Sandy Kyrish argues that unfulfilled predictions from the past seem almost embarrassingly unrealistic in their expectations. She compares the predictions for the ‘super information highway’ (a.k.a. the Internet) with cable TV which also included the notion of a wired nation, interactivity ‘where local and national telecommunications grids would link citizens with social services, political leaders and each other’ bringing information, social services, work and education into the home, eliminating the need for travel and providing dramatic social benefits. Overall, remarkably similar utopian predictions to those for the Internet. Similar predictions were made for radio when Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce in 1922 stated:

Let us not forget that the value of this great system does not lie primarily in its extent or even in its efficiency…For the first time in human history we have available to us the ability to communicate simultaneously with our fellow men, to furnish entertainment, instruction, widening vision of national problems and national events (cited in Fraser, 1996: 9).

Yet scepticism about today’s technological visions is often criticised as luddite or short- sighted, and the assumption that history is irrelevant and that modern times stand separate from any continuum of technological progress and change, is still often accepted without question (Kyrish, 1994: 5). 3

Justification for promoting the Internet as democratising was the belief promulgated in the 80s that computer networking was an inherently democratising technology (cf. Balka & Doucette, 1994) despite the fact that by the time it had moved into the public domain there was a significant body of literature debunking this position. In fact studies dating back to the 70s question the veracity of claims that computer based technologies are a democratising force. Laudon’s (1977) study explored the potential of computers and the new communications technologies, and concluded that:

the telephone has more democratic potential than most any other communication technology because it is relatively cheap, easy to use and accessible...by comparison with the telephone, the computer loses out on all these counts – because it is much less accessible, much more expensive and much more difficult to use (cited in McCullough, 1991: 15).

McCullough points out that there are numerous public policy questions that will determine the extent of democratic outcomes of adopting new technologies not least of which include:

Will there be universal access, what kinds of political information will be available without charge, will public education equalize the technical skills needed to access, organise, and analyse such information? Will there be a parallel democratisation of other information tools like broadcast media, film and coaxial cable – (to name a few)? (McCullough, 1991: 17).

These issues require serious attention for as Downing et al point out, ‘if under exclusive control of corporate or political elites, technology will not normally be used to enhance lives, to strengthen people’s ability to govern themselves, etc (1991: 2). Yet a simplistic, reductionist view of the potential of the Internet and associated technologies has been promoted which naively and unproblematically makes the equation:

data=information=knowledge= wisdom= truth=freedom (Interrogate the Internet group 1996: 125).

Thus, access to information in and of itself is taken to guarantee the emancipatory potential of the Internet given that information that was once available only to an elite ‘now lies within the grasp of all consumers (Webster 1995; Bleier 1996)’ (Wolf, 1998: 17). But while theorists had by the early 90s definitively argued against information as synonymous with knowledge and knowledge as automatically empowering vis-à-vis computers, it was once again embraced with reference to the Internet.

Throughout the initial celebratory stage of writing about the Internet, the question of gender, and specifically whether both genders would be able to participate in the communications revolution equitably, was largely ignored both in popular writing and in academic analysis. Morahan-Martin points out, ‘with the exception of major surveys such as GVU and CommerceNet/ Nielson, most research on the Internet and computer mediated communication has ignored the impact of gender’ (1998).

The belief propounded by many theorists was simply that gender itself was not an issue. Linda Engelman’s (1995) statement: ‘Equality on the Net is a given’ is cited by Wolf as one among many of the ‘optimistic quotations extolling the “fairness” and “equality” of this new technology springing up all across the Internet, prejudice and inequality is an offline problem’ (1998: 17). This belief was fuelled by the anonymity and lack of face-to-face communication offered by Internet communications (Wolf, 1985: 15).

One consequence of such beliefs, was that as Sue Curry Jensen noted, the arena of communications and technology and the theory produced ‘remained largely silent about a crucial dimension of the power-knowledge of the information age: its gender politics’ (1989: 196). Three years later Frissen noted that what was striking in terms of research into new information and communication technologies was 'the almost complete absence of the gender issue on the research agenda’ (1992: 31). Other theorists went further with Ferguson suggesting ‘the dearth of research’ was not only remarkable but ‘perhaps deliberately underexplored’ (cited in Chau, 1995: 2). Even in 2000, Balka berated communications theorists for not addressing gender issues in regard to the new computer based communications as did Wajcman (2000), when surveying social studies of technology.

Spender (1995) also noticed the absence of any concern about the gender bias of these new technologies. In the first book devoted entirely to exploring the issue of gender vis-à-vis ICTs, her book Nattering on the Net, argued that women had to be not only part of the communications revolution but fully equal participants helping to design the technologies, the terrain of cyberspace and the social policies to be developed or they risked becoming the outsiders: ‘they will be the information-poor, as they were for so long after the introduction of print’ (1995: 168). Her views were shared by theorists such as Callon (1991), and Latour (1993) who argued that women had to become involved while the technologies were still 5 developing and before they became less malleable, less reversible and a new techno-social reality was created (Scott et al, 1999: 545).

Spender’s warnings were predicated on statistics drawn from the GVU surveys which showed that 95% of the Internet population was male at the time she was writing, giving them almost total control of cyberspace (1995: xxiv). These surveys continued to show significant differences between the genders in online participation up to the last survey at the end of 19981 thus causing theorists to describe the Internet as ‘a white male playground’ (Semmens & Willoughby, 1996). Other theorists such as Eastman found of the several thousand bulletin board systems (BBS) in the United States, there were only three boards dedicated to women. Moreover, ‘many of the small BBS’s have tried to run a conference on women but often the women disappear and only men are left discussing women's (!) issues’ (Eastman, 1991: 48). As Spender noted, ‘men…have moved swiftly to claim the territory. And just about every survey indicates that when the men have moved in, the women have moved out’ (1995: 166). Ultimately, as Curry Jansen points out ‘the price paid for the absence of a critical consciousness about gender in discussions of communications and technology is the reproduction of old patterns of power and privilege in the social distribution of knowledge’ (1989: 196).

Statistics and concerns such as these have been and remain a cause for concern for feminists. Indeed Zimmerman argues that:

And in this view she is not alone, Margie Wylie, editor of Digital Media, states that ‘far from offering a millennial new world of democracy and equal opportunity, the coming web of information systems could turn the clock back 50 years for women’ (cited in Spender, 1995: 170). Spender herself warned that women were being marginalised in relation to the new communications technologies just as they had begun to achieve success in the old book

1 GVU (Graphics Visualisation Centre) Georgia Institute of Technology, Internet Demographic Surveys http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/ 6 publishing technology and just as they had after the last great communications revolution, that of the invention of the printing press (1995: 161). Rosi Braidotti concurs believing that:

It is always at times of great technological advance that western culture reiterates some of its most persistent habits, notably the tendency to creating differences and organizing them hierarchically. Thus while the computer technology seems to promise a world beyond gender differences, the gender gap grows wider. All the talk of a brand new telematic world masks the ever-increasing polarisation of resources and means, in which women are the main losers (1996).

Thus it appeared that the barriers women have had to overcome in society were being replicated in the cyber domain and new technology arena. Against such a background there was good reason to suspect that women's NGOs could be disadvantaged by the advent of the Internet, World Wide Web and ICTs with the postulated benefits not extending in their entirety to women or flowing through to the women's NGO sector.

1.2 Research Question

There were three key components to the research question. The central component examined the issues surrounding the question:

Were the WIFT organisations able to access and capable of utilising these technologies effectively to meet their specific communications and organisational needs? Conversely, were the technologies appropriate to their organisational structure and operations and compatible with their organisational and communication needs?

The second component, exploring the ramifications of gender as a factor in WIFTs’ uptake of this technology asked in the first instance:

How did gender negate or facilitate the uptake and utilisation of information and communications technologies by women's NGOs?

And as a corollary:

Did women's NGOs’ use of these technologies offer evidence to suggest the technologies were inherently suited to women's ways of communicating and working together?

Finally, research in the earliest days of ICTs showed that Nonprofit organisations found the cost to utilise services such as CompuServe, Dialogue, BITNET, BRS, Dow Jones, etc., to be prohibitive (Eastman, 1991: 48). Consequently, it became necessary to attempt to differentiate whether problems encountered by the WIFT organisations were uniquely related to the sector and shared by all NGOs or were unique to women's NGOs. Thus my research also addresses the question:

Do NGOs have specific needs and requirements of ICTs that differ from their corporate counterparts and if so are these needs being met? If not, is this affecting their uptake of ICTs?

1.3 Introducing the WIFT Organisation

Women in Film and Television (WIFT) is one of the largest film organisations in the world with WIFT organisations established in over 40 countries throughout the world. The organisations were first established in the early 70s (WIFT LA, established in 1973, claims to be the first WIFT organisation established).

In Australia the state WIFT organisations can trace their genesis back to the women's filmmaking groups that arose from the late 60s such as the Sydney Women's Film Group (SWFG); The Feminist Film Workers also Sydney based; The Melbourne Women's Film Group; Reel Women (Melbourne); and similar groups in Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane (such as Film Facts Inc. the forerunner to WIFT Queensland). All these early women's filmmaking groups had strong ties to the Women's Liberation Movement and evinced a strong feminist ideology at their core2.

2 For a comprehensive account of women's filmmaking and the early women's filmmaking groups, see Blonski et al’s (1987) Don’t Shoot Darling!: Women's Independent Filmmaking in Australia. 8

In September 1992, representatives of all the state WIFT bodies met in Sydney following the first national WIFT conference In Production (September 26-27, 1992) and agreed to the formation of a national body. Guidelines for WIFT Australia were drawn up and in the follow-up meeting in February 1993 in Adelaide, a draft constitution was produced and office bearers elected. Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Australia was incorporated on the 9th September, 1993 as a company limited by guarantee3 and publicly launched on the 13th September of that year.

On its formation WIFT Australia became one of the largest professional associations in the Australian film and television industry representing over 1,100 members across five states. WIFT Queensland at the time of this case study was the largest film industry association in Queensland, was extremely active in monitoring equity issues, assisting its membership, championing the advancement of women filmmakers, and during the period of the case study produced a film (A Dozen Eggs, 1999) aired on SBS.

Ultimately this thesis is critical of WIFT Australia and the state organisations in the context of their uptake and utilisation of ICTs. Had the thesis been analysing the WIFT organisations from a different perspective such as their overall achievements, the conclusions may have been far more positive.

1.4 Rationale: Choice of the WIFT Organisation

My reason for choosing Women in Film and Television (WIFT) for this case study stemmed in the first instance from my prolonged involvement with the organisation at state, national and international level which gave me entry to the organisation and provided a unique, in-depth insight into all facets of the organisation.

The WIFT organisation was itself eminently suitable for the case study because it provided the means to conduct a case study at the state, national and international level. As a peak women's NGO, WIFT also offered the opportunity for comparison with Australian women's peak NGOs.

3 (ACN: 061 643 365) 9

In addition WIFT is a filmmaking organisation. Given that film is the most technological of all the arts, my hypothesis was that WIFT members would not exhibit the same degree of resistance to technology many (as discussed in Chapter 2) have attributed to women. In addition, WIFT also had compelling reason to embrace ICTs given the challenges faced by it in its own administration and in communicating between state organisations and members spread geographically across Australia, and for the international organisation, in its administration and communicating with WIFTs spread throughout over 40 countries. ICTs also appealed as a means of achieving WIFT Australia’s goal of enabling affordable communication and flow of information concerning programs of activities, funding and fundraising, advice, lobbying information and so on between the five state organisations. Facilitation of regular communication between state WIFTs was in fact one of the key motivating factors in the establishment of the national body. The same situation pertained for WIFT International. Both WIFT Australia and WIFT International were from inception also committed to helping their members to embrace the new media, information and communication technologies.

WIFTs exemplify women's ways of working, the ‘glocal’ as Sreberny-Mohammadi (1997) terms it. Women working at the local level in Queensland have small webs of connection through WIFT which spread to women working in the film and television industries not only throughout Australia but to women in Hollywood and throughout the world. It was in the strengthening of women's NGOs networking that ICTs held great promise.

My hypothesis, therefore, was that such an organisation would be better placed than many women's organisations to successfully adopt ICTs. As such it could provide insight into the use by a women's NGO of such technologies. In addition, it could provide an opportunity to assess Plant and the cyberfeminists' contention that the Internet and new information and communication technologies were suited to women's ways of communicating and working together. Assessing women as they carried out their voluntary work would allow observation of their use of ICTs in an environment that they themselves had created to suit their own styles of communicating and working together and moreover one more flexible than a paid workplace with strictures not of their own choosing placed upon them. 10

1.5 Significance of Research

The original contribution to knowledge this thesis makes lies foremost in furthering the current very limited knowledge and understanding of women's relationship to information and communications technologies. As is demonstrated in the literature review, numerous feminist theorists spanning over a decade have pointed to the omission of women’s relationship to and gender issues in general, as a focus in studies on the new information and communication media (cf. Curry Jensen, 1989; Frissen, 1992; Ferguson, 1995; Spender, 1995; Balka, 2000; Wajcman, 2000).

In demonstrating the significance of gender as a factor in the uptake and use of these technologies, the findings of this thesis also have significance for the policy arena. The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing Platform for Action (1995), argued for the importance of women's access to and participation in all communication systems and ABS statistics throughout the period of the case study showed women’s inequitable access to information and communication technologies. Despite this agencies such as the National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE) demonstrated a lack of policy focus on gender issues4. This thesis argues such a focus would be beneficial if not essential to encourage optimum takeup of these technologies by women's NGOs and their membership.

The thesis, while revealing the complexity of women's relationship to these technologies, shows the patriarchal myth of women as technophobic cannot be sustained. It thus also contributes to the reconstruction of the epistemologies surrounding women's relationship to and use of technology.

Using women's NGOs to explore women's use of these technologies provides a further important contribution to academic knowledge. In 1995, the commencement of the thesis timeframe, there were no studies of Australian women's NGOs’ takeup of new technologies (Harrison, 1998) nor of takeup in the wider NGO sector in Australia. Even in 2003 there have been very few studies of ICTs which offer a specific focus on NGOs (CICT, 2003). Moreover, the CICT Community ICTs Survey (2003) states unequivocally that ‘there is no comprehensive statistical information which describes the state of connectivity of Australian community and

4 cf. ‘Glossary of Terms for NOIE’s mission and (http://www.noie.gov.au/about/faq.htm accessed April 2003. Its primary focus, however, appears to be the commercial sector. 11

Nonprofit organisations’, pointing out that the Australian Bureau of Statistics has collected very little information on this sector and offers no detailed or up-to-date studies. An ACOSS study points out that ‘surprisingly, there is not even a listing of all national peak bodies in the sector’ (1996: 9). Lyons (2001) and Zivetz (1991) also point out that NGOs have largely been ignored as a focus of academic study. However, while both the Lyons and Zivetz studies provide an important contribution to the literature on Australian NGOs, neither address NGOs’ relationship to the new information and communication technologies. At the international level, the Burt & Taylor (1999) report also points out the ‘dearth of academic research which looks at the voluntary sector in the information society’, as does the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (2000) report.

By conducting a case study on three women's NGOs, conducting a survey of Australian peak women's NGOs to provide a context for the case study, and reviewing the available surveys of the women's NGO, this thesis provides an overview of the women's NGO sector. It also reviews research available on the broader non-gendered NGO sector in Australia and internationally in relation to the new information and communication technologies thus making a contribution to a very neglected area of academic research.

In addition, the longitudinal and in-depth documentation of the entire takeup and implementation process from pre-establishment through to advanced use of ICTs by three women's NGOs over several years is in itself unique. Of the few surveys of NGOs’ use of ICTs and even fewer of women's NGOs available, none offer the depth of analysis provided by this study. Available surveys provide some information on how many organisations are connected and what technologies they are using, but do not show why particular forms of electronic communications are being used over others and do not give any in-depth insight into how they are being used.

The knowledge and the critical insight the thesis provides into the situation of women's NGOs and non-gendered NGOs is not purely historical but rather as the push to take up broadband begins and the innovations in technology and information and communication technologies continues, has relevance to this and future technological innovations. Without an understanding of the process, requirements and challenges faced by women's NGOs and the NGO sector in general, there is a real possibility that the existing problems will continue to be replicated. 12

The NGO and Nonprofit sector is of key importance to society on a number of levels. The Benton Foundation (2001) points out that NGOs and Nonprofits organisations are the leading experts in human services, health care, education, arts, and humanities, and they deliver a myriad of public benefits. It is therefore crucial that they are able to take full advantage of ICTs. The analysis provided by this thesis contributes to that process. Similarly Lyons has estimated that third sector organisations contributed a minimum of 6.3% to Australia’s gross domestic product or $4888 billion for the 12 months to June 1996. However, if volunteers’ time were costed and the income of non-employing Nonprofits included, the contribution rises to 9.3% of GDP (2001: 197-198). In 1997 the ABS estimated Australians undertook 19.5 billion hours of unpaid work valued at $240-260 billion, approximately two-thirds of which was contributed by women (ABS 2001d).

The material presented in this study (in line with the precepts of feminist research) will be useful to all women's organisations and NGOs contemplating establishing ICTs or wishing to review their current use of these technologies. It will also be of value to government and policy makers seeking to establish policies and initiatives that will enable NGOs to take up these technologies.

1.6 Overview of Thesis

This chapter has introduced the study and the WIFT organisations and has set out the research question. Chapter 2 is the literature review and explores both popular and academic writing on the Internet, feminist approaches to technology, and reviews Australian and international NGO surveys and research reports in order to evaluate the situation pertaining in the overall NGO sector both in Australia and internationally.

Chapter 3 details the methodological approach adopted for this research which was conducted within a feminist ontological and epistemological framework as an ethnographic case study of the WIFT organisation at the state, national and international level. The study was longitudinal in nature with the majority of the primary research data collected over a five year period from 1995 to late 1999 with supplementary material collected through to 2002. 13

The qualitative data was collected through participant observation and is presented as thick description. It is supported by reference to WIFT organisational and administrative documentation, a survey conducted by the author of Australian peak women's NGOs, and a review of the available Australian and international research on NGOs’ use of ICTs.

Chapter 4 is the first part of the WIFT case study detailing the strong motivating factors for the uptake of ICTs, the methodical manner in which the WIFT organisations instigated establishment of ICTs through the adoption of various policies and strategies, and the difficult establishment process for all three organisations. Chapter 5 is the second part of the case study and provides an account of the actual usage made by all three organisations of ICTs once established.

Chapter 6 seeks to place the WIFT case study in a broader context by surveying Australian peak women's NGO participating on Pamela's List and comparing the findings from the survey to those of the WIFT case study. It concludes with reports on the available international surveys of women's NGOs use of ICTs.

Chapter 7 discusses the key issues raised in the preceding chapters while Chapter 8 provides a summary of key findings, alternative uptake models, and the conclusion.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Feminist Perspectives on Technology and the Internet:

2.1.1 Excluded and ‘Flamed Out’:

The lack of concern previously noted regarding gender issues vis-à-vis ICTs is, for feminists, merely the latest example of women's exclusion from and inequality in the technological sphere.

Since at least the early 80s, feminists had focused on issues surrounding women and technology (cf. Zimmerman, 1983, 1986; Rothschild, 1983; Cockburn, 1985; Faulkner & Arnold, 1985; Karpf, 1987; Kramarae, 1988). All these writers had demonstrated the overriding masculinisation of technology and the discourses surrounding it, and the complex gender relations which had worked to deny women's access to the technological domain. The results of these analyses and the debates they had generated were that, as Karpf notes, ‘most would agree that women are largely absent from the institutions which define and create technology’ (1987: 159) the consequence of which is technology fully embodying patriarchal values.

From the 80s onwards there had also accrued a wealth of literature on the under- representation of women in science, computing and high status technology areas, (cf. Fox Keller, 1985; 1992; Harding, J. 1986; Harding, S. 1986; Bleier, 1986; Davidson & Cooper, 1987; Wajcman, 1991; Kramarae & Ebben, 1991-92; Kirkup & Keller, 1992; Sofia, 1993; Byrne, 1993; Gattiker, 1994). Overall the literature provided a negative account of women's status and participation in these technological spheres with ‘feminist studies…imbued with pessimism’ (Berg 1994: 95). Such analyses, delineating women’s scientific and technological exclusion did not bode well for their inclusion in a technology driven future. Nor did they bode well for their involvement in the Internet given its origins in the US military, scientific and academic complex, and its culture developed by its earliest users, primarily male scientists, mathematicians, and technologically sophisticated computer enthusiasts.

Consequently ICTs were regarded by feminists with some foreboding and in the initial stages of feminist analysis the focus was on their posited impact on women and the exclusion of 15 women from these technologies (Wajcman, 2000:449). This resulted in pessimistic predictions mirroring feminist analyses of women and science and technology in general, (cf. Curry Jansen, 1989; Davidson & Cooper, 1987; Wajcman, 1991; Cockburn & Ruza, 1994; Spender, 1995; Chau, 1995; Kramarae, 1995; Regan Shade, 1996; Bail, 1998).

Adding to feminists’ concerns was the sexual harassment that from the earliest days of the Internet was an integral part of life online for women, widely publicised and rampant in a myriad of guises. In report after report one reads of women complaining about the sexual harassment they encountered; the hostile, male-dominated culture of cyberspace; the confrontational male discourse; the flaming women are subjected to; the highly aggressive male language patterns, and; the derogatory language used by men towards women (cf. Truong, 1993; Spender, 1995) all of which caused many women to feel they needed to ‘don battle gear and battle mindset before participating online’ (GK97, 1997). Women reported that the moment they logged on with a female signature they received unsolicited messages ranging from the mildly to the sexually explicit. Kramarae and Taylor (1991-92) reported that ‘many of us have received unrequested body-parts ‘visuals’ (e.g. ‘breasts’ composed of computer keyboard letters and punctuation marks)’. Email ‘bombs’ containing sexual and violent messages were another tactic used as were webpages such as Robert Toups’ ‘Babes on the Web’ which reproduced women's photos from their home pages and rated them (from dog-o-matic to Babe-O-Rama) (cited in Regan Shade, 1996: 33-4).

Not only did these issues follow women into the ‘genderless’ online environment but as the number of women online grew, they became more pronounced not only in regard to sexual harassment, but also ‘the different value systems men and women often subscribe to, and issues of power, control and identity’ (Senjen and Guthrey, 1996: 38). Moreover, rather than a brave new world where gender was no longer important, women faced a potentially far worse situation; an environment which offered anonymity to sexual harassers and freedom from prosecution. Thus, as Sue Simmons (1995) asks:

So why is it that many of us maintain the belief that the Internet, “holds promises of a more participatory democracy” (Mulvaney, 1994)? If the physical world is gendered and for many women inequitable, then how is it that the cyberworld is genderless and to some, seen as equitable?

Not only was the online world gendered, but it impacted on life in the ‘real world’ with women also having to contend with the added threat of on-line stalkers who followed them offline (Canon, 1995). However, explicit sexual harassment was not the only problem women faced; differences in communication styles between the genders also became a key issue. When Kramarae and Taylor (1992) circulated the draft of their paper stating that ‘[i]n almost any ‘open’ network men monopolize the talk’ they were inundated with women agreeing and telling of their own experiences and citing various studies corroborating their claims (cf. Kramarae & Taylor, 1993; We, 1993; Herring, 1996; Herring et al, 1992; and Ferris, 1996. Thus, as Mark Poster states:

Studies have pointed out that the absence of gender cues in bulletin board discussion groups does not eliminate sexism or even the hierarchies of gender that pervade society generally. The disadvantages suffered by women in society carry over into the “virtual communities” on the Internet: women are under-represented in these electronic places and are subjected to various forms of harassment and sexual abuse (1997: 212).

Feminists were concerned that these factors could make life online for women unpleasant, silence their voices, and dissuade them from participating.

2.1.2 Cyberfeminists: Technophoria and the ‘Webbed Utopia’:

Feminist theorists such as Frissen began to argue against the continued study of women’s victimisation and exclusion from the ICT arena which they believed risked reinforcing women in the position of victims (1992: 32) and contributed to the negative assessments of women's participation in this technology. Chau (1995) notes, ‘researchers such as Spender (1993) and van Zoonen (1994) have pointed out that discourses that emphasise the exclusion of women from the information society or their lack of interest and pleasure in such technology construct a social domain in which there is no place for women or femininity. Plant, in fact, argues that feminist theory has itself reproduced notions of women as technophobic (1995b) and Wakeford suggests such approaches can result in an alienation of those women who are into the technology (1997: 53).

Thus, some theorists began to insist on a more empowering approach, focussing on the positive benefits to be gained by women from the Internet in opposition to the ‘victim feminism’ approach. Plant (1997), along with other feminists (cf. for example Senjen & Guthrey, 1996: 17

14-20) argued explicitly against the notion of women as victims, citing the contribution that women have made to the development of computing. Plant argues that in the information age, intelligence is becoming more essential than strength (1995). Moreover, women should prosper in cyberspace and the new digital environment where:

The roundabout, circuitous connections with which women have always been associated and the informal networking at which they have excelled now become protocols for everyone (1997: 144).

She develops this argument in her book Zeroes and Ones (1997) to espouse the view that the Internet is inherently suited to women with its free exchange of information, breakdown of hierarchy, and the nurturing aspects of many virtual communities. She also argued elsewhere that while it would be misleading to suggest that computers and the Internet are feminine per se: It is clear that they go against everything dear to the heart of all power structures and the phallic principles that keep them secure. And this is what is doing the trick, opening new spaces for brand new girls and whatever post-human mutations may come (1995b).

Taking this concept to the extreme, Plant (1997) argues that, the Internet spells the death of patriarchy. Less extreme views as those put by Chau (1995) held that ‘as work shifts into domestic space and away from corporate offices with the possibility of working at home, women may be empowered in the new technology which makes entry into the public sphere unnecessary’. She believes that there is no reason why knowledge should not be as empowering to women as to men and thus ‘should empower women as much as men to make forays into new conceptual spaces’ (1995).

Such views are mirrored by other theorists such as Meyrowitz who argues that ‘electronic media’s invasion of the home not only liberates women from the home’s informational confines but also tends to reintegrate the public and domestic spheres...[and]…may reintegrate men and women in a single social sphere of work and family’ (1985: 224-5). Similarly, the UNESCO-SID Women and Cyberculture workshop explored the many positive aspects of going online for women. They argue that the Internet suits women's styles of networking and maintaining of family and community ties very well - perhaps even more so than men’s (Harcourt, 1997). Other commentators have suggested that ICTs such as email ‘can enhance the participation of women in public life’ (Turnipseed, 1996: 22). Reich (1997) believes women will be the new leaders in building communities online; and Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi 18

(1997) suggests that the Internet and its webs of connection are eminently suited to women's ways of relating, communication and working. For these reasons cyberfeminists such as Light, 1995; Pollock & Sutton, 1999; Scott et al, 1999 (cited in Scott et al, 2001a) have argued that ICTs are an inherently democratising technology.

As early as 1995 their predictions were seemingly being fulfilled when, as Scott et al recount:

Political networking – primarily via electronic mail – was successful in influencing the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing; the campaign influenced both the conference’s primary agenda and the scope of its associated NGO forum (Gittler 1999; Huyer 1999) (1999: 547).

Examples such as this, as well as the success of Systers, Cyber-grrls, Geekgirls and other feminist networks, technology groups such as WIT (Women in Technology), WISE (Women in Science and Engineering), GIST (Girls into Science and Technology), and artists such as VNS Matrix in creating women-friendly spaces on the Internet and appropriating the technology to their own ends, have led theorists such as Arizpe to argue that the Internet has facilitated ‘the creation of a truly international feminist movement...a global room of our own’ (1999, cited in Scott 2001b:8).

2.1.3 Technological Determinism Versus Technology As Process:

As Bauwens (1996) and Wajcman (2000: 460) point out, the extremely celebratory discourse of many of the self-styled Cyberfeminists, is fairly typical of the ubiquitous hype and enthusiasms generated by the Internet. There is merit in acknowledging the benefits of ICTs for women, and the informational rather than physical sphere of interaction of cyberspace does help to disguise gender and hierarchical statuses. But in moving on from the ‘women as victims’ approach, Meyrowitz argues, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of mistaking the ‘breaking down of boundaries among people for a prophecy of a utopian society of harmony and bliss’ (1985: 316). Balka also calls for a more sober analysis of new technologies that is not seduced by all the hype surrounding the Internet. She believes that:

Popular debates about computer networking technology suggest that it ought to meet a diverse array of needs, including those of women's organizations dedicated to feminist social change. In theory, computer networks ought to be consistent with the democratic, decentralized, participatory structures of women's organizations dedicated to feminist social change. Theory suggests that computer networks should be accessible to a wide 19

range of women, and that they can enhance the flow of information between members of women's organizations as well as between organizations (Balka, 1993).

But, she urges, we need to be critical of these arguments and not blind to the constraints women face. She asks:

I wonder where all the feminist information technology critics have gone, and I fear the answer is that we've been seduced by the potential of the World Wide Web…and in our enthusiasm for the technology, have lost that critical feminist perspective (1999).

In short, optimistic models can be as problematical and misleading as their more pessimistic counterparts. Technophoria, the argument that ‘technology has liberated - or has the capacity to liberate’ (Karpf, 1987: 160), upon close analysis cannot be sustained. Domestic technologies, for example, have not, as predicted, liberated women from household drudgery. They have simply liberated women to perform new kinds of household labour (Smith, 1983: 67) and led to ever higher standards of hygiene. As Karpf points out, ‘there is much evidence that the time women spend on housework has not declined significantly in the last fifty years, despite the increased availability of appliances’ (1987: 161).

Thus, Berg insists there is little to be gained in simply replacing pessimistic views of technology for optimistic approaches, ‘optimistic and pessimistic views of technology may equally be deterministic’ (1994: 95).

Part of the problem has been, she notes that while ‘feminists have certainly understood that technology can have effects for social relations’ (Berg, 1994: 94), they have often failed to grasp technology itself as a social process. Lacking this understanding and construing technology as a ‘finished product’ and thereby ‘non-negotiable’, most feminist studies were originally very pessimistic. Berg argues that their deterministic approach to technology coupled with a focus on delineating the impacts on women of technology virtually guaranteed such [pessimistic] outcomes (1994: 95)5.

Definitions of technology have now been expanded to embrace that which Everts terms the ‘total package’ that is the human-made artefact and processes ‘plus the organisational,

5 Wajcman however, points out that feminist studies merely reflected “the naïve technological determinism that prevailed in the social sciences at the time” but insists they were “asking the right questions and were influential in setting a very productive feminist research agenda” (2000: 449-50). 20 informational, and human contexts that are required for its functioning’ (Everts cited in Scott, 2001b)6.

If we see technology as a social process then it opens up a space and the possibility for women to insinuate themselves into the ongoing process of inventing, refining, and upgrading technologies. Even as consumers women can be seen to be interacting with the technology and can challenge and renegotiate the meanings and uses of it (Wajcman, 2000: 451)7. Such an approach also opens up the space for women to subvert and appropriate these technologies to their own ends although not necessarily to the extremes suggested by cyberfeminists (Green & Adam, 1998: 309). Technology as process also opens up spaces for differences among women to emerge, thus revealing that some women may have more or less access to different spheres within the processes and social relations surrounding technology.

But while a ‘technology as process’ approach can facilitate a more optimistic outlook for women overall, those women who are excluded from the social spheres of influence and from the processes of technology, are then also ‘missing’ from technology studies of these processes. Moreover, a process focused approach does not change the fact that women are still not equitably included in most of the processes of technology and even as consumers have not reached equity with males as the following section demonstrates.

2.1.4 ‘Locked Into Locality’:

Scott et al (1999) provide a means of conceptualising women's relationship to the Internet and ICT which provides a starting point to facilitate the move beyond the dichotomy of the two accounts above, which they have labelled the ‘flamed out’ and ‘webbed utopia’. The reality of many women's relationship to the Internet, they claim, can best be described by the narrative of ‘locked into locality’.

6 This change was partly in response to the work of the earlier feminist theorists informed by postmodern feminist theory and the development of the field of sociology of technology (Wajcman, 2000: 450). 7 In this Wajcman draws on SCOT (Social construction of technology) and Actor-network theory (ANT) (Wajcman, 2000:451). 21

They do not deny that ICTs can provide significant benefits for some women but argue that ‘while the social, political and economic action is taking place in a distant public space, most women are still shut away at home’ (1999: 549). They remain limited in their access to and even prevented from accessing these technologies, unable to participate fully in the electronic public sphere by material and cultural factors which work to keep them locked into their local geographies. The obstacles they must overcome to gain full access to these networks are still substantial.

They must struggle to acquire necessary material resources not a “room of their own” (Woolf, 1929), but a computer of their own and the software, education, training, time and space needed to use it (1999: 550).

They also argue that demographic information on the ratio of male to female users of the Internet and ICTs fails to give the complete picture of women's relationship to ICTs. Instead, research is needed that is highly sensitive to the material constraints of time, space, money, educational background, cultural expectations, and employment opportunities, which act to limit women's opportunities and aspirations in relation to the ICTs. They argue that by clearly focussing on the socio-economic and cultural factors shaping women's lives, both the dangers and the opportunities posed by the Internet are placed in perspective.

Surveying these factors in the Australian context, the first consideration locking women into their locality is that they have less wealth8 and discretionary income available to pay for Internet access, the necessary hardware and software and time liberating domestic and childcare services. Significantly more men than women are in the higher income brackets in all industries with women also more concentrated in the lower quintiles of the personal income distribution and men in the higher (ABS, 2001b)9. Women's lower incomes have been directly linked to the gender differences in uptake of the Internet (Lloyd & Hellwig, 2000). Moreover, women's lower incomes and wealth mean a greater proportion of their earnings are needed to access the Internet and new technology.

8 Overall women in Australia and New Zealand have mean wealth holdings of only 85% of males. If widows were excluded, there would be an even greater disparity. For both countries and for every age group (but one) average male wealth is higher than average female wealth (Yann, Campbell, Hoare, Wheeler, 1999:1-2). 9 The earnings ratio measure comparing weekly earnings of all male and female employees indicates a substantial and persistent earnings gap. As of May 1998, women on average earned 33% less than men showing little change over the preceding decade. The main factor is not lack of equal pay for equal work but rather differences in: hours worked per week, types of jobs performed, differences in levels of education; and the interruption in women's working lives while caring for babies and young children (ABS, 2000b). The same situation prevailed in 1982 when a similar survey was conducted (ABS, 2001b). 22

The intermittent nature of women’s paid employment, with long periods out of the workforce; the fact they make up the bulk of the part-time and casual workforce10; are clustered in the less skilled areas11; suffer more unemployment; and are less likely to have privileges attached to their employment such as Internet access12, are also key factors in their access to new technologies.

The limitations on the hours they can remain at their workplace due to parenting responsibilities also impacts on their Internet access and income13. Women still bear the heaviest responsibility for parenting14 and housework15. Moreover, 65% of all unpaid work (domestic, childcare and voluntary work) is carried out by women according to ABS Time Use Surveys (1997b, 1997c)16. They therefore have less discretionary time than men to familiarise themselves with new and ever changing technology. Women also make up the majority of sole parents17 with female headed sole parent families significantly less likely to have Internet access18.

10 OSW, Facts about Women showed that as of October 1999, 44% of women in comparison to 12% of men worked part-time. As of November 2001 Women formed the majority of self- identified casual workers at 59%, and of those 81% worked part-time compared to 54% of men (ABS, 2001e). 11 Adam and Green note also that the categorisation of women's work as ‘less skilled’ is often used as justification for “the granting of lower levels of autonomy in women's use of ICTs at work (1997 cited in Scott et al, 1999: 551). 12 Grundy shows men are more likely to hold jobs with Internet access (1996 cited in Scott et al 1999:551). In addition only permanent employees are entitled to 52 weeks unpaid maternity/paternity leave. In 2000, only 45% of female employees had access to such leave in their main job. Full-time employees were more likely to have access than part-time employees (64% of women working full-time had entitlements, compared with 25% of women working part-time) (ABS, 2003b). One quarter of part-time workers are not entitled to any benefits such as superannuation, sick leave, holiday leave or long service leave. Fewer females are entitled to leave benefits (i.e. sick leave and/or holiday leave) in their main job (ABS, 2003a). 13 Even when both parents work, women still tend to be the primary caregivers and are more likely than their partners to organise their work around child care responsibilities (ABS, 2003b). 14 In 1997 Women performed 74% of all child care (ABS, 2001c). 15 In 1997, 91% of Australians performed some form of unpaid household work each day. Of those who did, it consumed almost a third of women's waking hours and a fifth of men's. More women than men performed household work in 1997 (96% compared with 85%). Between 1992 and 1997 there was little variance in these figures (ABS, 2001c). 16 Cf., also ABS, 2002. 17 83% of sole parent families (ABS, 2000a). 18 As the second US Falling Through the Net Report (National Telecommunications & Information Administration, 1998) in line with the first study showed: Single-parent, female households are significantly less likely than dual-parent households to have a PC (25% versus 57.2%) or to have on-line access (9.2% versus 29.4%) or than male-headed households (28%, 11.2%) in the same areas. 23

While much of the focus concerning the Internet by early feminist theorists was on the ratio of males to females online, in the Australian context these demographics are now roughly comparable19, but this is only one part of the story. Access also incorporates ‘the capacity of women––as a group––to shape the emerging technology to their own approach and their own ends’ Star 1991 cited in Scott 2001b).

Certainly the most experienced users of the Internet have remained disproportionately male throughout its history according to the six monthly surveys conducted by GVU20. As of November 2000, a KPMG Australian survey showed that men have a much higher incidence of Internet access than women. In addition, ‘women are more likely than men to use the Internet exclusively from work or academic locations, while men are more likely to use the Internet from multiple locations, including after-hours use from home’21. Men also have a higher incidence of teleworking arrangements (ABS, 1998).

Men use the Internet more frequently than women and for longer periods (Nielsen NetRatings 27.3.00; GVU, 1998 and 1997 surveys); use more Internet applications and for more reasons than females (FIND/SVP, 1997; GVU, 1997; Morahan-Martin & Schumacher, 1997); access more pages than women (Internet Profiles Corp & Media Metrix report cited in Marriott, 1998); and are more adept at cutting edge online technologies (GVU, 1998; Schumacher & Morahan- Martin, 1998). Men also use computers more than women when work-related word processing and bookkeeping are excluded; are more likely than women to own and use a computer at home; use more computer applications, and are more likely to use computers as a leisure activity (Baker, 1994; Simmons Market Research Bureau, 1994; U.S. Census Bureau, 1997).

19 As of May 2000, 45% of Australian women in comparison to 55% of men had Internet access (NOIE, 2000c). The Advancing Australia: The Information Economy Progress Report 2002 claimed Australia as a world leader in the use of information economy technologies reporting that as of September, 2001: “In terms of equity of access to the Internet based on gender and age, Australia rates very highly compared with other countries and has the smallest disparity of any country between the percentage of males and females online” (NOIE, 2002:24). The 2003 NOIE publication: The Current State of Play: Online Participation and Activities, offered no demographics or comparison of male and female online participation other than a statement that “Male Internet users have a slightly higher tendency to use online government services than female users” (NOIE, 2003b). 20 Surveys available: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/. 21 The report also found “men are significantly more willing than women to actually personally pay for Internet access” (American Internet User Survey 1995 cited in Wolf, 1998:21) – not altogether surprising given their higher incomes. 24

Very little is currently known about women's use of ICTs as a leisure activity (Green & Adam, 1998). What is known is that ICTs in the home are a resource to be competed for (Green & Adam, 1998:297). Studies have shown that where there is a computer in the home, women will often defer to their husband or children, even when they need to access the computer for work related reasons (Balka, 1997 and Wheelock, 1992 cited in Scott et al, 1999: 551). As well, some women are resistant to after-hours access seeing it as a ‘home invasion’ (Gillard, et al, 1995) and are resistant to teleworking seeing it as confining them to the domestic environment they have struggled to leave (Symon 2000; Haddon & Lewis, 1994); or dislike ICTs in the home for dispersing ‘family members to different rooms or different activities within the same space’ (Lohan, 2000).

With regard to designing ICTs and related processes, ABS estimates place women at 20% of IT&T (Information Technology and Telecommunications) professionals with the under- representation of women in the industry unlikely to change in the near future given that between 1994 and 1998 the proportion of female students in Australian tertiary IT&T courses remained at around 19% (Newmarch, Taylor-Steele, & Cumpston, 2000: 3). US figures show that the proportion of women receiving bachelor’s degrees in computer science actually dropped from 37% to 27% between 1984 and 1997 decreasing in almost every year over the decade (Camp, 1997; cf. also Wright, 1997 cited in Scott et al, 1999: 551). Women in 2000 made up only 20% of the information technology work force (New York Times September 5, 2000).

Newmarch et al’s (2001) research has shown that sex-role stereotyping and culture are major barriers for Australian women in pursuing IT&T careers22. The stereotypical image of the industry is as a male pursuit and it tends to be seen by girls as ‘blokey’ and ‘nerdy’. Other cultural factors include:

• Men in IT&T are more prepared to mentor male rather than female students; • Parents are more likely to buy computers for boys than girls, believing boys are more likely to have a future career in IT&T (cf. also Swanson, cited in Connell, 1997); • Female teachers (especially those aged over 50) have lower levels of computer skills (both basic and advanced) than male teachers and are less confident in using the web and email;

22 Studies show that stereotypical attitudes towards computers are evident even in pre- school children (cf., Fletcher-Flynn & Suddendorf, 1996). 25

• Year 11 students nominate parents and role models as the most influential factors regarding career choices but there is a lack of appropriate female role models working in IT and if there is a household role model involved in IT they are far more likely to be male; • The design of software has tended to be targeted to boys with educational and recreational software still predominantly designed to suit boys, rather than girls; and • Computer games, which encourage children’s familiarity with computers, are generally based around masculine themes like war, crime and male sports. Even programs that are designed to be gender neutral were more likely to be similar to those designed for boys than for girls (Newmarch et al, 2000: 3,8).

Additional barriers include the lower salaries that women receive in the IT industry23, and the fact that two thirds of women believe gender bias exists in the industry. They believe women are seen as less knowledgeable or less qualified than men resulting in a glass ceiling for women and a dearth of women leaders in the industry (Roper Starch Worldwide, 2001)24. Consequently 60% of women working in the IT industry state they would choose another career if they were starting out again (Roper Starch Worldwide, 2001). There is now also a prodigious body of academic research demonstrating significant differences between the genders with regard to attitudes, approaches to and use of computers evident from a young age (cf. Turkle, 1984; Sofia, 1993).

Of key relevance is the fact that, ‘while men may be passionate about computers, women use computers as tools for solving problems’ (Frenkel cited in Simmons, 1995). This is also their approach to technology in general as Robin Abrams, Vice President, Apple Computer Inc, in an address to the NGO forum at the United Nations World Conference on Women stated:

Women tend to take a more practical approach. They generally think that machines are meant to be used, and don’t really care about what’s inside the box. They just want it to work, and to get things done (1995).

‘Perceived usefulness’, then, is more important than the technology itself (Truong 1993). When women do not see computers as efficient tools, they lose interest; a finding replicated in

23 The Internet Workforce Compensation Study (TheStandard.com, 2000) found the median base salary for women working in the Internet economy is 24% less than for men while 64% of men compared with 60% of women received bonuses as part of their compensation package. And this is despite the fact that IT is a new field without traditional and entrenched labour practices. 24 The Catalyst research firm in New York claims women board directors are more common in the aerospace industry than in the computer software industry and only as common in the computer and data-services fields as in the building industry (cited in Van Slambrouck, 1999). 26 numerous studies of women's computing behaviour (cf. Kristiansen & Bloom 1997; Bratteteig & Verne, 1997; Bjerknes & Bratteteig, 1984).

Numerous studies (cf. The National School Boards Foundation Survey, 2000; Boudette, 1997) similarly show that girls, as with women, combine their pragmatic approach to computers with their relationship work, while the body of research studies which show girls as significantly less interested than boys in playing video and computer games is now vast, stretching back three decades. In short:

Girls approach the computer as a ‘tool’ useful primarily for what it can do: boys more often view the computer as a ‘toy’ and/or an extension of the self…[Girls] are very interested in the possibilities of using technology to promote human interaction (The Commission on Technology, Gender, and Teacher Education, 2000: 9).

Thus the women participating in the GK97 forum point out that there is a need to demonstrate clear, practical benefit for many women before they will become involved with the Internet. This is supported by Reeve (1995) and studies such as the CommerceNet/Nielsen 1997 study which showed that the most important category of benefits for women of the Internet is convenience (cited in Hawfield & Lyons, 1998) and as a resource to save them time, money and provide a little breathing space (Marriott, 1998).

Despite the stereotypical wishes of Internet e-commerce, men have always outranked women in shopping online (OSW, 1996a; KPMG, 1998; NOIE, 2001: 42) and studies have consistently shown online shopping as the least desired or used online service by women (Resnick, 1995; Marriott, 1998). When women do shop online they do so for the convenience (Hawfield & Lyons, 1998)25. They are three times more likely to regularly visit news sites than fashion sites26, and more than twice as likely to regularly visit education, health/medicine, family and kids [sic] sites than fashion sites (Hawfield & Lyons, 1998). They are also more likely to participate in chat rooms, (50% of women compared to 23% of men) (News Interactive, 1998). Thus, Supriya Singh (1999) states:

Women use the internet as a tool for activities rather than a technology to be mastered. Women seldom associate the use of the internet with play, gadgetry, machinery and

25 Not surprising given 70% of mothers state they always or often felt rushed or pushed for time (OSW, Facts About Women, 1999). 26 The category of sites most visited by women (at least once a month) according to Hawfield and Lyons’ study (1998) are News (62%); Education (58%); Health/Medicine (53%); Family (48%); and Kids (43%); as compared to Fashion sites (19%). 27

power…If we chart a continuum of internet use, more women are on the “technology as a tool” side than the “technology as play” side.

For them the technology does not represent a challenge to be mastered but rather a resource to be adopted IF it offers practical benefits (Berg, 1994 cited in Green & Adam, 1998:301).

However, rather than recognising the different approaches to ICTs and according them equal value, men’s approach is assumed to be the norm against which women's is measured and found lacking, with women's pragmatic approach dismissed or devalued in comparison to men’s ‘mastery’ approach. As Wajcman points out:

To be in command of the very latest technology signifies being involved in directing the future, so it is a highly valued and mythologized activity (2000: 454).

Ultimately women have less power in society, make up fewer of the politicians and policy makers, board directors27 or CEOs28 and have less involvement at senior levels in IT and Telecommunications companies29. As the OSW Taskforce on Information and Communication Technologies argues, ‘women with lower average incomes and smaller voices in decision making, are less likely to be able to influence markets or government policy’ (1996a). This is illustrated by the fact that despite all the foregoing factors detailing women's limited access to ICTs and the ICT sphere, women were not a specific area of concern for NOIE. Instead it stated in 2000:

NOIE is working to help ensure that all Australians are better able to access and benefit from the information economy. While Australian internet use is increasing rapidly, disparities in access and use are emerging. People on low incomes, without tertiary education, living in rural and remote areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, with disabilities, from non-English speaking backgrounds and aged over 55 are less likely to access the internet (2000b).

The consequence of all the forgoing factors is to confirm that:

Traditionally, for socio-cultural reasons such as limited mobility, double workload, and lower educational levels, women will not be the first in accessing, using and

27 Two surveys conducted in 2001 and 2003/4 showed only 5% and 7% respectively of Australian Boards had a female member (Delta Outlooks, http://www.boardroompartners.com.au). 28 OSW: Facts About Women (1999) states women comprise only 27.3% of staff at management level. 29 As of 2003 there were no women in senior management positions with Telstra (although two female board members), yet they made up 33% of Telecom N.Z.’s top executives. 28

experimenting with these new technologies nor in benefiting from their enormous potential for employment, learning and leisure (UNU/INTECH & UNIFEM 1998).

However, despite the plethora of studies referred to in this section, all showing women's unequal access to ICTs and to the processes and social relations shaping ICTs, gender remains, as Green and Adam point out, ‘under-explored’ and under-theorized even as the field of social studies of technology expands (1998: 292). The shaping of technologies by gendered identities, interests and relationships is still not a key focus of the sociology of technology (Wajcman, 2000: 451) with theorists focussing on the social relations of technologies but not the importance of gender as a factor in shaping social relations and interactions with technology. Thus, Green and Adam suggest that:

to keep gender in focus as a major theoretical construct, it may be that we need to continue the micro-analysis of case study work on specific technologies in order to illuminate the nature of gender-technology relations (1998: 292).

This thesis is such a case study, examining the dimensions of women's uptake and use of ICTs technologies. It does this in the context of their feminist activism and volunteer work through a detailed examination of the WIFT organisation at the state, national and international level. It moves beyond the dichotomies of seeing women as victims or uncritically embracing a utopian cyber future heralding the death of patriarchy, to examine ICTs as a process encompassing a variety of socio-economic, political and cultural factors. In so doing, it does not seek to measure women's performance against men’s which would simply reinforce men as the norm against which women are measured. Rather Swanson and Wise (1997) suggest the focus should highlight ‘patterns of strength, potential, skill and professional or industry acumen which may not otherwise be brought into visibility’ and search out women's discernible and distinctive patterns of participation. This, they argue, is not to evoke a pseudo- essentialist approach for it can recognise not only the differences but the shared similarities.

2.2 Survey of Australian and International Research on NGOs’ Uptake of ICTs

In order to establish the context for the WIFT case study and the Pamela's List survey, an overview of Australian and international surveys on the NGO sector has been undertaken. 29

This overview also explores the impediments to uptake of ICTs experienced by non-gendered NGOs for later consideration in light of the case study and Pamela's List survey findings. Additionally it provides some indications of the level of uptake for non-gendered NGOs both in Australia and internationally.

There has, however, been only limited research into the uptake of ICTs by NGOs conducted to date with ‘no comprehensive statistical information which describes the state of connectivity of Australian community and Nonprofit organisations’ available (CICT, 2003). The Australian Bureau of Statistics has collected very little information on this sector and offers no detailed or up-to-date studies (CICT, 2003). Part of the problem lies with the fact, as the ACOSS study points out, there is no comprehensive data base which lists all or even the majority of [community sector] participants. Surprisingly, there is not even a listing of all national peak bodies in the sector’ (1996: 9). At the international level, the Burt & Taylor (1999) report points out the ‘dearth of academic research which looks at the voluntary sector in the information society’ as does the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (2000) report. The research that is available, it argues, is ‘inadequate for significant and effective comparative analysis’ primarily because of the incomplete voluntary sector data.

The lack of comprehensive data stems from the characteristics of the NGO sector which is described by Kendall and Knapp as a ‘loose and baggy monster’ that:

ranges from small community soup kitchens, through national organisations such as the RSPCA, the RNIB, or MIND, to international bodies such as Greenpeace and the Red Cross, comprising as it does such a diversity of organisational types, fields of activity, missions and objectives. The inherently amorphous and evolving nature which is its essence poses challenges for the researcher, not least in terms of identifying a coherent field of study both conceptually and in practice [Burt, 1993; Hems and Passey, 1996; Salamon and Anheier, 1994; Osborne, 1998] (Burt & Taylor, 1999).

Similarly the ACOSS study also notes the difficulties in categorising and dealing with the diversity in the community sector (1996: 10) as does the CICT Monash survey (2003) which additionally points outs that not only is the NGO sector continually undergoing transformations, the rapid evolution of the technology itself quickly renders data obsolete30.

30 For a more detailed exploration of the definitions of the various groups of organisations within the third sector in Australia cf., Third Sector (Lyons, 2001). 30

Many of the reports available differ in their chosen survey population. Some measure NGOs, others, NPOs (Nonprofit organisations), others still CBOs (community based organisations – ACOSS, 1996), voluntary organisations (Burt & Taylor, 1999) or third sector organisations (CICT, 2003). Within these broad categories some narrow their study cohort down to a more specific focus such as civil and human rights organisations (LCCR, 2001), human services organisations (Independent Sector & Cisco Systems, 2001) or as the Burt & Taylor (1999) study does, core voluntary organisations ‘lying at the heart of the voluntary sector’ limiting its data collection to organisations with annual incomes of ₤250,000 to over ₤11 million. Reports also differ in their focus. Some are surveying Internet connectivity and usage, some the utilisation of a broad range of ICTs. Others, as in the case of the Gilbert Centre study (2001), have a more specific focus, such as the email strategies of the organisations, or with the OMB Watch report (1998), Nonprofit organisations’ use of Internet technology for public policy purposes. Data collection methods range from the traditional questionnaire sent to randomly selected participants, to surveying self-selected participants responding to a questionnaire promoted online with the answers based entirely upon self assessment and self reporting (the Gilbert Centre [2001] study), through to the OMB Watch (1998) self styled ‘scan’ of the current state of play ‘through referrals, Web-based searches, and a review of existing literature’. Not all of the reports provide statistics with some offering only generalised overviews.

As incomplete as the available data may be and with the above limitations noted, the research that is available does begin to provide insight into the NGO sector and its overall use of ICTs both in Australia and internationally. It does highlight the problems and challenges faced by the sector in uptake and utilisation of ICTs and also offers insight into the benefits being realised by some NGOs, areas for future research, and recommendations to the sector and policy makers regarding the challenges of ICTs for NGOs. Although none of the Australian reports31, and only two international reports (discussed in Chapter 6), give any consideration to gender based issues, they at least provide insight into the overall NGO sector against which the performance of Australian women's NGOs can be considered. These reports certainly

31 The only mention of gender in any of these reports came firstly from the ACOSS report which noted that the Community Information and Referral Service of the ACT (CIRSACT – previously Citizens Advice Bureaus) received 71% of telephone enquiries from women and 29% from men with no gender differences in shopfront enquiries. The report suggests given the “significant gender differences in the methods of accessing community information and the impact on women of the increasing use of electronic communication to provide community information should be further explored”. The VCOSS (1997) report noted that overall the organisations it surveyed had a higher proportion of female clients but provided no further discussion. 31 highlight the necessity for further research into the NGO sector vis-à-vis ICTs, highlight the necessity for a stronger focus on gendered research into these issues, and highlight the significance of the research conducted in this thesis.

2.2.1 Internet Access:

2.2.1.1 AUSTRALIAN STUDIES:

The ACOSS32 Study (1996): This study provides a snapshot of the situation for non-gendered NGOs at the time the Australian WIFT organisations began using ICTs. The survey covered 209 community organisations drawn from the membership of ACOSS, national peak bodies, and members of the State Councils of Social Service. Its aim was to gauge existing and expected patterns of usage.

Of the 209 organisations which responded to the survey, 38% were national organisations and 62% were state organisations. The median profile of an organisation responding was:

4 Paid Full Time, 2 Paid Part Time, and 4 Unpaid Staff 5 Phone Lines (including Fax Lines), 8 phone handsets, 1 Fax, 1 answering machine, 1 mobile phone 5 Desktop and 1 Laptop Computer in the Workplace

In addition 66% of organisations surveyed had large enough operations to have their own telephone switchboards.

While there was almost universal adoption of computers (as with the VCOSS 1997 study and the CICT study 2003 study), with 96% of organisations having at least one computer in the

32 ACOSS is Australia’s peak welfare body representing major national charities, consumer groups, social justice groups, community service organisations and the state and territory Councils of Social Service. The ACOSS network links approximately 11 000 community organisations throughout Australia — from the large church and secular charities, to small neighbourhood centres and self help groups. 32 workplace; 87% more than one and 20% more than 10, the ACOSS survey found that 60% of those computers were ‘medium to low’ in terms of their computing power and memory33.

The survey found that 38% of the community organisations surveyed were connected to the Internet with 36% using email and 34% accessing the World Wide Web. Of those using a modem to communicate (excluding faxing), 65% used the modem for more than 5 hours per month and 31% for more than 13 hours. Regarding usage other than basic email or WWW access, 10% used Gopher services; 16% Newsgroups, 16% File Transfer and 5.2% ran an electronic Bulletin Board Service (BBS). Overall there was very limited use of applications other than basic email or Internet access and only 14% had their own website.

The Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) Bridges and Barriers Research Project: This project was undertaken in 1997 during the period that the Australian WIFT organisations were utilising ICTs. It surveyed 1,500 member organisations ranging from the very small (1-10 clients) to very large (10,000 clients) and included city, country and peak organisations operating within Victoria. It found that 55.7% of VCOSS organisations were connected to the Internet compared with 38% in the 1996 ACOSS survey. Part of this increase in connectivity could be explained by organisations having had a further 12 months to get connected but much of the increase must be attributed to the existence of VICNET, a joint enterprise of the State Library of Victoria and RMIT which provides low cost access to the Internet, email and free webpages for Victorian Community groups (Cf. http://www.vicnet.net.au). By far the highest percentage of organisations were subscribed to VICNET at 21.6 % with Access One being the next highest with 7.2% of subscribers and the remaining organisations subscribed to a total of 45 other ISPs.

Email and the World Wide Web were the major services used by VCOSS organisations connected to the Internet. However, despite the higher Internet connectivity, less were using email (27.25% compared to 36% for the ACOSS survey) and less had access to the web (25.87% compared to 34%). This suggests that VICNET provided easy and affordable access to the Internet for many organisations which were not yet able to fully capitalise on that access. Results for other uses such as file transfer (9.47%), downloading software (9.01%),

33 Neither the VCOSS nor CICT study surveyed computer details. 33

News Group participation (5.08%) and Bulletin Boards showed no increase in use from the earlier ACOSS study. The survey showed a slight increase in the number of organisations with a website or bulletin board at 19.2% although the combination of website and bulletin board in the one category invalidates direct comparison.

Only 6.5% of VCOSS organisations were connected to the Internet for over 20 hours per month, with 13% connected from 11 -20 hours per month; 8% for 6-10 hours; and 4.3% connected for 3-5 hours per month. Despite the higher rate of connectivity, the overall usage was low, indicating once again that VICNET may have encouraged many organisations to achieve Internet access before they had developed significant uses for it. Figures for other Australian states without a similar resource are not available.

The CICT Monash Community ICTs Index: This survey was conducted from September to October 2002 and found that the number of community organisations with access to the Internet had increased dramatically in comparison to the earlier Australian studies, with 89.7% having access to the Internet and 61.1% having a website34.

The study found significant differences in the capacity of organisations to adopt the technology when size and revenue was taken into account. The rate of Internet access was lowest for those organisations with revenue of less than $25,000 p.a., increasing steadily with size until reaching 99.1% access for organisations with over $1 million in revenue. The quality of access was also better, with 62% of the largest organisations having broadband access, compared to only 12.5% for organisations in the smallest category. Similarly only 49.1% of the smallest organisations had Websites as opposed to 77.6% of the largest organisations. However, the level of satisfaction with the organisation’s Website decreased with the increase in the size of the organisation. For example, 67% of organisations with less than $25,000 p.a. were satisfied or very satisfied with their Website, while the figure dropped to 42.7% for those organisations with revenue of over $1 million p.a. The report noted further research was required to

34 The database on the “ourcommunity.com.au” website used by the study only lists four Pamela's List members and even high profile organisations such as the Women's Electoral Lobby, YWCA, Unifem, Zonta and Guides Australia were not listed as of October 2003. These omissions seem to indicate that the data in this study is incomplete and casts some doubt on the 90% access figure. 34 determine the reason for this but suggested that larger organisations may have higher expectations and more ambitious aims for their sites.

The geographical location of organisations did not appear to have a significant impact on their computer usage or ability to access the Internet. However, organisations located within capital cities were much more likely to have a Website – 73.2% as compared to only 45.6% of those located in other areas. Metropolitan based organisations were also more likely to be satisfied with the performance of that Website – 59.7% as opposed to 48.6% in other areas. Overall, 76.5% believed that their organisation’s level of access to the Internet met their organisation’s needs, however only 55.8% agreed or strongly agreed that their website was meeting their needs.

Summary: The ACOSS, VCOSS and CICT surveys track the uptake of ICTs by Australian NGOs virtually from the time these technologies became available in the public sphere to the present time and plot a rising trajectory for the uptake of 38% (ACOSS 1996), 56% (VCOSS 1997), to 90% for the CICT survey in 2002.

In addition to the actual surveys canvassed above, there are a number of discussion papers available35 which address the advantages of ICT connectivity, disadvantages of lack of connectivity, barriers preventing access, etc. A number of government reports and papers have also been produced, especially Community Groups Online (1999a) and the Survey of Australian Programs to Increase Individual and Community Access to the Internet, (2000). Both were prepared by NOIE and explored community groups, but neither offered any statistics and both were very limited in scope36.

35 such as the ACT Council of Social Services (December 2000) Community IT Access: A Discussion Paper on Information Technology Inaccessibility in the ACT and the Combes et al (1999) Information Technology Strategic Plan for the Non-Government Community Service Sector In Tasmania, sponsored by TASCOS (Tasmanian Council of Social Service). 36 After a brief preamble the Community Groups Online (1999) report provides ten ‘practical examples’ of nonprofit organisations successfully utilising electronic networks. The Survey of Australian Programs (2000) does not have community groups as its sole focus and simply lists and briefly discusses some key challenges for indigenous peoples, rural and community access. 35

Reports produced by the Broadband Services Expert Group (1994 July; 1994 December), the Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics’ Communications Futures reports (1994-95), the Information Industries Taskforce (1997), and various National Information Services Council (NISC) 37 background papers, also failed to survey the NGO sector. Yet despite this lack of interest, the ACOSS report comments that government reports evince:

a widespread assumption that community organisations will play a key part in disseminating practical information and skills to enhance the communication capabilities of low income and disadvantaged members of the Australian community (1996: 5).

2.2.1.2 INTERNATIONAL STUDIES:

Three countries, (the U.K., Canada and the USA) have produced most of the surveys and reports on the uptake of ICT services by the NGO sector. The following summary is restricted to these because they tend to offer the closest comparative basis for the situation in Australia. Internationally, as in the Australian field, there are a number of generalised reports which comment on the necessity for the NGO sector to be part of the information and communications ‘revolution’ and canvass issues concerning NGOs and these technologies, such as the Digital Opportunities For All: Meeting The Challenge, report of the Digital Opportunity Task Force May 200138. Such reports have not been reviewed where they do not provide statistics on connectivity levels.

United Kingdom Studies: The Information and Communication Technologies: Reshaping the Voluntary Sector in the Information Age? (Burt & Taylor, 1999) study conducted from February 1998 to August 1999 found that 67.2% of voluntary organisations were using external email and 53% had websites. The survey was restricted to organisations with annual incomes of ₤250,000 to over ₤11 million. The From Access to Applications: How the voluntary sector is using the Internet report (Volunteer @ction.online, 2001) compiled from information supplied by the U.K. Office of the

37 The NISC (National Information Services Council) was established by Prime Minister Paul Keating in June 1995 (cf. http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/gov/press/pm6395.html ) to research “a range of views on marketplace developments, technical issues and community views on the opportunities and challenges that the evolving services and technologies will present”. 38 created by the G8 Heads of State at the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit in July 2000. 36 e-Envoy, gave higher rates of connectivity for the U.K. of 83% with Internet access in 1999 but slightly lower rates for the number of organisations with websites of 50% in 1999.

The Virtual Promise: Are Charities Making the Most of the Internet Revolution? (Saxton & Game, 2000) survey of 75 large charities in the U.K. conducted in July-August 2000 showed 88% of organisations had all staff connected to email and 99% had at least a basic website. The Volunteer @ction.online report (2001) once again gave higher figures for Internet connectivity in 2000 of 97% and lower figures for websites in 2000 of 94% illustrating the difficulties in comparing surveys of the NGO sector.

Canada: The Information and Public Policy Concerning Voluntary Sector Use of the Information Technologies, the Internet and the World Wide Web report (Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, 2000) showed that 37% of Canadian voluntary organisations had Internet access and 16% had websites in 1997. The report also notes that there were no statistics available for the post 1997 period for Canada in all the reports they reviewed.

USA: The 1997 National Council of Nonprofit Associations survey of Nonprofit organisations in 19 US states (A Greater Voice: Nonprofit organizations, communications technology and advocacy) examined attitudes toward, experiences with, and expectations of communications technology in the Nonprofit sector. It found that 45% of organisations used email and 31% had websites. The Volunteer @ction.online report (2001) sourcing its data from the University of Michigan and Kellogg Foundation gave a lower figure of 31% of US Nonprofit organisations in 1997 with Internet access and the same percentage of 31% with websites. Yet the Democracy at Work (OMB Watch, 1998) report released in March 1997 argued that a significantly higher percentage (‘roughly 75%’) of US Nonprofit organisations had access to email although admitting it may only have been a general email account for the organisation. However, for the Volunteer @ction.online report (2001) voluntary organisations in the US with Internet access only rose to such levels in 1999 when 77% had access and 52% had websites. By 2000 it estimated 87% had websites39. The Wired, Willing and Ready: Nonprofit Human Service

39 No figures given for email or Internet access 37

Organizations’ Adoption of Information Technology40 (Independent Sector & Cisco Systems, 2001) report conducted in February 2001 sampling 203 Nonprofit executives in human service organisations found that 79% had email, 77% Internet access and 49% had a website. Those with email access were using it extensively with 80% using email daily, 99% using it to communicate with outside organisations and 71% to communicate internally.

Summary: In comparison to the VCOSS 1997 Australian study showing 55.7% connectivity, the one available Canadian survey for 1997 showed a lower take up rate of 37%41. Conversely the U.K. studies all show higher take up rates at all points in comparison to the Australian surveys: 67% to 83% in 1999 and 88% to 97% in 2000 with the U.K. office of the E-Envoy giving even higher figures. Takeup rates ranged from 31% to 75% for NGO takeup in 1997 in the US, with Australia in comparison in the mid range. But the Australian figures are from a state based survey in comparison to far broader US surveys. The US figures for 1999 (Volunteer @ction.online, 2001) showed 77% takeup in comparison to the Australian women's Peak NGOs’ survey finding of 45% in 1999-2000. There are no studies available in Australia for 2001 which showed 77% takeup in the US.

The differences in the access figures could stem from differing survey populations given that the Independent Sector & Cisco Systems (2001) report noted, as had the CICT survey (2003), that the size of the organisation often matters. In general, large Nonprofit organisations have embraced changes in information technology more than smaller organisations. As these surveys indicate, as the years have progressed, the rate of connectivity has increased for the larger voluntary sector organisations but for smaller, grassroots organisations, lack of connectivity is still a concern. For example, the From Digital Disconnect to Digital Empowerment report (LCCR, 2001) found that all of the 68 Washington based organisations responding to the survey were connected to the Internet, but the ‘grassroots affiliates’ of these peak organisations lagged far behind their national organisations in access to the Internet. 31% of the national organisations stated that less than 25% of their affiliates were connected.

40 The organisations surveyed included soup kitchens, vocational centers, local meals on wheels affiliates, child care centres, senior citizens associations, etc. 41 Although the existence of VICNET makes questionable how representative this result was for Australian NGOs overall at this time. 38

16% stated that between 25-50% of affiliates were connected, 6% had between 51-75% of affiliates connected and only 13% reported a higher than 76% connectivity among affiliates. The Catholic Charities USA, a foundation that acts as a connector for 144 social service groups across the nation, reported in March 2000 that only one-third of the groups it works with had an Internet presence, and those with small budgets were completely off the information highway. The Benton Foundation also reported that many small Nonprofits can’t afford email and do not even have their office computers networked. Lack of funding was cited as the reason in both reports (New York Times, 2000, March 29).

2.2.2 Factors Affecting Take Up of ICTs by NGOs:

2.2.2.1 AUSTRALIAN STUDIES:

When organisations were asked to rank 10 possible barriers to ICTs in the ACOSS 1996 study all barriers were ranked as significant with ‘affordability of equipment for the organisation’ (60%) receiving the overall highest ranking. It was perceived to be an even higher barrier at 82% for those organisations without modems. The other barriers in order of ranking were ‘affordability of equipment for members/clients’; cost of on-line charges; access difficulties for users (due to disability, language etc); lack of relevant information and/or training for staff; lack of staff time; low management interest/priority; low staff interest/priority; and low membership interest/priority. A number of other barriers were cited by respondents including the conflicting information and advice received from organisations promoting the technology; a lack of knowledge amongst members; and the fact that appropriate services are not available in remote areas.

The Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) Bridges and Barriers research project also explored barriers to Internet access and adopting online services. Once again the most frequently identified barrier was cost to the organisation, followed by, in order of frequency, lack of staff time, no time for client support, cost of technical support, phone cost to access ISP and no relevant information. 47% of organisations stated they had unmet needs for online services and the Internet. Upgrading modems was required by 57% of organisations; the need for email by 35%; adequate technical support by 28%; and access to the Internet by 28%. 39

The CICT survey (2003) also found that the barriers to takeup of Internet access related to cost and organisational priorities. 39.3% of respondents stated cost was a significant barrier in their takeup of Internet access; 12.2% cited lack of skills or appropriate training; 11.2% cited lack of interest; 2.3% said either security or the speed of available connections were an issue; and 2.3% cited slow connection speeds (quality and reliability of access). 50% of those without Internet access and 35.3% without websites believed Internet access was not suited to the nature of their business. 28.7% reported lack of skills as a significant barrier, 24.3% cost concerns and 26.8% reported other concerns covering a variety of issues, most of which related to resource issues and organisational priorities.

2.2.2.2 INTERNATIONAL STUDIES:

All the available reports reviewed listed significant barriers to the uptake of ICTs. Cost issues were consistently the primary concern and included: the expense of these technologies; the maintenance costs of equipment and connectivity; the frequency and costs of upgrades needed; the high costs of technical support; the lack of funding for capital expenses; and the lack of funder support for ICT programs. Other key barriers which consistently appeared in these reports included:

• Inability to access appropriate training; • Lack of knowledge or expertise within organisations; • Lack of access to technical assistance; • Inability to source unbiased technical advice; • Difficulty in keeping up with ICT Advances; • Lack of perceived need or benefits; • More important priorities for limited human and funding resources; • Lack of universal access preventing membership and clients from accessing online services; • Difficulty in matching needs to technology solutions or devising strategic technology plans; • Lack of time or human resources to implement ICTs or ICT projects. 40

Several of these reports emphasise the requirement of the NGO sector for specific software to meet its unique needs. For example, the Democracy at Work (OMB Watch, 1998) report points out that the software and tools developed for commercial organisations are not well- suited for the Nonprofit sector. The report (1998) cites examples of Nonprofit organisations beginning to adapt existing technology for their own specific needs but states the sector overall requires assistance in this process. The Podolsky report (1999) also showed that many Nonprofit organisations were unhappy with the software tools available to them, especially in specialized areas such as volunteer management and fundraising. More than half of those surveyed stated that the software was not very effective. A follow-up study conducted specifically on the issue of software satisfaction confirmed that there is a big gap in the area of voluntary sector specific software. The report Making Advanced Technology Work For Community Serving Organization (Perkins, 2000) found few 'out of the box' programs served the needs of voluntary organisations. Rather they were being forced to purchase generic software and customize it. Similarly the Volunteer @ction.online (2001) report found that particularly in the area of fundraising, volunteer recruitment and other voluntary sector business tasks, existing commercial software was not flexible or simple enough to meet the sector’s needs.

The final key challenge for the Nonprofit and NGO sector lay in the lack of strategic use of the technology highlighted by numerous reports. The Burt and Taylor (1999) study argues that ICTs remain largely unexploited with few organisations using the technologically strategically to share information with stakeholders, improve management systems or deliver customer services. Innovative uses in solving business problems were not widespread within the sector and many organisations were failing to exploit the potential of new ICTs either in practices within their organisation or in relation to the technology’s potential to re-shape their activities and relationships in innovative ways. The report concludes that while the trend across the next five years points to increasing adoption of key technologies, the evidence indicates that their integration within core business activities will remain low with no evidence to indicate any significant change in the short term. The Democracy at Work (OMB Watch, 1998) report believes Nonprofits use a narrow set of technologies and applications. They are using Listservs, online registration forms, online databases and archives of downloadable files but not creating websites containing effective tools incorporating, for example, online chats, bulletin boards, surveys, feedback etc. 41

The report Coming of Age in the Information Age (Hamner & Dugery, 2000) believes the Internet is not being used effectively beyond basic email. Similarly the Saxton & Game (2000) report surveyed over 75 large U.K. charities examining their use of the Internet in their day-today work. Only 5% strongly agreed that their charity was making the most of the Internet. None used interactive tools such as discussion forums and only 2% of organisations actually delivered services online. The authors conclude that most organisations were not using ICTs strategically or to best effect, pointing out:

The results to the questionnaire paint a fairly depressing picture…their small budgets, concentration on information provision and limited marketing activity mean that the impact of the internet is much lower than its potential. The capacity of the internet to help voluntary organisations deliver new services, reach more beneficiaries, and attract most supporters at less cost than conventional methods remains huge.

Several other reports also found a significant lack of strategic use:

The LCCR (2001) report found that while all the national, Washington based organisations responding to the survey were connected, they still had a long way to go in using technology more effectively to achieve programmatic goals.

The TBC Research & Tate Bramald report (2001) found that 62% of Britain’s voluntary organisations rated the link between their business and ICT strategy as average to poor with significant concerns about the strategic use of technology to meet organisational goals. The Kellogg Foundation's e-Philanthropy– From Entrepreneurial Adventure to Online Community (2001) report points out that while many Nonprofit organisations have Internet access and websites, the Internet and other ICT services are far from being integrated into the day-to-day life of managing the organisation and delivering services.

The Gilbert Center Disconnected: The First Nonprofit Email Survey (2001) surveyed over 900 Nonprofit organisations and found that they have not integrated email into their communication practices and have only ‘stand alone’ websites. Even though one of the most important functions of a website for Nonprofit organisations is to bring in new stakeholders, almost two thirds of respondents did not give visitors a way to offer their email addresses and 80% did not have an email strategy. The report concludes that ‘to 42

the extent that Nonprofit organizations have not integrated email into the management of their stakeholder relationships, they remain profoundly disconnected’.

In summary, the Volunteer @ction.online (2001) report argues, there are three stages of effective Internet use. The first stage which the report labels ‘basic access’ involves simply getting online. The second stage ‘knowledge and skills’ involves the development of Internet skills and knowledge across the organisation. The third stage ‘strategic business applications’ is reached when the organisation is able to ‘take full advantage of the Internet as a tool that can solve concrete organizational problems’. The report suggests that while many voluntary organisations have negotiated the first two stages, ‘few have moved into the realm of strategic Internet business applications’. Moreover, drawing on findings from over a dozen recent studies on voluntary sector Internet use from Canada, Britain and the United States, it argues that many organisations still lack the knowledge and skills necessary to even plan strategic applications and connect these applications back to their organisation’s mission. It also notes that there are only a limited number of sources for advice or support materials to achieve this. Ultimately the Blau report points out:

While nonprofits are clearly not utilising the new electronic communications strategically it must be noted…that the for-profit sector, has spent billions of dollars to find ways to succeed in utilizing the new electronic communications (2001: 2).

2.2.3 The Benefits of ICT For NGOs:

ICTs do not automatically bestow benefits or strategic advantages as the surveys in the last section demonstrate. This section surveys the reported actual (rather than posited) benefits being realised from using the Internet and ICTs.

2.2.3.1 AUSTRALIAN STUDIES:

The ACOSS study (1996) found that the largest proportion of organisations ranked ‘providing community access to up to date information’ (35%) as most beneficial. This was followed by ‘liaison with clients and members’ (20%) and ‘research and policy development’ (16%). Benefits such as ‘gaining electronic access to government information’ and ‘providing 43 casework and other services’ were considered of value by only 3% of organisations. Neither the CICT nor the VCOSS study surveyed the benefits of ICTs to Nonprofit organisations.

2.2.3.2 INTERNATIONAL STUDIES:

The Burt and Taylor (1999) study found that organisations perceive the greatest benefit from these technologies to lie in ‘enhancing administrative activities, and improving performance and operational management’ with organisations reporting a real and highly beneficial gain in the skills of personnel and overall organisational performance. The IT Resource Centre report Enabling Technology Funding: Issues for Grantmakers (and Grant Seekers) (2000) identified a number of areas where technology was proving useful for Nonprofit organisations, notably:

• Case management in human services organisations; • Donor / member tracking in arts and other organisations relying on donations; • Integrated communications strategies for education groups (eg. using the net for workshop follow up); • Distance learning for adult learners; and • Direct online fundraising and fundraising administration.

The Kellogg Foundation (2001) report found ICTs to be advantageous for Nonprofit organisations in the areas of sharing information, virtual volunteering/matching and online fundraising although in general large charities were the only ones succeeding at online fundraising. This is also confirmed by Johnson (1999) who gives examples of larger Nonprofits such as the American Red Cross raising $47,000 from online donations and the American Cancer Society reporting that it tripled its donations since it started seeking donations on the Web, success which Johnson found was not replicated among smaller charities, many of whom did not yet have websites.

The Saxton & Game (2000: 16) report found that 45% of organisations believed the Internet was helping them reach new audiences and 30% that the Internet had changed the way their charity worked. It also found examples of increased operating efficiency through use of the Internet.

The OMB Watch (1998) report provides examples of Nonprofit organisations using the Internet increasingly as a campaign tool, to coordinate strategy, and to send e-alerts and calls to action via websites, email and listservs. However, the report cites Jayne Cravens, manager of the Virtual Volunteering program at the University of Texas in Austin who believes ‘the internet’s chief value for many Nonprofits is email, and the access to networking opportunities’ (1998: 6) and argues that most Nonprofit organisations have not progressed beyond these facets of ICTs. The Hamner and Dugery (2000) report also found that email was the main application being used in conjunction with the World Wide Web to research program strategies and best practices used by other organisations.

The Independent Sector & Cisco Systems (2001) report found that 84% of executives believe ICTs have changed their daily operations at least a little in the last five years and 51% believe their operations have changed a great deal. 83% saw ICTs as time-saving and production- enhancing tools playing a prominent role in both administrative and mission-based functions. 87% believe they are either important or essential to their day-to-day operations and 88% believe ICTs are either important or essential to their programs and mission-related functions. In general, large Nonprofit organisations have embraced changes in ICTs more than smaller organisations. The question for human service executives, particularly for larger Nonprofit organisations which already have email and Internet access, is not whether to adopt ICTs, but how much to adopt.

While the various reports and surveys above show numerous ways in which Nonprofit organisations are harnessing ICTs, overall the percentages of Nonprofit organisations achieving more than basic use of the technology is low.

This literature review began by showing the omission of gender from studies on ICTs. It canvassed feminist approaches to technology and the new ICTs from the initial stages of victim feminism to the celebratory cyberfeminists’ approach, to the latest studies viewing technology as process. It then explored the extent to which women have been able to insinuate themselves into the various spheres of inventing, refining, and upgrading technologies. The chapter then surveyed the Australian and international research on NGOs’ uptake of ICTs, the challenges they face and the benefits they have derived. This has been done to provide an overview of the broad NGO sector and establish the context in which the 45

WIFT organisations operate. The following chapter details the methodology for the research undertaken.

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CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY

Introduction:

My research design for this project had three key challenges. The first was in researching phenomena and processes about which very little was known, those being ICTs, their takeup, and patterns of use. The second challenge was in attempting to research these phenomena from the perspective of women and women's NGOs, which has been very much neglected in the ICT research literature. The final challenge lay in identifying research methodologies that would facilitate research of organisations of which I was a member, in which I held key executive positions throughout the period of research and in which I was a key actor in the very process I was researching.

The final research design was informed by a feminist interpretive framework with a focus on qualitative research. The chosen methodology was that of a collective, longitudinal ethnographic case study. The case study material was collected utilising participant observation and that data was triangulated with reference to a survey of participant organisations on Pamela's List, unstructured interviews in Australia and overseas, and organisational documents such as Board and teleconference minutes, newsletters, faxes, emails, financial and monthly reports.

This chapter details the rationale for the research design and methodologies adopted.

3.1 Feminism: Interpretive Framework, Ontology and Epistemology

The overall interpretative framework and epistemology framing my research and central to the project, is that of feminism. This is particularly appropriate for the examination and understanding of WIFT, a feminist organisation which is the subject of my primary case study, and for my survey of Australian peak women's NGOs.

Working from a position within the field of feminist epistemologies also provides the necessary research paradigm to foreground issues of gender in the technological sphere, imbued as it is with patriarchal values as demonstrated in Chapters 1 and 2. It is appropriate for research into the Internet and new information and communication technologies where the celebratory democratising rhetoric and much of the research surrounding these technologies has neglected any focus on gender issues. It also provides a framework to best reveal the specific gender considerations surrounding women and women's NGOs’ relationship to these technologies.

In addition, feminist interpretative frameworks also provide freedom from the pursuit of the chimera of supposedly strictly ‘objective’ and ‘neutral’ knowledge, a concept feminists have extensively critiqued since the 1970s42. Such a concept, Walby argues is ‘deeply implicated in the maintenance of women's social disadvantage’ (1995: 15) as it conceals the exclusion of women's experiences, knowledges and points of view while privileging and extending the pre- eminence of men’s.

Instead feminist epistemologies enable the research to be located within ‘situated knowledge’ (cf., Haraway 1988), specifically that of a feminist embodied knowledge as opposed to the (unattainable) disembodied, ‘objective’ positioning favoured in traditional orthodoxies. It removes the necessity to adhere to the highly structured methods of data collection attendant upon the pursuit of objective and neutral research which in turn has allowed a greater range and degree of freedom in methods of data collection. This has enabled a broader set of knowledges surrounding the research topic to be included and ultimately provided a fuller understanding of the subject being researched.

A further substantial advantage offered by a feminist interpretive framework based in feminist perspectives, is the ‘epistemological triple vision’ which Lundgren contends is offered by

42 Even that most ‘objective’ of knowledges - science - has been shown, through the feminist critiques of, pre-eminently, Evelyn Fox Keller, (1985) (1990) (1992); Donna Haraway (1992) (1991) (1988); Sandra Harding, (1993) (1987) (1986); Nancy Hartsock (1983) and Catherine Waldby, (1995) to be far from neutral. Additional critiques of the ‘neutrality’ of science which demonstrate the significant body of work available spanning several decades, can also be found in the work of Gorz, (1976); Easlea, (1980); Arditti, Brennan & Cabrak, (1980); Addelson, (1983); and Rose & Rose (1980). In the social sciences the concept has also “been extensively criticised by those working within the interpretative traditions (Blumer, 1969; Hughes, 1980) and by some Marxists and critical theorists of the Frankfurt School (Habermas, 1972; Bernstein, 1978)” (Acker et al, 1991:139). 48 feminist research. This is made possible by the insight offered by feminism combined with the ‘double vision of women’ with their knowledge and insight into both their world and that of mens (1995: 385).

3.2 Feminist Research and Methodologies: An Exploration

Defining feminist research is far from clear-cut with van Zoonen noting ‘the issue of what exactly constitutes feminist research has been a subject of debate since the late 1970s’ (1994: 127). Feminist research is a relatively new addition to the academy and in ‘an emergent state’ (Olesen, 2000: 215). It has also proven to be resistant to neat definitions revealing itself as ‘highly diversified, enormously dynamic’ with competing models of thought and divergent methodological and analytic approaches jostling and at times blurring and merging (Olesen, 2000: 215).

This stems from the hugely differing strains of feminism that have evolved in the contemporary period embracing a multitude of variants ranging from liberal feminism to radical feminism, ecofeminism to cyberfeminism. These divergent theoretical and pragmatic orientations have differing agendas, are often shaped by differing nationalistic priorities (Olesen, 2000: 215), are compounded by class issues (no longer are the sensibilities, issues and concerns pertaining to middle class women the defining parameters of feminism), and are now informed by issues of race, ethnicity and issues pertaining to sexuality (including lesbian/queer theory) among others. Thus the feminism of equality and shared homogeneous oppression has largely given way to feminisms characterised by the recognition of difference.

Consequently feminist research has attempted to seek out methods receptive to the diversity of female experience, the multiple identities women take on (Olesen, 2000: 220) and the plurality of subjectivities women experience. The great majority of feminist researchers decry attempts to produce homogeneous theories or accounts of women's lives.

With no single methodology capable of adequately illuminating the multiplicity of feminist 49 paradigms, research foci43 and pluralities of women's lives, feminist researchers and theorists draw on a range of methodologies from the social sciences, the humanities, critical legal studies, literary theory and indeed any methodology that is considered appropriate. As with feminism itself, feminist studies are inherently interdisiplinary in nature and defy easy classification or categorisation. Consequently, as Olesen notes, ‘studies often appear as hybrids and radical in terms of form, substance, and content, as, for instance, in Donna Haraway’s (1997) deft interweaving of fiction, biology, history, humour, religion, and visual imagery in her feminist unpacking of technosciences’ (2000: 225). Such studies reflect a recognition that women's experience does not fit into the neat categories which academic disciplines and patriarchal western science have devised. They also reflect a central, defining, stance of contemporary feminism which has remained from its earliest days, namely a degree of irreverence towards ‘the academy’ with its traditional compartmentalisation of knowledge, pursuit of ‘pure’ objective knowledge and its disavowal of women’s experience.

Finally, postmodernism, deconstruction theory and poststructualist theory have entered the arena both fuelled by and contributing to feminist theory (cf. Lather, 1997). These theories have led to a re-examination of the researcher’s role, calling upon them to exercise ‘unremitting reflexivity’ (Olesen, 2000: 236) on their standpoint epistemologies, research praxis and the power relations inherent in the research process. The result has been a move to position researchers within the research process as opposed to their former positioning as omnipotent, neutral figures totally separated from the research data, in pursuit of untainted, objective knowledge.

Feminist research has thus evolved along with feminism to be characterised by diversity and complexity with no specific methodological or research orthodoxy prevailing. It is, however, marked by a number of fundamental precepts.

Of fundamental importance in feminist research, is a direct engagement with the question of gender such that research phenomena are ‘studied in a “gendered”, rather than a gender-blind or gender-neutral perspective’ (Lundgren, 1995: 3). And even after four decades of contemporary feminism, gender blind research persists, as Chapter 2 revealed, thus underlining the importance of such a focus.

43 Cf., Pritchard Hughes, (1994) Contemporary Australian Feminism for a detailed account of the evolution of feminist theory and praxis. 50

However simply researching women or women's issues or including gender as an area of concern does not ipso facto constitute feminist research (cf. Lundgren, 1995: 1-3; van Zoonen,1994: 127).

Fine details five epistemological and methodological commitments of feminist research the first of which she labels ‘women's problematics’ by which she means that for research to be considered feminist it must not only focus on gender but it must make women’s experiences central to the research and seek to understand the way in which women make sense of concepts relevant to the research (cited in Gatenby & Humphries, 1993: 77-78).

The second of Fine’s precepts for feminist research is ‘women’s ways of knowing’ which is a twofold process. In the first instance the research must value women’s ways of knowing by encouraging women to describe their own experiences and must respect their truths. But secondly, researchers must address their own experiences and knowledge (cited in Gatenby & Humphries, 1993: 77-78), and as van Zoonen terms it, radically politicize the research process (1994: 130) by reflexively interrogating their own role, standpoint epistemologies, research praxis and position of power.

Fine’s third requirement of feminist research is a focus on ‘feminist synalytics’ which she describes as a blend of analysis and synthesis to facilitate new understanding that supersedes ‘the usual male-defined definitions’ (cited in Gatenby & Humphries, 1993: 77-78).

Her fourth tenet is that of ‘revolutionary pragmatism – a call for research that is of practical value and which is either the basis for a call for change or can, as Olesen argues, ‘set the stage for other research, other actions, and policy that transcend and transform’ (Olesen cited in Olesen, 2000: 215). It may at its most basic be simply ‘helping the silent to speak [and] consciousness raising’ (Dervin cited in van Zoonen, 1994: 128) but whatever the desired outcomes, there is clear agreement that a feminist methodology entails a commitment to change, be that at the micro or at the macro level (cf. for example, Balka, 2000: 42; Balka, 1991: 102; Cole, 1996: 196). This commitment aligns with the fact that, ‘feminism is first and last a political movement concerned with practical issues’ (Alcoff & Potter, 1993: 2).

The final ‘epistemological and methodological’ commitment from Fine is that of 51

‘methodological integrity’ which refers to the necessity to utilise diverse methods and perspectives (cited in Gatenby & Humphries, 1993: 77-78). In this Fine is in agreement with numerous other theorists such as Reinharz for example, who describe feminist research as multi-methodological (cited in McCarl Nielsen, 1990: 6).

The research strategy for this study has been conducted with these requirements in mind and from the outset it was my desire that this research would enable a better understanding of gender issues in relation to ICTs. By demonstrating the importance of including gender in any research on these technologies and through detailing the specific situation of women and women's organisations’ relationship to these technologies, the hope is that researchers, policy makers and the IT sector will begin to address these issues. It is therefore envisaged that this research will help facilitate change in the existing gender power relationship vis-à-vis ICTs. In addition the case study itself can be used by women's groups to avoid some of the problems and pitfalls associated with the uptake of these technologies thus helping them to embrace ICTs.

3.3 Qualitative Research: A Multi-paradigmatic Focus

Qualitative research is best suited to the feminist framework and nature of the research project I am undertaking given that it encourages ‘the interpretive understanding of human experience’ (Nelson et al cited in Denzin & Lincoln, 2000: 7) and is ‘a situated activity that locates the observer in the world…qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them’ (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000: 3). Qualitative research methodologies are particularly suitable for exploratory research such as mine when it is difficult to make informed decisions about which are the most important variables to research and consequently formulate hypotheses in advance (Eichler cited in Balka, 1991).

Qualitative research also endorses the utilisation and collection of ‘a variety of empirical materials—case study; personal experience; introspection; life story; interviews; artefacts; cultural texts and productions; observational, historical, interactional, and visual texts—‘ (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000: 3) as recommended by feminist researchers. Each of these can be 52 used to provide different perspectives on the research topic and when several are used in conjunction, can facilitate a deeper overall understanding. In order to collect such diverse materials, qualitative researchers utilise the widest range of research strategies. These can also include quantitative practices and, as Denzin and Lincoln point out, may also draw upon as necessary:

semiotics, narrative, content, discourse, archival and phonemic analysis, even statistics, tables, graphs and numbers. They also draw upon and utilize the approaches, methods, and techniques of ethnomethodology, phenomenology, hermeneutics, feminism, rhizomatics, deconstruct-ionism, ethnography, interviews, psychoanalysis, cultural studies, survey research and participant observation, among others (2000: 6).

Importantly, no one strategy is privileged over any other (Smith & Deemer 2000: 879); it is for the researcher to decide on those best suited to their research project.

Accordingly, this thesis utilises several qualitative research methodologies. It has also utilised quantitative methodologies for reasons of triangulation, as a means of situating the case study in the broader context of women's NGOs in Australia, and to provide a better understanding of and deeper insight into the case study material.

3.4 Ethnography and the New Ethnography: Process and Product

Under the broad umbrella of qualitative research, my primary research strategy has been ethnographic which, although originating within anthropology, has now expanded into cultural studies, literary theory, women’s studies and indeed numerous disciplines (Tedlock, 2000: 455-6). It is both a process (data gathering strategy) and a product (the account produced) (Tedlock, 2000: 455). The specific approach to research and the tools of ethnography such as thick description, participant observation and in-depth, unstructured interviews, are particularly appropriate to my study.

The basis of ethnographic research is outlined by Hammersley who states ethnographers believe that:

by entering into close and relatively prolonged interaction with people….in their everyday lives, ethnographers can better understand the beliefs, motivations, and behaviors of their subjects than they can by using any other approach (cited in Tedlock, 2000: 456).

In short ethnography as a research strategy emphasises the experiential approach (Tedlock, 2000: 457) and is therefore uniquely suitable to my research focus.

Recent years have seen the rise of ‘new ethnography’. This has heralded a paradigm shift within ethnography that encompasses: a change in the positioning of the researcher in relation to the research; a change in positioning of those being researched from object of research to the role of co-participants; a change in the writing of ethnographies; and, an expansion in the range of types of ethnographies conducted.

The two key contributing factors motivating these changes are firstly the rise of postmodernist theory which provided the catalyst for a re-examination of subjectivity (drawing on feminist theory) and secondly the ‘democratisation of the field with the entry of more women, gays, ethnic minorities and third and fourth world scholars’ (Tedlock, 2000: 466). Such groups have been highly critical of an ethnography that posited the ethnographer as the objective scientist, free from gender, race, ethnicity or any social conditioning and this led ethnographers such as Agar to ask:

Where was the ethnographer? Wasn't he or she part of the story as well? Data didn't just fall out of the sky. It was actively constructed over time in a collaborative way...And who was this ethnographer anyway? Didn't he or she have a particular biography and particular interests that explained why the ethnography took the shape that it did? (Agar, 1996: 4).

In short, supposedly ‘objective’ third person, invisible but omnipotent narrators are not part of the new ethnography. The observer and the observed are no longer considered discreet categories, a recognition which works to ‘bridge the gulf between self and other, showing both parties as vulnerable, experiencing subjects working to co-produce knowledge’ (Abu-Lughod cited in Tedlock, 2000: 667). The new ethnography’s insistence on the non-hierarchical stance of the researcher in relation to their research community and emphasis on the researcher as a key participant in the subject of the research have marked the new ethnography as in accord with the feminist epistemological approach framing this thesis.

Feminist researchers have long argued that non feminist methodologies often seek to conceal 54 and thereby ignore ‘the knowledge acquisition process related to the interaction between the researcher and the interviewee, aspects that increase the insight of both parties’ (Lundgren, 1995: 377). Instead, what is applauded in this process is proof of the ‘scientific’ nature of the process as attested by the number and duration of interviews conducted, the exact questions asked, their order, assurances that there was no interaction between the interviewer and interviewee that could influence the answers received, and assurances as to the accuracy of the recording process (Lundgren, 1995: 376-7). The end result is a distortion of the knowledge gained as well as an incompleteness in the knowledge collected given the unrealistic narrowing of the information gathering process. Instead of ensuring objective, scientific gathering of information, Lundgren points out that in fact the reverse is often the case in that ‘the danger is greater that a researcher’s bias will affect the way he or she interprets responses if the researcher avoids entering into dialogue with the interviewee at any price’ (1995: 378).

There are further confluences between the new ethnography and feminist epistemologies that mark it as suited to this research project, such as the representational transformation which encourages the ethnographer to ‘present both self and other together within a single narrative frame that focuses on the process and character of the ethnographic dialogue’ (Tedlock, 2000: 464)44. Such ethnographic accounts situate the events related in the ethnography within a more comprehensive context, the aim being ‘to produce historically, politically, and personally situated accounts, descriptions, interpretations, and representations of human lives…’ (Tedlock, 2000: 455).

An important ramification of the foregoing is that if there is no longer a separation between the life experiences of the ethnographer and those being researched, then it becomes acceptable to study the ethnographer’s own community. Moreover, female ethnographers, those from third and fourth world countries as well as from minority social groups have argued that they are better able to study their communities than ethnographers from outside their communities. Consequently ethnographic research has been expanded to include ethnographies written by

44 While feminism and the new ethnography have both opened their theoretical base and practices to allow entry of a multiplicity of voices more inclusive of gender, racial and ethnic positions, tensions remain between feminism and ‘new ethnography’. It would be simplistic to suggest that while there are parallels between the two, there are not also differences. However, in respect of the key methodological issues of this thesis, feminism and the new ethnography are in agreement. Sally Cole’s chapter “Taming the Shrew in Anthropology: Is Feminist Ethnography “New” Ethnography” (1996) explores in detail these parallels and conflicts. 55 those who, rather than entering a community in order to research it, are researching communities in which they have grown up, lived or been members, before beginning research. Such accounts have been labelled variously ethnosociology, ethnoethnography, autoanthropology and autoethnography (Tedlock, 2000:466-67)45.

This shift in ethnographic research has provided the methodological sanction for my research conducted as it is on a community of which I was a full member before commencing research.

3.5 Participant Observation: The Complete Member Researcher

The primary ethnographic tool I have used in this study is participant observation. The advantages offered by it for my research are highlighted by Bernard who argues participant observation makes it possible to collect different kinds of data (to that obtained in laboratory settings, for example); reduces the problem of research subjects changing their behaviour when aware of being studied; and, facilitates an intuitive understanding of what is being observed. For Bernard, ‘many [complex] research problems simply can not be addressed adequately by anything except participant observation’ (1994: 143-4), as was the case with my research where the complex relationship of women and women’s groups to the new information and communication technologies could not be adequately researched and understood on the basis of, for example, statistical information alone.

In addition participant observation was also appropriate to my research given that so little was known about the phenomena comprising my study (both the ICTs themselves and their uptake and use by women's organisations). Consequently the actual research questions could not be formulated in advance but as Jorgensen states, participant observation is particularly appropriate for such exploratory studies because it offers the unique methodological advantage of enabling ‘the use of observation and experience in the field to clarify and define precisely what is going to be taken as the problem for inquiry’ (1989: 29). This is the process my research area led me to adopt.

Participant observation’s further advantage lies in reducing the shortcomings of some

45 Although only now becoming mainstream there are instances dating back to the late 1930s (Tedlock, 2000:466-67). 56 quantitative research practices. These include: researchers lacking the ethnographic context to understand the data collected (Cicourel, 1974); the belief that quantity equals validity with the conduct of ‘sufficiently’ large surveys automatically guaranteeing the revelation of universal truths (Schwartz & Jacobs, 1979); and biased sampling processes including the unacknowledged biases of the research designers (Schwartz & Jacobs, 1979).

Moreover, feminism and the new ethnography demand situated research accounts that are reflexive in relation to the research process and researcher’s involvement. Consequently, as in other areas of ethnography and qualitative research, the contemporary participant observation research paradigm has expanded to embrace personal narratives, autoethnography, native ethnography, self-ethnography, memoir, autobiography, and even fiction based around the culture being researched (Ellis & Bochner, 2000: 742). Thus, the various roles of the ethnographer and the conflict between those roles have become a key focus with the personal involvement of the researcher, viewed not as a burden and source of unwanted bias46, but rather as providing the motivation for research, heightening the researcher’s potential as a sense maker (Marshall, 1992: 281). Angrosino and Mays de Perez argue that at the core, contemporary participant observation ‘as it has evolved in recent times, is essentially a matter of interpersonal interaction and not a matter of objective hypothesis testing’ (2000: 692).

Accordingly, ethnographers have become more inclined to immerse themselves fully in the group or community being researched, and importantly, accept the legitimacy of such participation (cf. Angrosino & Mays de Perez, 2000: 676). Ethnography also now recognises three categories of participant researchers, namely: the peripheral-member researcher, the active member researcher, and the complete-member researcher (Adler & Adler cited in Angrosino & Mays de Perez, 2000: 677; cf. also Tedlock, 2000: 458). The major difficulty for the researcher, then, is in ascertaining the most appropriate level of participation, with researchers needing to determine the level of participation with which they are comfortable. As

46 As previously noted, feminists have long critiqued the concept of pure, unbiased and objective knowledge. Enlarging on this, Smith and Deemer insist that even simple observation is theory laden stating “there is no possibility of theory free observation or knowledge” (2000:877). This viewpoint is supported by Stephen Jay Gould, renowned palaeontologist and science historian who states: no faith can be more misleading than an unquestioned personal conviction that the apparent testimony of one’s eyes must provide a purely objective account, scarcely requiring any validation beyond the claim itself. Utterly unbiased observation, must rank as a primary myth and shibbolth of science, for we can only see what fits into our mental space, and all description includes interpretation as well as sensory reporting (cited in Angrosino & Mays de Perez, 2000:696). 57 well, Patton states that researchers need:

to negotiate and adopt that degree of participation that will yield the most meaningful data about the program given the characteristics of the participants, the nature of the staff- participant interactions, and the socio-political context of the program (1990: 209).

My participant observation strategy falls under the classification of the complete-member researcher. This category encompasses researchers who study settings in which they are already members or become so in the course of research and as such are fully immersed in the groups they study. This has been particularly appropriate to my research given I was a member of all three of the organisations I was researching and intimately involved in the organisations as a Board member of all three and eventually president of two.

Finally participant observation does not limit the researcher to observation in the field but sanctions a variety of data collection and information gathering methods to be used in conjunction with fieldwork (cf. Bernard, 1994: 137; Jorgensen, 1989: 22; van Zoonen, 1994: 131-32). This has allowed me to draw on a wide range of documents accumulated through my membership of the WIFT organisations to facilitate a comprehensive study of the research phenomena and enable my fieldwork findings to be validated through the support of quantitative and documentary evidence.

As a complete member researcher, I was intimately involved with all three WIFT organisations throughout the duration of the case study and had a level of access that an outside researcher could not duplicate. In addition, when I came on to the WIFT Australia board, the Queensland delegate I replaced had been the WIFT Australia Secretary throughout the process of incorporation. As such she had complete records from the very inception of WIFT Australia which she passed on to me thus providing me with the records for the two year period prior to my involvement. As well, when I became President of WIFT Australia in December 1997, all the organisation’s records were freighted to me. At that time I also took over responsibility for WIFT Australia’s email account, a duty I continued to undertake up to and for over 12 months after the demise of the organisation. Thus, I am the only person to have records covering the entire duration of WIFT Australia. 58

Similarly as a board member of WIFT Queensland and eventually President I had access to all the organisation’s records. Nonetheless for queries regarding WIFT Queensland prior to my involvement, the long serving Administrator of WIFT Queensland was an immense help and admittedly with (but only ever) the occasional totally justified groan, delved back through the office files, computer records and her own records to produce needed documents or clarify points. She was also particularly adept at cornering ex-Presidents and Board members when they dropped in to the WIFT office and quizzing them. There are definite advantages in being ‘the boss’ and the researcher! This is a specific example of how my status as a Board of Management member and President gave me a level of access and co-operation that would never have been possible otherwise47.

In addition, the continuous turnover of volunteers to all three organisations (a normal situation in organisations largely dependent on unpaid volunteers) has resulted in very few people who could match the detailed knowledge I have of the WIFT organisation at state, national and international level. Moreover, a significant proportion of the case study is based on hundreds of emails to and from WIFT Queensland, WIFT Australia and WIFT International which no one else would be in a position to assemble. For the various technical reasons discussed below, apart from my copies, many of these emails are no longer in existence.

3.6 Triangulation and Validity in the Feminist Postmodernist Research Environment

The final component of my research strategy is that of triangulation or a mixed genre research approach advocated in qualitative research when a complex research phenomenon, by its very nature, requires a multi-method approach in order to fully analyse. It enables a researcher to utilise multiple methods of data collection within the one research project, circumventing the limitations that can be imposed by a single research methodology. It also enables the researcher to choose different methodologies, where appropriate, for different aspects of their research project and can be used as an aid in clarifying meaning ‘by identifying different ways the phenomenon is seen’ (Stake, 2000: 444). Inherent in such an

47 Sadly from an historical point of view, the majority of WIFT Queensland records (excluding those held by me) have now been destroyed as a result of several office relocations from 1995 onwards until WIFT Queensland relinquished its office in September 2000. 59 approach is the acknowledgment that there is no single reality or truth waiting to be uncovered. Flick summarises:

the combination of multiple methodological practices, empirical materials, perspectives and observers in a single study is best understood, then, as a strategy that adds rigor, breadth, complexity, richness, and depth to any inquiry (cited in Denzin & Lincoln, 2000: 5)48.

Triangulation also fits within the qualitative research paradigm which is itself, as Flick states, ‘inherently multimethod in focus’ (cited in Denzin & Lincoln, 2000: 2). This is a more formalised approach to a process already evident in the work of feminist research which, as Franklin, Lury and Stacey point out, ‘has long relied on an eclectic combination of frameworks and methods, often extracted from traditional disciplines and reworked to take account of gender’ (1991: 11).

According to Denzin there are four basic types of triangulation: data, theory, methodological and investigator triangulation (cited in Janesick, 2000: 391). In this study I have used both data triangulation and methodological triangulation to achieve a deeper understanding of the research phenomenon. Data triangulation was undertaken by rigorously cross checking my participant observation account of the uptake and use of ICTs in Chapters 4 and 5 against the documentary evidence provided by Board and Teleconference Minutes, Monthly Reports, Financial Reports, Company Returns, Newsletters, faxes and emails. This was facilitated by the fact that I had complete access to all records for WIFT Australia, Queensland and WIFT International for the period of the case study. Interviews (taped, transcribed and referenced where used) were explicitly sought with individuals in areas where there were contested views of events (such as with a former President of WIFT NSW because of the animosity, at times, between WIFT NSW and the other state WIFTs) or in order to gain a further perspective on the phenomena (such as the interviews conducted with the Executive Director and Administrator of WIFT U.K.). Email requests, phone calls and personal meetings were also used to clarify individual points where necessary. Ultimately my choice of cases to study was itself a form of data triangulation inasmuch as the choice of three cases for the case study, one each at state, national and the international level, enabled me to gain a more comprehensive insight into the uptake of ICTs by the WIFT organisation than would have otherwise been possible.

48 For a further exposition of triangulation see Quinn Patton, 1990, 186-195 or Janesick, 2000. 60

Additional data and methodological triangulation was provided through the conduct of a survey of participants on Pamela's List, an email list for Australian Women's Peak Non Government Organisations. The survey used the preliminary case study data as the basis for the design of the questionnaire and enabled the qualitative research findings from the participant observation case study to be situated in the broader context of Australian peak women's NGOs and alongside quantitative data. It was thus helpful in determining whether problems experienced by WIFT Australia and the state organisations were unique to them or were shared by similar organisations operating in the same socio-political context and technological environment. Further key objectives of the survey were to canvass the level of adoption by women's organisations of ICTs, provide insights into the technologies being used, how they were being used and levels of proficiency, as well as surveying impediments to usage.

A review of national and international surveys available on women's NGOs and mixed gender NGOs was also conducted. This provided access to quantitative data not provided by the case study research. It also broadened the frame of reference for all three WIFT organisations and the Pamela's List organisations, provided a benchmark against which to evaluate the achievements of the WIFT and Pamela's List organisations, and enabled a clearer understanding of which difficulties could be considered systemic to women's NGOs and which to the technologies themselves

Triangulation has therefore been used to achieve a more holistic understanding of the research phenomenon, allowing its in-depth exploration from multiple perspectives.

The final key rationale for using a triangulation research strategy lies in its usefulness in providing additional validity for the research findings. This is particularly important in a participant observation case study, given that case studies by their very nature are unique to the time, place and subject of the particular case study and as such their findings are not replicable. Nor do they provide the types of evidence open to validation provided by quantitative studies. Moreover, within a feminist research framework which emphasis pluralism, diversity and difference and exhorts researchers not to homogenise their research findings but rather retain even contested meanings between participants as important (cf. Wolfe cited in Angrosino & Mays de Perez, 2000: 689), the challenge for researchers is how to claim legitimacy for their findings. Maxwell insists that while it is not possible for researchers to divorce themselves totally from their own standpoint epistemologies and that different 61 researchers with different life histories and perspectives can produce differing accounts, that is not to say that all possible accounts are ‘equally useful, credible or legitimate’ nor is it necessary to ‘descend into a relativism’ in which all accounts are valid or ‘anything goes’ (cited in Smith & Deemer, 2000: 880). Hammersley theorises that the two key elements of validity are plausibility and credibility. In the case of plausibility, some claims will be self evidently plausible while others will need to be supported with evidence. With regard to credibility, he argues this should be judged by examining relevant factors such as ‘the nature of the phenomena concerned, the circumstances of the research’ etc. (cited in Smith & Deemer, 2000: 881). Likewise Janesick believes that validity in the qualitative research domain ‘has to do with description and explanation and whether or not the explanation fits the description. In other words, is the explanation credible?’ (2000: 393). The use of data triangulation, the Pamela's List survey, interviews and the quantitative data in the Australian and international mixed gender NGO surveys provided a means to support the validity of the participant observation account.

Triangulation stands as one of the most frequently suggested methods of producing research findings that will be accepted as credible and valid (Stake, 2000: 443). Approaching a research problem from different methodological perspectives can provide reinforcement of the data collected which can add validity to the research findings. Alternatively, in instances where triangulation results in conflicting or contradictory findings, rather than destroying the validity of the research, triangulation can aid in revealing the complexities and nuances of the research phenomena (cf. Kirk & Miller, 1986).

Ultimately the consequence of these theoretical shifts surrounding validity in the postmodern qualitative research environment is that, as Schwandt argues, ‘we must learn to live with uncertainty, with the absence of final vindications, without the hope of solutions in the form of epistemological guarantees’ (cited in Smith & Deemer, 2000: 884).

3.7 Case Study: The Choice of Study

Having decided on the epistemological framework and an ethnographic qualitative research strategy, a case study of the WIFT organisations was undertaken. 62

One of the most important points to be made about the case study is that it is not a methodology in and of itself but rather ‘a choice of what is to be studied’ (Stake, 2000: 435). The major conceptual responsibilities of the qualitative case researcher is in designing their case study which requires:

• conceptualizing of the object of study and bounding of the case; • selecting phenomena, themes, or issues—that is, the research question—to emphasise; • seeking patterns of data to develop the issues; • triangulating key observations and bases for interpretation; • selecting alternative interpretations to pursue; and • developing assertions or generalizations about the case (Stake, 2000: 448).

These conceptual responsibilities clearly demonstrate the case researcher’s subjective agency in shaping the research. As Stake points out, ‘the researcher decides what the cases own story is’ (2000: 441 italics in original). Moreover, the case study researcher can never know or understand everything there is to know about a case, regardless of how extensive and prolonged the study. Limits have to be imposed which automatically exclude other knowledges.

In line with the precepts of the feminist interpretative framework and the chosen research strategies of this thesis, contemporary case study design offers a myriad of choices of presentation style including the ‘realistic, impressionistic, confessional, critical, formal, literary and jointly told’ (Stake, 2000: 440). Ultimately it is for the case researcher to decide:

• how much to make the report a story; • how much to compare with other cases; • how much to formalize generalizations or leave that to readers; • how much to include description in the report of the researcher interacting; and • whether or not and how much to anonymize (Stake, 2000: 448).

Of key significance to my thesis from the points above, is Stake’s assertion that comparison is actually counterproductive in case studies as it can lead to a tendency to obscure any knowledges that fail to facilitate a comparison. He believes that:

it is in the particularities that lies the vitality, trauma, and uniqueness of the case. With concentration on the bases for comparison, uniquenesses and complexities will be glossed over. The research design featuring comparison substitutes (a) the comparison for (b) the case as the focus of the study (Stake, 2000: 444).

As a result Stake labels comparison as ‘a grand epistemological strategy...fixing attention upon one or a few attributes’ (2000: 444) whereas, the thick description that case studies provide enables the researcher to reveal ‘complexities for further investigation’ and the opportunity to ‘establish the limits of generalizability’ (Stake, 2000: 448). As Clifford Geertz argued nearly three decades ago, comparative description is the opposite of ‘thick description’ (cited in Stake, 2000: 444). Similarly homogenisation of the research data is not the goal of case studies and contradiction between cases in the case study is acceptable (Stake, 2000: 448) and can be as important as similarities.

The type of case study chosen is a collective case study consisting of three cases. A collective case study is defined as an instrumental case study (where a case is examined to provide insight into an issue) extended to several cases in order to more fully investigate a ‘phenomenon, population or general condition’ (Stake, 2000:437). In such a case study key similarities and dissimilarities between the cases are noted in order to provide a fuller understanding of the phenomenon under study but comparison per se of the cases is not the primary focus.

3.8 Textual Representation, Voice and Reflexivity: Writing the Feminist, Postmodern Ethnography

The theoretical shifts that have taken place in feminist theory, qualitative research and ethnography coupled with the advent of postmodernism have necessitated new styles of writing and representation49. Experimental forms of writing case studies which interweave traditional ‘objective’ ethnographic accounts with one or more other genres and experiment with personal narratives, first-person accounts, reflexive interrogations, and deconstruction of the traditional forms of academic representational practices (Lincoln & Guba, 2000: 184) have now become commonplace (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000: x).

Although no particular form of ethnographic writing is necessarily privileged over others, narrative ethnography in particular has emerged to claim a central place. This is the form of

49 Although some theorists such as Tedlock claim that examples of narrative ethnography, date back at least to the early 80s and examples of autoethnography back to the late 1930s (2000: 466-67). 64 ethnographic writing chosen as best suited to this thesis because it is predicated on the inclusion of aspects of the researcher’s life history and experiences in the field as a legitimate and integral part of the ethnographic account. As such, narrative ethnography is aligned with feminist research which also demands the inclusion of the researcher’s biography, given as Henwood and Pidgeon (1995) argue:

The biography indicates the researcher’s substantive interests, her philosophical stance and her personal experiences, priorities and values which are all important parts of the perspective which the researcher brings to bear upon the research (cited in Burgess- Limerick).

This facilitates ‘situated knowledges’ where, as Haraway observes:

the view from nowhere becomes the view from somewhere; that of connected, embodied, situated participants and situated knowledges that partake of local frames and overarching historical and material trends (cited in Olesen, 2000: 236).

In addition, narrative ethnography provides the vehicle for the inclusion of the researcher’s voice and indeed the multiplicity of voices of the researcher. These, for the postmodernist researcher, Shulamit Reinharz (1997) divides into: the research based selves; brought selves (created from our standpoint epistemologies); and situationally created selves, (the latter coming into being as we research in the field); each with its own voice. Whereas under positivism the voice/s of the researcher were required to be eradicated as far as possible in the pursuit of objectivity, the voice/s of the researcher now become a set of resources (Krieger, 1991) that add further depth and insight to the ethnographic account.

Ultimately, for those who would critique such writing, Denzin and Lincoln state:

The gendered, narrative bricoleur also knows that researchers all tell stories about the world they have studied. Thus the narratives, or stories, scientists tell are accounts couched and framed within specific storytelling traditions, often defined as paradigms (e.g., positivism, postpositivism, constructivism) (2000: 6).

As such, Narrative Ethnography is particularly relevant to a research project which is based on the complete member participant observer, where the boundaries between researcher and those being researched are fluid and cannot be separated into a neat subject/object dichotomy. 65

3.9 Situating the Ethnographer

This brief personal narrative outlines the motivation for my involvement in the WIFT organisation and my motivation for undertaking this research. It also details the various roles I occupied in the WIFT organisation across three levels of the organisation.

I first became involved with Women in Film and Television in early 1995 when I accepted an offer to join the Board of Management of WIFT Queensland and become one of two WIFT Queensland representatives on the Board of WIFT Australia.

I had wanted to become involved in WIFT for professional reasons, specifically the desire to keep in contact with my profession as I became more and more embroiled in academia. There were, however, other organisations that would have enabled me to do this such as Brisbane Independent Filmmakers (BIFF), for example.

My reasons for choosing WIFT stemmed from my experiences of working for a commercial television station in Brisbane in the 80s. At this time the only two people who had degrees among the production personnel on the station were myself and another woman. We were both employed as Directors’ Assistants with no promotional paths or career prospects beyond the positions we occupied. Yet the male production personnel, none of whom had any formal training or degrees, were able to progress from camera assistant through the ranks to Director or Producer in a clearly defined path. Even a male cleaner at the station was encouraged to become a camera assistant which would then have enabled him to progress up the career ladder. A Directors’ Assistant, however, remained such until she (and at that time, Directors’ Assistants were always female) left the station, generally to start a family.

It was galling to find, after completion of a degree in the area of film, followed by two years industry production experience, that the only job available to women on the production side in commercial television was as a Directors Assistant or Production Assistant and that moreover a cleaner had far better career prospects based solely on his gender. Indeed, only one woman who had begun as a Directors’ Assistant or Production Assistant had ever become a television producer or director since the advent of television in Brisbane in 1969, in any of the three commercial television stations. Similarly in all my time working in film and in television, I only 66 ever encountered one woman working in a non-traditional ‘female’ role in the industry. She was attempting to build a career freelancing as a cinematographer having trained initially at the ABC. However, she was very much treated as a novelty and not taken seriously50.

When I elected to take a break from the 12 hour plus days of the film industry and the shift work of television and go back to university to undertake postgraduate work, I discovered that what I had experienced at a personal, local level in the film and television field in Brisbane was replicated nationally and indeed internationally. National surveys such as What Do I Wear For A Hurricane?, commissioned by the Australian Film Commission and the National Working Party on the Portrayal of Women in the Media (1992) showed that women working in film and television were overwhelmingly confined to traditional service roles in the industry, with the key creative positions and the positions of power occupied by men. Similarly international surveys (eg. UNESCO, 1976) clearly showed the overtly chauvinistic nature of the film and television industry. It was to work towards redressing this situation and to provide aid and support to women in or wishing to enter the industry, that Women in Film and Television had been formed.

Thus I embarked on a relationship with WIFT that would ultimately encompass the state, national and the international arenas of the organisation.

In September 1996 after almost two years on the Board of Management, I was elected President of WIFT Queensland, a role I fulfilled for two years until September 1998. When I was no longer able to remain actively involved on the Board of Management of WIFT Queensland, I remained a member and retained a close association with the organisation.

When I came on to the Board of Management of WIFT Queensland I was offered a position as one of two Queensland delegates to WIFT Australia. I took up my position on the WIFT Australia Board of Directors one month before the first annual general meeting of WIFT Australia held in Melbourne in April 1995, which I attended. In December 1997, I was elected President of WIFT Australia and continued in this position until the organisation ceased operating in late 1999.

50 Julie James Bailey’s (1999) book entitled Reel Women Working in Film and Television provides insight into the experience of Australian women working in the industry at this time. 67

On becoming President of WIFT Australia, I agreed to take up the position of Australian representative on the Board of WIFT International. Three months later, I gave Australia’s formal ratification to the establishment of the international organisation and to Australia becoming a member. Subsequently, I was on the board of WIFT International throughout its initial establishment period during 1998 and 1999 resigning in September 1999 with the dissolution of WIFT Australia.

When I initially joined WIFT Queensland I never envisioned the extent of my eventual involvement in WIFT nor the pivotal role I would play in WIFT Queensland, WIFT Australia and WIFT International as a board member of all three, and President of two. Furthermore, in a number of important respects, my role in the organisation was unique in that I was the longest serving board member of WIFT Australia and the only person ever to be simultaneously President of WIFT Australia, President of a State WIFT and the Australian representative on the board of WIFT International. This offered an unprecedented opportunity to provide input into the WIFT organisation at state, national and international level and also provided an overview and unique insight into the interactions between the three tiers

As a result, I was uniquely placed to conduct participant observation research as a complete member of the organisation. My insider status as a bona fide, fully paid up member of the group, provided the groundwork for an ‘engaged’ and ‘situated’ ethnographic account.

While I actively championed and was a key player in the establishment of information and communication technologies, I did not instigate their takekup by any of the three organisations. However, of key significance for this research project, is the fact that I was involved from the early stages of all three organisations’ attempts to adopt ICTs. I was the only director of WIFT Australia to serve continuously on the board during the period of its establishment of ICTs, coming on to the Board just as the application for funds to set up a national office and begin the process of establishing them was being prepared51. I was the only director to serve continuously on the WIFT Queensland board throughout its establishment of ICTs and had been involved with the organisation for a considerable period

51 Before I became involved, the national organisation had adopted new technologies as a key policy area. It had set up a New Technologies Sub-Committee to oversee research in this area and work towards implementing ICTs. While it had obtained some funding for a research project into the impact of new media technologies on women in the film, TV, video and related media industries, the bulk of its efforts in this period were concentrated on the incorporation process. 68 prior to their establishment. I was also the only Australian on the board of WIFT Internat-ional throughout all but the last six months of its attempts to establish ICTs.

Rather than coming into WIFT in order to study it, I was already a complete member and extensively involved in WIFT Queensland and WIFT Australia before they became the object of my research having not commenced my PhD until 12 months after becoming involved. In the case of WIFT international, although my research was under way before I became the Australian representative, that organisation had not been in existence when I began my research. It was in fact my very involvement with WIFT Australia and its attempt to establish ICTs that helped spark my interest in this area as a possible PhD area of research. My extensive involvement with the three WIFT organisations across the state, national and international arenas, however, did give me a vested interest in their successful takeup of ICTs so as to keep my own communication costs to a minimum.

3.10 Research in the Digital Realm: Process and Issues

Research in the realm of digital technologies has presented some unique challenges. In the first instance the new digital information and communication technologies are new media and researchers are still experimenting with the most appropriate research methodologies and ethical considerations. At this point there is little in the way of guidelines but much in the way of debate.

Secondly the technological characteristics and limitations of these media introduce further complications. Data can easily be lost due to computer crashes, viruses or rendered unreadable by newer software programs. The limited memory capacity of computers throughout the 90s meant emails and electronic files tended to be regularly deleted. WIFT Australia’s ISP, in line with accepted commercial practice, would not store emails on their server indefinitely and charged for storage per MB encouraging the regular deletion of emails. As well, many of the WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland directors had email access through university accounts and as soon as their teaching contracts or studies ended, they lost their email access and any emails or files they had not printed out. To circumvent losing 69 any emails I was forced to print out all WIFT emails and any others of importance. This left me with the task of physically collating, cross-checking and referencing huge volumes of printed emails. So much for the paperless office and the digital age.

As many of these difficulties also impacted on the utilisation of ICTs by WIFT and impacted on the efficacy of the technologies themselves, these aspects of ICTs are detailed in the case study which follows.

3.11 Ethical Considerations

In the first instance, this thesis project has received ethical clearance from the university. In addition, with regard to the survey of Pamela’s list, the fact that the information collected might be used in my PhD thesis was flagged in several emails informing participants on the list of the coming Survey and requesting their participation. It was also clearly stated on the Questionnaire itself. In regard to the survey the usual procedures have been followed of not identifying specific individuals or organisations.

With regard to the WIFT case study, the situation was more complex due to the length of the study and three levels of the organisation involved. In the case of WIFT Australia, the state branches constituted WIFT Australia and all the state organisations knew of my study. Indeed I conducted interviews with a President of WIFT NSW (March, 2000), I spoke face-to-face with the President of WIFT South Australia concerning my study (7.7.99) and contacted her on several occasions via email regarding clarification of points. Similarly I spoke face-to-face with the longest serving WIFT Victorian delegate (who was also Co-President of WIFT Australia) regarding my study (25.11.97) and also contacted her on several occasions via email regarding clarification of points. I was myself President of WIFT Queensland for a substantial period of the case study and most of the Board of Management over the period of the research knew of it. In addition I conducted informal interviews with the WIFT Queensland Administrator and the Project Officer. I also conducted interviews with the Executive Director and Administrator of WIFT U.K. (2.7.99) and met in person with their WIFT International representative (1.7.99) and the WIFT Canada representative to WIFT International (1.7.99). A 70

WIFT International Vice President from Ireland was also contacted with regard to the research and attempts also made to interview a former WIFT International U.K. representative when I was in London. Thus it is the case that the WIFT organisation was cognizant of my research project.

In most cases anonymity has been preserved when quoting from correspondence, emails, teleconference minutes and other organisational documents by simply indicating that a comment or quote came from, for example, ‘the French delegate’ or by using initials only. Given the churn of delegates to WIFT Queensland, WIFT Australia and WIFT International throughout the study, it would be difficult for anyone other than myself to conclusively identify specific individuals.

This chapter has detailed the research design for the case study, the particular challenges the research presented, the strategies and rationale for adopting the approach taken and situated the ethnographer within the study. The following two chapters present the case study of WIFT Australia, WIFT Queensland and WIFT International.

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CHAPTER 4: WIFT AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND AND INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY (PART 1):

Introduction:

This chapter is a case study of the process undertaken by WIFT Australia, WIFT Queensland, and WIFT International in implementing ICTs. It details the factors which motivated and sustained it, the policies and strategies adopted to aid implementation, the steps taken, and stages of the implementation process.

It focuses not only on the uptake of email but on the establishment of webpages and the attempts to utilise advanced web based technologies. This chapter also evaluates the success of the approaches adopted and uncovers significant problems systemic to the technologies themselves.

Ultimately it reveals that this was a protracted and complex process with many challenges and impediments to be overcome, despite the groundwork laid by research and the systematic approaches adopted. But it also demonstrates that these women's NGOs were able to appropriate the technology to their needs.

4.1 Motivating Factors for the Uptake of ICTs

4.1.1 WIFT Australia and WIFT International: Communications and Administration:

Women working in the film and television industries have a special interest in digital technology because it is clearly spawning new media and new forms for the moving image in the twenty first century. Thus, WIFT Australia and WIFT International, even prior to their incorporation, were exploring the possibilities of ICTs.

A key motivation for establishing the national and international bodies was to facilitate information flow52. The five state organisations that constituted WIFT Australia had long desired to establish regular communications. It was also a priority for WIFT International with 40 chapters throughout the world53.

The incorporation process for both WIFT Australia and WIFT International added a further impetus for the establishment of electronic communications. During this period, communications between the state WIFT organisations (Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland) and their 10 appointed delegates54 were complex and difficult. The national organisation did not have a central office until October 1995, three years after the process to establish it had commenced and each of its executive office bearers were located in different states. Communication between the executive, the board, and the membership was inefficient and expensive55: with delegates often bearing the costs themselves, electronic communication seemed to be the answer.

The establishment and incorporation of the international body was also complex, protracted and expensive to achieve. In 1998, four years after the Task Force began work, WIFT International was established with co-hosting offices in Ireland and Los Angeles. Duplication of messages and liaison between the two added to communication costs, so again individual Task Force members (and later members of the provisional Board and finally the directors of the organisation) bore much of the expense of communication personally (ICC Minutes, 1996: 16). The organisation had no funding throughout this period and only limited funding thereafter. Similarly the board of directors was spread across up to 10 countries.

Speed was also a priority: waiting for responses to arrive via the international postal service from over 40 countries was simply not a practical way to conduct business and while faxes were quicker, international telephone rates put them beyond the reach of many chapters.

WIFT Australia also found that faxes were neither speedy, convenient, private nor even

52 The other key motivating factors being accessing federal funding programs (unavailable to state bodies) and lobbying government at a federal level (considered beyond the scope or abilities of individual state organisations). 53 correspondence from WIF International Coordinating Committee (26.6.94); cf also WIFT International ‘Organisational Structure’, 1997. 54 Each state appointed two delegates to the WIFT Australia board who upon appointment become company directors of WIFT Australia. 55 as noted in the President’s Report (1994/95 Annual Report:2). 73 efficient. Lack of access to fax machines meant that not only was confidentiality often compromised, it could be several days before a state office (staffed only part time) even knew that a fax requiring an urgent reply had arrived56. Express post was used but at $50 per mailout57, it was expensive; and one phone call could render the information out of date before it had left the post office. ICTs became essential in order to rationalise costs, achieve quicker, reliable and confidential communications between board members and states, and enable the delegates as Directors of WIFT Australia to discharge their legal responsibilities efficiently.

ICT was also seen as a way to facilitate regional input and NSW delegates argued that:

having a nationally linked computer system and modems would ensure the voice and needs of the smaller states can be taken into account immediately in any lobbying process (WIFT NSW / NSW delegates communication to WIFT Australia delegates 19.6.95).

4.1.2 Equity Considerations

WIFT Australia also recognised a further need to encourage its members to embrace new media technologies in the film and television industries. Women were under-represented in all the technical (as opposed to creative) areas of filmmaking and this was becoming exacerbated as filmmaking became increasingly tied to new computer based, digital filmmaking technologies.

The state WIFTs from their inception had been concerned with the relatively small number of women in the technical areas of filmmaking. This concern was confirmed by research sponsored by the Women's Film Fund in 1983 covering training, childcare responsibilities, and career paths for women in the Australian film industry. A survey of crew lists of all Australian

56 I faxed WIFT Australia delegates in September 1995, stating the only fax machines I could access were at the WIFT Queensland office or the university where I was employed on a casual basis. I could only collect faxes on the two days a week I came into the University or make a special trip into the WIFT office. Yet faxes often requested an answer within 24 hours. I needed a more realistic timeframe for responses and was not the only Board delegate in this position. My instructions to WIFT Australia were that on a Tuesday or Thursday faxes were to go to the University but on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to the WIFT Queensland office. Of course faxes went to the wrong location or I would not receive faxes sent to the University late on a Thursday until the following Tuesday. Moreover this schedule changed each semester. Eventually I had to buy a fax machine, as did other delegates, but not all could afford to do so. 57 $5 per expresspack by 10 delegates. 74 feature films between 1974 and 1982, revealed that 92% of technical positions were filled by men (Ryan et al, 1983: 27). The WFTs (as they were then known) used this research to lobby the Australian Film and Television School (later to become the Australian Film, Television and Radio School) in 1983/84 to increase the school’s initially very low intake of women and to encourage women to train in the technical areas of filmmaking (Thornley, 1987: 64).

Several reports released since have continued to expose the low level of women's participation in technical areas (cf. AFC, 1987; Cox & Laura, 1992; AFC, 1996; James Bailey, 1999). Even as film’s centenary was celebrated around the world throughout 1995-96, research showed that women were making progress in the creative spheres but had still not achieved equity in the technical spheres.

Consequently, President Sue Maslin’s first report to the AGM of WIFT Australia for the year ended 30th June 1994 gave as one of the two major policy initiatives for the national body58, a concern with ‘the impact of new media technologies on women’ noting that:

We are currently witnessing a revolution in information and media technologies, akin to the invention of the printing press in both scale and impact. WIFT Australia will play a crucial role in this ‘overhaul’ by devising policy and programs which address the impact these technologies will have on women in the following ways:

- as producers (i.e. Working within the electronic media industries) and; - as consumers (i.e. Audiences) (Maslin, 1993/94 Annual Report: 2).

Ultimately WIFT Australia did raise the profile of these issues but was unable to devise policies and programs that were taken up by government or industry. The fact that the organisation was able to achieve as much as it did is a credit to the enthusiasm and dedication of a number of volunteers and in particular the inaugural President, Sue Maslin. There is, however, a limit to how much an organisation reliant on volunteers can do and there is considerable difference between good intentions and actual achievements.

58 The other being promotion of industry based childcare (WIFT Australia 1993/94 Annual Report). 75

4.1.3 Motivating the State WIFT Organisations:

Unlike WIFT Australia and WIFT International, at the state level, support for the establishment of ICTs waxed and waned according to the composition of individual state boards over time. For example, WIFT NSW was particularly interested in ICTs when a Director of a Sydney Multimedia Productions company, was Vice President. Their support was less in evidence at other times. Similarly, South Australia only showed interest when an academic researcher in the field, was appointed to its board (and as delegate to WIFT Australia) in December 1997. The two inaugural Victorian delegates enthusiastically championed ICTs until their retirement from the board of WIFT Australia in 1995. Western Australia fared better. It had two women consecutively on its board and as WIFT Australia delegates, who worked in the multi-media field and supported the establishment of ICTs, one of whom also became its president.

WIFT Queensland from its inception was concerned to ‘establish a women's communication network’59 and to assist women in achieving equity in the film, television and video industries. An examination of the Board Minutes, however, reveals no interest in ICTs prior to the advent of WIFT Australia. Only two of the seven Queensland delegates to WIFT Australia, myself and one other (N.W.) enthusiastically sponsored the adoption of ICTs, and at times there was some opposition to ICTs60. For example, WIFT Queensland’s message to the WIFT Australia 1995 AGM was that its main concern was lack of communication, ‘accessibility to same and lack of between states’61. ICTs, however, were not seen as the method to achieve this. A committee member (and former WIFT Queensland President) remarked ‘what’s wrong with snail mail anyway?’ and followed up with a fax stating:

I believe the problem of communication can be resolved, for the moment, by recognising that not all branches have fax or email capabilities, taking a temporary step backwards from the new technologies hysteria and relying again on ordinary old Australia Post – slower true, but reliable. Let’s leave the purchase of our modems until we are financially better placed. I am in no way a Luddite…but horses for courses, eh? (fax headed ‘brief comments on draft issues raised for WIFT meeting Melbourne April 29-30’ [1995]).

59 Undated Film Facts brochure. Film Facts was the former name of WIFT Queensland. 60 When I became President of WIFT Queensland in August 1996, I was able to ensure new technologies were firmly on the state agenda and began by reinstating a Taking the Byte forum in Queensland which had been previously cancelled. This exposed Queensland members to the many possibilities represented by the new technologies and to the two international speakers WIFT Australia had brought out to address the forums. 61 WIFT Queensland Minutes of Special Meeting 25.4.95. 76

Luddites or not, the majority of the Board could see that ICTs would be complicated and costly. At best they were reluctant participants, and without the impetus from WIFT Australia, it is unlikely that they or the other states (with the possible exception of Western Australia) would have adopted ICTs as early as they did.

4.2 Implementation Policies and Strategies

4.2.1 WIFT Australia and the state organisations:

None of the state organisations established any formal policies or strategies for the adoption of ICTs either prior to or during the existence of WIFT Australia.

Nonetheless WIFT Australia’s continuing championing of these technologies gradually increased the state organisations’ awareness of their importance. Acceptance was further elevated with the arrival of the modems in the state offices.

Thus, while WIFT Queensland never adopted any formal policies or strategies, new technologies began to assume an increasing profile in the organisation’s focus. It began printing articles about the Internet and new technologies in its Newsletter from March 1995. In May 1996 it moved its networking evenings to The Hub Internet Café to encourage members to try out the World Wide Web. It also built up a relationship with QANTM62 organising a drinks party in December 1996 at QANTM to introduce WIFT members to the co-operative multimedia centre and advertised its scholarships and courses. It ran a networking evening with Queensland Multimedia Arts Centre in June 1996 and a seminar with Silicon Graphics demonstrating the latest software and hardware developments in October, 1997.

It also began to pursue funding or sponsorship for new technology projects from 1996 onwards finally obtaining $5,000 in early 1999 to establish a webpage incorporating an

62 Queensland and Northern Territory Multimedia Co-operative Multimedia Centre, a Keating Federal Government Creative Nation initiative. $56.5 million over nine years was allocated to establish 6 throughout Australia with a focus on the provision of training and skills formation in multimedia. 77 industry forum and chat room63. It also sought to provide Internet access for members at its offices unsuccessfully submitting funding proposals to Film Queensland (March 1997) and other sources64. A further disappointment was the lack of success in obtaining funding for regional out-reach projects utilising ICTs to communicate with women filmmakers throughout Queensland. Nor was WIFT Queensland ever able to obtain funding to conduct training seminars in email or the Internet65. When it established its chat room in November 1999, it provided instruction and offered members the opportunity to access the chats from its office. WIFT Queensland thus offered information on and encouragement to its members to embrace the new technologies within its limited resources.

WIFT Australia, however, did adopt policies and strategies to establish ICTs: a task it approached in a methodical and coordinated manner. It began by commissioning research into the impact of the new technologies on women. This research was to ‘culminate in the preparation of a policy document and list of recommendations concerning WIFT Australia’s position on the participation of women in new media technologies’ (WIFT Australia Annual Report, 1993/4: 2).

To oversee the appointment of a researcher66, establish the research parameters67 and oversee the establishment of a national communication network, WIFT Australia had established by June 30, 1994 a New Technologies Sub-Committee drawn from the five states’ delegates.

Following the production of the research report68 it commissioned a report into the feasibility of

63WIFT Queensland’s difficulty in obtaining funding for new technology projects was mirrored by NGOs worldwide. Cf., Chapter 2; the Democracy at Work (OMB Watch, 1998) report findings of a significant lack of interest and support for digital communications from funding agencies; and the More Than Bit Players (Blau, 2001) report findings of an unwillingness by Foundations to fund new technologies projects. 64 It continued to offer members access to the WIFT computers to update resumes. 65 It did distribute copies of the Queensland government Office of Women's Affairs How to use the Internet booklet. 66 Advertised nationally in July 1994. 67 Which were: The range of new media technologies being developed; Career opportunities, training options and potential entry points for women; and Women's current experience in each of these areas and future requirements (1993/94 WIFT Australia Annual Report:2). 68 entitled The Impact of New Media Technologies on Women by Jan Claire Wisdom-Hill 1995 (the research consultant appointed). 78 a national conference69. Both reports were distributed to government and industry bodies and provided the basis for WIFT Australia’s policies and programs in the following years. The Impact of New Technologies report provided the basis for WIFT Australia’s Educational Resource Kit: Taking the Byte - The Impact of New Media Technologies on Women launched in December 1995 at the opening of the WIFT national office in Sydney by the Federal Minister for Small Business, Senator Chris Schacht. This was then the catalyst for the board motion:

W.I.F.T. Australia to approach the Office of the Status of Women about W.I.F.T. Australia being a co-ordinating body for training women in new technologies, provided adequately funded and does not leach our resources (WIFT Australia Board Minutes, 8.12.95).

It also undertook to explore the provision of multimedia training in conjunction with the Australasian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association (AIMIA) but was unable to obtain funding from either AIMIA or the Office of the Status of Women (OSW) for these initiatives.

The new technologies focus continued throughout 1994/95 with WIFT Australia’s primary aim given as: ensuring women gain access to new information technologies such as multi-media, CD ROM, PAY TV, Satellite, MDS and interactive video… (1994/95 Annual Report: 1). This was to be realised by:

Informing women working in the film, television and video industries of how the changes in media technologies will affect the workplace – in particular, training and career opportunities and economic well being; and

Ensuring women are represented on all industry advisory boards and committees as well as being involved in key decision making relating to the introduction of new media technologies (1994/95 Annual Report: 1).

WIFT Australia was successful in disseminating information on the new media technologies through its Taking the Byte forums, Newsletters, and 1997 National conference but did not achieve any representation on new technologies advisory boards. In 1995/96 when WIFT was forced to restructure70 it retained its ICT focus, proposing:

69 The Impact of New Media Technologies on Women: National Conference, Shiralee Saul and Lisa Logan of New Media Network (eds). The conference entitled Tools of the Trade: Skilling up for the Future was held in October 1997. 70 In 1994 the OSW expressed dissatisfaction with WIFT Australia simply disbursing funding obtained to the states claiming it was not a bona fide national organisation operating in its own right. A consultant (Jackie Spence) was engaged to research and facilitate agreement on a new structure. Her report, Relationships Between National Entities and State-Based 79

• Setting up email and computer linking systems between the National and State offices; • The establishment of WIFT on the Internet; • Staging a New Technologies Conference; • Producing an electronic register of women in the multimedia/new media industry; • Establishing a New Technologies Award to be presented at the New Technologies Conference (WIFT Australia Newsletter, December 1995).

It ultimately achieved all of these goals with the exception of the establishment of the electronic register. Long term goals for the organisation included ‘involvement in a multimedia centre’ (WIFT Australia Newsletter, December 1995) which it was unable to achieve.

In comparison to many Australian women’s NGOs, WIFT Australia was quite successful in obtaining funding for its ICT initiatives. Nonetheless, there was only limited funding available for women's initiatives. Keating’s Creative Nation (1994) made no mention of women's issues nor offered funding. The OSW and the AFC Women's Program were the only funding sources WIFT Australia identified.

In November 1995 at a Round Table meeting between the OSW and the Peak Australian women's NGOs, Dr. Carmen Lawrence, the then Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women, invited organisations to apply for financial support for computing software and hardware71. This did not eventuate due to a change in federal government and consequent restructuring of the OSW and its funding programs72.

WIFT Australia did combine its Melbourne Taking the Byte: Women and New Technologies forum with the AIMIA Conference. Taking the Byte forums73 were also held in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide throughout October and November 1996 and were addressed by two international speakers brought to Australia by WIFT Australia: Sadie Plant, Research fellow at

Memberships Within Five Media Industry Organisations was presented to the Board’s April, 1995 face-to-face Melbourne meeting. 71 Report to WIFT Australia by the Executive Officer, November 24, 1995. 72 The OSW’s budget was cut by over 40% soon after the Howard government took office in 1996 and its grants program reduced from $1 million annually to $500,000 resulting in over 20 women's NGOs losing funding. 73 When the WIFT Australia Board cancelled the national conference to be staged in Queensland, it was replaced with Taking the Byte forums. Following their success it was decided to proceed with the national conference in Sydney 12 months later. Taking the conference away from Queensland added to the friction between Queensland, NSW and WIFT Australia. 80 the University of Warwick, U.K., Cybernetic Culture Research Unit74; and Beth Kennedy, Principal and CCO of the Los Angeles based Kaizen Heron Group which developed interactive multimedia software and CD-ROMs, as well as programming for the America On- line Entertainment channel.

The forums were attended by over 250 women throughout Australia and the international speakers were supported by local women working in new media technologies in their respective states. These forums were a major undertaking for WIFT Australia requiring the hiring of high end computers, modems, video projectors and Internet connections at each venue.

The success of the forums was also due to the fact that many of the leadership and main policy initiators in WIFT had professional expertise in the field of new technologies. Their enthusiasm and dedication were crucial to the growing groundswell of optimism and confidence within WIFT to undertake new technologies projects which built throughout 1994 and 1995, were fed by the establishment of email and webpages for the organisation in early 1996, culminating in the forums in late1996.

Following the success of the forums, work continued on a national conference which the AFC supported stating in a letter to the organisation:

We have decided that the area of women and technology requires critical focus and the proposed [WIFT Australia] conference is potentially an exciting way of addressing this. Further more [sic] it is quite clear that for WIFT Australia to operate effectively, the state WIFTs need to have access both to a national database and to one another. The National Communication Strategy will realise this goal (correspondence from H.G., AFC, 6.3.96).

The AFC offered WIFT Australia $10,000 to employ a conference administrator and to cover the venue deposit for the conference which took place in October 1997. It also provided funding for the National Communication Strategy75 but not for the proposed ‘WIFT on Disk’ national membership database or CD-ROM showcasing Australian women multimedia practitioners. These projects were proposed in the Impact of New Media Technologies (1995) research report and ratified by the board in April 1995. They remained priorities throughout

74 And subsequently author of Zeros + Ones: Digital Women + The New Technoculture (1997). 75 The purchase of modems and computers 81

WIFT Australia’s existence but were never realised due to the inability to attract funding, the high cost of producing the CD-ROM, and of the software package needed76. Five days after the AFC letter was written, there was a change in federal government and WIFT Australia became one of over 20 women's NGOs no longer funded when the OSW’s programs were restructured. Thus, WIFT Australia was never able to capitalise on the AFC’s focus.

Despite this major setback, WIFT Australia’s business plans continued to include a focus on ICTs as a key priority. The objectives for 1997 – 2000 included:

• Reviewing the impact of new media technologies on women working in the screen industries and on the representation of women in the converging screen environment; • The impact of new media technologies on women; and • The facilitation of information exchange between the members of WIFT Australia, government, the industry and the public.

In fact, evidence of WIFT Australia’s continuing commitment to establishing ICTs and championing of new media technologies is found repeatedly throughout its Newsletters, Presidents’ Reports to the AGMs, Teleconference Minutes and communications between delegates.

4.2.1.1 Evaluation of WIFT Australia Policies and Strategies: WIFT Australia recognised the importance of the new media technologies to filmmaking from its inception and remained steadfast in its commitment to encouraging women filmmakers to embrace them. But while indicative of its dedication to placing the new technologies firmly on the agenda for women filmmakers, the ultimate success of its endeavours vis-à-vis women filmmakers is difficult if not impossible to measure or assess and lies outside the scope of this study.

What can be assessed is WIFT Australia’s success or otherwise in following through on its policies and strategies and setting in place specific programs to aid the uptake of digital media technologies by women filmmakers.

76 The WIFT Australia E.O. reported that the Filemaker Pro software cost $999 (Teleconference Minutes, 19.2.97). 82

SUCCESSES: • WIFT Australia produced research into the impact of the new technologies vis-à-vis women which was distributed to government departments such as the OSW and AFC. Its research was used by the OSW in its publication Women's Involvement with Online and Interactive Content (1996a); • It achieved industry recognition for its commitment to ICTs; • It produced an Education Resource Kit (1995) from its research which was purchased by school and university libraries; • It was active and successful in informing women filmmakers of the new media technologies through its Taking the Byte forums conducted in four capital cities in 1996, its national conference Tools of the Trade in 1997 and in ongoing newsletter articles.

DISAPPOINTMENTS: • Its lobbying of government in the area of ICTS was limited; • Its production of policy documents and discussion papers for distribution to government and industry bodies as foreshadowed in the 1993/94 Annual Report concerning ICTs was limited77; • It was unsuccessful in obtaining representation on industry advisory boards (as proposed in the 1994/95 Annual Report) although it lobbied successfully for invitations to several industry forums78; • It was unable to produce any digital publications, such as the proposed WIFT on Disk;

77 Although it did in the areas of childcare, superannuation, the 1996 Gonski Review of Commonwealth Assistance to the Film Industry and the 1996 Mansfield Review of the ABC. Specifically it produced a Discussion Paper on childcare in the film industry (September 1993) and a report, Australian Film and Television Industry Childcare Strategy (June 1995), detailing available services, policy options and costs, and action strategies. In June 1996 posters and an information pamphlet The Ups and Downs of Child Care in the Film and Television Industry were launched, developed by the AFC and the MEAA, drawing on WIFT Australia’s work (Teleconference Minutes 20.1.95). WIFT Australia collaborated with the MEAA on a report to OSW on superannuation for the film and television industries. It made submissions to both the Gonski and the Mansfield Reviews. It issued a press release and sent letters to Senators Alston and Newman, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition concerning the Gonski Review recommendations (Teleconference Minutes 5.3.97) and organised board members’ attendance at the Gonksi Review forums in Sydney and Melbourne (Teleconference Minutes, 19.2.97). 78 Such as the 1995 AFC Screen Culture Sector Summit (Correspondence from Penny McDonald 6.9.95). The WIFT Australia E.O. met regularly with the Film Industry Production Group (Board Meeting Minutes October 1996: 4) and WIFT Australia was represented on the assessment panel for the Vocational Education and Training Board of proposed film courses (Wallace-Crabbe, Report to WIFT Australia December, 1996). 83

• It was not able to instigate any specific training programs despite several attempts to obtain funding and do so.

Most of these failures reflect an inability to access appropriate government or sponsorship funds early in the life of a new organisation. Later failures reflect the deliberate withdrawal of funds from many women's NGOs after the election of the federal coalition government in 1996. WIFT Australia was however, successful in establishing and utilising ICTs which is detailed in following sections.

4.2.2 WIFT International:

Participants in the earliest discussions about establishing WIFT International recognised that ICTs were going to be crucial. The US organisations had already established a chat room by 1994 and its cost and potential, along with the importance of other ICTs were discussed in a dedicated session at the International Co-ordinating Council Summit at Atlanta (ICC Minutes, 1994: 4). The1995 Washington Summit directed the ICC Task Force to ‘assess potential presence on and applications of the Internet’ (Fax from D.D. WIFT-Toronto 25.4.96) and at the 1996 Calgary Summit the Task Force objectives were reviewed and Internet communications became the foremost priority for WIFT International. Its mission ratified at the conference also included the goal to: ‘facilitate and encourage communication among Women in Film chapters and members throughout the world’ (ICC Minutes, 1996: 16). This reflected the concerns and priorities for the proposed international organisation minuted at the 1996 Conference, specifically:

Communication: information dissemination (among members, inter-chapter) Internet; International: networking (ICC Minutes, 1996: 6).

By 1996, ICTs were a key focus at Summits. Sessions were conducted on ‘Communications - Making the Internet Work for WIF Members’ and explored the possibilities of email, Bulletin Boards, News Groups, Listservs, webpages, and chat rooms. Web Slingers (a webpage design company) demonstrated how to search the web and provided information on the then leading edge technologies such as Java and ShockWave. Technical requirements and costings were detailed and how to produce effective websites explored. Two ‘International’ sessions explored how organisations could best utilise the Internet. 84

The New York Summit in 1997 not only included web demonstrations but used ICTs to stage a simultaneous ‘Virtual Conference’79 which enabled WIFT members from around the world to follow the daily conference proceedings, provide feedback via the Virtual Conference Bulletin Board; and directly participate in real time. Subsequent WIFT International Summits continued to include new technology sessions. The 1998 Summit in Los Angeles focused on Multimedia and on the Internet80, the 2000 conference in London on Webcasting, and the 2002 Conference in Jamaica provided a demonstration of the WIFT International On-line Master Screenwriting Course.

Simultaneously each successive conference refined the ICT focus for the organisation. The final WIFT International proposal document for the organisation included the directive to:

• Creat[e] a website that contains basic information about WIFTI, a calendar of events, a chapter contact directory, and links to appropriate sites. Eventually, a number of chat groups and discussion groups will be established to expand communication. A sponsor will be identified to create, host and maintain the WIFTI website.

The proposal document also included a directive to utilise fax, mail and telephone to meet the diverse communication needs of chapter members. This document (ratified by mid 1998) strongly endorsed the new technologies as the means to achieve the goals of WIFT International with recommendations integrated throughout the document. They included demands that:

• The Board of Directors hold a ‘live’ (phone or chat room) meeting once a month and continue to communicate with each other by email; • All member chapters have access to password protected areas of the website; • A database of WIFTI members be created; • A database of chapter contact information be created and maintained; • A quarterly newsletter be emailed to members; and • The WIFTI website be updated monthly and include posting of international and local events of interest to members.

From its genesis WIFT International recognised that the new technologies could assist in its establishment and mission. This commitment and interest was maintained throughout the pre- establishment phase as it adopted goals, proposals and initiatives to explore applications even

79 The Virtual Conference was initiated and produced by WIFT Queensland (detailed in a later section). 80 As early as the 1994 Atlanta Summit, WIFT Los Angeles stated it would include a new technologies session at its conference. 85 beyond the constraints of the Summits. It culminated in the formal integration of the use of ICTs into the mission, goals and governance procedures of the organisation. Reading the detailed minutes of successive Summit meetings during the 1990s is an interesting exercise; they map the unfolding history of digital technology and its terminology. These records leave no doubt that at the leadership level, women were becoming comfortable with cutting edge technology.

4.3 Network Establishment - Process and Challenges

4.3.1 WIFT Australia and the state organisations:

WIFT Australia preceded WIFT International by five years and had neither the expertise nor the resources available to the international organisation. Costs and lack of equipment impeded communications between it and the states throughout the early years and were significant impediments to establishing an ICT network. An audit in December 1995 showed a pitiful lack of appropriate resources: those state organisations with offices did not necessarily have their own phone line or fax; none had modems; and two states and the national office had no computers. With the exception of WIFT NSW, the states had obsolescent cast off computers and no-one knew if these were capable of running modems and the requisite software81. Moreover, the state organisations had only limited finances which they chose to allocate to servicing their membership. WIFT Australia was able to make a significant contribution to ICT infrastructure for the states providing computers and modems through an AFC Women's Program grant82 it obtained.

81 Pegasus (the WIFT Australia ISP) referred to the Macs as ‘ancient’ suggesting they were the cause of at least some of WIFT’s problems. 82 The AFC approved $5,000 in March 1996 for a National Communication Strategy Project to purchase computers for the two states without them and five modems but had insufficient funds to provide new computers for all states (Correspondence AFC 6.3.96). Western Australia’s President (a multimedia artist) declined the IBM offered pursuing other avenues to obtain a PowerMac (WIFT Australia April 1996 monthly report). Within filmmaking and multimedia circles there was no question that Apple computers were superior to IBMs pre windows and early Microsoft windows operating systems. WIFT Australia then had to renegotiate disbursement of the computers potentially jeopardising funding approval. Ultimately the second computer went to the national office. 86

But installing the new computers, modems, printers83 and associated software, installing and configuring the dial-in, email and web browser software; and mastering their use proved to be a major stumbling block due to a lack of technical expertise. This was exacerbated in the case of South Australia and Queensland84 by new IBM computers incorporating Microsoft’s change from a DOS operating system to a windows platform. Few people at the time even outside the WIFT organisation were familiar with setting up modems, with the complex PPP and SLP communication protocols; and with Windows95. State organisations on limited budgets were unable to pay for professional IT assistance and the AFC could only provide limited telephone support through one part-time Technical Support Officer85. Appendix B (Establishing a state email system) details how these problems manifested themselves in WIFT Queensland and the events there exemplify the other states’ experiences.

WomenZnet (WIFT Australia’s chosen ISP) also provided only limited technical support forcing WIFT Australia to call on members, friends, the AFC Technical Support Officer and contacts within AFTRS. So many people became involved that WomenZnet wrote to WIFT Australia stating they were no longer prepared to accept requests for technical assistance from a myriad of people; they would only deal with one nominated person; and stated:

I must emphasise that we do not support a whole organisation to learn to use an account...If you are making the account open to many users it is up to you to support them. We cannot be an online training service (Correspondence dated 13.7.96 from WomenZnet).

WIFT Queensland was the first state to come online in its own right although WIFT NSW had advertised the WIFT Australia email address as its contact email address in its Newsletter from the October/November 1996 edition onwards. It did not set up its own email account ([email protected]) until 1999, after the demise of WIFT Australia.

83 WIFT Australia encountered difficulties in networking its computer to WIFT NSW’s in order to share the one printer available. The AFC Technical Officer faxed a diagram explaining how to do this (Fax 12.7.96). WIFT Queensland also experienced problems with its new printer. 84 WIFT Queensland’s computer was provided by a Queensland Government Gaming Commission Community Development Fund grant. 85 Accessing this support required STD calls for all states bar NSW. Although announced in the July 1996 WIFT Australia Monthly Report that the AFC Technical Officer would be travelling to all the states in September/October and would assist any with problems, South Australia had not then received its computer and modem and Queensland, originally sent a Mac compatible modem, was still awaiting an IBM compatible modem. 87

WIFT Victoria did not establish its email address until after it withdrew from WIFT Australia notifying me (as then President of WIFT Australia) of its email address in early December 1997 ([email protected]). WIFT Western Australia relied on its delegates’ own personal email access to communicate with the national organisation, having foregone the offer of a computer from the AFC and never established a dedicated email account. Due to lack of funding and membership, it resigned from WIFT Australia and disbanded in February 1997 (WIFT Australia Teleconference Minutes 19.2.97).

South Australia did not establish a dedicated email address for the organisation until July 1997 ([email protected]), just a few months before WIFT Australia began to wind down. South Australian delegates were contactable via email through the Media Resource Centre in Adelaide prior to this. Ultimately it was not able to maintain an email address and Internet account for the organisation and as of October 1998, its email address listed on the WIFT Victoria webpage was c/- [email protected]. In August 1999 it began using a free hotmail account relying on this and its President’s work email address.

WIFT Queensland and South Australia were the only state organisations to establish email addresses for their organisations before the demise of WIFT Australia. But all states were eventually successful in coming online and were, thus, among the early adopters of this technology among Australian women's NGOs. Without WIFT Australia’s active encouragement, WIFT Queensland and the other states would not have established ICTs as early as they did.

Despite WIFT Australia promoting the establishment of an ICT network and taking responsibility for its establishment, the states not only had to organise insurance, install new computers (or themselves obtain updated computers), install modems and the accompanying communications software, obtain their own ISP accounts, install the dial-in software and establish email themselves, they had to do this with only minimal technical support86.

The whole saga is almost amusing in hindsight (refer Appendix C: Establishing a National

86 WIFT Australia approached Lyn Rainforest, head of the OSW Taskforce on Women and New Technologies regarding the provision of IT training and support but OSW was unable to offer funding (E.O. fax to delegates 23.2.96). It also sought funding from OSW in 1996 to become a co-ordinating body for training women in new technologies and discussed with AIMIA establishing multimedia training for women but ultimately was unable to even provide basic support to the states in establishing ICTs. 88

Email System). Many of the problems, however, could have been avoided with 24/7 access to quality technical advice prepared to work within the limitations imposed by a mix of platforms (MacIntosh and PC) and computers ranging from the ancient to the brand new. Unfortunately, the usual solution offered by technical consultants was simply to buy the latest software and ditch the ‘ancient’ computers demonstrating a total lack of understanding of the operating realities for funding challenged NGOs.

‘Going on-line’ proved to be a particularly difficult exercise but for WIFT Australia and the states their greatest challenges lay ahead.

4.3.2 WIFT International:

Despite lack of funding, the International Coordinating Council Task Force had endeavoured to conduct meetings electronically from its inception but only managed to hold three meetings in 1994 and 1995 (ICC Minutes, 1996: 5). Nonetheless in its Progress Report to the 1996 ICC Summit in Calgary, Canada, the Task Force announced that they had set up a ‘chat box’ with America Online to enable discussions between the various WIFTs, but reported it had become very expensive to maintain accounts for all chapters (ICC Minutes, 1996: 6). Accordingly the Task Force continued to explore less expensive options for conducting meetings via the Internet.

In July 1997 B.B., who had taken on the role of Communications officer and webpage designer, emailed Task Force members enthusiastically advocating the use of chat rooms87. She advised that she would be approaching WIFT Los Angeles to host the chat room on their site as WIFTI did not have a website at that point88. Ultimately she was unsuccessful as while the WIFT Los Angeles’ site host Earthlink were happy to sponsor the WIFT Los Angeles’

87 Stating: I have found two good software packages (freeware) that will allow us to hold our board meetings online. “ichat" from Acquity and "pal" from Excite. She then requested computer, modem speed and software details from delegates (email 20.7.97). 88 I offered to establish an email discussion list for WIFT International through an Australian host such as WomenZnet. However in May 1998 the Board decided to add this to the features they were negotiating with Earthlink to be provided on the WIFT International website (WIFT International Minutes 15.9.98). When negotiations with Earthlink were unproductive and I was unable to obtain Australian sponsorship, this idea was shelved. 89 website, they were less enthusiastic about setting up a chatroom on that site for a yet to be incorporated and nebulous international organisation.

4.3.2.1 THE FIRST CLASS SYSTEM: Following the September 1997 WIFT International Summit, WIFTI chose the ‘First Class System’ software rather than the ‘ichat’ or ‘pal’ freeware programs given the promise of technical support from the Audio Visual Centre, University College, Dublin, through WIFT International’s Ireland Co-host chapter. The First Class System was a Bulletin Board and communications system that enabled on-line, real-time 'chat'.

Despite the promised technical assistance, after 10 months (as of July 1998), there were still only four Board members89 who had managed to get on the First Class System. The situation had not improved by October 1998, the whole process was proving to be too difficult, and the decision was made to discontinue and explore other Internet communication options.

The difficulties lay not only in lack of technical support but as Laurel Guymer, in CyberFeminism warns, with the First Class System ‘technological assistance, plenty of training and time are needed’ (1999: 55). She used it when teaching women's studies at an Australian university and found from student evaluations that it was clear ‘connecting to the First Class conference sites can be intensely difficult…[and]…considerable tenacity is required in order to become involved’ (1999: 56).

My own recollections as a Board member of WIFT International are that I found the whole process time consuming and frustrating. Despite replying immediately to a fax requesting my computer details, I still had not received a response over two months later. When I emailed WIFT Ireland they discovered that the University had been waiting for a response from another Board member before entering us both on the system at the same time. Ultimately, I never used it as just as I was placed on the system, the board decided against persevering any longer with it.

The entire time I was trying to get onto the First Class System, even with my knowledge of ICTs, I had no idea what the First Class System was and despite directly asking I never

89 Myself, the U.K., Florida, and Washington members. 90 received a satisfactory explanation. Even after I was notified that I was on the system, I wasn’t given any instructions as to how to connect to the system or use it.

Before attempting such technology, reliable and comprehensive technical support is required, explanations as to what the software is and how it will work are needed and someone given responsibility for ensuring it is all happening.

As the Democracy at Work report points out:

Just as there are proven strategies that work for certain types of organizations, there are certain combinations of technology tools that appear to work best for certain types of nonprofits. There is still considerable debate about which tools are most effective for nonprofits active in public policy roles, particularly the relative advantages of Web-based versus e-mail discussion tools (OMB Watch, 1998).

4.3.2.2 YAHOO! CLUBS: Although WIFTI still did not have its own website, B.B. continued her efforts suggesting in November 1998 that WIFTI use Yahoo! Clubs for online meetings as it could then use the Yahoo website (email from B.B. 29.11.98). Yahoo! Clubs provided several features that WIFTI needed such as messaging, chat, calendar and security excluding anyone other than those formally listed from entering the site. With the Board’s endorsement B.B. proceeded with Yahoo! Clubs.

Once again I found this to be a tortuous process due to problems with the Yahoo clubs setup. Despite being officially registered on the site, each time I attempted entry I received an ‘unauthorised to enter’ message. After several emails to both B.B. and Yahoo! Clubs, attempting the several solutions offered by both parties, and the reissue of my authorisation, Yahoo fixed the problem and I finally gained entry to the site on the 22nd January. At that time only three other Board members had managed to gain entry.

In January 1999 B.B. emailed the Board (11.1.99) stating that she understood some Board members had had problems trying to access Yahoo clubs but to keep persevering. By January 28, five Board members had gained entry to the site. However, invitations expired after 30 days and had to be reissued. Once again several Board members (myself included) experienced problems. Ultimately no Board meetings ever took place via Yahoo! Clubs 91 because not all Board members managed to gain entry and many Board members were too busy to sort out the site entry problems each time a Board meeting was called.

Ultimately I only visited the Yahoo site twice as both times nothing was happening. But given the time differences, and the fact that the chatroom had been meant for board meetings rather than ongoing chats, this was not unexpected.

POSTSCRIPT: Having established its own website in June 2000, WIFT International was finally successful in establishing two chat rooms on that site (http://www.wifti.org) in August 2000. One was open to anyone who wished to participate and the other restricted to Board members only.

The amount of time wasted attempting to establish a succession of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) systems, the protracted and frustrating nature of the process and the myriad of problems encountered in attempting to use them, beggared belief. Rather than enhancing communication, this impinged on the time available to busy Board members for WIFT International business and thus had a negative effect on the establishment of the organisation.

Much of the problem can be blamed on a complicated technology which was not very user friendly and was still not trouble free several years later (as WIFT Queensland discovered). Without a compelling reason to do so, few volunteer run Nonprofit organisations would wish to or have the resources to persevere with such technology, as has proven to be the case90.

Nonetheless, WIFT International did not have to establish its own computing infrastructure or email relying instead on board members’ access. Its only technological challenge was to establish a webpage and a method of conducting online meetings. Yet it still took three years to create the chat room and five years to establish a dedicated website from when it was first mooted in 1995. This makes WIFT Australia’s efforts in exploring ICTs and making as few mistakes as it did, a tribute to all concerned, especially as it had to establish a communications infrastructure and had far less resources to call upon.

90 As of June 2000 only one Australian Peak Women's NGO had used web based communications for Board meetings (cf., Chapter 6). 92

Ultimately I believe WIFT International had little choice but to persevere with IRC. It could not know that the process would be so complicated or protracted. Nor could it wait for the technology to become more user friendly. It either had to raise significant funding or sponsorship for international teleconferencing or make the web technology work. What can be learned is that ad hoc part time co-ordination does not work. Someone is needed with dedicated commitment to co-ordinate the process with significant technical support to avoid misdirected energy and time wasting mistakes. This is not to demean B.B’s efforts. She took on a complex project with minimal support that no-one else was keen to accept and devoted as much time as she could to it. And this is the reality of how NGOs work. Unfortunately this is particularly disadvantageous in the technology arena.

4.4 Webpage Establishment:

4.4.1 WIFT Australia

WIFT Australia had a web presence almost from the inception of the World Wide Web. Its first webpage, established in 1994 by the Victorian delegates to WIFT Australia, was hosted through Information Technology Services at Deakin University as a link on the WIFT Victoria webpage. This page, as with most webpages at that time, contained only general information on the organisation, was very basic in its layout and design, and comprised text only. Nonetheless, this was a considerable achievement given that even at the end of 1996 there were estimated to be only 250,000 sites on the entire web having grown from just 130 in 1993 (Macworld Magazine January, 1997).

Of the five other largest WIFT chapters throughout the world: WIFT Toronto and WIFT LA had websites up by 1996; New York’s was in development throughout 1996 going up in 1997; WIFT Washington did not get its website up until 1998; and WIFT U.K. did not establish a website until 2000.

By April 1995 the WIFT Australia Board felt its original page needed a revamp given the rapid 93 advancements in web technology and that it needed its own page independent of Deakin University. In June 1995, before WIFT Australia could act, it received the welcome news that it was one of 29 screen culture organisations to receive seed funding of $586 to establish a website to be linked to or hosted at the AFC site. The AFC had commissioned a report to develop ‘a strategy and critical path for effective interlinking of agencies within the film industry, using the Internet and WWW’91. Delivery of the home page and grant acquittal was to be effected by February 28, 1996.

The sum allocated by the AFC was insufficient to employ a professional webpage or graphic designer nor develop any more than a basic home page92. Fortunately the Queensland state president had the requisite skills93.

The bulk of the money provided by the AFC went towards translating the WIFT Australia and state logos into gif format (Acquittal Report 28.2.1996)94. The remainder of the grant was expended on disk, postage, telephone and fax costs. The design was limited by the strict technical specifications imposed by the AFC detailed in a four page memo. These included the stipulation that home pages were not to exceed one high density floppy disk in size (ie 1.4Mb). Forms could not be accommodated and sounds, image maps and moving images could only be sent on the understanding that there was no guarantee they would be included (AFC correspondence 12.12.95). Finally the content could only be updated every six months. Despite these limitations it was still possible to produce an informative and visually interesting webpage.

The webpage was lodged with the AFC by the due date but not launched until Friday 21 June 199695, four months later96. This meant some information was dated before it actually went up and within three months of the site’s launch WIFT Australia wrote to the AFC (25.9.96) notifying that it wished to update the content of its webpage which was now seven months old.

91 Correspondence from Howard Amos to WIFT Australia 17.8.95. 92 Australia On Line quoted $100 for a basic text page; “$2000 for design and concept where the site will be approximately 10 pages, or $35,000 for a complex site” (30.1.96). 93 I had undertaken a html course at Griffith University in 1995. 94 This had presented a major problem given most organisations even in the business sector were still using logos on transparencies, bromides or photographic plates and scanners were rare. 95 The AFC had established its own web site in November 1995. 96 http://www.afc.gov.au/www/sco/frames.html 94

While WIFT Australia had been waiting for the AFC page to go up WIFT Victoria provided a WIFT Australia webpage linked to its page on the Cinemedia’s website (http://www.cinemedia.net/wift) (WIFT Australia May 1996 Monthly report)97.

WIFT Australia also sought to establish a domain name and made enquiries regarding this towards the end of 1996. This would have ensured that no other entity could register a site using the organisation’s name. It would also have avoided a long, difficult to remember and type URL (incorporating the host site’s URL) and the necessity of changing the organisation’s URL whenever there was a change in website host (ie., moving from the Deakin to AFC site). The costs, however, of establishing a domain name proved to be expensive. Australia On Line in January 1996 quoted $250 as an establishment fee and as it was felt that there was probably little chance of anyone wishing to adopt the domain name of ‘WIFT’, the decision was made not to proceed at that time.

It was never foreseen, however, that WIFT Australia would become inactive and WIFT NSW would establish its domain name as www.wift.org (rather than ‘wiftnsw.org’). NSW has thus taken ownership of the WIFT domain name for its, rather than any future national organisation’s, use. Moreover, by not including ‘NSW’ in its URL, it gives the impression that it is indeed a national rather than state organisation. Finally its url is almost identical to that of WIFT International (http://www.wifti.org) which is confusing.

WIFT Australia also explored the possibility of hosting its own website to enable it to do more than simply post information about the organisation. However, it discovered that even the cheapest option available was beyond its resources98. Accordingly in April 1996 it submitted a

97 This remained active after the new AFC site was online and was still publicised in the WIFT Australia Newsletter of July 1997. WIFT Australia did contact Deakin University on the 7th August, 1996 requesting its former page be removed and a link put in place to the Cinemedia site which was achieved by September, 1996 (Teleconference minutes 3.9.96). Some claimed this gave the impression that WIFT Victoria was the only WIFT organisation in Australia while WIFT Victoria claimed it had lost the prominence it had previously had on the AFC webpage (Interview – L.Mc. NSW delegate, March 2000). 98 Australia On Line offered a choice of a corporate domain for a $250 establishment and maintenance fee plus $500 for the first Mb and $500 for the next 20Mb; or shared hosting facilities for a $150 annual fee with $250 for first Mb and $250 for the next 20Mb. The Internet connection fees associated with servicing an independent website for a permanent Internet connection via modem cost $3000 per year; the cost of the modem; and a $700 port charge. Alternatively a permanent Internet connection via ISDN cost $3000 establishment fee, $9000 Internet access charge plus applicable Telecom ISDN fees, the cost of a modem and a $700 port charge. For Dial up ISDN access the charges were $300 establishment fee, 95 funding application to the AFC’s Industry and Cultural Development New Players Fund99 requesting $9,890 to host its own website. The funding application envisaged the website would include:

• On-line interviews of high profile women in the industry; • A networking and employment service to enable women to list their services and display short clips of their work; • Online Surveys; • Chat Rooms to discuss current topical issues; and • Links to overseas WIFTs.

It was also envisaged that income could be generated through the marketing of reports, resource kits, etc. This application was rejected in May 1996 (WIFT Australia May 1996 Monthly report) but demonstrates the proactive stance of the organisation towards harnessing web technologies to provide a better service to their members and promote and expand the organisation’s activities.

In April 1998 the Screen Network of Australia website was established as a portal providing information about the Australian film and television industry ‘in all its aspects’ and providing ‘a single entry point to the Internet resources of industry institutions, agencies, organisations, associations and numerous sites providing online information resources for and about the Australian screen industries’ (Langmead, email to WIFT Australia, 6.2.98)100. WIFT Australia was invited to provide a webpage for free inclusion on the site which it did.

Overall WIFT Australia’s experience in establishing webpages was positive through the good fortune of in-house design skills, AFC assistance and its inclusion in government sponsored host sites such as the AFC, Screen Network of Australia, and Cinemedia sites. That was tempered by not achieving anything beyond a basic ‘brochure’ style page which precluded using its webpages to advertise upcoming events, current organisation news, lobbying campaigns, advertising jobs or more technologically advanced features such as Bulletin Boards, IRC, etc.

an annual connect fee of $2,200, an annual fixed bulk traffic charge of $500 for 1 hour per day access, additional hours charged for at $9 per hour. 99 The ICD objectives included the mission “to increase the participation of women in all areas of film, video and television production”. Full details available: (http://www.afc.gov.au:80/about/corpora/annrep/ar94_95/9_icd.html accessed 1.10.99). 100 This was a Federal Government Australian Cultural Network (ACN) initiative managed by a project team from the AFC, ABC, AFTRS and the National Film and Sound Archive. 96

4.4.2 State WIFT organisations

Queensland obtained a webpage through the WIFT Australia AFC hosted website (as did the other state organisations) in June 1996 which gave the organisation an early presence on the web.

It obtained a second web presence in June 1997 on the Queensland State Library site through the Community Web Publishing Project, an initiative to promote the cultural sector and community groups in Brisbane.

This only came about through serendipity when I found the state library website and its project while surfing the web. Despite holding many film screenings and forums there, WIFT Queensland had not been approached for inclusion on the website101. It also took repeated attempts to get a response from the state library to my enquiries regarding inclusion on the site thus highlighting the need for administrative backup for new technology projects.

The State Library did not provide funding for the preparation of the webpage so WIFT Queensland’s part-time project officer at the time (A.L.) designed the page with input from the President (myself). Her web authoring and design skills went beyond my basic skills and enabled WIFT Queensland to build a webpage utilising the latest graphic design features and free of the technical limitations imposed on the AFC linked page. However, the design with its Kewpie Dolls on a blue bubble wrap background did not reproduce very satisfactorily when printed, and the point of using Kewpie Dolls was lost on all but the designer. With slight alterations to enable better printed reproduction, the webpage went up on the website in early June 1997 (http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/cwpp/WIFT/) (email from State Library of Queensland 6.6.97) and remained up until 1999. This also gave WIFT Queensland an up-to-date page to link to the temporary WIFT International website in 1997 (http://www.aproposmedia.com/WIFT I/htms//WIFTIhome.htm) and to the WIFT Los Angeles page in 1998.

A third webpage established by WIFT Queensland (http://www.wiftqld.org.au) was officially launched in November 1999; its development and design was facilitated by a $5,000 grant from the Pacific Film and Television Corporation via QPIX (the Queensland Screen Resource

101 All Australian WIFTs had to continually fight for inclusion in industry and cultural sector activities being consistently overlooked irrespective of continuing trying to raise their profile. 97

Centre) and enabled WIFT Queensland to contract the professional designers ‘Exclaim’. This was the most complex of the WIFT Queensland’s webpages; included sub-pages (‘About WIFT Queensland’, ‘Production & Seminars’, ‘Membership’ and various links), and also incorporated a Queensland Screen industry Chat Room feature. Accordingly, an online chat ‘How to break into the Film and Television Industry’ was conducted to launch the site on the 24th November, 1999 (email from S.G. 22.11.99). This page was later linked to the QPIX page giving WIFT Queensland a fourth web presence.

Thus, WIFT Queensland had a presence in the local and state, cultural and film industry arena through the State Library and QPIX pages and the wider Australian film and television industry through the WIFT Australia page on the AFC and Screen Australia Network sites.

Three different (content and design) Webpages on four different sites was a significant achievement for an organisation with limited financial and technical resources102.

4.4.2.1 The WIFT International Virtual Conference: The major achievement for WIFT Queensland was its organising and hosting of the WIFT International Virtual Conference in conjunction with the WIFT International conference held in New York in 1997 (Conference address: http://www.womenz.net.au/~wiftqld). This again was only possible because of the in-house technical expertise available, and the sponsorship WIFT Queensland obtained from WomenZnet103.

The virtual conference was important because not only did it empower WIFT Queensland, giving it confidence with web technologies and international recognition, it also empowered WIFT International in the eyes of its chapter members throughout the world and:

• It showed women in control of the technology; • It was a major boost to morale for the international organisation; • It made women feel empowered enough to venture into technology beyond email; • It empowered women in relative isolation; and • It helped raise the profile of the international organisation.

102 Even in 2000 the majority of Australian women's NGO‘s did not have web pages (cf., Chapter 6) and in 2003, less than 50% of WIFT International chapters had web pages. 103 However, when later approached, WomenZnet/Pegasus was unwilling to sponsor Internet or email access for WIFT Queensland or an email list for WIFT International. 98

The WIFT International Virtual Conference site consisted of:

• An introduction to the conference; • Agenda; • Chapter Listings; • List of delegates attending the conference; • A Journal of proceedings updated daily; • Proposals put forward at the conference; • List of sponsors; and • List of the Virtual Summit Team.

Active participation in the international conference was also available to virtual attendees via an email list for messages to and from the conference, and a Bulletin Board, which enabled discussion of conference proceedings.

Overall the virtual conference site was very successful, particularly as a means of disseminating information about the conference in general and through the daily journal summary of the specific issues and business before the conference delegates. This assessment is supported by, for example, the email received from a Canadian delegate to the conference congratulating the site developers and stating she had been ‘using the website as a way of disseminating Summit info to Vancouver WIFT members who could not attend the conference’ (forwarded in email from A.L. 24.9.97). The Executive Director of the New York conference also emailed WIFT Queensland stating:

I am writing to thank you for all your hard work in establishing the Website at the recent 1997 Women in Film and Television International Summit. It was a tremendous success and highly praised by many of the delegates in their evaluation forms. We visited it live on a large screen during the New Technology Lunch and everyone enjoyed the moving icons and the lay-out (email from T.L., Executive Director, WIFT International Conference New York, 5.10.97).

Aspects of the site that required active participation (eg., the mailing list, and the Bulletin Board), however, received only limited postings throughout the conference. Several factors contributed to this including a general unfamiliarity with chat technology, lack of time on the part of busy professional women, and lack of lead time to publicise the virtual conference site. From the acceptance of WIFT Queensland’s proposal (4th September), there was less than two weeks until the start of the conference.

Similarly the live netcast104 of the WIFT International conference (not organised by WIFT Queensland) also had limited success. One problem was the myriad of time zones of potential participants spread throughout the world: 11 am in New York, the scheduled start time, was 2am in Australia, a definite disincentive to live participation105. Another key problem was the complexity of connecting to the netcast106.

The limited response to the website’s interactive features is not surprising. The experiences of other groups attempting similar things through webpages for conferences has shown that WIFT’s experience was not unique. Simply providing the opportunity afforded by the technology does not immediately translate into mass takeup. For example, Christina, Executive Officer for the Australian Women’s Constitutional Convention stated:

We tried to be as web oriented as possible for the women's constitutional convention [and had set] up a web forum/message board...to enable women all over the country to discuss the issues as that arose and feed back into the conference. The hurdle we came up against was that so many of the women we were targeting didn’t seem to feel confident in using the forum. They logged on and had a look, but didn’t want to say anything. This wasn’t because they had nothing to say, my speculation is that they felt intimidated by something they hadn’t had too much experience with...We uploaded all papers delivered as soon as they were delivered in real time, but this didn’t encourage chat. We know that the site was accessed and still is in a big way. We have many people using the papers to study etc, but somehow they couldn’t bring themselves to comment or dissent etc. (email 7.8.98).

Similarly the Australian Women's Online Week national forums held in the first week of November 1999 had very limited participation and discussion of the issues, even with significant publicity to women's organisations and women's email lists, government organisations and throughout academia in the lead up to the event. In many sessions there were only one or two participants who were not actual presenters. However, lack of

104 enabling women from around the world to see and talk (live audio as opposed to keyboard “chat”) to conference attendees live. 105 As far as I have been able to ascertain, there were no participants from Australia. 106 I myself was unable to set everything up successfully in the time available. M.Show client software had to be downloaded and installed. Access to a pc (not a mac), a 28.8 kbs modem (as opposed to the 14.4 kbs then more readily available), a speaker phone (not readily available at that time as WIFT Queensland discovered when organising participation in WIFT Australia teleconferences), up-to-date browser software, and an Internet provider other than America on Line (whose firewalls precluded participation). One connected to the website and to a teleconference phone number for the audio portion of the show simultaneously requiring access to two telephone lines. Any queries required 12 hour for responses due to time differences between New York and Australia. 100 participation could have been due to the fact the forums were fraught with technical difficulties107.

Following the success of the virtual conference, WIFT Queensland offered to organise a virtual conference for the WIFT Australia 1997 national conference Tools of the Trade. It was prepared to do this at no cost to WIFT Australia, donating the time of its Project Officer to design, set up and maintain the site throughout the conference (email to WIFT Australia from A.L. 25.9.02). This, however, did not eventuate. The conference organisers in Sydney were not particularly enthusiastic, there was no money for high end computers to run the site at the Sydney end and little time to organise sponsorship. Finally relations between WIFT Queensland and WIFT Australia began to deteriorate principally over concerns regarding the financing of the conference and the Venus Awards which led to WIFT Queensland withdrawing from WIFT Australia thus terminating the project.

Nonetheless, the WIFT International virtual conference was an overall impressive achievement for WIFT Queensland in the utilisation of web technologies and more so given none of the other states undertook any similar projects. Moreover, WIFT Western Australia and South Australia never achieved web presences apart from the WIFT Australia AFC hosted webpage and listings on their respective State Film bodies’ webpages. NSW took until 2002 to achieve an independent webpage for the organisation when it established its own domain name and website (http://www.wift.org). And while WIFT Victoria had a webpage from the earliest days of the web hosted through Deakin University, a webpage from September 1996 through Cinemedia (email from R.W. 19.1.00), as well as a web presence through VICNET which hosted webpages for Victorian arts organisations, it did not undertake any web based projects.

4.4.3 Webpage Establishment: WIFT International

Establishing Internet communications and a website for WIFT International was a vexed, protracted process.

107 I participated in several sessions but for the session in which I was a panel member, I was only able to post a discussion starter, hours later a response, and was unable for the rest of the time to connect to the forum. While part of the problem lay with the forum, QUT’s server went down during my session as well, illustrating the perils of digital communications. 101

As is often the case, obtaining funds for an international organisation is even more difficult than finding money for locally based initiatives. In its establishment phase funds were particularly scarce and the new organisation had to glean what it could from whatever source was available with the proviso it could not poach any chapter’s existing funding or sponsorships108.

At the 1996 ICC Conference, WIFT New York offered to provide a brief description of WIFTI and its objectives on its own website. It also listed WIFTI affiliated chapters along with links to their sites (ICC Minutes, 1996: 6). WIFT Los Angeles also offered ‘to make provision for other chapters to send information electronically for inclusion on our website under other chapter news’ (ICC Minutes, 1996: 13) and repeated its offer to chapters at the 1997 conference.

Individual chapters, however, were cautious about these webpages. At the 1996 Summit delegates had discussed concerns they had regarding the Internet. These included the issues of:

• what content should be placed on a website, since chapters provided newsletters as a membership privilege or sold them to help fund their organisation109.; • the cost of maintaining up-to-date information on a website; and • the resources need to respond to inquiries (ICC Minutes, 1996: 6).

Consequently, it was decided that ‘steps to provide information regarding various chapters will be taken slowly to monitor time and cost’ (ICC Minutes, 1996: 6)110.

When I interviewed the Executive Director (Kate Norrish) and Administrator (Donna Coyle) of WIFT U.K. (personal interview London 2.7.99) they said a website would be needed ‘eventually’ but they wanted to get it right and were still exploring the issues. Accordingly they

108 As of July 1999 only three chapters had sent membership dues to WIFTI: New York; Washington D.C.; and Italy. WIFTI received some sponsorship such as Kodak’s staging of an annual Cocktail Reception at Cannes but no cash funding during its establishment phase. All expenses were met by Board members personally or carried by host chapters (Ireland and Los Angeles). 109 A concern also shared by the Australian WIFT organisations (Refer Chapter 7). 110 WIFTI now places its newsletters on its website to save the otherwise prohibitive cost of worldwide distribution. However, with advances in web technology unavailable to WIFT Australia and Queensland when establishing websites, it can offer password protected members only areas on its site. As WIFTI’s membership consists of WIFT organisations and not individuals it also need not concern itself unduly with lack of universal access. 102 emailed WIFTs throughout the world, (Australia included), requesting URLs to check what others were doing with their websites.

They believed the most obvious uses for a website would be to advertise a monthly calendar of events, incorporate a directory of members with the necessary details to enable bona-fide film industry personnel to make contact, provide areas for networking, and a job noticeboard. They were also considering provision to join or renew memberships online.

However, all these features would require constant updating and ongoing supervision for which they did not have the financial or human resources. They had also not ascertained if the U.K. Data Protection Act would allow them to place the Directory on the website. The legal advice regarding several of these features, security measures and firewalls made it an expensive undertaking. A further concern was that they would be taking on trust that those joining the organisation were in fact female and were concerned that placing the Directory of members online could leave their members open to sexual harassment111.

Finally, before ceasing their regular mailouts, which kept members in touch with the organisation without having to actively do anything, they needed to be convinced that busy professional women would check the website regularly. If not it could result in less patronage of their functions and a drop in membership as members lost touch with the organisation.

Another concern was the number of enquires webpages generated.

The key is how to use a website effectively for us and our members so that we don’t end up dealing with a lot of junk enquiries at the expense of paid up members. The other problem is if you ignore those requests it can do more harm than good when those women get to the point of breaking into the industry and then look at joining WIFT. You can’t ignore your potential constituency but in the interim we do not have the resources to

111 There is a myth that gender disappears in cyberspace. Nothing could be further from the truth as many women using the new technology attest. Cases of sexual harassment, cyberstalking and even virtual ‘rape’ are well documented (OSW (c) 1996; MacKinnon, 1997; Dibbell, 1997), as are cases where such online behaviour has been extended into the physical domain (The Weekend Australian, 1999, July 24-25) hence WIFT U.K.’s concern. Simply subscribing to a feminist email list can result in online sexual harassment, threats and cyber flaming AND offline harassment including complaints to one’s employers! (Refer Appendix L for examples of the experiences of Australian women subscribed to Ausfem Polnet, listed on the Women's Electoral Lobby homepage etc., and Chapter 1 for further discussion of these issues). This problem has impacted on women's uptake of these technologies (OSW (c) 1996). 103

deal with it. You can’t keep saying to people, we can’t deal with you (Norrish, personal interview London 2.7.99).

Thus, they firmly believed that before establishing a webpage they needed to carefully consider why they were doing so, how best to use it and what the benefits to the organisation and membership might be. In the interim they could not see the point of putting up a webpage with limited information, simply in order to have one (personal interview London 2.7.99).

Ultimately WIFT U.K. established a website in 2000, the major catalyst being its hosting of the 2000 WIFT International Conference. It obtained a sponsor for the page and legal sponsorship for the webpage terms and conditions, privacy policy and site hosting contract. The site contains a listing of upcoming events, information about the organisation and membership benefits, membership forms, archives, contact details for the organisation, links to other WIFTs, a public listing of members (who wish to be included) and a private listing for members only.

For WIFT International, inclusion on the New York and Los Angeles webpages gave it a web presence and helped publicise its advent. However, in August 1997 just prior to the New York conference, a more detailed webpage was also established at http://www.aproposmedia.com/WIFTI/htms/ WIFTIhome.htm (email from B.B. 26.8.97) provided free of charge by B.B.112 through her own company. Its chief advantage was enabling the board to directly control the information on the page rather than relying on third parties to update, interpret and present content.

WIFT Queensland also offered to design a webpage and maintain the content at no cost if WIFT International could provide a suitable host site. This offer was never taken up primarily because of the protracted process WIFT International underwent in trying to obtain a suitable web host.

B.B. also entered into negotiations with the WIFT LA website sponsor to host a WIFT International page notifying the Board:

I have established contact w/ L.S. from WIF LA and will be working with her to move the [WIFTI] website to Earthlink and to add two key features: a chat space in which we can

112 The board member with responsibility for webpage establishment. 104

conduct meetings, and a bulletin board where we can post and retrieve documents. Both of these areas will be password protected, while the entire site will be available to the masses. I’m hoping to implement these features by Oct.1! (26.8.97 email to Board).

Negotiations with Earthlink were unsuccessful but in the interim, the format of and information WIFT LA had placed on its website regarding WIFT International gave the impression, in the view of some Board members, that WIFT International was a part of WIFT LA. WIFT LA refuted this but consequently WIFT International decided that rather than piggy-backing on any other chapter’s site, it would establish its own autonomous website and build an independent image for the organisation113.

From the end of January 1999 the Apropos Media webpage was no longer updated as the organisation moved to establish its own permanent site in June 2000. At the end of 2002, WIFT International still had no sponsor for the website although it did have sponsors for the organisation and its events. Lack of funds, difficulty in finding sponsors (that did not impinge on any chapter’s existing sponsorship arrangements), and the fact that the organisation itself was still in the process of incorporating, were factors in the long lead time in establishing a website. As of February 2003, 19 of 39 WIFTI chapters (48.7%) have a website.

The whole process of early uptake was problematic for the WIFT organisations. The fact that the technology was still in early stages of evolution with incompatible platforms, operating systems, communication protocols and hardware meant that more time was spent addressing the technological problems than using the technology itself. The hyperbole surrounding the technology made it difficult to determine realistic outcomes and benefits, while the plethora of new terminology and opaque technical jargon added to the confusion. At best, over these early years the benefits of ICTs were limited and more or less cancelled out by the cost and difficulty of usage. But one salient point does emerge: women proved themselves able to appropriate the technology for their own purposes early in the piece and despite considerable difficulties. This has created a reservoir of expectation and expertise which will bear fruit in the future. --- o0o ---

113 The same situation occurred in 1996 when WIFT NSW claimed the link on WIFT Victoria’s web page to WIFT Australia gave the impression that it was an offshoot of WIFT Victoria. In both cases the situation was resolved amicably but underlines the necessity for care in webpage design and wording of links. 105

CHAPTER 5: WIFT AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND AND INTERNATIONAL, ICT USAGE, CASE STUDY (PART 2)

Introduction

This chapter comprises the second part of the WIFT Australia, WIFT Queensland and WIFT International case study and details the actual usage made of ICTs by the three WIFT organisations. It concludes with an overview of the benefits derived by the organisations from their access to and use of these technologies.

5.1 Overview of WIFT Australia’s ICT Usage

WIFT Australia established an Internet access account in March 1996 and cancelled it on the 2nd December, 1997114. During this time its Internet and email use was minimal. It never used its full 20 hours access per month115, only averaging just over two hours per week116. It did not even use all of its opening credits117 and had 98 minutes remaining when the account was closed118 even though monthly access credits were non-cumulative. WIFT Australia was never charged fees for excess access time, storage or volume even though sharing its account with WIFT NSW.

114 WomenZnet/Pegasus claimed it had no record of this and the account had to be cancelled again in February, 1998. 115 Unfortunately connection times give no indication of actual usage. They do not indicate whether people remained connected while they performed other duties; whether emails were read and composed online or offline and there is also no way of ascertaining how long was spent using email as opposed to the World Wide Web. Additionally, WIFT NSW shared WIFT Australia’s email account, thus connection times actually represent two organisation’s usage with no breakdown available. Given the unauthorised use of the account (see following footnote), connection times don’t represent exclusively official use, a fact reinforced by WomenZnet’s letter of 13 July 1996. 116 The highest usage was 14 hours 19 minutes for March 1997, the average being 10 hours 39 minutes per month. The only time WIFT Australia exceeded its monthly access limit was in July 1996 when the organisation notched up 24 hours 16 minutes connection time, 23 hours of which occurred over one weekend and believed due to unauthorised access. Even in October 1997, the month of the national conference (Tools of the Trade) and Venus awards when it could be expected that email traffic would be elevated, only 11 hours 55 mins access were used. 117 WomenZnet’s Internet package included a joining credit of 300 minutes access. 118 This is perhaps why Womenznet allowed emails to go through to mid 1999 after the account had been closed. 106

The following factors contributed to this limited use and demonstrate the impact of organisational factors and the socio-cultural and political context, especially the lack of universal access in the broader sphere:

• None of the state WIFTs established email during 1996119, none were online for the entire period WIFT Australia was connected in 1997; and overall they made little use of email at this time120.

• Just as WIFT Australia established email, WIFT Queensland withdrew from WIFT Australia (rejoining in August). The resolution of this situation became the focus of delegates’ energies along with the challenges presented by the new Howard government (elected 11.3.96) particularly the threat of loss of funding and its systematic attack on the legitimacy of federally funded peak NGOs (cf. Melville, 2003).

• WIFT Australia experienced considerable technical problems with its Internet access causing WomenZnet to restart the account in July (email to WIFT Australia 20.6.96). These problems continued through to October, 1997, virtually the entire period WIFT Australia had email, making its use unreliable and troublesome.

• Email use by other organisations was very limited. Only one email was received from overseas WIFTs (New Zealand). The only other international emails were to and from the Taking the Byte international speakers.

• Few women's organisations had email at this time. The only organisation on Pamela's List’s to establish email by 1996 was the National Women's Justice Coalition (NWJC).

119 Software packages enabling the states to connect were not distributed until August 1996 but then states were advised in September 1996 that they could not use WIFT Australia’s account and would need their own ISP account. 120 South Australia came online in July 1997 but their President advised their part time Administrator only worked 2 hours a day, twice a week, concentrated on South Australian matters, was unfamiliar with WIFT Australia, and thus it was left to the delegates to liaise with WIFT Australia. By February 1997 Western Australia was inactive (WIFT Australia Teleconference minutes 5.2.97). It resigned from WIFT Australia in May 1997, having never established email for the organisation and formally disbanded at its July 1997 AGM. WIFT Victoria did not come online until December 1997 after it had withdrawn from WIFT Australia in September 1997 and WIFT Australia had closed its account. WIFT NSW, sharing an office with WIFT Australia, did not email WIFT Australia. 107

• Few film organisations had email at this time with telephone and faxes remaining the main means of inter-organisational communication. For example, only one email was sent and received from the AFC with the bulk of communication via letter and fax.

• WIFT Australia did not have an email address when its Deakin and AFC webpages went up and could not place its email address on the page until the AFC page was updated in late 1996. It was also limited in the contact details it could provide on the webpage due to sexual harassment fears.

Queensland was the first state to come online in May 1997. During 1996 when WIFT Queensland did not have an email account, I exchanged 8 emails with WIFT Australia from September when I first gained email access. The second delegate to WIFT Australia from Queensland, (T.R.), while having email, used it only once to contact WIFT Australia, due to Queensland’s withdrawal from WIFT Australia and the fact that just as WIFT Queensland rejoined she stood down as delegate at the Queensland AGM. Her replacement did not have access to email and was chosen for her professional accountancy skills. WIFT Queensland withdrew from WIFT Australia for the second time in September, 1997 and exchanged only 14 emails with WIFT Australia throughout 1997. Its delegates sent and received a further 8 emails.

Table 1: Delegates with Email Access during the period of WIFT Australia’s Email Access - March 1996 to December, 1997

19 96 19 97 Mar A MJJ A SONDJFMA MJJA SONDec Triny Q Y Y Y Glenda Q Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Emma Q Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Colleen WA YY YY YYY Robin Vic Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Gail K SA YY YY YY Sam SA Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Gail F SA YYYYYYY Collette SA Y Annie NSW Y Y Y Y

NB: delegates email access is only shown for the periods their state organisation was a member of WIFT Australia.

108

The above table demonstrates that none of the WIFT Australia delegates had email for the entire period that WIFT Australia was connected121. Nor did any state have even one delegate with email access for the entire period122.

As time progressed, however, an increasing number of delegates began to use email and it is reasonable to assume that had WIFT Australia continued operating more use would have been made of this emerging technology.

Teleconferences were the preferred method for conducting Board business supplemented with face-to-face meetings whenever possible123. Faxes remained the preferred method for contacting delegates en masse. Even During 1997 when more delegates had email, very few passed between them. I, as one of two WIFT Queensland Delegates, and WIFT Queensland President, for example, sent only five emails directly to other delegates and only received three in return. The Queensland office sent only one email direct to an interstate delegate. In reality, while the national office existed, delegates communicated with it rather than each other and ‘networking’ was a concept yet to be developed.

121 Only one Victorian delegate had email during this period. She was an inexperienced user, in an executive position professionally and had a young family all of which limited time available for WIFT Australia matters. The one Western Australian delegate throughout 1996 and 1997 who had email was never active in WIFT Australia’s operations and was ultimately instrumental in removing Western Australia from WIFT Australia. Of the three South Australian delegates, two had email through the Media Resource Centre but not have their own private mailboxes in that system compromising the confidentiality of emails and were wary of receiving too many emails. The third delegate only came on board in October and was unfamiliar with WIFT Australia’s operations. South Australian delegates were concentrated on reviving the state branch which limited input into WIFT Australia. Their email use was also curtailed by WIFT Australia’s ongoing email problems. For example, an email sent on the 21st May, 1996 resulted in WIFT Australia’s EO faxing Pegasus on the 4th June stating: “Further to our earlier conversation I hereby grant permission for Pegasus staff to access my email to find an email message from G.K, WIFT South Australia which was sent in the last two weeks”. Consequently South Australia continued to rely on faxes, (ie 21 May fax sent inquiring when to expect the computer; 12 August faxed new delegate’s biog; 29 August fax sent re the Women on Women film festival). As previously noted I did not get email until September 1996 and then also had problems initially in contacting WIFT Australia. 122 In early 1996 only 7.4% of the Australian population had a telephone, computer and modem and thus the potential to go online (ABS 1997a) and by 1998 only 16% of Australia’s population had home Internet access. For many freelance film industry personnel employer provided access was unavailable. Worldwide, GVU surveys estimated that only 31.5% of Internet users were women at this time (5th GVU survey April/May 1996, http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/user_surveys/ ). 123 WIFT Australia conducted eight teleconferences plus two face-to-face meetings in 1995; 12 teleconferences plus one face-to-face meeting in 1996; and 13 teleconferences and no face-to-face-meetings in 1997 apart from a brief (and later declared invalid) AGM conducted during the national conference. 109

The bulk of emails received by WIFT Australia throughout 1996 and 1997 came from the email lists the organisation subscribed to (Ausfem Polnet Feminist Policy; Artspace; 3CR Women on the Line Community Radio; Enews Art Victoria; Experimenta Media; and ANTaR Australians for Native Title & Reconciliation). People outside the organisation made more use of WIFT Australia’s email address through requests for information on the organisation, the Venus Awards, the WOW festival, Mentor Scheme, general inquiries, etc. This represented an important outreach function, but the original intention to streamline efficiency and internal administration, and facilitate communication between the states, was not realised.

Ultimately, however, more than any other factor, the lack of use reflected a growing disillusionment with WIFT Australia exemplified by the withdrawals and resignations of various states.

5.1.1 Email Use During WIFT Australia’s Dissolution, 1998 - 1999:

All the preceding problems notwithstanding, WIFT Australia’s email use rose dramatically during 1998 when it no longer had OSW funding and faced significant debts from the national conference. Consequently the national office was closed and the Executive Officer’s employment terminated. Delegates and states had to pay their own communication costs with no possibility of reimbursement. Email then became a far more compelling option and delegates’ use rose significantly124.

WIFT Australia also received far more emails in 1998 from outside the organisation than when fully operational due to:

• the successful (other than financially) national conference raising the profile of WIFT Australia; • the increased knowledge of WIFT Australia’s email address and websites;

124 Each state managed to provide one delegate or ‘observer’ with email (C.S. - SA; E.A. – NSW; D.O. – Victoria; and myself) who then made arrangements to get emails to their co- delegates. Of those with email, some had only limited access. The South Australian delegate, for example, only had access to email on the two days a week she worked. Because of work commitments she was not always able to respond to emails in working hours but because of family commitments could not stay after work to answer emails in her own time. NB: WIFT Victoria could not find anyone to take on the role of delegate so appointed ‘observers’ to keep it informed of WIFT Australia matters. 110

• the increasing number of women accessing the web (as per GVU statistics125; and • the closure of the national office which left email as the only means of contacting the organisation.

When I became President in December 1997 I arranged for the Company Secretary (a delegate from South Australia) to look after Australia Post mail while I took on the task of dealing with email. This turned out to be a far greater challenge than I had anticipated, firstly in arranging for the emails to be forwarded to me126 and secondly because of the volume of email.

The total number of emails I received and sent in 1998 regarding WIFT Australia was 331. This number excludes enewsletters and mailing list emails. Of that total, 158 were to/from WIFT Australia delegates/state offices representing a huge increase over previous use by states and delegates.

Emails from outside the organisation included membership inquiries, volunteering offers, work experience requests, trainee program inquiries, requests for information on the organisation or specific events (such as the WOW film festival, Venus Awards or mentoring programs), and 24 overseas inquiries (including 1 from a WIFT Toronto member). Only one was received from an Australian women's NGO (Women's Rights Action Network Australia) and 11 from the organisers of Pamela's List which was in its establishment phase.

A listing of the variety of general emails received is included in Appendix D: List of WIFT Australia Email Enquiries and is offered as illustration of the increased workload email represented in handling such inquiries.

By 1999 the volume of emails to WIFT Australia had tapered off to a total of 49 received for the year (excluding enewsletters and mailing lists), the decrease due to the fact that:

125 Available: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/. 126 Only the E.O., who was overseas, had the account’s password. Pegasus/WomenZnet would only deal with the authorised signatory on the account (the E.O.). It took an extraordinary number of emails and faxes to resolve the situation with WIFT Australia’s closure of the account complicating the situation. More extraordinary was that having eventually agreed to forward WIFT Australia emails to me, I then continued to receive emails addressed to WIFT Australia at the Pegasus/WomenZnet address through to November 1999, 22 months after the account’s closure. 111

• The news that WIFT Australia was no longer operational had had 12 months to circulate; • Delegate and state offices’ communication was reduced to nil by 1999 after the decision to dissolve WIFT Australia127; • Information on WIFT Australia had been removed from the WIFT International website and redirection to WIFT Victoria placed on the Screen Network Australia site (although a listing for WIFT Australia remained on the AFC site).

5.1.2 Financial Impact of ICTs:

It is not possible to track the impact of ICTs on the WIFT Australia financial situation because delegates and state offices bore their own costs for communication with WIFT Australia throughout much of its history. In the first two years of its operation, WIFT Australia passed to the states all funds received and thus they expended the grant funds and incurred the bulk of operating expenses. Initially WIFT kept financial records for a calendar year for OSW funding purposes but later moved to a financial year to lodge Company Returns. The advent of the national office in 1996 precludes any direct comparison of communications costs with earlier years128. Finally the organisation had email for only three months of the 1995/96 financial year, all of the 1996/97 financial year, and six months of the 1997/98 financial year.

The financial statements do show that there was potential to make considerable savings on communication costs, given the large amounts expended on telephone/fax, teleconferences, newsletter, general postage, and face-to-face meeting costs. These expenses amounted to $12,852 for the 1994 calendar year and had risen to $17,747 for the 1996 financial year129. As

127 Unknown to the Board was that WIFT NSW given the job of liaising with Price Waterhouse, Sydney, the solicitors engaged to liquidate the organisation, instead took over ownership of the national organisation. This only came to light when I placed a request in 2003 for the Liquidator’s report in order to obtain the financial records for 1998 and was informed that the organisation had never been liquidated and was still submitting company returns (cf., http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf). WIFT NSW had also registered the domain name www.wift.org thus pre-empting for itself over any future national organisation, the WIFT domain name. Consequently WIFT NSW finally achieved what it had set out to do in 1993, that is constitute itself as the national organisation. 128 There was only one financial year (1996/97) during which the organisation had the national office operating for the entire financial year; two financial years (95/96 and 97/98) when the national office existed for part of the year; one full financial year (94/95) when the organisation operated for the entire year but without a national office; and one year (93/94) when the organisation operated for part of the financial year and without a national office. 129 Note that WIFT Australia did not have an office or email in 1994 but had both for part of the 1996 financial year. 112 it happened, the minimal use made of email would not have resulted in significant savings nor barely covered the monthly ISP fees.

5.1.3 Advanced ICT Use and Strategic Implementation:

WIFT Australia had only the most elementary of visions of ICTs and advanced uses (such as IRC, FTP, Listservs, etc.) were never contemplated. With so few delegates, only two state offices and few film or women's organisations online, the opportunities for advanced usage and electronic networking were limited anyway. Similarly with 70% of Internet users estimated to be male at this time130, and given WIFT Queensland’s experience (cf. Section 5.2), it can be assumed few of the general membership were online. Thus no serious thought was even given to establishing an electronic newsletter, email lists, bulletin boards or using its webpages to do other than offer basic information on the organisation. Similarly very little use was made of the World Wide Web, given the limited information directly relevant to WIFT Australia available131. With the difficulties in establishing email, the lack of success in attracting funding for more advanced projects, the lack of role models for guidance, and lack of affordable technical support, it would have been very difficult for the organisation to instigate more advanced uses. Finally just as WIFT Australia had its ICT infrastructure in place and was beginning to utilise email, the EO had to devote her time to the national conference, at the end of which due to OSW funding cuts and cost overruns on the conference, WIFT Australia was in financial crisis.

Even in much later periods, the survey of Pamela's List and national and international research shows that few NGOs are using ICTs for more than basic email or brochure style webpages. Full and strategic use of the Internet still lies in the future (cf. Chapter 2, 6). In this context, WIFT’s achievements are noteworthy and WIFT can take some pride in being one of the organisations which pioneered the use of ICTs at the end of the twentieth century.

130 Cf. GVU surveys (http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/user_surveys/). 131 At an OSW forum in August 1995 with information technology professionals, lack of local content relevant to Australian women was identified as a barrier to Internet uptake (OSW Electronic Newsletter, Keeping Women on the Government’s Agenda, Iss 2, Dec. 1995). 113

5.2 Overview of WIFT Queensland’s ICT Usage

5.2.1 Accounts and Usage:

WIFT Queensland had three email accounts during the course of this research, each established at different times for different purposes132. Its first (established 23rd May 1997 with MSN and retained until the 4th December, 1997) was primarily to liaise with WIFT Australia. Its second was a free Yahoo account (utilised June to November, 1998) to meet requests from outside the organisation for a means of email contact. The third was established with Powerup (25th November, 1998 - September, 2000) by a Board enthusiastic to use email and wishing to cut down on meetings and expensive telephone calls to a president residing on the Gold Coast.

Figure 1: WIFT Queensland Email Volume – 23 May – 4 December, 1997

100 80 60 40 20 0 May - 8 Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec - 4 days days

NB: Novelty value accounts for the slightly higher usage in June. The steep rise in September stems from the WIFT International Virtual Conference. The declining traffic in October and November reflects WIFT Queensland’s withdrawal from WIFT Australia.

WIFT Queensland received and sent a total of 211 emails in the 28 week period of its first

132 Prior to establishing email, my address was used as the email contact. I printed out and hand delivered emails or if urgent, faxed or phoned them through. While not an efficient use of the technology, given the number of emails sent or received regarding WIFT Queensland matters prior to May 1997 (only 11 in 1996 and 15 from January to May 1997) this was not too onerous a process but it underlines the reliance on traditional technologies in this transition time. 114 email account133, an average of 7.5 per week rising to 10 per week if email lists emails are included134. Even several years later (as the Pamela's List survey shows) this would be considered a relatively heavy use of email by many women's NGOs.

The bulk of WIFT Queensland business, however, was conducted face-to-face or by telephone and fax with email a helpful adjunct to these communications media. In the 1997 period WIFT had email, it received $101,500 in funding and was consequently extremely active. In addition to the Board of Management, WIFT Queensland had several Sub- committees (Funding Committee; Events Committee, Newsletter Committee) as well as two films in pre-production and one in production (which involved making 12 short films, each with different crews). This was also a crucial period for the organisation with QPIX135 in the process of being established which involved a plethora of meetings and consultations culminating in WIFT Queensland’s representation on the QPIX Board, the QPIX Constituents’ Committee, and the QPIX Tenants’ Committee. It also had representatives on QDOX, the Arts Industry Training Board and the Brisbane Writers Festival. All of this was in addition to its involvement in WIFT Australia, its staging of the WIFTI virtual conference, and the provision of ongoing programs and services to members. The volume of email represents only a minor communication stream for the organisation.

Figure 2: WIFT Queensland – Email Correspondence, 23 May – 4 December, 1997

QPIX 6% PFTC Membership 2% 6% Administration 27% WIFT Australia 11%

JRS 12% Email Lists WIFTI 23% Conference 13%

133 Excluding the Project Officer’s personal emails. 134 This would rise to 13.5 per week if the emails I sent and received on WIFT Queensland business from my own account were included. Following the closure of Queensland’s account, I received and sent a further 8 emails to the end of 1997 for WIFT Queensland . 135 QPIX represented a major restructuring of film cultural organisations. 115

Figure 2 gives a breakdown of WIFT Queensland’s major email correspondence. It also illustrates how few organisations and members were using email throughout 1997.

Seemingly few of the general membership136 were online with WIFT receiving only 17 emails originating from a total of 7 members, all whom contacted WIFT regarding a position advertised by its Job Referral Service (JRS) in the newsletter. However, the telephone remained the preferred medium of communication for almost all WIFT members on the JRS137. No WIFT members contacted WIFT Queensland regarding any advertised seminars or social events despite the email address being placed on flyers advertising them and in the newsletter publicity. Had WIFT Queensland more actively promoted its email address, it may have received a greater number of emails from the general membership138. It received only one email membership enquiry from outside the organisation in this period.

The majority of the Board members at this time either did not have access to email or did not use it with only one board member other than myself139 ever using email to contact WIFT Queensland140. Limiting the organisation’s use was the administrator’s non-use of email141. Instead, the part-time Project Officer dealt with all emails and there was only one day a week she and the administrator were in the office together and emails could be immediately passed to the administrator.

136 Approximately 160 members throughout this period. 137 3 employers also used email to contact the JRS (Job Referral Service). 138 It never announced its establishment of email in its newsletter nor placed its email address on the masthead, membership forms or JRS brochures. It was given as a contact option on seminar notices and flyers in the July, August, October and November 1997 newsletters, a job ad in the August Newsletter, and a call for expressions of interest in the October 1997 newsletter. It was placed on the WIFT state library web page but was unable to be placed on the WIFT Australia/AFC web page. 139 Refer Appendix G: Email Use Glenda Carrière. 140 Refer Appendix E: Email Status of WIFT Queensland Board of Management. 141 While a professional arts administrator, she was genuinely too busy to learn to use an IBM (rather than Mac) computer, Windows95, communications and dial-in protocols for Internet access, and email. WIFT Queensland lacked the financial resources to provide training which in any event was not available (cf. Chapter 7) and none of the Board was then familiar with the newly released Windows95. Thus, when the Project Officer (G.W.) resigned in November 1995 soon after acquisition of the new computer, familiarity with Windows95 was made a position criterion. When that Project Officer (T.P.) resigned in October 1996 and with the organisation close to coming online, familiarity with email was added to the criteria. Thus it was left to the new Project Officer (A.L.) to handle email. While an efficient division of time and labour it meant that email was only checked and answered on the two days a week the Project Officer worked. 116

With the exception of QPIX (due to exceptional circumstances142), email was only occasionally used to communicate with outside organisations143 and did not lead to increased communications between the state WIFT organisations144. Apart from organising the WIFTI Virtual Conference there was no other contact with overseas WIFTs145 and therefore email did not realise any significant communication cost savings.

However, WIFT Queensland joined several email lists, as did WIFT Australia and the Pamela's List organisations. It subscribed to the Oz-short-film email list, and in line with its commitment to encouraging members to embrace new technologies, the ANAT (Australian Network for Art and Technology) and Velcroe Multimedia email lists146.

As shown in Figure 2, the greatest use of email at this time was for administrative matters; the greatest use made by myself (President), the Vice President, and the Project Officer147 148. While unsuited for complex messages, email was used for quick messages, responses to simple queries, to keep in touch, check meeting availability, run ideas past each other etc.149, and in this regard it came into its own enabling us to do this cheaply, easily (I was the only one with a mobile phone) and preventing our days being interrupted by phone calls of minor importance.

In December 1997 the Project Officer resigned150, the Vice President moved to Sydney, and WIFT Australia closed its email account. With an Administrator too busy to learn and use

142 WIFT Queensland was a partner organisation of QPIX and had a staff member on the QPIX Board. This led to 23 emails specifically regarding matters concerning the incorporation of QPIX, from the 22nd September (when QPIX established email) to the 4th December (when WIFT Queensland closed its email account). 143 The PFTC/Film Queensland (from whom WIFT received the bulk of its funding) sent only 5 emails; QDOX – 1; QANTM - 4; QMAC – 1. 144 Only one email was sent to interstate WIFT personnel. None were sent to or received from other state WIFTs although South Australia (from mid 1997) and WIFT NSW (through WIFT Australia’s account) had email access. 145 The only other international emails sent or received were from a New Zealand woman trying to contact WIFT Australia and a Dutch woman planning to travel to Australia. 146 70 emails were received from these lists despite only being subscribed to late in the year. 147 Definitely aiding the organisation’s email use was its enthusiastic uptake by the Project officer (A.L.). She also set up email, dial-in and Internet software (with assistance) and was a key driver in WIFT Queensland undertaking the WIFT International virtual conference. 148 Not only were we WIFT’s key users, we were, bar 7 women from the general membership and a former Queensland WIFT Australia delegate (T.R.), WIFTs’ only internal users of email from 1996 (when WIFT Australia first established email) until the AGM in September 1998. 149 Interestingly our use closely resembled that of (the yet to be invented) SMS text messaging. 150 It is difficult for NGOS to retain staff for the wages they can afford to pay. 117 email, two of the three key users of email gone, WIFT Australia no longer active, and cost savings unrealised, the decision was made to cancel the WIFT Queensland MSN account151. WIFT Queensland then relied on my email access to provide email contact and access for the organisation.

After six months I decided to establish a free Yahoo account for WIFT in June 1998 primarily to avoid having to publicise my email address to the world (literally) as the contact for WIFT Queensland. However, Internet access was required to access such web based accounts and consequently WIFT Queensland still relied on my Internet access to check and answer its email. While not the optimum situation, the Yahoo account was certainly the cheapest option available at the time152.

A new board153 keen to utilise email re-established a commercial email account on the 25th November 1998154. Additional motivation was provided by a new President (N.McQ) who resided and worked on the Gold Coast which meant all phone or fax calls to or from her were STD calls. At the same time difficulties in obtaining funding155 meant WIFT Queensland had to reduce its postage, phone and fax expenditure. Powerup was chosen as the ISP ([email protected])156.

151 As WIFT Queensland President and delegate to WIFT Australia, WIFT Australia business came directly to me anyway. The WIFT Queensland office made few long distance calls or faxes and with WIFT Australia non-operational would make even less. The Internet costs while not huge, were a concern for an organisation with always more calls on its services than it had funds to meet. Arguably a realistic appraisal of the cost to benefit ratio would have resulted in the termination of Internet access even earlier. 152 Utilisation of this account was negligible as it takes time for the dissemination of a new email address and this address was even less publicised than the previous one (it was announced in the July Newsletter but never given as a contact in any other newsletter, inserts or pamphlets, and did not appear on any of the web pages). Board and committee members knew the office had no access to the Internet to check it so emailed me directly. There was also confusion over the address with many automatically (logically but incorrectly) adding ‘au’ to the address. It took me some time to identify why we kept receiving complaints of messages bouncing during which I discovered how limited the assistance was on a free Yahoo account. It also gave insight into why B.B. encountered so much difficulties sorting out problems with Yahoo! Clubs for WIFT International. 153 Elected at the September 1998 AGM. 154 retained until 8th September, 2002. 155 The advent of a new and inexperienced board coincided with the rise of QPIX which drew funding away from film organisations such as WIFT, SOTA, QMAC, Queensland Animators, etc. This had led me, when President to call on the leader of the opposition in Queensland parliament to force Film Queensland to reassign funding to WIFT Queensland but an inexperienced board and president were unprepared to undertake such measures. 156 It charged $15 per month for 9 hours access per month which equated to $1.66 per hour as compared with the $4.95 per hour MSN had charged. 118

At this point the administrator began using email as the new Board’s use (refer Appendix E: Email Status of WIFT Queensland Board of Management) made it virtually mandatory, there was no longer a Project Officer employed, and she had gradually become comfortable with the IBM computer, Windows95 etc. Powerup’s provision of an email manual provided a crash course: for her, WIFT’s journey towards ICTs had been personally empowering157. This board was successful in obtaining funding to establish an updated Internet site with a chat room158 which was established at http://www.wiftqld.org.au in late November (email from S.G., 22.11.99).

5.2.2 WIFT Queensland: The Virtual Organisation - 20th September, 1999 to 8th September, 2002:

ICTs became pivotal to WIFT Queensland’s survival when by the AGM in September 1999 it had virtually no funding159. Six months later the new President (P.W.) and Board160 announced:

As the new millennium dawns WIFT Queensland finds itself in a virtual world. That is, economic rationalism has forced us to become an Internet (virtual) office, as we are no longer funded for administration…Thus, the easiest way to stay in touch is by email. (If you do not have an email address please, beg, borrow or steal one). We will endeavour to keep you informed through email, the QPIX newsletter and eventually through the Bulletin Board… (QPIX Newsletter February 2000: 20).

For the first time all Board members were on email and this facilitated the shift to a virtual organisation (Refer Appendix E which demonstrates the trajectory of Board uptake of email), as did the fact that the infrastructure was already established. The Board began actively exploring ways to utilise ICTs. It compiled an address list of the general membership which had not previously been attempted due to indications that too few had email to make it

157 She also subsequently established a dial-in email account from home with a little troubleshooting help from me. 158 It was unable to obtain any other significant funding and lack of activities saw the membership drop from approximately 160 members at the September 1998 AGM to 22 by the September 1999 AGM. 159 The only funding it had was a $10,000 grant from the Gaming Machine Community Benefit Fund to establish a mentor scheme (QPIX Newsletter, September 1999: 13). Although received September 1999, this funding application had been submitted towards the end of my presidency in 1998 and demonstrates the long lead time often needed for project funding. 160 C.B., J.McG., C.M., K.J., M.M., M.F. 119 worthwhile161. It instigated a series of monthly chats with Broadcasters, Commissioning Editors and ‘other decision makers in the market place’. It also established ‘WIFT Industry Networking Evenings’ in its Chat Room and those without Internet access were invited to come into the WIFT office to participate. In addition the Chat Room was advertised as ‘a quasi Bulletin Board for news and information about working in the industry’ (WIFT posting to 24.11.99 Online chat)162.

Following the first two chats in 1999, WIFT tried to raise some revenue from the 2000 series of chats, charging members $4 and non-members $6 for a password entry. In March the sessions were made free for WIFT members and $5 for non-members. However, all charges were dropped in April as few were willing to pay to participate.

While the online chats had some success, technical difficulties which cannot be laid at WIFT Queensland’s door and simply mirror the experiences of other similar ventures163, curtailed their success as did the toll they took on human resources164. However, they enabled the

161 WIFT U.K., with far more staff and financial resources, had no membership email address list as of mid-1999 when it was still trying to identify the possible benefits in establishing one. 162 The first online chat ‘How to Break into the Film and Television Industry’ went ‘very well’ with 11 or 12 participants and only minor technical glitches (conversation with C.B. - WIFT Queensland Treasurer & email from S.G. 1.12.99). However, the third chat on the 14th February had to be transferred to the 21st February, and the 23rd February chat to the 9th March 2000 due to technical problems. (As an example of the technical problems encountered: None of my messages got through to the 23rd February chat. After an hour of a blank chat screen, several attempts to post messages and an email sent to C.B. at WIFT alerting her to the problems and her confirmation that no messages from anybody had been received, [email from C.B. 23.2.00], I gave up. C.B. was unable to identify what the problem had been.). There were two further chats on the 19th March and the 25th April. Overall three chats had to be rescheduled due to technical problems, one had the incorrect date advertised, one had an incorrect time advertised and the May 8th chat was cancelled as the co-ordinator was too busy (email from P.W. 8.5.00), all of which was confusing and counterproductive to participation. They were discontinued due to a low number of participants and the amount of time needed to source and organise presenters in May 2000. 163 I have never participated in problem free online chats. None of the IRC programs that WIFT International tried in my time on the board was successful. Similarly the Women's Online Week chat room session for which I was a presenter (at the time WIFT Queensland commenced its chats), was plagued by serious technical problems and was eventually abandoned, as was the session prior to mine, although other sessions were more successful (27.10.99 to 2.11.99, chats archived at http://www.nwjc.org.au/wow). In both the WIFT and WOW case, the organisers had access to far more technical expertise than WIFT Queensland; (the University of New England provided support for WOW and the University College Dublin for WIFT International). Consequently WIFT Queensland must be congratulated in running several successful chats with virtually no technical support. The WOW online chats also attracted only a small number of participants (excluding presenters), despite a Ministerial launch, media coverage and their publicising to women's groups and email lists nationally. 164 Chat rooms, Bulletin Boards and email lists are human resource intensive to set up and administer. At least two of the chats were postponed or cancelled because administrative 120 organisation to be seen as remaining active despite a critical lack of funding. They are also indicative of how far WIFT Queensland had travelled in relation to utilising ICTs in just two years165.

Ultimately the online chats and regular emails to members passing along industry news and updates even when combined with information on WIFT via the QPIX printed Newsletter, a Mentoring Scheme and proposed short film co-ventures with Briz31, were insufficient attraction to rebuild the organisation’s membership166. As of the 8th September, 2000 WIFT’s funding status had further deteriorated forcing it to relinquish its office space at QPIX, disconnect the phone (email from P. W. 8.9.00) and cancel the Powerup account167. WIFT Queensland continued to remain active via email postings from the President and a brief rundown in most QPIX newsletters.

Ultimately the WIFT Australia policy of embracing ICTs enabled the organisation to keep in touch with members and appear active despite lack of funding. This ensured the survival of the state organisation beyond what would have otherwise been possible.

5.2.3 Financial Issues:

WIFT Queensland, as with WIFT Australia, had hoped ICTs would effect savings on communication costs given that its expenditure on postage, telephone and fax (excluding

matters had not been finalised and ultimately the amount of time and effort required was too great. Additionally, such forums invariably flounder without a key figure to attract participants and function as the catalyst encouraging participation, keeping the list active and sorting out disputes if necessary. Judy Harrison on Pamela’s-List, Elizabeth Shannon on AUS-FEM Polnet and Leonie Daws on WE-LINK exemplify this. Conversely a number of email lists failed (eg. the OZ Women Studies/Gender Studies OWS-L email list out of the University of South Australia, the Wisdom list, the electronic forums set up for the WIFT International virtual conference, and the initial WIFT International Bulletin Board which 12 months after establishment still had only a welcome message from the WIFT International Chair). 165 May 1997 to May 1999. 166 A significant problem was that other than supporting a women's organisation and 2 days free hire of the WIFT camera and equipment, all WIFT membership benefits could be obtained by joining QPIX direct. The advent of QPIX saw the dissolution of SOTA and QMAC and near dissolution of Queensland Animators and QDOX. 167 It resumed desk space at QPIX in early 2002, when in conjunction with QPIX and other groups and drawing on the remaining Mentoring Scheme funding, it established a project for the development of 5 minute drama films. 121 capital expenditure, repairs and maintenance) was not insignificant, eg.:

$2324 1994/95 $2500 1995 (Jan-Dec168) $2350 1996/97 $1934 1997/98 $ 911 July to December 1998 169

These costs actually rose during the first period WIFT Queensland was online (May to December 1997 inclusive) (Refer Appendix F: WIFT Queensland Financial Notes), but this was due to funding in 1997 of $101,500170 as compared with $34,500 in 1996 (and $30,000 in 1995) and the commensurate increase in projects undertaken, events staged, overall activity, a corresponding increase in membership and hence expenditure. The negligible use of the Yahoo email account had no impact on WIFT’s expenditure (refer Appendix F). Financial comparison during the period of the Powerup email account with earlier periods is not possible because of the significantly reduced level of funding (and hence activity) during the Powerup account period171.

Any savings made were tempered by the charges for commercial email accounts. For example, MSN, the cheapest ISP WIFT Queensland could find, charged $9.90 per month for two hours access per month. But with use the charges quickly rose to more than double the base rate172. With few Queensland Board, general members, or organisations using email, it may have been possible with careful monitoring of usage, (emails read and composed offline, no subscriptions to email lists, etc), to keep within the two hour limit. Conversely, if WIFT Queensland’s total use could be limited to only two hours per month, it would have made the necessity for Internet access questionable.

Basically WIFT Queensland was left in the situation whereby in order to make email and Internet access worthwhile, it needed to encourage usage among the Board and general

168 Film Queensland changed funding to calendar year 169 Such expenditure was in line with that of other states. Victoria, with a membership of between the 300-400 mark during the life of WIFT Australia, for example, expended $3,907 to the 30th June, 1994 and $2,847 to 30th June, 1995 on postage, telephone and fax charges (WIFT Victoria 1994/95 Annual General Report). 170 due to success in securing funding for additional projects such as the Dozen Eggs film. 171 In 1999, the only funding WIFT received was $5,000 for a webpage and Chat Room (QPIX Newsletter March 1999: 12-13). 172 After the first free month, June and July’s usage stayed within the $9.90 limit, but charges for August to November totalled $83.93 or $20.98 per month. 122 membership but this in turn increased charges, a disincentive to making more than minimal use of email or the Internet. If WIFT Queensland had needed to purchase a computer capable of connecting to the Internet (obtained via a grant) and a modem (obtained via WIFT Australia), email would have been even less cost effective.

5.2.4 Email Use - Communication With WIFT Australia:

An understanding of WIFT Queensland’s email interaction with WIFT Australia illuminates why the states sent so few emails to WIFT Australia: the WIFT Queensland office sent and received only 14 emails to and from WIFT Australia during the period both organisations were online, May to December 1997.

In the first instance, it was the delegates rather than the state office which undertook the bulk of liaison with WIFT Australia173. WIFT Queensland’s interaction with WIFT Australia must also be placed in context. WIFT Australia represented an important but relatively minor aspect of WIFT Queensland’s day-to-day operations which centered on servicing the Queensland membership. Conversely WIFT Australia’s sphere of operation was the national arena with an explicit brief not to operate at state level.

Political relationships also impacted on email use: WIFT Queensland withdrew for the second time from WIFT Australia in September 1997 over concerns regarding the national conference (as did WIFT Victoria) further straining an already rocky relationship and resulting in reduced contact between the two bodies174; WIFT Queensland was also concerned that New South Wales shared WIFT Australia’s account and that the confidentiality of emails to WIFT Australia could have been compromised at a difficult time175.

173 49 emails were exchanged between Queensland delegates and WIFT Australia. A further 21 emails were exchanged between the delegates and the Queensland office on WIFT Australia matters. 174 It finally resigned from WIFT Australia five months later on the 18th May, 1998. 175 As WIFT NSW delegates had previously directly mounted a campaign to oust two of WIFT Queensland’s delegates and were seen as the key instigators in the staging of the national conference being taken away from WIFT Queensland, email to the shared account was limited to administrative matters. 123

Practical matters also limited the use of email. The WIFT Australia Executive Officer was too busy to check email every day and this negated its use for urgent matters176. Similarly, the WIFT Queensland administrator’s lack of use of email was also a factor177.

Conversely, WIFT Queensland actively sought delegates who had email. Of the four Queensland Delegates178 during the period WIFT Australia had email (March 1996 to December 1997), two had access from their workplace and one had access from home and work179. The only Queensland delegate without email access was chosen for her professional accountancy skills. None of Queensland’s delegates had access to long distance phone calls during working hours, and only two had access to a fax which also promoted their use of email.

5.2.5 Summary:

Overall, ICTs were not as crucial to the operations of WIFT Queensland as they were to WIFT Australia and WIFT International. Operating primarily in the local arena, they were not a necessity in its day to day operations as demonstrated during the periods it operated without email access (and without any greatly increased communication costs, loss of benefits or inconvenience) relying instead on a board member (myself) for email access.

Equally while Internet access did enable WIFT Queensland to undertake the WIFTI Virtual Conference, ICTs were only tangential to the key mission of WIFT Queensland, which was to work towards equity in the film and television industries for its members180. Thus, for busy volunteers, ICTs received only limited attention. Additionally WIFT Queensland received no

176 She often responded by phone to email messages arguing it was quicker and easier, a cause of ongoing frustration for delegates wary of the cost involved of business hours STD calls and a limited budget. 177 When wanting to email WIFT Australia on days the Project Officer was unavailable, she would phone and ask me to send an email, cumbersome but cheaper than STD phone calls. 178 Myself, T.R., P.C., E.R. 179 I was by far the heaviest user of email communication to the WIFT Australia Board and national office because of length of time on the board and detailed knowledge of WIFT Australia matters. I also had 24/7 connectivity and dial-in access from home with access to the university’s IT department for technical assistance. Only one other Queensland delegate, also a QUT PhD student, had similar access though no home access. 180 Although it did expand its focus to include the emerging multimedia industry, cf., Section 4.2.1. 124 encouragement from its primary funding source (Film Queensland) which did not fund any of the new technologies projects put forward.

Ultimately when WIFT Queensland no longer had funding it proved capable of harnessing ICTs to continue operating and even used them strategically, eg. the chat sessions initiative. Its use of ICTs always remained a step or two ahead of the bulk of its members. Thus it could be argued that WIFT Queensland’s uptake was sufficient unto its purposes.

5.3 Overview of WIFT International’s ICT Usage

5.3.1 Email Use:

WIFT International was able to utilise email for Board communications from 1997 to 2000, without itself having to establish the infrastructure for board access181, an office182, or an email account for the organisation.

It did eventually establish an account ([email protected]) as a general contact point for the organisation in 2000 when its webpage and IRC were established, the long lead time necessitated by organisational politics, funding restraints and technical difficulties with IRC rather than problems establishing email per se. Earlier establishment as a contact point for the organisation may have been beneficial in publicising its existence but would also have added to the workload for directors during the incorporation period.

At no point has WIFT International ever operated exclusively via email. In its establishment and incorporation stage to late 1998, fax and post were used to contact chapters around the world, to send questionnaires, and for copies of Constitutions, Articles of Association, etc.

181 Email access was not formally stipulated and limited participation via teleconferences could have been managed until March 1999 but all chapters taking up Board positions nominated representatives with email and English language skills. 182 WIFT International occupied a desk at host chapters’ offices, piggybacking on their infrastructure. 125

Teleconferences and face-to-face meetings were always the preferred option for Board meetings. Thus, while email was used extensively for Board communications from 1997 onwards, all Board meetings until the 31st March 1999 were conducted by teleconference (in conjunction with attempts at simultaneous IRC participation183), or face-to-face meetings. After losing access to the free teleconferences184 it had to rely primarily on email supplemented with occasional face-to-face Board meetings until establishing IRC eighteen months later. As B.B. emailed the Board ‘once we lost the phone bridge I think we took a big hit’ (20.3.99) for despite problems in scheduling teleconference calls and in achieving quorums185, they had been the most workable means of conducting Board meetings.

The board also contemplated a more strategic use of email as evidenced by B.B.’s request to the Board (30.3.99) stating ‘Email is good, but we need someone to build some specific action plans that can be addressed via email’. Ultimately this did not eventuate as no-one volunteered or came up with workable action plans.

WIFT International could not escape totally the problems associated with email communication. In 1998 (when familiarity with email was becoming widespread), delegates

183 Conference calls were organised by the French chapter Board Member from her Washington office at no cost to WIFT International. When combined with IRC, one delegate acted as the bridge between the IRC and teleconference participants. IRC chats can be confusing with different conversational strands happening simultaneously. When trying to discuss Board business, reach consensus and vote on issues, even more so. Combine this with a teleconference happening simultaneously and it is very confusing. The telephone participants were unable to see the responses by chatroom participants who in turn could not hear telephone participants. The delegate providing the bridge could only relay a summary of what was being said and typed. Appendix I is a transcript of such a Board meeting. 184 C.B. was no longer able to offer free teleconferences. 185 Due to the problems of trying to co-ordinate suitable times among up to 16 Board members spread across different time zones around the world and achieve quorums for each meeting, the decision was made that meetings would always continue irrespective of the numbers participating. Any motions tabled were emailed or faxed to those unable to attend who were required to respond within two weeks. Tacit agreement was assumed from non-responding delegates. The drawback was the follow-up required to ensure that board members not responding had actually received notification of motions and the fact that reaching decisions involved IRC, teleconference call, fax and email – a tortuous mix of communications. Initially to ensure the greatest possible participation it had been decided that: Board meetings be scheduled to commence at 8 a.m., New York time, and to continue for a period of 36-hours hence (proposed Penny McDonald, Australia, seconded Fiona Ross, U.K.). The motion was passed unanimously (WIFT International Board Minutes, 1997:5). Such meetings would have provided time to consider issues under discussion and even seek input from chapters. It never happened because of the problems with establishing IRC. Similarly a website chat to replace the 1999 Board of Directors mini-summit in Montreal never eventuated for the same reason. 126 still experienced numerous problems (refer Appendix J: WIFT International Board Email Problems).

However the key problem was that most chapters did not have email. Only seven had provided an email address by 1998186, only three of which were outside the US187. This limited input and participation from chapters not represented on the Board. Thus, while use of email for intra Board communication was extensive, email proved less useful in contacting WIFTs throughout the world188 or as a strategic vehicle for achieving the goals of the organisation.

The total numbers of emails sent and received from 1997 to my resignation from the Board in August 1999189 (inclusive) were 192190.

5.3.2 Advanced ICT Use and Strategic Implementation:

WIFT International experienced several setbacks in attempting a more strategic use of ICTs, including:

186 Some chapters may have been contactable through the personal email of someone on their Board but the problem was in making initial contact. 187 As of August 1999, WIFT international was still trying to identify and build a contact list of WIFT organisations particularly in Asia and Oceania for which it had enlisted Australia’s help. Unfortunately WIFT Australia itself knew of no WIFT chapters in the Pacific region and even had little knowledge of New Zealand WIFTs, demonstrating the importance of an international umbrella organisation. 188 The 1998 WIFT International Summit brochure, for example, offered no email contact for either the Summit or the host chapter, WIFT Los Angeles, although its webpage URL was included in the brochure. In a written memo posted to chapters, the Event Coordinator offered a personal email address (L.S. memo 4.8.98) but the board was advised “E-mails and faxes are not as reliable as a phone call” (email from C.S. 18.9.98). 189 With WIFT Australia no longer operational, I resigned from WIFT International in August 1999. New South Wales then sought a position on the WIFT International Board which spurred WIFT Victoria to make representation for Australia to be granted two Board positions (email from E.A., 24.08.99). Canada had had two places on the WIFTI Board from its inception and in July 1999 Australia was allocated a second position (WIFT International Board Meeting Minutes, 14.7.99). This position was not taken up as WIFT Victoria concentrated on reviving its state organisation. WIFT Queensland and South Australia considered a Board position beyond their resources given both were struggling to fill their own Board positions. 190 1997 = 11 (including WIFTI Virtual Conference emails); 1998 = 96 (17 sent / 79 received) (averaging 8 per month); 1999 = 85 (to mid August only, 16 Sent / 69 received averaging 12 per month). Apart from an occasional email regarding a specific chapter’s event, all emails concerned WIFT International Board business. 127

• The Bulletin Board established on the 1997 virtual summit website (by WIFT Queensland), was barely used by delegates at the summit or those attending ‘virtually’, only receiving one or two messages, and was closed after the summit;

• The Bulletin Board established in August 2000 still had only a welcome message from the WIFT International Chair as of March 2001;

• An email list mooted as far back as the 1996 International Summit was never established.

• It took the organisation 3 years to establish IRC and 5 years to establish a webpage.

However, eventually it was able to move beyond basic email and a simple webpage towards a more strategic use of ICTs in a number of areas, namely:

WEBPAGE As of June 2000 it established its current website at http://www.wifti.org incorporating IRC for Board meetings, a Bulletin Board, calendar of events and an online members’ directory.

INTER-CHAPTER COMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVES In December 2001 to boost communication and information exchange between WIFT International and member chapters, it established two chapter ‘Communications and Outreach’ initiatives whereby the Vice-chairs of Communications working with the WIFT International coordinator in New York began email correspondence with each chapter on a bi-monthly basis.

ON-LINE SCREENWRITING MASTER CLASS WIFT International offered an online Master Class with Australian Linda Aronson191 from September 1 – September 30, 2002192. Students accessed all course lectures and materials, posted their assignments and interacted with each other via an exclusive Bulletin Board on the WIFT International website. The course was fully subscribed, considered very successful and more are planned (WIFTI Newsletter April 2002).

191 Linda Aronson has written two books on screenwriting and a novel, won TV awards, been nominated for an AFI award for her film Kostas and her TV credits include Toolaroola Times, and Something in the Air. 192 The class cost $50 for WIFT International members, $75 for non-members and WIFT International offered several fee scholarships. 128

ONLINE MEMBERS’ DIRECTORY In April 2002, four years after it was first proposed, WIFT International launched its Online Directory, a secure, searchable database containing biographical and professional details on WIFTI members throughout the world, allowing users to source contacts and crew members worldwide. The information is accessible only to WIFTI chapters and their members, and those listed are able to edit their own record, controlling the information posted (WIFTI Newsletter, April 2002)193.

Thus, through the effort, perseverance and commitment of volunteers throughout the world, WIFT International was eventually able to appropriate the technology to its needs. Success involved a process of trialling and ultimately rejecting some technologies, and from the inception of the organisation, a focussed strategy of creatively adapting the organisational governance and projects to fit the technology.

5.4 Benefits of ICTs

Despite all the problems experienced by the WIFT organisations in establishing and using ICTs, they all gained benefits from them.

The mere fact of establishing email and various websites arguably enhanced their standing and credibility in the film community, in the cultural industries and in the women's policy area at state, national and international level.

For WIFT Australia, establishing a webpage in the very earliest days of the web and email by March 1996 portrayed it as an early adopter of this technology enabling it to be seen to be at the forefront of the new technologies. This image was enhanced by its continued focus on new technologies. In addition it was successful in researching, educating its members and staging seminars and conference in the new media technologies area.

193 WIFT Australia had proposed a similar project, a ‘WIFT on Disk’ CD listing the professional details of its members in April 1995 but was unable to ever obtain funding. 129

As a result of WIFT Australia’s efforts, four states received modems and one, a computer as well, providing the infrastructure which enabled them to establish Internet access, if not in all cases within the life of WIFT Australia. This was of ongoing benefit to the states and in the case of WIFT Queensland, ultimately enabled its continued operation as a virtual organisation, despite a critical lack of funding. The fact that WIFT Australia and some of the state organisations were using email encouraged some delegates and the WIFT Queensland administrator to take it up to fit in with the culture and was thus personally empowering for them.

All of which was a notable success given that very few women's organisations in Australia or internationally were using email regularly at this time. Moreover, even by 2000, it remained beyond the capabilities or resources of over half the Peak Australian women's NGOs and for many WIFT organisations around the world.

WIFT Queensland had four notable achievements. First, it was successful in establishing email during the life of WIFT Australia and was among the earliest (if not actually the earliest) of film organisations in Queensland to establish email. Secondly, its hosting of the WIFT International Virtual Conference, several years before the majority of WIFT organisations worldwide even had email access, was a major achievement. Ultimately it was experienced enough in ICTs to use them to facilitate its continued operation as a virtual organisation, despite a critical lack of funding, from 1999 onwards. And finally, it was successful in running several relatively effective online chats for its members.

5.4.1 Email:

The key communication advantages offered by email for the WIFT organisations were:

• An increase in communication choices; • Savings on peak rate business hours STD and international calls and faxes; • Communication advantages including eliminating telephone tag; messages not restricted to business hours - able to be accessed and responded to at the user’s convenience; less disruption than phone calls; avoidance of becoming embroiled in social niceties, protracted conversations or discussion of controversial decisions; 130

provision of a written record of communications; elimination of time zone difficulties; • Facilitation of inexpensive communications between WIFT organisations and by anyone, anywhere; • The prolonging of both WIFT Queensland and Australia’s existence when no longer funded; • The subscription to numerous email lists keeping WIFT Australia and Queensland informed and in the ‘information loop’; and • The provision of international networking to members and the participation in online activities offered by WIFT International.

Thus, as the Making the Net Work report argues:

…we find that email opens up possibilities for new kinds of communication. Our new ability to discuss, debate, share information, and even empathise and celebrate together beyond the limitations of space, time and stereotypes is extraordinary both in practical terms and in its implications for the future (NCexChange, 1997).

Overall the usage by WIFT Australia and the state organisations would have to be rated as limited to very limited but no more so than other and far larger women's NGOs even several years later (refer Chapters 2 & 6). Moreover, by the last months of WIFT Australia’s existence the volume of emails it was receiving had risen dramatically, demonstrating that had it continued to exist, its use of email would have been significantly greater.

WIFT International from its earliest days was able to use email successfully and extensively for communication between Board members and despite some problems, it has remained the primary means of communication for the organisation, supplemented with face-to-face meetings and IRC. It was crucial to the establishment and administration of the organisation and although never able to make email contact with all WIFTs throughout the world, it has established email contact with many. Without email it would have had great difficulty and faced great expense in becoming established and been unable to operate as successfully or as extensively as it has.

131

5.4.2 Webpages:

Overall WIFT Australia and the states benefited from their web presences.

They helped raise the profile of the organisations and increased their credibility and professional image. Inclusion on the AFC and Screen Network Australia webpages, key foci for Australian screen culture, increased the likelihood of being seen as an integral part of the Australian screen industries194. They also enabled the WIFT organisations to be seen as keeping abreast of the new information, communication and media technologies. And (as evidenced by general email inquiries received) helped the organisations reach a wider audience than would otherwise have been possible. This may have translated into increased memberships but at a price, that being the increased inquiries and workload generated.

The difficulty arises in trying to measure economic flow-ons such as increased memberships, and in quantifying the extent to which a web presence raised organisations’ profile and professional standing. Even with a record of the number of hits on a site it is still not possible to translate this into direct evidence of specific outcomes. The fact that benefits cannot be conclusively demonstrated can be a disincentive for Nonprofit organisations in developing webpages.

For WIFT International, the benefits were more apparent in terms of cost savings in publicising itself and its events to a worldwide audience; extremely expensive to do via other means. After admittedly a long and difficult establishment period for IRC and its website, WIFT International has used its website to conduct Board meetings via IRC also saving the organisation considerable expense. It has been able to make successful use of the more advanced features of ICTs, which incorporated into the website have enabled it to provide practical services at the grassroots level and demonstrate its relevance to members of individual chapters worldwide. Overall, the websites of all three WIFT organisations resulted in positive benefits.

This chapter has detailed the use of ICTs by WIFT Australia, Queensland and International and provided the reasons behind the limited use made initially. It has also detailed the ultimate

194 For which the WIFT organisations had to continually lobby. 132 success both WIFT Queensland and WIFT International achieved in advanced and strategic use of ICTs and the benefits all three organisations gained from establishing ICTs. The following chapter surveys Australian women's peak NGOs’ use of ICTs and the research available on women's NGOs internationally in order to better understand and evaluate the WIFT case study findings.

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CHAPTER 6: SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN PEAK WOMEN'S NGOs and INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S NGOs

Introduction

This survey of the Australian peak women's NGOs participating on Pamela's List allows the case study to examine the experiences of other Australian women's NGOs and broaden the frame of reference for WIFT. This is particularly helpful in determining whether problems experienced by WIFT Australia and the state organisations were unique to them or were shared by similar organisations operating in the same socio-political context and technological environment. As a further comparison, the chapter concludes with a brief overview of surveys that have been conducted into women's NGOs internationally. This broadens the frame of reference for all three WIFT organisations. These surveys also enable a clearer understanding of which difficulties can be considered systemic to women's NGOs, which to the broader NGO sector and which to the technologies themselves. They also provide a benchmark against which to evaluate the achievements of the WIFT organisations.

6.1 Survey Aims and Objectives

A key objective of the survey was to canvass the level of adoption by women's organisations of ICTs, particularly regarding email uptake and access and utilisation of the World Wide Web.

Key questions revolved around issues such as:

Did they face any challenges or impediments in adopting these technologies?

Were other Australian women's NGOs willingly embracing these technologies or reluctant adopters?

What range of communication technologies were these groups using?

What degree of comfort, familiarity and expertise did they have vis-à-vis ICTs?

How dependent were these organisations on these technologies?

Were they meeting the communication needs of the organisations? 134

Further objectives were to provide a basis against which future researchers could measure the uptake and utilisation by Australian women's Peak Non Government Organisations of ICTs. It was also hoped to provide insights into the technologies being used and impediments to usage, that government and policymakers could draw upon to enhance equity of access for women's NGOs.

6.2 Methodology

Pamela's List is an email list established by the National Women's Justice Coalition Inc. (NWJC) auspiced through the Australian Virtual Centre for Women and the Law with a grant from the Pamela Denoon Trust. Its purpose is to assist Australian women's peak organisations195 and regional women's organisations not represented nationally, to share information and promote greater understanding. It was established in August 1998 in the lead up to the 1998 Australian Women's Round Table Meeting at Parliament House, Canberra to assist Australian women's NGOs in their preparations for the Round Table196 and to facilitate ongoing dialogue between Australian women's NGOs.

The preliminary WIFT case study provided a basis for the design of the Pamela's List questionnaire and evaluation was initially conducted during June and July 1999. 22 responses to the evaluation were received from 21 organisations. Several reminders were posted to the list and follow-ups, including personal phone follow-ups, were made. 61 organisations were subscribed to Pamela's List at the time and responses from 24 organisations represented a response rate of 39% of the organisations subscribed to Pamela's List. To achieve the highest response rate possible, a further call for responses went out in January 2000 with a final reminder sent out on the 17th February. This was followed by personal emails to non- responding organisations resulting in a final response rate of 59% (37 responses from 36 organisations).

195 A ‘peak body’ is a non-government organisation formed to represent the interests of a membership consisting of smaller organisations with allied interests within a specific community sector. 196 The ‘Round Tables’ were instigated to allow the federal government and women's organisations to meet to discuss issues of concern. 135

This response rate compares favourably with comparable surveys such as the CICT 2003 survey where the response rate was 31.7% giving an accuracy to within +/- 3% at the 95% confidence limits197; the Victorian Council of Social Services (1997) where it was 24.26%; and the Burt, and Taylor survey (1999) of voluntary organisations with a response rate of 42.75%. The 1996 ACOSS study achieved a 68% response rate which it considered to be excellent.

6.2.1 The Questionnaire:

After requesting demographic information (such as the position in the organisation of the person completing the questionnaire, the number of hours worked per month and where they worked from), the survey asked how long the organisation had been subscribed to Pamela’s List and to rate the process of connecting to Pamela’s List. Respondents were asked if their organisation had its own email address. If not, what were the barriers to establishing email and if yes, to rate the process of establishing an email account. Organisations were also asked if they had experienced problems with the cost of establishing an account; the cost of maintaining an account; costs of obtaining or accessing computers and communication software; technical problems with setting up and using email; Internet service providers; telephone service providers; or training in using email.

The questionnaire also canvassed the following areas of inquiry:

• general email use and proficiency; • an overview of communication within the organisation; • an overview of their experiences in accessing and using Pamela’s list; and • effectiveness of Pamela’s list (For the full questionnaire, refer to Appendix K: Pamela's List Survey).

All participants were advised prior to the survey and on the questionnaire that the data would form part of this PhD study (refer Appendix K).

197 Representative of the population 136

6.2.2 Study Cohort

Of the 36 organisations198 that responded, 58% had been on Pamela’s List since its inception, that is 12 months by the time of the first call for the survey. A further 22% had joined Pamela’s List soon after its inception and 17% had joined Pamela’s List after a membership drive in October 1998. A final organisation responding to the survey had joined in April 1999 and answered the second call for the survey in January 2000. Thus all organisations responding to the survey had at least nine month’s participation on Pamela's List.

Of the responses received, 76% were from unpaid representatives of their organisations. These unpaid volunteers worked on average 55 hours per month or 13 hours per week. 62% of the responding representatives did not work from their organisation’s office. Of those, 41% worked from home. Overall 69% of the organisations on Pamela's List without an email account relied on their board/committee members to provide their own email access. This underlines the necessity for the representatives of NGOs being able to access affordable email from their homes and outside office hours.

However, ABS figures for May 1998 to May 1999, during the period that Pamela's List was established through to immediately prior to the commencement of the survey, showed, 44% of adult males (2.9 million) as compared with 37% (2.5 million) of adult females had access to the Internet from any site (ABS, 1999). As of June 2000, (at the end of the Pamela's List survey), ABS statistics showed that ‘older people, women, the unemployed and those in low- income groups were considerably less likely to have Internet access in Australia’ (NUA 2000b) while as of March 2000, the ABS found that Australian Net users were still more likely to be young men living in urban areas (cited in NUA 2000a).

198 WIFT Australia was initially a member of Pamela's List, but was no longer active at the time the survey was conducted. 137

6.3 Results

6.3.1 Percentage of Organisations With Email Access:

This information was available for the entire membership of Pamela’s List, not just the respondents to the questionnaire. As Figures 3 (a) (b) and (c) indicate the membership was growing throughout the survey period and over a fifteen month period the situation was quite fluid.

Figures 3 (a), 3 (b), (c): Pamela's List Organisations - Percentage with Email Access

With With With no With no Email Email Email Email 41% 59% 51% 49%

Figure 3 (a) June 1999 Figure 3 (b) August 1999

With With Email no 43% Email 57% Figure 3 (c) September 2000

After new members joined the list they tended to adopt the technology (cf. figures 3 (a) and 3 (b), but between August 1999 and September 2000, twenty-five new organisations joined Pamela’s List and as the snapshot of Figure 3 (c) indicates, a number of these had yet to adopt email forcing the percentage figure down, even though the total with email was still increasing.

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6.3.2 Email Account Used:

Figure 4: Ownership of Email Accounts Used to Access Pamela's List

Other A/c 12%

Employer's Organisation A/c A/c used to 26% access Pamela's List 62%

Surprise findings were how few representatives were using employer’s accounts to access Pamela’s List. This could be explained by the fact that women make up the bulk of casual and non-managerial staff and consequently have less access to employer provided Internet accounts. Also surprising was that 49% used their own account rather than their organisation’s account to access Pamela's List. However, the convenience of email is compromised if representatives have to travel into their organisation’s office to access email messages as one organisation’s comments illustrate:

As most of our key workers had their own email accounts and as we all found that we were travelling into the office less and less frequently, we found we were operating quite adequately from personal email accounts. Earlier on, we did have email in the office when it was used by the editor of our newsletter but since she’s been away for the past year, we have found that “piggybacking” on individual members’ email arrangements quite sufficient. Also saves the organisation money.

In addition, some organisations relied on their representatives to provide email access when the organisation itself was unable to, as explicitly stated by one organisation’s representative. Another organisation’s representative commented ‘I maintain [my account for the organisation] as part of my contribution to the organisation’.

A single stand alone email account for an organisation in today’s technologically based world is not sufficient, as one organisation’s comments illustrate:

We had email access from early 1996 for the Executive Officer (part time employee based at the office since we established the office in an office (cf. home) location in late 1997). However, we could not afford a second email account for me and consequently I 139

have born my own costs. In August 1998 we received a grant…and this plus our own accumulated funds from membership contributions has enabled us to take a permanent connection, multiple mail boxes and to network office computers. We are still unable to afford to pay for my day time email access or for email access to enable us to take on teleworking volunteers and/or interns. Board members bear their own email costs. We are also unable to afford an ISDN line which we would like to have for faster email and Internet and so that we can experiment with and promote the use of PC based videoconferencing (128k is the required speed and consequently an ISDN line is required).

Clearly the optimal situation is for all representatives and the organisation to have access to email accounts. But with less than 50% of organisations able to provide even an email account for their organisation, this was beyond the majority of organisations at this point in time. Board members bearing their own costs is a recurring theme from the WIFT Australia and WIFT International Case Studies and also surfaced as a problem for the organisations on Pamela’s List.

6.3.3 Establishing Email: Figure 5: Email Establishment Process - Organisations WITH Email

Difficult - V.Difficult 12% Undecided Easy-Very 18% Easy 70%

While establishing an email account may have been easy for the majority of organisations which had established one, the process was not necessarily as simple in prior years, as one organisation attested, ‘it was difficult originally when we took the first email account with Ozemail in early 1996’. Moreover, if an organisation wanted to branch out beyond a single email account then the process became concomitantly more complex, time consuming and protracted, as two organisations commented:

[it was] very difficult when we got our own domain name and had to set up new email accounts with a new local ISP, redirect from Ozemail and get the address and from fields resorted for a number of mail boxes.

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At our National Headquarters it took a very long time to sort out the email difficulties over the network.

In addition, as the host organisation for Pamela’s List stated:

missing’ organisations such as the CWA need to be recruited [to Pamela’s List] (we have tried various ways but email access is an insurmountable problem at this stage for some groups like the CWA).

Only one organisation said they found it very difficult to subscribe to Pamela’s List, all other organisations responded that it was ‘very easy’ (75%) or ‘easy’ (22%). 11% of organisations stated they had some problems with accessing Pamela's List. The problems given were all related to technological problems rather than lack of proficiency in the technology, eg, their ‘[ISP] provider not providing’, problems with attachments or as one organisation noted ‘in the changeover period between different addresses, [we] could not post a message to either address’. Given the high number of email lists these organisations subscribed to ranking them as very experienced users of email lists, so few with problems in subscribing and accessing Pamela's List is not surprising.

6.3.4 Impediments – Organisations Without Email Accounts:

Figure 6 below indicates that some of the Pamela's List organisations encountered significant problems in establishing and maintaining effective email accounts. Relying on individual members, their employers or some other means to provide an email account (which overall, a total of 69% of responding organisations did), became the only viable alternative. As one organisation explicitly stated, they relied on their delegates to Pamela's List to bear the cost of initiating and maintaining an email account, while several respondents stated they paid their own costs as part of their contribution to their organisation.

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Figure 6: Impediments – Pamela's List organisations WITHOUT email accounts:

70% Establishment Costs, 63% 60% Maintenace Costs, 63%

50% Computers/Softw are, 47% 40% Technical Problems, 30% 26% Training, 26% Telephone, 21% 20% ISP, 16%

10%

Figure 6 also indicates that 47% of the organisations without email accounts had problems accessing computers and/or software which is also a cost related issue. ‘lack of pc’s in members homes’ was a consideration for one organisation and for another the ‘lack of a computer or telephone line of our own’ made it difficult to establish an email account. The lack of a central office also proved to be a barrier for one organisation and other comments such as ‘office currently operates on volunteer support and donated funds’; ‘we are struggling financially to maintain our operations’; or as a further organisation succinctly stated: ‘money, lack of office space and equipment’, illustrate the depth of problems faced by these organisations.

6.3.5 Impediments – Organisations With Email Accounts:

Figure 7 shows that even those organisations that have been successful in establishing an email account have nonetheless encountered significant problems. Again most problems centered around funding, as illustrated by one organisation’s comment, ‘cheaper would be better – limited resources’. 142

Figure 7: Impediments – Pamela's List organisations WITH Email Accounts

Computer/Software, 53% 60% Maintenance Costs 50% 47% Training, 41% 40% Technical Problems Telephone, 35% ISP, 35% Establishment Costs, 35% 29% 30%

20%

10%

After establishing an email account, organisations then struggle to meet the costs of maintaining that account. For example,

• We have a timed monthly account, for unlimited access we’d be a bit burdened by cost, so we have to watch how much time is spent on the net • At times when funds run dry • [We] can only afford a total of 7 hours Internet access per month – there are no commercial ISP’s who will donate extra hours, etc. • We are on a very basic $10/10 hour a month account …which is hugely inadequate.

Further demonstrating the precarious nature of funding and sponsorship, one organisation had lost its sponsorship and with it their computers and email access. Another stated ‘[our] organisation is no longer funded so I donate associated costs of email’. That same organisation’s representative pointed out that the ‘organisation has always relied on resources available through committee members’.

Accessing computers and communications software was also a significant problem for organisations. Even of the organisations that answered ‘no’, two added provisoes: ‘computers provided by individuals and employer’, and ‘as long as we have funding’. Of the problems listed, one organisation had experienced problems when a sponsor withdrew all their computers; another stated that it was only able to access a computer because their representative had bought it herself ‘by going into huge debt’. One organisation commented that they ‘had an old slow mac that took forever to connect and download and spent outside of budget to get a new fast IBM’ and another made the point that ‘[our] operational funding does not make allowances for the need to purchase updated computers/software etc, so we have 143 had to try and find alternative sources of funding to buy the necessary hardware/software for our organisation’.

Even when organisations are able to afford computers and software for their office they cannot necessarily support their volunteers who are in effect their ‘staff’. This point is illustrated by the comments from an organisation which stated:

[It is] OK for national office – it is difficult for us to finance hardware for volunteer office bearers in remote locations, ie away from national office costs covered by individuals or by employers.

Comments from a further organisation illustrate the heavy burden placed on NGOs in terms of equipping an entire national organisation with the technology necessary to operate in today’s world:

Our association has a policy of providing hardware and software up to email standard for any Director who is unable to provide them for herself.

Several organisations stated that lack of funds proscribed their purchasing decisions. For example:

We have a new computer (June 98) but have had to go for a cheaper package which has certain glitches on occasion. If we’d had the money we would have purchased a better machine with a scanner as well.

Another organisation’s comments illustrate the difficulty in obtaining funding for capital expenditure and in trying to outfit an office with several up-to-date computers:

We now have four computers in the office - we started with none and first bought a second hand 486 computer for $150 - we have gradually upgraded. We receive a…grant [but] it is a condition of this grant that capital items such as computers may not be purchased…We have used some of [membership fee] income to upgrade first to a second hand pentium and this calendar year to add more memory to that one and we bought two more second hand pentiums for $150 each and then had them upgraded (more memory). The fourth computer is the best and it is a new pentium which was purchased using [another] grant funds (we had specific permission to do this). We have had all four computers in the office networked. Lack of computers has previously been a major hindrance in having volunteers in our office. My own computer - the laptop is Dell Latitude - this cost me about $6,000 including software - the [organisation] could not afford to purchase a computer of this quality or utility. It is fundamental to the level of output which the organisation generates.

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Yet another comment illustrates the difficulty in obtaining all the software required, skilled staff and technical assistance:

Comments such as these highlight the fact that managing to obtain funds to purchase computers and communication software is only the beginning. Upgrading memory, RAM and software is an ongoing necessity. The above comments also highlight the problem with funding grants that preclude, even in today’s technologically driven society, the use of grant funds to purchase the technology so vital to functioning in the new millennium. The responses also illustrate the constant financial juggling act required to acquire the necessary hardware and software, connect to the Internet and stay connected. Given that almost 70% of representatives to Pamela’s List are providing their own email access, organisations would obviously face even greater financial problems if they had to provide email access, computers and software for all representatives.

6.3.6 Technical Problems:

Of the organisations without an email account 26% had technical problems in attempting to establish or maintain an email account and this was particularly a problem as one organisation commented for ‘many older women not familiar with [the] net’. One organisation’s delegate relied on her 14 year old granddaughter and her daughter to sort out technical problems.

Of organisations with email 35% responded that they did have technical problems. In addition, of those supposedly without problems, several qualified their response. One representative answered that she didn’t have technical problems but her son set it up for her, another organisation admitted ‘there is some variation in access and experience but generally no technical difficulties’; while a further responded: ‘no problems but only because we have 145 expert help on hand – we would not have been able to configure equipment to deal with mail for all the organisation’s sharing the space, through the one computer/line otherwise’.

Examples of the problems experienced included:

• At our National Headquarters it took a very long time to sort out the email difficulties over the network. • Major problems when we converted from Ozemail to a local ISP and established a domain email addresses. At the same time the…office converted from Eudora Lite to Microsoft Outlook. We had weeks of problems trying to set up personalities and trying to get rid of email attachments (dat files) which automatically attached themselves to outgoing emails from MS Office and wrapped file attachments inside (and locked them). Staff in tears – absolutely pulling our hair out. We dumped Outlook and went to Eudora Pro which has been just fine. • XX doesn’t/hasn’t had the skills when it comes to configuring email and dealing with technical glitches etc. However, I have tended to rely on my partner for all technical assistance with [our] computers/emails – he has spent many a weekend in [our] Office dealing with our computer hassles and fixing modems etc. This type of in-kind support is vital to [our] existence yet is not recognised by funding bodies/Ministers etc as ‘real’ in-kind support. • We need more web skills to add more functionality and user options to our website. We have taken a membership with Computer Assisted Support and Education (a nonprofit in Canberra which provides computer and technical assistance to other nonprofits) and this has provided a source of advice and mentoring.

Once again, given the large number of the organisations relying on representatives to provide their own email access, it is not unreasonable to assume that a higher percentage of organisations would have technical problems if they themselves were directly responsible for the provision of ICTs.

6.3.7 ISP Problems:

Regarding problems with ISPs, 16% of organisations without email accounts cited this as a barrier to uptake and up to 35% of organisations with an email account had problems with their ISPs.

One organisation commented that: 146

We moved from Ozemail because of the cost and also because the technical support was awful. We are getting good service from our current ISP but the cost of technical support, while worth it, is significant.

Another was similarly disparaging of Ozemail stating: [our] ISP is Ozemail and they have been a nightmare in relation to the accounting processes and billing procedures. Many times we have had to contact them regarding incorrect charges and so on.

Other comments on the problems with ISPs pointed out that ‘it’s no fun being put on hold for more than 20 minutes or having to wait in phone queues for an eternity, yet this is how most of the ISP Technical Assistance services operate’. One organisation had found that lack of credit card facilities (generally required for billing purposes) limited their choices of ISPs199; another that ‘there are no commercial ISP’s who will donate extra hours’; and one found technical limitations with their ISP:

The ISP does not have broad pops and consequently I bear the cost when I am travelling using my own email account with a large number of local pops.

These comments indicate a wide range of problems with ISPs. Only one organisation specifically commented that they had found their ISP to have been ‘very helpful’.

6.3.8 Telephone Service Problems:

Of organisations without email, 21% had problems with an inadequate telephone service, as did 35% of those with their own email account. Problems with the cost of STD calls and regional telephone services were the major problems listed (ie. one respondent commented that problems began when she ‘moved to a rural area – not enough lines and those that are kept going out’ and another: ‘there have been some problems for our personnel who live in isolated areas’). Other problems included technical quality (‘we had trouble with the quality of phone lines and still have problems a couple of times a month. The issue is generally noise on the line such that the modem can’t dial out through it’) and lack of access following a sponsor’s withdrawal of phone service (‘our sponsor withdrew phone lines and we moved offices several times so phones have been a problem’).

199 WIFT Queensland also faced this situation and had to use its Project Officer’s credit card. 147

Considering that one organisation specified that employers provided phones and several that they rely on representatives to provide their own access, once again it can be assumed a higher percentage of organisations would have problems in this area if they themselves were directly responsible for the provision of telephone lines.

6.3.9 Training:

Of organisations without email, 26% considered lack of access to training, particularly at the local level in using email, to be a problem. It was also a problem for 41% of organisations with email. But of those organisation which answered ‘no’, one organisation commented, ‘my board members are only just in the brave new world so have some limitations on their use of the technology. Like feeling comfortable having group discussion with it’. This reflects the overall responses. Many are coping (‘trial and error did it in the end’) but would like access to training to bring their use to optimum levels. Thus:

Training has not happened for staff in the office – they have shown each other what to do – this works pretty well but the level of proficiency with the email package is not at optimum levels. I have not had training in the use of email but have become expert through use and perseverance.

Only Executive Officer is proficient in using email, and unless I take the time to train volunteers or bookkeeper in using email, we don’t have the resources to provide email training for volunteers/staff.

National committee could do with some training.

Again, there is also evidence of reliance on the representatives’ employers: ‘the various employers have provided for individuals’. However, one organisation made the comment that ‘email seems one of those things that nearly everybody has been able to use almost straight away’.

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6.3.10 Summary Comparison of Email Problems:

The comparison between organisations with their own email account and those without does not provide any major surprises. Those without an email account cite problems with costs involved in setting up or maintaining an account as a far more significant factor than those which have managed to fund an email account. Those organisations which do have an email account not unnaturally experienced more problems with technical matters, ISPs, telephone service and training. Both organisations with and without email accounts experienced roughly the same percentage of problems accessing computers and software.

Table 2: Summary Comparison of Email Problems – Pamela's List Organisations

Organisation HAS Organisation does NOT an email account HAVE email A/c Problems with costs setting up an email A/c 12% to 29% 63% Problems with cost of maintaining email A/c 47% 63% Problem accessing computers & software 53% 47% Technical problems 35% 26% ISP problems 29% to 35% 16% Telephone Service Problems 35% 21%

Problems accessing training 41% 26%

NB: Three organisations ticked no problems with costs associated with establishing email but then added provisos and listed problems accounting for the 12%-29% range. The same applies for the range given in the ISP category.

Ultimately only two organisations nominated no problems at all with email. Of those, one was a national group which operated under the auspices and with total support from their various state employers and thus did not have to provide their own equipment, email accounts, ISP accounts, telephones, computers or training, and the second was a group of women working in the IT field.

6.3.11 Women’s NGOs: Embracing The Technology:

Despite the impediments to the uptake and use of ICTs, these women's NGOs are overcoming these impediments to embrace ICTs. It is also both informative and important to 149 note that even though email could be considered to still be in its infancy regarding the development and diffusion of the technology, it has already overtaken the postal system as a form of communication for these women’s organisations among their Board members. As one organisation commented:

Email has made a huge difference to the way the Board of Directors and Officers of the company work. There is much more discussion of issues and topics and most Directors would feel that they were more informed. As our Membership is 12,500 it is not possible to use email as a means of contacting all the Membership, but it is being used in some areas in conjunction with the postal service.

6.3.11.1 Utilitarian Use: There is also a clear pattern of utilitarian use which emerges when viewing the responses to the survey as a whole. The use of email as a quick and cheap form of communication is significant among these women's NGOs as is membership of email lists to keep abreast of information in relevant areas of endeavour. However, these organisations are not embracing ICTs to the exclusion of all other forms of communication nor conversely choosing to turn their backs on the new technologies. Rather, where they can put together the means to access these technologies, they then utilise them to provide further choices in the forms of communication available to them. They are using ICTs to supplement traditional forms of communication specifically in areas where they are perceived to provide a better, quicker and/or cheaper service but ICTs have not replaced other forms of communication where they are not perceived to be appropriate, practical (eg communicating with large memberships not all of whom have access to email) or able to offer a clear benefit. The utilitarian approach is also demonstrated by the two organisations who have deliberately chosen not to have an email account for their organisation as they found they could operate efficiently through their members’ accounts. One of the organisations was a technology based organisation with all members having access from work and the other had previously had an account for the organisation but found it could save money and operate adequately ‘piggybacking’ on individual members’ email arrangements.

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6.3.12 Board Communications:

Email is the second most used method of communication between Board members but is not used for Board Meetings by 88% of organisations. Only one organisation said it used email frequently to conduct board meetings (and one organisation had used the web to conduct board meetings). Given the significant problems organisations experienced in establishing email access, the fact that IRC or similar programs such as ICQ or CU-C-ME had not been tried by the majority is understandable.

Email is, however, being used as an adjunct to board meetings. One organisation commented ‘background work is done by email’; another that they ‘use teleconference for meetings and an email list for discussion/ decisions between meetings including voting if necessary’. Others used email to circulate agendas, ‘occasionally to get agreement on matters outside meetings’ and one organisation used email for sub-committee meetings. A total of 21% of the organisations used email in these ways.

6.3.13 Member Communications:

When it comes to communicating with their own members, the postal system was the most used method and email the second most used while the phone came in third. General communications to the membership are intended to reach all members and many don’t have email. Until access becomes more or less universal, essential communications to the general membership will still require the older and more ubiquitous technologies.

6.3.14 Email Use:

The majority of organisations or their nominated representatives were experienced users of email prior to subscribing to Pamela’s List, with 80% having used email frequently or very frequently before subscribing. Of the remaining organisations, only 9% had never used email 151 and 9% had used email only occasionally, while one organisation answered they didn’t know, ‘it depended on their members’.

Figure 8: Pamela's List Organisations - Prior Email Use

Never Occasionally 9% 9% Very Frequent 41%

Frequent 41%

These organisations could be considered heavy users of email given that 31% sent over 100 emails per week; 11% sent between 50 and 100 per week, and 20% sent between 20 and 50 emails per week.

Figure 9: Pamela's List Organisations – Emails Sent Per Week

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% 0 0 00 -5 -1 1 0 0-20 100+ 2 1 50-

These organisations were also receiving significant levels of email each week. One organisation received over 700 emails per week; 20% received between 250 and 500 emails per week; 23% received between 100 and 250 emails per week; 9% received 50-100 emails per week and 17% received 20-50 per week. 14% received between 10 to 20 per week, a still not insignificant number of emails. Email has, therefore become a significant form of communication. 152

Figure 10: Pamela's List Organisations – Emails Received per week

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

+ 0 0 0 0 0 -1 0 5 0 -5 -2 -1 0 0 -2 -1 0 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 5 2 0 5 1 5 2

Consequently, 49% of organisations stated they were extremely reliant on email and 30% considered their organisation to be at least moderately reliant on email; this despite the fact that only 47% of the organisations responding to the survey had an email account for their organisation.

Figure 11: Pamela's List Organisations – Reliance on Email

Not At All Not Very 3% 11% Increasingly 3% Extremely 52% Moderately 31%

Overall 87% of organisations are checking their email at least everyday with 13% of organisations constantly connected to the Internet; 35% checking their email every few hours; 39% checking every day; 3% checking it twice a week; 7% every few days; 3% once a week; and 3% answered that it is up to members.

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Thus, having access to email has been shown by this survey to be very important for women’s organisations, to the extent that despite considerable difficulties they have persevered in setting up either an account for their organisation or establishing some other means of email access. Having obtained access, these organisation are then heavy users of email and moreover rate their proficiency in the use of email as ‘very proficient’ (32%) or ‘proficient’ (42%). 13% of organisations considered themselves inexperienced and 8% rated their organisations as very inexperienced. 5% were undecided.

It is illuminating in this regard to note that an almost equal number of organisations forward

Pamela’s List postings on by hard copy (21%) as by email (24%)200. In the case of organisations printing out emails to circulate, 6% commented that this was because not every member had access to email. One organisation actually stated it replied by post to Pamela's List while another organisation stated that responses to Pamela’s List emails were sent on to the ‘relevant person in our organisation who writes out a response which the representative types and posts to the list’. 62%, however, respond to issues on Pamela’s List by return email201.

But despite the barriers to access and ongoing problems experienced, 94% of organisations rated the reliability of email in general as good or excellent; 94% rated the ease of use of email as good or excellent; 89% rated the ease of access of email as good or excellent; 82% rated the cost of email as good or excellent (despite nominating cost as a significant problem in setting up an email account); and 100% rated the speed of email as good or excellent. These organisations are, then, very impressed with email as a form of communication.

The heavy use of email also highlights the fact that the reasons for organisations going online are more complex than simply wanting to access and participate in Pamela’s List. In fact, 95% of the organisations denied that participation in Pamela’s List was the motivation for their organisation to set up email access. Similarly for 88% of the representatives responding to the survey, participation on Pamela’s List was not the motivation for establishing email, none stated it was the reason and only 12% or four representatives stated it was ‘part of the reason’

200 Many of the responses were not specific in stating whether email messages from Pamela's List were forwarded by email or hard copy so only those responses which specifically stated how messages were forwarded have been included. 201 Many responses were not specific in stating how they replied to Pamela's List postings, so the percentage of organisations responding directly by email could be higher than 62%. 154 for them to personally establish an email account. (This is substantiated by the fact that 80% of the organisations that responded to the survey classified their organisation as a frequent or very frequent user of email prior to joining Pamela’s List). Nonetheless as one organisation commented, while Pamela’s List was not the motivation to go online, ‘it was certainly an excellent reason to stay on-line’.

This is also supported by the fact that for 51% of the organisations, Pamela’s List was not the first email list to which their organisation had subscribed (37% stated it was the first or probably the first list to which the organisation had ever subscribed; 11% did not know). 74% of the responding organisations subscribed to other email lists and two organisations not currently subscribed to any other email list, had been in the past. Thus, 80% of organisations were currently or had in the past, subscribed to other email lists. One delegate to Pamela’s List stated that while her organisation did not subscribe to any other email lists, she herself did. In addition two organisations ran their own email list or lists. One of the organisations which ran their own email list stated ‘we expect to be providing 150 email lists by the first quarter of 2000’202. These results show the importance organisations place on email lists.

Overall these organisations listed a further 77 email list subscriptions. Moreover several organisations stated that they subscribed to too many to list, a number of organisations stated that they may have missed one or two in their listing, and another stated that other representatives of the organisation had the responsibility of subscribing to other lists. Thus the figure of 77 email lists is only indicative of the high level of email list subscription. (Refer Appendix K for the list of Email List subscriptions). In short the perceived benefits of email and necessity of having email access cannot be reduced to or accounted for in terms of membership of Pamela’s List.

202 It took until January 2001 to realise this aim (cf., http://www.nwjc.org.au/avcwl/whatsnew/9.html ). 155

6.3.15 Key Findings - Pamela’s List:

Just keep it going, this is one of the most powerful tools that we have come up with in a long time. And the funny thing is many government players know that we have it so they aren’t as active in trying to divide us as they once were. Almost a deterrent policy, terrific!! Email lists as powerful as nuclear weapons !! eek.

As the previous section shows, women's NGOs are embracing email lists and have made this particular technology work for them. Their enthusiasm for email lists is reflected in their rating of Pamela's List with the overwhelming majority of organisations rating it as excellent (60%) or good (36%) with no organisations giving Pamela’s List a poor or very poor rating. Similarly 91% of organisations rated their organisation’s subscription to Pamela’s List as beneficial or extremely beneficial.

The reason for such high positive responses can be explained by the fact that 88% of organisations which responded to the survey believed the effect of membership of Pamela’s List on communication between organisations represented on Pamela’s List had been positive or very positive. Similarly 90% of organisations believed that membership of Pamela’s List had had a positive or very positive effect on the dissemination of information between organisations represented on Pamela’s List. And 70% of organisations also believed that membership of Pamela’s List had improved co-operation between organisations represented on the list.

A further reason for the success of Pamela’s List lies in the fact that member organisations perceive Pamela’s List as having been of significant benefit in preparing for the 1998 Australian Women’s Round Table Meeting, the 1999 pre-Round Table Meeting (or the Australian Women’s Organisations Conference, as it was renamed) and the 1999 National Women’s Round Table. Similarly 80% of responding organisation believed the list had also been successful in sharing information and discussing the review of the National Women’s NGOs Grants Programme.

Their comments not only reflect their positive rating of Pamela's List but indicate why the list has been so successful. Its political ramifications go far beyond simply helping these organisations stay informed and network. Thus:

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• I can say that Pamela’s List has been HUGELY influential in influencing government – even though it might have been a negative response – I think Pamela’s terrifies them. • OSW is aware of the list and is aware that women’s organisations are now in contact with each other. My impression is that the fact that Pamelas-list exists has encouraged OSW to take up a focus on women and technology and to focus on technology issues in terms of capacity building in relation to women’s organisations. • It’s re-building the women’s movement.

Pamela's List itself is also seen to have played a role in assisting these organisations in their uptake of ICTs:

• It has helped develop technological skills; • Encourages women to engage in the new technologies and develop ways of using them effectively; • At this stage Pamela’s List has done a very good job. A lot of organisations are still coming to terms with email and I think that PL has handled this well – though you would expect continued improvements.

Further information regarding levels of satisfaction with the topics discussed, depth of information, volume of postings, amount of discussion of topics, level of participation, etc. can be found in Appendix K: Pamela's List Survey.

Judy Harrison, Convenor of Pamela’s List, believes ‘the simple and ready access to information; access to expert critique; the opportunities to contribute and debate; and, to respond easily to calls for assistance and action’ is strengthening networks, providing resources for activism and already sounding a wake-up call to government (1998: 4)203.

She states: The Internet and email are having an effect on levels of cooperation across the women’s sector. Both are bringing about a pooling of interests and talents…the use of electronic communication will result in greatly increased cohesion in the Australian women’s movement, more effective and more strategic mass policy interventions, greater influence on ‘mainstream’ policy areas, the emergence of effective (and largely virtual) strategic coalitions across the movement with these drawing in key mainstream bodies on an issue by issue basis.

The Australian women’s movement will increasingly deliver stronger, more detailed, timely and strategic consensus positions and interventions. In summary, in my assessment the

203 Harrison could not envisage in 1998, the results of the 2000-2002 survey into the changing roles of NGO peaks by the Institute of Social Change and Critical Inquiry, University of Wollongong showing a systematic attack on peak NGOS in the current neo- conservative policy environment in Australia (Melville, 2003). 157

Internet and email will generate levels of activity and influence on women’s issues to orders of magnitude far beyond previous and current experience (Harrison, 1998: 4-5).

6.4 WIFT / Pamela’s List Comparison

The survey of Pamela’s List could not go into the same depth of analysis regarding the participating organisations’ use of ICTs as the WIFT case study. Nonetheless, the survey findings provide an overview of the situation the peak Australian women’s NGOs face enabling some comparison with WIFT’s experiences.

6.4.1 Key Similarities:

The average of 45% of organisations with email accounts for the duration of the survey indicate that email, even as of March 2000 (the end of the survey period) and exactly four years after WIFT had managed to establish it, was still not achievable for the majority of these women’s NGOs. Moreover, 12% of organisations which had established email found the process still difficult (with 18% undecided).

The results also show that WIFT and the Pamela’s List members shared the same key problems such as the cost of establishing and maintaining an email account, problems accessing computers, software and training, technical problems and problems with ISPs. In each category the percentage of organisations experiencing these problems was significant. Thus, four years on, the impediments to the full uptake and utilisation of ICTs remain essentially the same. Furthermore, rather than disappearing over time, continual technological advances in both the hardware and software domain will ensure that such problems remain.

One organisation actually confirmed that it had also experienced difficulties at the time WIFT Australia was establishing email, pointing out, ‘it was difficult originally when we took the first email account with Ozemail in early 1996’. Another organisation experienced a similar problem to WIFT Australia’s password problems stating:

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We have a website but the person who set it up left no information about the ISP or passwords or anything. It is a terrible mess and so far (6 months later) we are still not able to fix it.

This highlights the necessity of instigating clear administrative protocols within an organisation and for more understanding of the realities of voluntary organisations on the part of ISPs.

The only significant problem experienced by the Pamela’s List Survey participants that WIFT did not share was problems with telephone service providers but all WIFT organisations were located in metropolitan areas as opposed to many of the Pamela’s List participants who were servicing branches in regional areas. Additionally, in the case of WIFT Australia, the telephone service was provided through the Australian Film Institute and for WIFT Queensland from the beginning of 1998 through its landlord, QPIX, and it was they rather than WIFT which took responsibility for dealing with the telephone service provider.

The Pamela’s List Survey participant’s use of advanced ICTs was, four years on (2000), no better than WIFT’s. They were not using technologies such as chat programs, IRC, ICQ, CU- C-ME or the Internet for telephony. Nor were they maximising the use of email or the web to, for example, conduct board meetings, or using FTP, one of the earliest Internet technologies developed. All bar one organisation which had a website only used it as an online brochure for their organisation. However, the one organisation attempting to utilise its website to provide additional services lacked training and access to affordable software. Due to the fact that, as with WIFT, not all members of their organisations had email, they did not provide electronic newsletters and only two organisations had set up their own email discussion lists. Thus, as with WIFT, the most used method of contacting the general membership remained the postal system with email nominated as the second most used method.

Similarly, just as WIFT had subscribed to a number of email lists, the Pamela’s List survey participants also substantially embraced email lists but as for WIFT, email list participation was not the motivation for the majority of organisations or their representatives to go online.

In the final analysis, these organisations were, as was WIFT, utilising email to supplement traditional forms of communication rather than replacing them outright. 159

6.4.2 Key Differences:

The most significant difference between these organisations and WIFT was the fact that the Pamela’s List Survey participants utilised email much more than WIFT, sending and receiving a far greater volume of emails per week than any of the WIFT organisations ever did. In addition, email was incorporated into their work practices much more with 79% rating their organisations as moderately reliant or extremely reliant on email and with the survey participants rating email, as the second most used method to communicate between board members, after the phone. Overall they had a far more positive experience with email than the WIFT organisations in light of the very high ratings they gave to the reliability of email, its ease of use, ease of access, cost and speed.

This undoubtedly reflects the gap between WIFT as an early adopter and the Pamela's List organisations who as ‘middle adopters’ were able to take advantage of the greater familiarity with and use of email in the general community, the greater availability of role models and guides, and the advances in email programs making them more transparent and user friendly.

6.4.3 Summary:

Ultimately the Pamela's List organisations and the WIFT organisations all shared remarkably similar difficulties. The differences come down to degrees of uptake and use rather than to any fundamental differences in problems or experiences. In turn the differences in degrees of uptake and use can be accounted for by the time lag in takeup between early adopters (WIFT) and mid-adopters (Pamela's List organisations) of the technology. To summarise:

• WIFT Australia used email very little. • WIFT Queensland initially used email very little but gradually used it more between the board and the general membership until finally becoming a virtual organisation. • WIFT International used email extensively from day one of operations, taking it as a given that delegates had email although still prepared to accommodate those without access. 160

• Similarly by 2000 the Pamela's List survey participants were utilising email much more than WIFT Australia or WIFT Queensland had, sending and receiving a far greater volume of emails, incorporating the use of email into their communications far more, the majority self-reporting as proficient or very proficient with email and 79% claiming they were reliant or extremely so on email. Overall they had a far more positive experience with email than WIFT in light of the very high ratings they gave to the reliability of email, its ease of use, ease of access, cost and speed. • WIFT Australia never attempted to use IRC whereas WIFT International pursued it despite the considerable difficulties encountered. WIFT Queensland did utilise IRC in late 1999/2000 and while it was not as successful as WIFT International was ultimately, it did not experience the establishment difficulties that WIFT International had. • WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland established several webpages without any difficulties. WIFT International took five years to finally establish a webpage for the organisation with funding the major stumbling block.

While WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland’s use was limited initially, WIFT Queensland’s success in eventually getting its whole board on to email and setting up a chat room demonstrates firstly the success of WIFT Australia’s policy and secondly what WIFT Australia should reasonably have been able to achieve had it survived a little longer.

The success of the WIFT and Pamela's List organisations is all the more remarkable when compared to the level of uptake and use by far larger and better resourced NGOs nationally and internationally several years later (Refer Chapter 2). However, the fact that over 40% of women's organisations on Pamela's List have Internet access should not lead to complacency. As Balka has argued, ‘far from being the great equaliser, computer networking reproduces pre-existing disparities between organisations’ (2000: 44). It cannot be assumed, therefore, that the remaining 60% of organisations both now and in the future will eventually catch up, especially given the continuing evolution of information and communications technology.

Balka (2000) also argues that women's organisations have played a significant role in making access a national policy issue in Canada. Thus, Australian women's NGOs need to become 161 proactive in ensuring that equity of access is placed firmly on the agenda for both women and NGOs if they are to be able to continue to operate successfully in the new millennium.

None of this is to diminish the success many of the Australian women's peak NGOs have had in embracing ICTs nor the very real advancements that have been accomplished by Pamela's List in strengthening the communication between Australian women's NGOs and building a united women's movement in this country. It is, however, to point out that we need to be ever vigilant in strengthening women's NGOs’ access to the new information and communication technologies.

6.5 An Overview of International Women's NGO Surveys

There have been two major international surveys of women's NGOs, The APC Global Women's Networking Survey conducted in September 1996, and a joint project between ISIS International, UNESCAP204 and AWORC205; coordinated by the APC and entitled ‘An Exploratory Study on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Women's Organisations: The Asia Study’ (2001).

6.5.1 The APC Global Women's Networking Survey (1996)

This survey was sent to 700 women and women's organisations and received 146 responses206 from 36 countries including Australia, Asia/Pacific, Canada, Eastern Europe/Russia, Latin America, North Africa/Middle East, Sub-Sahara Africa, Western Europe and the United States.

It covered a diversity of women's groups including NGOs, grassroots groups, women's centres, United Nations agencies, funding agencies and foundations, solidarity groups and networks, computer networks, freelance workers, volunteers, information technology companies, media services agencies, advocacy groups and departments responsible for

204 United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 205 The Asian Women's Resource Exchange 206 A response rate of 21% which they note is considered very good for survey research. 162 women's programming or studies. This wide range of types of organisations and individuals provides broad and generalised insights but precludes any direct comparison with the Australian peak women's NGO survey. It was, however, conducted during the period WIFT Australia and the state organisations were establishing ICTs and is thus useful in providing insight into the impediments and successes women's NGOs worldwide were experiencing at that stage in the development of ICTs.

Overall the top 10 barriers in order of highest responses were lack of training (10) and the cost of equipment to get connected (9). Poor infrastructure such as unreliable phone lines (8), charges for an email or Internet account (7) and budget constraints (6) followed in priority. Concerns about privacy and security (5), no local systems, support or role models (4), language concerns over the dominance of English (3), lack of perceived need or usefulness (2) and no relevant information available online (1) followed in importance207.

A number of other barriers were cited by the respondents, the most common of which was lack of time: ‘to seek out information’; ‘become familiar with computer use’; ‘get help’; ‘prepare materials upload them and respond to E-mail’; ‘set up a Website’; ‘hire people to assist in moderating and developing online activities’; ‘learn’; and ‘respond to misdirected email’. As one respondent wrote: ‘in some ways the Internet is a tool for those with lives of leisure’. The issue of only ‘one computer and/or one modem per office’ limiting email access, ‘learning to manage amount and type of information’ and ‘not knowing which techies to trust’ were other barriers given.

6.5.1.1 Training Needs: Training, as the top barrier nominated, requires further discussion. Of the respondents, 35% had not received any training because of its cost, lack of availability, lack of time, or lack of gender and/or culturally sensitive training. Instead they were self-taught, relied on computer buddies or learned through experimentation ‘on the job’. In addition to basic training covering all areas of information and communication technologies, technical training for troubleshooting was requested with the approach used by APC in developing a global support

207 While training topped the list, costs would have ranked highest if the several categories relating to costs were amalgamated. 163 network of technical women, repeatedly cited as a model to build on. Suggestions for improving training included:

• Provision of inexpensive training with ongoing support and mentoring in women's own communities; • Accessible training in daycare centres, places where women congregated regularly, piggy-backed to something already going on (e.g., conferences), with child care provided and at safe and convenient times; • Short sessions that do not disrupt work or family commitments; • The provision of women only training with limited numbers in each session to enable personalised instruction; • The development of training methodologies and programmes in consultation with the women's movement; • Training with ‘lots of hands-on experiences - women learn by doing not by showing them how to do it’; • Training that demonstrates ‘women are capable of handling any kind of technology’ and demonstrates ‘the utility and advantages this technology has at the individual level, organization and movement’; • Training that uses ‘language that demystifies’ with ‘less technical jargon and more handouts demystifying jargon’; and • Emphasize the importance of people … talk about computers as a tool, not a fetish.

Overall the responses underline the shortcomings of mainstream/malestream training methods for women in that they are not tailored to their lives or learning styles.

6.5.1.2 Funding: Of the challenges to uptake of ICTs, funding was the second most nominated problem with 48% of respondents having applied for funding but only a few being successful. The reasons given by those who had not applied for funding were lack of knowledge about funding sources or procedures, assessment methodologies, or project ideas. Creative approaches are needed to help these organisations secure funds, such as developing tools to assist in assessing communication needs and opportunities as well as efforts to link organisations with funders.

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Funding for training (56%), Website development (56%), and for hardware and software to get connected (56%) were most required. Funding to support recurring charges for Internet or email accounts (47%) followed in importance. Other funding needs identified ranged from funding for appropriate technology (radio modems, affordable modems, 'safe' account, solar energy, security, etc.) to long term support for women's electronic networking programming208.

A group from Australia had received funding for a public Internet access site but complained of many unsuccessful applications and their frustration with funders' priority and a trend towards mega projects like multimedia houses and CD-Rom-based projects, and ‘for ridiculous things like getting the wine industry online, or a dead author, or whatever!’.

6.5.1.3 Gender Differences: A final key factor to emerge from this survey of relevance to this thesis was that many respondents believed there were important gender differences in evidence regarding ICTs. Lack of time was cited by many respondents as a key factor:

Women, simply have less time to spend hours learning new programmes, how to install things, what to do when there is a problem, hanging around on the Internet to see what it has to offer. Largely, though not exclusively, women tend to have more and varied responsibilities (work and home) and this simply doesn't allow the time you need to do that kind of exploring that makes you really comfortable with the technology ...

A number commented on women's limited access to the technology:

Women rarely have access to equipment through their work and are much less likely to be able or motivated to purchase it, whereas men seem to have better access.

People with more status are more likely to have access, usually management and usually men.

A repeated refrain in the comments was men’s interest in the technology for its own sake as opposed to women's interest which was sparked by a perceived benefit.

I think that what largely has brought the women I know to this technology has been necessity and a willingness to communicate more effectively. What has brought most

208 Specific funding needs varied regionally. Australia, Asia and Eastern Europe/Russia ranked Web site development as their highest anticipated funding need. Hardware was ranked the highest by North Africa/Middle East and Latin America. Training ranked highest for Africa, Canada and the United States. Training, web site development and hardware were evenly ranked as most needed for Western Europe. 165

men I know to the technology has been partly necessity but more a fascination with the technology itself.

Women … need to understand what it can do to support their work before they make the effort to learn. Men seem to be interested in the gadgets and gizmo of the technology and are more exploratory in their approach to learning. Although, once women get online and are comfortable with the technology, the exploration starts!

Women may own a low cost system and seem content to just get by with the basics. Some men seem to have a voracious appetite when it comes to wanting to learn everything possible.

Men are more focused on the technical side (e.g., how to get the fastest modem and the most updated Windows version).

However, a few of the respondents felt strongly that the differences were attributable to social or organisational status or even age, and not necessarily gender:

... you can't talk about the difference according to sex. It depends more on their use of computers, the role or position they have in an organization, the assigned tasks they carry out.

In Australia there's more of a difference between haves and have nots, regardless of gender.

6.5.1.4 Summary of Findings: The overall findings of the survey reveal that despite the obstacles, women are making great strides in adopting ICTs. For many, using email has become a routine part of day-to-day communication. More and more are using conferencing, mailing lists and Websites on a regular basis. Many indicated that they are planning to use or experiment with other tools they are not currently using underlining the fact that the adoption of ICT is a long term process requiring ongoing learning and adapting to change.

However, time and resource constraints or organisational priorities keep others from fully utilising these technologies. There were also regional differences evident in the use of these technologies with women in third world countries (in particular, Africa and Asia) and in Eastern Europe primarily using email, conferencing and Listservs, while women in the 1st world (and in some instances Latin America) showed greater use of Internet tools, such as search engines and WWW. Women in third world countries highlight particular challenges: limitations of email only accounts (not having access to remote databases or Internet tools), limited infrastructure 166

(difficulty in getting a phone line), and the high costs of data transmission (networks in third world countries often charge their users for messages sent and received). Although more positive examples of online experiences are cited than negative ones, the latter reinforce the many challenges women face in the adoption of communication technologies.

Nonetheless, as the survey sample and responses suggests, increased communication and sharing of knowledge has broadened the scope of online participation creating a more equitable global women's forum online. Many ‘connected’ women act as bridges to ‘unconnected’ groups in their communities by re-packaging information they find online and sharing it via print, fax, telephone, radio, theatre, etc. Likewise they re-package ‘offline’ information into digital formats to disseminate widely. The findings indicate that these women are working hard to create relevant and useful resources for, by, and about women -- often in challenging circumstances. The many lessons and success stories featured throughout the findings suggest that creative and effective approaches to women's digital networking do exist. Despite this, most individuals and organisations within the women's movement struggle to apply the technology in their work. Although not specifically asked, the importance of policies to support the adoption of new communication technologies by women was highlighted in the findings.

Overall, there remains a need for a coordinated effort to foster mutual approaches and partnerships to confront the barriers women face in access and use of computer communication technologies. The need for continued support to these women was highlighted throughout the survey responses.

6.5.2 The Asia Pacific Study

Entitled ‘An Exploratory Study on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Women's Organisations: The Asia Study’, this APC survey was completed in 2001. It surveyed women's organisations in seven countries in Asia209; eight countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia210; and nine Pacific Island countries211.

209 India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Mongolia, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. 210 Armenia, Azerbajan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 167

When reviewing the findings it is striking how similar they are to the findings of the Pamela's List survey and how many similarities there are between the experiences of these women's NGOs and those outlined in the WIFT case study.

The survey argues that women and men have not benefited equally from the advent of ICTs. Women have to contend with ideological, systemic, and institutional barriers to accessing ICTs, as indeed do Australian women. Similarly while women's organisations ‘have acquired the technology, their use of this has been less than optimised. Computers are not being used for functions such as database management, desktop publishing and website development’ as was the case with WIFT and remains the case with many of the organisations on Pamela's List.

As with the WIFT organisations and the Pamela's List organisations the dominant use of ICTs is email which is primarily used for administrative purposes and for correspondence with donors and with regional and international partners. The Internet, on the other hand was found to be useful for networking, information access and advocacy.

The barriers to the uptake of the technology that these groups shared with their Australian counterparts included:

• Financial and budgetary constraints particularly concerning cost of computer hardware, licensed software, maintenance and connectivity. • Little funding available from donor organisations for ICT with only 29% of groups receiving funds for ICT related activities. Surprisingly organisations in Japan do not receive any assistance from private or government agencies. • Lack of or limited computer skills in various areas including hardware and software installation and maintenance, Internet and non Internet based skills such as telnet, FTP, mailing lists. • The experience that personal contacts and community meetings remain the most effective methods of communication. • A limited awareness of the full range of opportunities afforded by ICT.

211 Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Fiji. 168

• Lack of technological skills with ‘tremendously uneven’ IT skills between men and women resulting in the majority of the IT staff in women's NGOs being male. • Gender role stereotyping particularly evident in the low enrolment among girls in the science and technology fields. • Lack of training for staff with most of the women's ICT skills self-learned.

Key issues identified which their Australian counterparts also shared were:

• The lack of quality of information on the web. • The US domination of the ICT field and global information economy with Asia Pacific countries at the periphery of IT. • The difficulties of balancing the priorities placed on ensuring access to the web and developing websites versus facilitating email access to isolated grassroots communities. As well relationships and information flow between Asia Pacific NGOs and their northern counterparts remains inequitable. • By focusing their energies and efforts on ICTs they can run the risk of neglecting their constituencies.

However, these women's NGOs experience unique barriers not shared by the majority of Australian women's NGOs such as:

• Lack of political, social and economic stability; • Limited online information in languages other than English and difficulty of communicating in English; • Poor ICT infrastructure, inefficient telephone services, absence of electricity, geographical features such as the vast expanse of scattered islands in the ‘ocean continent’ and vast land areas in Asia; and • Lack of national policies promoting ICT.

Women's groups that have been able to tap into the potential of ICTs have experienced benefits and increased opportunities again remarkably similar to the networking benefits reported by Pamela's List organisations. Where Internet access can be afforded groups attest it has reduced their communication costs. They have found ICTs enable them to:

• Conduct research and gain access to news and information; 169

• Improve organisational and personal knowledge and skills; • Monitor and participate in global women's initiatives; • Disseminate information and publicise materials; • Lobby development causes at local and regional levels; • Exchange information and experience; • Coordinate activities both in-country and abroad; • Contribute to civil society and local communities; • Identify new contacts and development partners; • Apply for donor funding and other forms of technical support.

A number of the recommendations stemming from the survey also mirror those required by Australian women's NGOs, namely:

• Women be represented on bodies that make decisions regarding ICT; • Make the technology accessible and relevant to women through the development of holistic state policies on ICT that take women's needs and gender issues into consideration; • Promote the enrolment of girls in ICT programs; • Provision of additional funding support for the uptake of ICTs; • Provision of culturally and gender sensitive training.

Overall this survey showed progress in the uptake and use of ICTs by women's NGOs. More women's groups now have better and easier access to donors and information on funding agencies and on the regional and international activities of the women's movement in comparison to the previous survey and despite the fact that the former survey included the US, Western Europe, Canada and Australia in its survey. But the issues of infrastructure availability, costs and know-how, and the ubiquitous question of women's multiple burdens show that the challenges women's organisation face will continue into the future. They will require fundamental changes to the social structure before women can fully benefit from today’s information and communication technologies212.

212 Isis have now published the survey findings in a book NGO Women @ Asia.Net (2002). 170

6.5.3 Harcourt: Women@Internet (1999):

There has been one book published on the global women's movement, with a specific focus on women's NGOs’ attempts to utilise the Internet and ICTs and build a community of women online. Women@Internet (1999) is exploratory in nature offering some generalised insights into women's NGOs in various countries and their struggle and successes in harnessing ICTs. The book raises a number of key issues for women's NGOs such as global delocalisation, the maleness and elitism of the tools, the exclusivity, the language barriers, the costliness, the Western biases and the divides which run too deep to be overcome simply by more information and ‘skills’. It exposes the different realities of women, their need to overcome a resistance to technology fed by lack of education and literacy skills; a technology rife with sexism, pornography and used to further the traffic in women but one which also enables the creation of communicative spaces for networking that are empowering, breaking down personal and public divides, crossing boundaries, and experimenting in combining the personal, political and professional (Harcourt, 1999: 219-220). With regard to the specific situation of women's NGOs, the book offers snapshots rather than any systematic analysis of women's NGOs worldwide.

6.6 Women’s Issues or Generalised NGO Problems?

Women can handle the technology as the results of the Pamela's List survey, the case study and the women's NGO’s research shows. They are appropriating the technology to their organisations’ needs and are discriminating in their application of ICTs to those needs. This thesis also shows, however, that there are significant impediments to the uptake of these technologies.

Many of the impediments uncovered by this research, cannot be labelled as unique to women's NGOs but are shared by non-gendered NGOs as Chapter 2 confirmed. These include: the costs associated with establishing and maintaining Internet access and email accounts; difficulties in obtaining computers and software; difficulties in sorting out technical problems and accessing affordable quality technical assistance appropriate to NGOs’ circumstances; problems with telephone and Internet service providers; and problems with training a large and constant turnover of volunteers. 171

However, Women's NGOs do face greater challenges in these areas coupled with impediments unique to their gender constituency. For example, while the majority of NGOs face difficulties in regard to training, women's NGOs face the difficulty of sourcing non patronising training specific to women's ways of learning rather than male-centred learning practices213. They also complain about the difficulties in sourcing non patronising technical assistance (UNU/INTECH & UNIFEM, 1998).

It can be more difficult for women's NGOs to attract funding and sponsorship, with potential sponsors unwilling to be associated with ‘feminist’ organisations214; less likely to take women's organisations and the issues they represent as seriously215; and less interested in being associated with gendered issues216.

Women's NGOs’ own members are often less able to contribute financially to their organisation or themselves to access new technology for as Chapter 2 showed, they have less wealth, earn less, have less discretionary income available to pay for Internet access, the necessary hardware and software, a greater proportion of their income is needed to pay for these technologies, and they have less money for time liberating domestic and childcare services. They are also less likely to be able to access these technologies through their employment and have less discretionary time than men to familiarise themselves with new and ever changing technology. Overall, men have far greater access to, more exposure to and experience of these technologies. ICTs in the home are a resource to be competed for, with

213 Women prefer training that focuses less on the technology itself - the gee-whiz jargon- laden school of computer training - and more on how it can help them achieve their goals or make more effective use of their scarce time and other resources (INSTRAW Survey, 1998). The APC (1996) survey findings on gender differences in computer and Internet use also offers insight into the different learning styles between men and women, as well as reinforcing feminist studies on the 'culture of technology' which carries an image of machismo and valorises the adventurer in learning styles. For example, women are less likely to experiment and first want to know ‘what’ and ‘why’; are less prepared to ask questions and need more initial encouragement. Cf., also OSW 1996(b); Turkle & Papert, 1990; Ebben & Kramarae, 1993; Farwell et al, 1999; Boscoe, 1997. 214 Any organisation with ‘women’ in the title is stereotypically considered by many to be feminist and/or ‘radical’. 215 WIFT Queensland, for example, was informed by the head of Film Queensland that funding it was akin to funding a narrowly focused organisation such as under arm left handed bowlers! 216 This is also reflected in the lack of interest in research into women's NGOs. A further problem is with young women not wishing themselves to be associated with feminism as experienced by WIFT (cf., also James Bailey, 1999:262). 172 women deferring to partners and children over their use. Moreover many women are resistant to after-hours access seeing it as a ‘home invasion’.

Women still do not play a significant role in the design of these technologies with their design more likely to reflect men’s approach, interests and styles of use. In particular, where the technologies do not support their relationship work, are not convenient, user-friendly, efficient tools, or provide practical benefits, women lose interest.

Although a greater problem for women's NGOs, these ‘women's issues’ actually impact on all NGOs given that ‘in Australia, women's volunteer rates are higher than those of men, 21 per cent compared to 17 per cent. This is the case regardless of age, occupation, family status or location’ (OSW n.d. Federal Budget Statement 2001-2002)217. The largest proportion of volunteer work (35%) was attributed to women who were not employed (ABS, 2002) and can least afford to pay for Internet access.

Thus, impediments to Internet access faced by women ultimately impact on the overall NGO sector while society itself will ultimately lose if women are unable to gain more equitable participation in and access to the new information and communication technologies. As the OSW points out ‘in their work to support families and maintain the fabric of society, [women] are major users of communications technologies (principally phones) and of government and community services’ (1996a)218. Without all the membership, stakeholders and clients of all NGOs able to access the Internet, the most effective use of ICTs by NGOs will continue to be limited.

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217 However, the Report No. 4441.0 Voluntary Work Australia (June 2001), states that 33% of Australian women and 31% of men undertake volunteer work “regardless of birthplace, family status, labour force status or location”. 218 Both the ACOSS (1996) and VCOSS (1997) studies discussed in Chapter 2 also found this to be the case. 173

CHAPTER 7: THE ISSUES: DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Introduction

This chapter identifies the key issues arising from the case study, Pamela's List survey and the available NGO research and develops their implications. It also endeavours to understand why WIFT Australia, the state WIFT organisations and WIFT International found it so difficult to establish ICTs and why, even when established, so little use initially was made of them.

7.1 Technological Decision Making: Centralised Vs Grass Roots Empowerment

7.1.1 Incompatibility of Evolving Systems:

As the uptake of the new technologies spread, ever new designers and suppliers of the systems emerged and began to develop ever new and competing systems with the expectation that the market would sort out clear winners in this technological race. ICT by its nature led to a modular structure where a central processing unit (the ‘computer’) was connected to a number of different ‘peripherals’ or ‘interfaces’ (keyboards, mice, modems, printers, scanners, audio systems, etc.). This meant that the market became confused with expensive products, each protecting its integrity through different (usually proprietary) connection ‘buses or ports’. Not only were there several purchasing options for each component, there was a potential for each component part of the whole to be incompatible with the next. The perambulations and combinations of mixed operating systems, peripherals, interfaces and software became bewildering for all but the most informed technicians. In addition during the whole period of this study, there was an accelerating process where both hardware and software quickly became obsolescent.

However, while the corporate sector could commit to a complete fit out of compatible components when establishing networks, smaller entities like NGOs operating from limited funding bases were often forced to utilise a hodge-podge of second-hand, cast off, and out-of- 174 date equipment. Attempts to make them match often failed and resulted in wasted time and money.

Trying to make do with such equipment was a problem for NGOs across all surveys, experienced in even the wealthiest of countries as illustrated by this comment from the 1996 APC survey:

In Switzerland, a women's group approached the business community with a funding request for hardware. They received a discount on a new PC from a local electronics store, and a donated used PC from another company (although the second piece of equipment ‘was not sufficiently powerful for what we needed’).

For WIFT Australia and the state organisations making do with old second hand computers was a major problem that led to systemic ongoing problems. Moreover, Microsoft’s move to a windows platform just as the organisation was establishing ICTs exacerbated software incompatibility problems throughout the organisation at international, national, state and grassroots level. Ultimately the Standards issue was never resolved and impacted negatively on the electronic exchange of files, the dissemination of policy documents, and the shared formulation of funding and Inquiry submissions. Even in 2004 compatibility problems remain between PC and AppleMac computers and various software programs.

Costs and lack of funding exacerbated the problem. None of the WIFT organisations were financially in a position to fit out an entire organisation with the same computers and software programs and the constant changes in delegates, resulting in an ever changing mix of hardware and software, was also unhelpful. These factors introduced a significant level of complexity to the establishment of ICTs.

7.1.2 NGOs’ Egalitarian Structures and Decision Making

WIFT had to attempt (through trial and error) to make the new technology work within an NGO, non hierarchical, organisational structure. The egalitarian values assumed by liberal minded NGOs (especially feminist based NGOs such as WIFT) embraced democratic governance, webs of non hierarchical power structures, and fostered grassroots involvement 175 in decision making. This precluded the WIFT leadership from imposing overriding decisions requiring everyone to purchase Macs or PCs, for example, and came into direct conflict with the new technologies based on a linear system. The whole linear process then became unstuck from that point on. It resulted for WIFT Australia in an incompatible mix of PC and Mac computers, software and peripherals; a mix which ranged from the new to the very out-of- date. This was one of the most significant impediments to successful utilisation of ICTs219. Even if a delegate or state office was one upgrade behind, that fact could make it impossible to access digital documents. Differing software also impacted on the degree of interactivity delegates were offered with shared documents220.

The democratic ethos of the WIFT organisations also extended to not mandating the use of digital communications by delegates nor insisting state offices use digital communications once provided with modems. It also meant that there was never a single solution to technical problems applicable to the wide ranging mix of hardware and software. Thus, the ramifications were far reaching and ongoing. Moreover, even the most complex of technological decisions had often to be made at a conference call of limited duration during which numerous other matters had also to be discussed. This was the standard modus operandum for WIFT Australia, WIFT International and a number of the NGOs on Pamela's List.

Ultimately, it was simply not feasible for WIFT Australia to impose binding decisions on its members which were the state organisations nor for the state organisations to do so regarding their members.

7.2 Technical Support: Techno- Nirvana Vs NGO reality:

A key issue in the establishment and implementation of ICTs was the lack of role models, ‘how-to’ guides, or any knowledge base to draw upon. Most at this time had only a vague understanding of what the Internet was and even less of the capabilities of web based

219 Email attachments were particular problems for WIFT Australia, WIFT International and at least two organisations on Pamela's List. I had, on several occasions, to enlist the support of the university Computer Service Officers to convert attachments to a readable format not always with success. Consequently WIFT Australia continued posting or faxing documents to delegates especially monthly reports which included financial statements. 220 Not everyone was aware of or had access to relatively current software with Rich Text Format (RTF) which enabled some documents to be exchanged between Macs and pcs. 176 communications, or the much touted concepts of media convergence, multi-media, and the ‘information super highway’. This precarious grip on understanding was challenged by the continual announcements of new software, programs and technological innovations.

What was available was a vast rhetoric of celebratory hyperbole surrounding ICTs embedded in a confusing array of technical jargon.

7.2.1 Lack of Technical Advice:

Even had the WIFT leadership been prepared to impose binding decisions, the inability to source affordable, objective, quality technical advice in a form that could be understood made it all but impossible to make technical decisions with any assurance.

Technical advice, when available, also exhibited little understanding of the realities of NGOs’ situation generally or women's NGOs specifically. As the Making The Net Work Report points out:

Most technophiles promoting electronic networking have little or no understanding of the day-to-day work of community practitioners; they can tell you about the hardware and software you need for networking, but not about how you can use networking to accomplish your goals. And those of you who are technical novices probably do not even know what questions to ask in order to understand the potential benefits of this technology for your own organisation (1997: 13).

WomenZnet’s advice to WIFT Australia to ditch the ‘ancient’ computers and limit access to a single trained staff member, was unrealistic for an organisation with limited funding and reliant on volunteers. It also exhibited a lack of understanding of NGOs’ situation. Moreover, it highlights a major problem with ISPs, the lack of technical support they offer clients221.

Also required was technical support that wasn’t patronising, in the realm of hyperbole, or offering doubtful solutions based on purchasing products, invariably requiring further technical

221 Given that Pegasus wished to establish WomenZnet as the premier ISP for women and women's organisations (WIFT Australia was the first organisation to sign with WomenZnet who released a press release publicising this), a little more understanding and technical support could have been to their advantage. WIFT’s newsletter reached over 1100 members throughout Australia and could have provided good publicity for WomenZnet. As it transpired none of the state organisations choose WomenZnet as their ISP. 177 assistance222. This was particularly the case during a period when competing companies rushed to market with new software, often with programming ‘bugs’ and the expectation of releasing patches later223.

Once again, exacerbating the problem for WIFT was the range of software and hardware among the WIFT organisations, delegates and members which meant everyone had to source their own technical assistance.

Sourcing technical advice was a major problem not only for WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland but also for WIFT International vis-à-vis IRC through to 2000224, for the organisations on Pamela's List even in 2000, and across the NGO sector225. The problem lies in the technical difficulties in takeup of these technologies by organisations other than large corporations, bureaucracies, universities etc., with their own IT departments or the capacity to pay for ongoing technical contractors. As the technology continues to constantly evolve, there is no reason to expect that this situation will change.

NGOs are working to resolve these issues. For example the APC in conjunction with various partner organisations226 is attempting to establish a global support network of technical women and offers training where possible for free or at a minimal cost to the participant However, the IT sector could give consideration to following the legal profession in undertaking pro bono work for Nonprofit organisations or establishing no cost / low cost IT consultancy centres to assist NGOs (as in the ACT and across various regions of the USA). Ultimately it is in their best interests given that the NGO sector represents a huge and still relatively undeveloped potential market.

222 Or as one APC survey (1996) respondent phrased the problem, "not knowing which techies to trust". 223 Windows95 was a prime example of this approach which in effect used consumers to beta test products - a nightmare for organisations with limited technical support. 224 Neither WIFT Australia nor Queensland could afford technical support, relying on Board members and volunteers to resolve problems. Without access to university support staff that several Board members of WIFT Queensland had over the years, the costs of establishing and maintaining ICTs would have been an even greater drain on resources. WIFT International also relied on support from the University College Dublin when trying to establish the First Class System. 225 Similarly the Broadband Advisory Group’s Report: Australia’s Broadband Connectivity (2003) comments on the problems SMEs (small and medium enterprises) experience from a lack of independent vendor neutral information regarding technology and the fact that SMEs are often suspicious of inflated vendor marketing claims. 226 Such as United Nations development agencies. 178

7.2.2 The Necessity of Networking Plans:

Access to a technical consultant for the preparation of a technical networking plan for the organisation could have helped WIFT Australia greatly in its establishment of ICTs227. Its plan preparation could have aided recognition that it was the delegates more than the state offices who undertook the work of WIFT Australia. Thus, while it was desirable to have the states connected, it was essential to have delegates connected. A networking plan could then have focussed efforts on facilitating this, including pursuing funding for the purchase of licence agreements for uniform software to distribute to all delegates and states, and the means of providing modems and ISP accounts for delegates.

Similarly a technical consultant may have questioned the advisability of WIFT Australia and WIFT NSW sharing a computer and email account228. At the very least a technical plan should have recommended that the three new computers and any future computer purchases be of the same type229.

Far more use may ultimately been made of ICTs if these issues had been addressed in a technical networking plan encompassing hardware, software, peripherals and key organisational users before attempting to establish a communications network. As the LCCR report recommends, the development of a comprehensive technology plan is ‘the first step in making more effective use of technology’ (2001: 32).

7.2.3 Lack of Guides:

At the time WIFT Australia and Queensland were establishing ICTs, the existence of guides

227 The closest it came to a technical plan was a brief discussion of the desirability of having all state organisations using the same type of computers. This idea was dropped when the AFC could not provide computers to all states and its technical support officer advised a mix of computer types and ages would not affect communicating over the Internet (which proved not to be the case; he was unaware of just how old some of the computers, software and peripherals in use were). 228 The national office only acquired its own computer and modem by chance when WIFT Western Australia declined the offer of a computer and modem. 229 WIFT Queensland purchased a PC purely because the president at the time preferred a PC and thought it best to go that route despite the fact the Administrative Officer had always used Macs. WIFT Australia chose a Mac because that was the E.O.’s preference. 179 and websites for the best use of the Internet for NGOs230 was not widely known. They were not mentioned on the Ausfem Polnet email list, a good source for many other online resources231 and even when WIFT International was implementing ICTs in 1998 and in interviews with WIFT U.K. in mid 1999, there was no knowledge of such reports or sites.

Such reports could have helped evaluate whether ICTs would be beneficial or able to be utilised successfully through the Needs’ Assessment suggested in Making the Net Work (1997)232; assisted in implementing key strategies and protocols; and could have focused examination of key issues such as:

• How WIFT Australia currently communicated with its delegates, state branches and other individuals and groups; would it change? • Whether email communication with important contacts (for example, the AFC and OSW) was feasible at that time. • Whether email would offer significant advantages over current forms of communication in terms of cost, time resources, efficiency, etc. • Who in the organisation must be involved (key users) as opposed to who it would be good, but not essential, to involve and overall, who would need access to the organisation’s account? • Would participation be voluntary or mandatory? Would it be feasible to start working just with early adopters?

A Needs Assessment may have shown that it would have been better for WIFT Australia, in the short term, to purchase 15 fax machines, one for each state and delegate (on the understanding they were to be passed on as delegates changed) and reimburse telephony costs until such time as more organisations and individuals were online.

230 For example the Netaction site (www.netaction.organisation) outlining how community organisations can utilise the Web and email; Australian guides such as the Community Development Worker’s e-Resource Guide (http://www.peninsula.starway.net.au/~snezp/edwRG.htm; Reports such as Making The Net Work (NCexChange, 1997); Democracy at work (OMB Watch: 1998); and Technology Literacy Benchmarks for Nonprofit Organizations (NPower: 2002) specifically designed to help nonprofit organisations. 231 The report Making the Net Work (NCexChange, 1997) was ultimately posted on NOIE’s site (http://www.noie.gov.au/projects/access/community/index.htm accessed April 2001) but not specifically publicised to women's NGOs. 232 As the Report argues “Even with compelling reasons for your organisation to go on line and a clear idea of the problems you may encounter, the timing may not be the best for your organisation” (NCexChange, 1997). 180

7.2.4 Webpages Issues and The Problems of Early Adopters:

There were a number of issues concerning the design of webpages where guidance would have been beneficial. While it was relatively easy (with some basic training) to put a webpage together, no-one knew with any certainty what constituted an effective webpage with little at the time in the way of reports or research to offer guidance233.

A further key problem both WIFT Australia and Queensland faced was agreeing on a webpage design suitable for their target market. With the first WIFT Australia webpage, just having a webpage up was sufficient to be seen to be at the forefront of the technological revolution, as with the second. However, after WIFT Australia’s second page had been up for several months, while the bulk of delegates believed it projected a professional albeit conservative image, the EO felt that the design was not ‘funky’ enough to attract younger women234. Similarly, WIFT Queensland’s second page on the State Library site featured a Kewpie Doll on a blue bubble wrap background, the relevance of which to WIFT Queensland was lost on all but the young designer235.

One point both organisations discovered was that practical considerations had to take precedence. In the case of the Kewpie doll design, the pages did not reproduce well when printed out in hard copy. The ‘funky’ WIFT Australia page also had several practical faults236. Both WIFT Australia and WIFT International experienced problems with linkages from state or chapter web pages which some argued gave the impression that the state or chapter ‘owned’ the organisation, all of which demonstrated that care was needed in designing links.

233 The only approach I adopted when designing the WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland web pages was to keep the designs simple with few features, graphics and animation to detract from the information, confuse novice web users trying to navigate through the site, and slow the download time (an important consideration given the slow speeds and limited memories of computers at that time). Several years later I found the Making the Net Work report advised this as a strategy (NCexChange,1997). 234 This conflict was never resolved and while younger women needed to be attracted into the organisation and represented its future, women in mid career had the expertise the organisations needed, could offer mentoring to younger members and were more financially able to support the organisation. WIFT Australia ceased operating before any decision was made as to the suitability of the ‘funky’ flashing lights page. 235 WIFT Queensland did not seek feedback on the design beyond the Board room so the success or otherwise of the design was never ascertained. 236 In the first instance, the home page had only the words ‘WIFT Australia’ on it and one had to click to enter the site – confusing for novices and annoying to wait for further pages to download at a time when the WWW was referred to as the World Wide Wait. Each letter of ‘WIFT Australia’ flashed on and off (the latest technological innovation and the start of animation for web pages) but it took several seconds to actually read the words. 181

Everything was done based on examples on the web and the preferences of the individual designers. Webpage design at that stage was a newly evolving field with almost everyone operating by trial and error.

7.3 Training Vs Experiential Learning

Training also emerged from the case study and surveys as a major issue. Going online changed the skillset required by staff237 and volunteers who, while they could easily deal with postal mail, answering machine messages and faxes, did not all have the skills base to access the Internet and email238.

Despite both WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland trying repeatedly to source funding for training projects, they were ultimately unable to provide even training for staff, Board members or volunteers. Surprisingly, at that time email training was scarce and only available to large enterprises which could afford to set up company training schemes239. Consequently everyone had to access their own training through employers, friends or hands on ‘experiential’ learning. Accessing the Internet, WWW and using email was not nearly as straightforward a process in early 1996 as it is today. WIFT Australia experienced considerable problems due to inexperienced users necessitating numerous calls to Pegasus WomenZnet for technical assistance which led to it writing to (not emailing) WIFT Australia that it could not support the entire organisation in learning email.

The move to project funding at both state and federal level during this period, whereby funding

237 A strategy that WIFT Queensland used whenever advertising for a project officer was to update the position criteria to reflect its increasing uptake of the new technologies. The downside was this could limit the field of applicants, while placing the onus on women to train themselves did not sit well with the organisation’s ideals. 238 WomenZnet’s advice to deny novices access to the Internet and email is an example of the lack of understanding of their situation that NGOs face. 239 When I attended a training course in WWW research skills at QUT (September 1996), I asked about email training and was told the university did not offer any. The trainer simply stated “just try using it, it is really simple”! Nonetheless it was daunting initially. I was fortunate in that I had access to seasoned users who were prepared to provide help. Nonetheless, I have still never sent emails to multiple recipients. When, as President, I had to contact all the WIFT Australia delegates, I resent the same email, changing the address manually which given the small number with email was not too onerous and was quicker than trying to figure out how to do it. 182 was only obtainable for specific projects of a limited duration, meant trained employees could not be retained and were unavailable to pass on their experience. In addition, many of the WIFT offices were staffed on a part-time basis only, by staff or volunteers often in the offices on their own without the support or mentoring of colleagues. When problems occurred there was no technical backup or IT Department to call upon and untrained staff and volunteers in such a situation could, as WIFT Australia discovered (and WomenZnet pointed out), inadvertently cause major problems.

The churn of delegates and volunteers experienced by all three WIFT organisations,240 and common to volunteer organisations, meant training needed to be ongoing. Delegates and volunteers located throughout Australia presented a further difficulty. Training for NGOs needs to be specifically tailored to address these issues by, for example, the inclusion of troubleshooting and technology problem solving components.

Some training in basic email use, netiquette, how to construct address lists, send emails to multiple addresses, etc., would have been beneficial in increasing the organisations’ use of email. In order to maximise use of the Internet, training in World Wide Web search and retrieval skills, IRC, FTP would also have been beneficial. Also now essential for NGOs without huge budgets is webpage design241 and training in establishing chatrooms, email lists and bulletin boards.

The importance of training is underlined in several reports. In particular, The Technology Literacy Benchmarks for Nonprofit Organizations report (NPower: 2002) stresses that hardware and software should be the smallest component of a nonprofit’s technology budget

240 From 1996 to December 1998, 22 delegates/observers fulfilled the 8-10 Board positions of WIFT Australia with nine replacement delegates/observers coming on to the Board during 1997 alone, representing a complete turnover of the Board in that year. While WIFT Queensland Boards remained relatively stable from one AGM to the next, it still had 41 members from January 1996 to December 1998. WIFT International had 32 members from early 1998 with ratification of the first WIFT International Board through to the AGM in October 2002. 241 Designing a basic web page is relatively easy today with the availability of a plethora of books, on-line tutorials, and software to automatically convert text files to HTML files. If more advanced features such as animation, customised forms offered by advanced programming languages such as Java and CGI, and/or full motion video offered by plug ins such as Shock Wave, is required then expertise is needed. Also required is up-to-date operating system software, browsers and plug-ins beyond the resources of many Nonprofits and their members/clients. But while designing basic web pages is easier, designing effective web pages is today far more difficult as the design standards have risen with web pages now incorporating multimedia components and interactive features which web users have come to expect, along with professionally designed, easy navigable and visually interesting pages. 183 with 70% of the total technology budget reserved for ‘human costs’ such as training, and staff support (2002: 12). The LCCR report (2001) also argues that ‘at least 70 percent of the technology budget be devoted to training’.

Women's NGOs claim that training is an even more significant issue for their members who have less access to new technologies and workplace training, less time to experiment and self teach, and are less able to pay for training. Moreover, women's NGOs require access not only to affordable training but, ‘female sympathetic’ training designed to be empowering, located in accessible and safe venues, and suited to their learning styles.

Training appropriate to nonprofit organisations addressing their specific requirements rather than generic corporate training unrelated to the reality of the NGO sphere is also required242. WIFT Australia recognised these issues and the importance of training in the new media technologies, making its provision a key policy initiative from its inception.

The inability to provide even basic training in these technologies was an enduring problem for the WIFT organisations and has remained a problem, as the survey of Pamela's List participants shows, even in mid 2000 and into 2001 for the Asia-Pacific women's NGO organisations. It is also a key problem for non-gendered NGOs throughout the world.

With new hardware, software and technologies being constantly released, it will remain a problem. NGOs’ uptake of the new information and communication technologies particularly advanced and strategic uptake will remain limited if they are forced to rely on self teaching as the primary method of attaining new technology skills.

With the lack of access to technological support, role models, how-to guides and training, it is not difficult to see why between them the three WIFT organisations made almost every mistake it was possible to make. The case study underlines that access to technical expertise is crucial but it also reveals that this is not the democratising technology as celebrated in much

242 The Women's Internet Conference (October 1997) participants from a wide range of women's organisations in Canada bemoaned the lack of access to training believing it was of key significance to women and women's NGOs. They argued that providing once off training sessions was insufficient for NGO staff often working on their own without recourse to experienced colleagues. Ideally followup training for those who need more help, advanced training, and periodic refresher courses were required. Setting up a buddy or mentoring system would also be ideal but not often a luxury available to non-profit organisations (Day, 1998). Section 6.5.1.1 provides training suggestions made by international women's NGOs. 184 of the literature. As Stoecker (2002) points out, ‘we are not one with it. It is not the "people's technology"’. Rather it has become the domain of highly trained IT professionals.

7.4 Cost Vs Funding: Tokenism or Empowerment?

Funding of ICTs was a key issue and multi-dimensional problem for all three WIFT organisations. Funding requirements went considerably beyond simply buying a computer with a modem and paying for ISP charges.

7.4.1 Establishment and Ongoing Costs:

WIFT had assumed financial and human resource savings from ICTs would be automatic through reduced staff time needed for mass mailings and lower expenditures on long-distance phone calls, teleconferences, postage, fax, and express delivery charges. There was no realisation that the posited savings could take time to realise or may not eventuate. But ultimately WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland discovered that the establishment costs, ISP costs, additional demands on staff in establishing and managing ICTs and their limited utilisation, negated any cost savings. Eventually savings could have been made if all delegates were connected, the use of email at least mandated, electronic newsletters introduced, etc., as demonstrated by WIFT Queensland, but savings were never realised by WIFT Australia which ceased to exist before this could happen. WIFT International, however, could not have afforded to operate or offer the services it did in any other way.

ISP costs were a major component in Internet access costs. WIFT Australia’s ISP basic plan costs rose from $30 to $45 a month in a 12 month period. While the increasing take up of email and the Internet has led to a wider variety of ISP choices and plans offering increased connect times at lower costs, costs did not come down during WIFT Australia’s existence243. This scenario of high costs initially, reducing as uptake increases is now being repeated with

243 In January 1998 Telstra’s Big Pond offered a ‘Standard Plan’ for $9.90 per month for 3 hours access a month and a ‘Regular Plan’ with 7 hours access per month for $20 a month, both insufficient for WIFT Australia’s usage rates of 10 hours per month. Thus Pegasus remained the most viable plan despite its increased rates. 185 broadband. WIFT Queensland also experienced a steep rise in ISP costs, not, however, from increased rates but from increased usage (Refer Section 5.2)244.

The alternative would have been to take advantage of free email such as offered by Geocities from June 1995 and eventually offered by a number of providers towards the end of WIFT Australia’s existence. These were all web based email accounts, however, which still required Internet access. Web based email is also slow to use as each email downloads as a webpage making it too time consuming and unmanageable for anything other than a small number of emails. Further disadvantages include, advertising messages on all outgoing emails, non country specific email addresses245 and as WIFT Queensland discovered, very limited technical help.

Unlike the United States and Canada, Australia did not have Freenets offering free Internet and email access for community organisations and individuals unable to afford commercial rates. Canada, for example, had over 50 freenets in operation during the period WIFT was establishing access to the Internet. The closest Australia has come to freenets, has been VICNET offering low cost Internet access for nonprofit organisations or the free access now offered through libraries and community centres246.

At the other end of the cost spectrum was 24/7 connectivity. When WIFT Australia was first establishing Internet access at the beginning of 1996, it was quoted $600 a month from Realnet Access Sydney with the additional costs of a second telephone line. Lack of 24/7 connectivity ruled out email for urgent messages negating the much touted ‘immediacy’ of email

244 Its conundrum was that to make email and Internet access worthwhile it needed to encourage its usage but this led to the disincentive of increased charges. 245 A potential source of confusion with 41 WIFT chapters worldwide. 246 There have been companies such as Internet 4 Free established in February 1999 in Brisbane offering free Internet access provided their proprietary software was used which placed large banner advertisements top and bottom of the computer screen. Customers reported major difficulties in logging on due to limited telephone lines and it ceased operating in 2000, a fate shared by similar ventures in the US and U.K. (The US NetZero failed after 17 months joining other failed free ISP providers Tritium and Cyber Freeway). All were commercial operations with customers paying start up fees of between $150 and $300 for communications and email software ($199 in the case of Brisbane’s Internet 4 Free). Once the limit of five free hours per month was reached customers were charged by the hour discouraging significant Internet use. In addition, companies such as Dixon’s Freeserve in the U.K. charged 50p to £1 per minute for technical support. 186

Further cost considerations included ongoing and associated costs such as virus protection software, training costs, software upgrades247, purchase of peripherals248, the necessity to replace obsolete computers249 or update RAM and ROM regularly, technical support250 as well as incidental costs such as the reprinting of brochures, letterheads and business cards to include the email and web addresses. Additional computers to enable other work to continue while accessing the Internet, would also have been desirable but as Eastman points out, few women's organisations or Nonprofits ‘have the financial resources to follow the typical business mode of one computer per staff’ (1991: 42).

The other major cost component of Internet access was costs associated with establishing webpages. Designing a webpage was relatively straightforward for all three WIFT organisations able to draw on in-house expertise. Finding host sites for the webpages was also relatively straightforward for WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland which were able to tap into federal government initiatives via the AFC and Screen Network Australia and state initiatives through the Queensland government state library webpage. In this they were fortunate in being spared considerable expense. The only free sites WIFT International could obtain was by piggybacking on members’ sites.

None of the organisations could access free web hosting that allowed open access to continually update content and without such access were limited to brochure style webpages simply advertising the organisation. Limited access ruled out using their webpages for advocacy campaigns, placing newsletters online or publicising an ongoing calendar of events. It also ruled out more strategic interactive applications such as bulletin boards, chat groups, conducting online seminars or enabling members to join or renew online, limiting the benefits

247 During the period WIFT was establishing ICTs, Microsoft’s change to a Windows operating environment necessitated a raft of new software (word processing, spreadsheeting, desktop publishing, office suites etc.). Email software also underwent rapid development and this period saw the increasing importance of continually updated virus protection software. It also saw the advent of web authoring software. HTML web pages began utilising the newly developed JAVA software, Internet browsers were also undergoing constant updates and more RAM and ROM were needed to run these applications. 248 Evidence of the ongoing drain on financial resources is found in the 1997-2000 WIFT Australia Business Plan Cash Flow Forecast completed only 12 months after obtaining a brand new computer. It notes that “funds are still required for the purchase of a scanner and further computer software” in particular FileMaker Pro database software. WIFT Australia was never able to obtain the funds to purchase these items. 249 The Matrix production changed its computers every 36 weeks to keep up-to-date (Carroli, 1999:9). 250 Updating software and hardware is rarely trouble free and can often result in lost data underlining the necessity for technical support. 187 of these webpages for the organisations251. Similarly, free sites had limitations regarding more advanced features such as animation, customised forms offered by advanced programming languages such as Java and CGI and/or full motion video offered by plug-ins such as Shock Wave.

7.4.2 Lack of Financial Plan:

Without guides or other NGOs’ experiences for reference, preparing a realistic financial plan was not possible. However, a cost analysis after ICTs were established may have underlined their limited use and emphasised the need to encourage greater use252. A Financial Plan may also have highlighted the need for focusing in the short term on securing the financial viability of the organisations253.

The considerable time, effort and resources that went in to establishing ICTs for WIFT Australia, the state organisations and WIFT International impacted negatively on the time delegates had available for Board matters. Conversely, the financial problems faced by all three WIFT organisations impeded the establishment and uptake of ICTs.

The problems the WIFT organisations faced regarding funding remain. In 1999-2000 the combined categories of costs of establishing and maintaining email accounts were the major concern for Pamela's List organisations and costs consistently headed the list of impediments in the women's NGOs surveys and across the NGO sector. Given that none of the latest Australian government reports or strategies regarding broadband promise funding for NGOs, this will remain the case254.

251 WIFT International eventually provided many of these features on its website but only by paying for its own domain and web site. 252 For example, as President of WIFT Queensland I did an email cost analysis which supported the decision to cancel the Internet account. 253 In fact the Report Making the Net Work argues that organisations must have their ongoing survival guaranteed before attempting to set up digital communications, not always possible for NGOs (NCexChange, 1997). 254 The Broadband Demand Aggregation Broker Program will provide funding for regional, remote and rural organisations, including not-for-profit organisations and community groups, to engage a broker to assist them to identify and meet their broadband requirements; coordinate possible users of broadband; identify appropriate services and technologies to meet their needs; and use this information in negotiations with service providers (TCCC Telstra Consumer E-NEWS 28 Nov 2003). It does not provide any funding. 188

Currently federal and state government programs are not even providing tokenistic funding for the majority of women's NGOs or non-gendered NGOs, when what is needed is funding sufficient to empower these organisations in their uptake of ICTs. Moreover, the refusal of funding bodies to fund capital expenditure, administration and infrastructure costs, while the organisations themselves are forced to put their resources into continually chasing and preparing funding applications, is actively working against their success in this arena. Women's NGOs need additional funding that recognises their additional disadvantages with respect to ICTs.

For NGOs not operating in international arenas and unable to communicate with their entire membership via email or the web, ICTs have added a further layer of communication costs with only minimal benefits. Without sufficient funding to explore and implement more strategic uses of ICTs, benefits will remain limited.

7.4.3 The Cost of Success:

Overlooked in many of the surveys was the issue of success. WIFT Australia and the state organisations, while making only limited use of ICTs, found a number of costly effects stemming from ICTs as discussed below.

7.4.3.1 Increased Profile: All the WIFT organisations (including international chapters such as WIFT U.K.) complained that their raised profile via webpages coupled with a cheap and easy means of contact via email resulted in an increase in queries which were time consuming to deal with. None, however, could develop a resource effective way of processing such inquiries. Unfortunately there was no evidence of significantly increased membership stemming from the raised profile255.

255 Certainly WIFT Queensland never experienced any dramatic increases in membership after it had web pages. NB: individuals could not join WIFT Australia or WIFT International. 189

7.4.3.2 Communication Overload: Some WIFT Australia delegates complained if they received more than one or two emails a month as did some of the Pamela's List respondents. Some APC respondents saw the Internet as a ‘tool for those with lives of leisure’ while Scott’s survey (2001a) of feminist activists found that ‘the speed and ease of telecommunications can produce overloading, swallowing up the time and leisure of information age activists. This can actually block the political action the electronic networks were expected to facilitate’. The spam, junk email, hoax warnings and forwarding of trivia, jokes, petitions, etc., also contribute to communication overload.

7.4.3.3 Increased Workload: The advent of ICTs required regular checking of email and email lists, keeping up-to-date records of email addresses, and dealing with the flood of spam, hoax virus warnings, urban myths, good luck tantras and repetitive postings of online petitions256.

Having an email address and webpage greatly increased the number of general enquiries from outside the organisation and overseas for both WIFT Australia and Queensland and were very time consuming to deal with257.

Webpages also represented a major additional workload, needing regular updating both of content258 and design259 and regular checking to ensure that the internal navigational links

256 The Associate Director, School of Computing Science and Software Engineering, QUT points out: The email warning of a virus (ie a benign virus) is more potent than actual viruses (email 16 May, 2001). CIAC [The Computer Incident Advisory Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy] reports that "While hoaxes do not automatically infect systems like a virus or Trojan, they are still time consuming and costly to remove from all the systems where they exist. At CIAC, we find that we spend much more time de-bunking hoaxes than handling real virus and Trojan incidents (email to Womenspace, 24 August 2000). Cf.,.also http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HoaxBustersHome.html. 257 During 1998 and 1999 I received all email sent to WIFT Australia and found it very time consuming to filter out the spam etc, forward appropriate queries to the relevant states and deal with general inquires. As the Making the Net Work report argues, failure to service email queries and contacts in a timely manner negates some of the point of having a web page but admits this is not easy to manage for under resourced organisations (NCexChange, 1997). 258 Dated content signals an inactive or unprofessional organisation while frequently updated content can encourage members to regularly check the webpages helping maintain interest. However, WIFT Australia and the state organisations had only limited access to their AFC and Screen Network pages to update information. While WIFT Australia did change the design of its AFC web page once, none of the other WIFT Australia or WIFT Queensland pages were ever updated. WIFT International did not update its webpage for 12 months 190 worked and external links remained current. To gain the most benefit, they also need to be publicised within the organisation and to members, disseminated to other organisations, listed on search engines, web rings, and on related organisations’ websites260, and included on business cards, letterheads, press releases etc., all of which takes time and resources to accomplish261. Although limited in their publicity efforts262, WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland were fortunate in having websites on industry portals such as the AFC and Australian Screen Network which automatically accomplished some of these requirements.

while establishing a new site but has updated its page more regularly throughout 2002 and 2003. 259 In just a three year period WIFT Australia went from: a text only webpage (Deakin University); to the AFC page which was basically text with different fonts, colours, logo graphic and internal links to each of the states’ pages; to an updated AFC page with WIFT Australia in flashing letters; to a final webpage for the Screen Network Australia site reflecting the design of today’s webpages. WIFT Queensland’s web designs underwent similar updates. While each page represented the latest design innovations when created, all dated quickly as web design evolved rapidly during this period. While keeping up with advances in technology and design, and regularly updating content is desirable, continually changing the format and design of the website is not (NCexChange, 1997). 260 Sheila Webber from the University of Strathclyde argues that to be as successful as possible, an organisation’s website needs to be linked to other web pages. Its value increases according to the number of other organisations prepared to carry links to the page, increases the chances of being found among the millions of webpages, impresses, and increases the perception that the website is worth visiting (1999 http://www.freepoint.co.uk/). 261 More Than Bit Players argues: “non-profits and foundations are spending heavily on creating online information resources yet they are spending very little on letting people know that these resources exist. The lack of marketing investments is dooming many important non-profit web sites to failure before they even get off the ground”. (Blau, May 2001:12). Similarly Making the Net Work points out the importance of actively marketing websites. It suggests: • Announcing it on related mailing lists and newsgroups (as appropriate - don't breach netiquette!); • Advising resource lists and academic libraries (which compile subject listings of webpages); • Looking for related sites and swapping linkages; • Offering links to donors or members and advertising on the site to offset costs. (NCexChange, 1997). 262 The Deakin site was never publicised but WIFT Australia announced its AFC site in its September 1996 newsletter and the Cinemedia site in the December 1996 Newsletter. Unfortunately the address printed showed a space rather than a dot between ‘cinemedia’ and ‘net’ and it was confusing to have two different sites given in consecutive newsletters with no explanation offered. From December 1996 to the July 1997 newsletter, the address listed under the contact details for the organisation, was http:\\www.cinemedia.net/WIFT which would not have helped novice web users. The only state webpage ever published was WIFT Victoria’s in the June 1996 WIFT Australia Newsletter. WIFT Queensland never publicised its AFC web page, its State Library webpage or any of the WIFT Australia’s web pages. Only after establishing the chat forums in November 1999 did it announce a web page for the organisation had been established. It did, however, report on its staging of the WIFTI Virtual Conference and give that URL. The State Library’s page establishment was announced in my president’s report to the AGM but not otherwise publicised. Neither organisation reprinted letterheads or business cards. Admittedly more active publicising of the websites could have led to more inquiries and drain on organisation’s resources. 191

Designing and servicing more advanced websites incorporating features such as email links, membership applications and renewals, the purchase of printed publications/products, acceptance of donations etc., requires the establishment of security firewalls, electronic fund- transfer systems, and even more human and financial resources263.

The advent of computers and array of office software now available has raised funding bodies’ expectations of the quality and detail of submissions, funding applications and acquittal reports264 and as government departments and commercial organisations move towards providing more information via the World Wide Web and less print based materials, the workload and cost is shifting to the NGOs who have to search, regularly check, print off and distribute information265.

All these technologies require time spent in learning how to use them and adapt them to the organisation’s requirement. They also invariably result in technical problems that are time consuming to sort out. Thus, successful uptake comes at a financial and human resources cost. Organisations have to be prepared to deal with these issues and realise they will probably offset any savings made in other areas.

7.5 Organisational Factors Vs External Factors

In the uptake and implementation of ICTs, NGOs faced issues and problems unique to them as NGOs which enterprises in the commercial and corporate sector either do not face or

263 Neither WIFT Australia nor WIFT Queensland had the resources to provide such features on their web sites. With some features, the technology had yet to be developed and it is debatable whether sufficient members would have been able to take advantage of them at that time to make it worthwhile. 264 The Report: Enabling Technology Funding: Issues for Grantmakers (and Grant seekers) (2000), agrees pointing out that funders are requiring increasingly detailed reporting information in their grants. In Australia this has been accompanied by a move from infrastructure to project funding. Thus Nonprofits cannot obtain infrastructure funding necessary to attract and fulfil the more detailed requirements to obtain and acquit project funding. 265 With the myriad of government sites key information can be missed. For example, WIFT Australia and the state organisations were unaware that the report Making the Net Work (NCexChange, 1997) was posted on the NOIE site. In addition, as Boscoe (1997) out, ‘There is some concern that these technologies will reduce governmental sense of responsibility for outreach when seeking feedback or consultation (e.g., we posted it on the Internet – if you are interested you would be following this)’. 192 experience as problems easily overcome. This section details those organisational issues not already detailed in preceding sections of this chapter.

7.5.1 Internal Factors:

7.5.1.1 Administrative control: Unlike the corporate sector, WIFT Australia was never able to insist that delegates or states establish email or mandate its use. Although the organisation had been instrumental in obtaining modems for all the states and a computer for one, it could not provide modems and computers for delegates, nor any technical assistance, training, or reimbursement of ISP costs to states or delegates. This had ramifications throughout the uptake and implementation process.

Ultimately, unless the use of ICTs was mandated in this early adoption stage, they were never going to be chosen over less complicated and more immediate communication media. The greater encouragement of their use was called for and means needed to be found to achieve this.

7.5.1.2 Lack of Communication Protocols: Both WIFT Australia and Queensland had Board members who never used their email to communicate with WIFT. Assuming that the use of ICTs would happen automatically once available was naive266 and underlines the necessity of proactively incorporating them into an organisation’s core activities and practices to ensure uptake and use.

For WIFT Queensland with so little use of email, no thought was given to this. WIFT International did establish a protocol regarding electronic Board meetings requiring Board members to vote on the motions tabled within two weeks but did not develop any further protocols. However, WIFT Australia was advised by the consultant (Jacqui Spence) employed in 1995 to assist with its restructuring, to draw up a one page set of logical and user-friendly

266 A study conducted in 1995-1996 at the time WIFT was establishing email, found access does not necessarily equate with use. Availability of technology is not necessarily sufficient to convert non-users to users which can call for more far reaching alterations in attitudes. At the least potential users must see a clear advantage (Mitra et al, 1999). 193 protocols, which it never got around to doing267. Communication protocols could have avoided a situation whereby the EO insisted she was too busy to check email daily, automatically and significantly compromising its use by the organisation268. Protocols could also have identified as a significant impediment to the organisation’s use of email, the sharing by NSW of WIFT Australia’s email address269 and the fact that pivotal people in the organisation did not have or use email regularly270.

Similarly, while WIFT NSW’s email address was publicised in the WIFT Australia Newsletter, neither of the other two states with email had their address publicised in the Newsletter (published from July 1995 until July 1997) nor ever circulated in WIFT Australia Monthly Reports, Teleconference Minutes or the regularly updated Contact list (although the list did give the email addresses of delegates). This also did not foster usage.

Communication protocols also could have prevented breaches of netiquette whereby WIFT

267 Although Spence provided no specific protocols or strategies, my analysis shows they could have included: • encouraging the appointment of delegates with email access; • stronger encouragement of state offices to come online; • circulating and publicising state email addresses; • specifically targeting email use by the organisation’s key players; • making email, as far as reasonable, mandatory; • discouraging the use of STD phone calls; • instigating operational procedures such as commitments to regularly check emails and reply within a set period; • creating electronic proformas for the monthly reports and budgets enabling them to be sent by email (as text not attachments); • appointing a delegate to regularly monitor email use, table progress to the Board, identify barriers to use, offer encouragement and help with problems; • providing ‘how to’ and netiquette guides to help users; • agreeing upon privacy and confidentiality requirements; • encouraging record keeping of important emails. 268There is little doubt that she was overloaded and thus was never going to choose digital communications over less complicated and more immediate communication media without their use being mandatory. 269 WIFT NSW’s openly advertised the WIFT Australia email address as their own compromising the privacy of emails to both organisations and was far from ideal, especially given that for many, the increasing Sydneycentric nature of WIFT Australia was the cause of the dwindling interest in and support for the organisation. It was adopted as a matter of expediency and for cost savings by the WIFT Australia and NSW Presidents but never discussed or ratified by the Board (Personal interview with L.McI, former NSW President, March 2000, Brisbane). 270 Neither of the WIFT Australia’s two Treasurers, the Media Officer or the initial President had email; only one of the Vice Presidents (and then only a full 12 months after it had been established for the national office). When WIFT Australia moved to Co-Presidents (in October 1996) only one had email and only in the final stages of WIFT Australia’s existence did the President and Treasurer have email. This raises the necessity of deliberately and strategically making email essential for the target group. 194

Queensland emails sent from November 1999 until mid 2001 included all members’ names and email addresses at the top of the emails, a serious breach of privacy which demonstrated that even in 2001 knowledge of email netiquette was limited and communication protocols necessary.

They could also have assisted the new delegates continually coming on board.

7.5.1.3 Administrative Procedures Required: As a new medium it took time to realise the necessity for administrative procedures covering, for example, the filing/storing of emails, and for new users to master their email programs sufficiently to do so, (not a straightforward process in early email programs and without training)271. In addition, as WIFT Australia discovered when the EO resigned and went overseas without passing on the password, email accounts needed to be treated in a similar manner to bank accounts. More than one person in the organisation was needed as an authorised signatory and contact on the account, with care taken to update signatories as Board members changed. The fact that it took over six months for both WIFT Australia and the Pamela's List organisation, which experienced this problem, to sort it out with their ISP also indicates that ISPs need educating on the realities of voluntary organisations.

7.5.1.4 Security Protocols Required: No security protocols were ever instigated for either WIFT Australia or WIFT Queensland. However, their need was highlighted when someone accessed the Internet for 23 hours over one weekend utilising all of WIFT Australia’s access hours for the month and leaving it liable for excess charges272.

A further problem was the alleged use by a WIFT Australia employee of the WIFT Australia email account for her own personal use after she no longer worked for the organisation273.

271 Administrative protocols were particularly necessary given that the smaller memory capacity of earlier computers meant emails were regularly deleted to conserve memory. They could also be lost due to computer crashes, other technical problems or when upgrading software or hardware, unless printed out and filed, leaving unexpected black holes in the organisation’s records. 272 WomenZnet kindly waived these charges but warned that access had to be restricted or the organisation would be liable in the future. 273 She insisted this was not the case and it was somehow a problem with the technology which could have been the case given WomenZnet kept forwarding WIFT Australia emails to me for 18 months after the WIFT Australia account was closed. It was nonetheless a wakeup call as to what could happen. 195

Once again WIFT Australia could have been liable for ISP charges throughout this period when it assumed the account was dormant.

Similarly a WIFT Queensland employee placed a forward on her own personal account to the WIFT Queensland address so she could receive and reply to personal emails while at work. Apart from the fact that the number of emails sent and received represented a large amount of time spent on reading and answering personal emails rather than fulfilling WIFT duties, given that WIFT Queensland was on an ISP plan with restrictive access hours and volume, it could not afford such use274.

These three examples from two organisations which only used email for a short time, illustrates the need for vigilance with access to passwords yet this is difficult for NGOs relying on rosters of volunteers to staff offices. Security also becomes difficult with employees often working alone, and board, committee and volunteers accessing the office after hours.

7.5.1.5 Structure and Internal Politics: Central among the organisational problems was the at times strained relations between it and the states. Some of the friction stemmed from trying to establish a workable structure and jurisdiction for the newly constituted national organisation. Some problems resulted from the complex relationship of WIFT Australia to the states and the double and conflicting roles of state delegates to WIFT Australia, who were both delegates representing their state’s interest and directors of WIFT Australia with legal responsibilities to it. Other problems stemmed from the fact that states had varying levels of filmmaking activities and thus differing issues, priorities and requirements of the national organisation. These problems increased following the establishment of the national office in Sydney, resulting in an increasing Sydneycentric focus of the organisation. WIFT Australia and WIFT NSW sharing an email address was a fundamental mistake in this situation.

Such ‘politics’ are the reality for many NGOs. Nonetheless these political factors did impact on the uptake and implementation of ICTs.

274 Neither the Administrator nor myself as President knew of this until I uncovered it during the course of my PhD research. Had we been aware of it and the issue discussed, WIFT may have agreed to such use as integral to its empowering/mentoring/skill development ethos and as an employment perk to help compensate for the minimum wages paid. 196

For WIFT Australia, further organisational factors mitigating against uptake included:

• the fact that it was a registered company, with the associated costs and regulatory imposts which took up a lot of delegates’ energies. • the fact that WIFT Australia had only 5 members (the states) and no band of immediate volunteers to draw on, made it difficult to achieve the goals of the organisation including instigating ICTs. • the fact that WIFT Australia was not the mistress of its destiny but rather had to continually modify its focus, projects and even restructure according to the dictates of funding organisations. The very establishment of WIFT Australia came about because of an OSW ruling and its demise was largely due to the withdrawal of OSW funding. • the low priority afforded ICTs by the states who were WIFT Australia’s only members but had limited direct contact with WIFT Australia (as opposed to their delegates) and who were themselves struggling for survival. WIFT Queensland, for example, operating mainly in the local sphere, had little need or motivation for their uptake and continually decreasing funding made justification of the expense difficult. • the pre-existing states’ organisational communication norms which made change difficult without strong motivation or demonstrable benefit.

7.5.1.6 Email as Written Communication: The at times tense political situation disinclined delegates to commit to the written form of communication or at least inclined them to limit email communications to administrative matters. NSW’s sharing of the WIFT Australia email account added a further disincentive. Even writing about outside organisations required care. For many matters it was thus preferable to use the phone. Moreover, in a tense political situation, email was a sterile form of communication. Meetings and phone calls allowed probing for information without direct requests and conveyed tone of voice and inflection which could be as important communicators as the words spoken. The necessity to minimise misunderstandings also made emails time consuming to compose while communication of complex Board issues via a written medium was tedious as was discovered in 1998 when delegates had to utilise email. The advent of the national office with a part-time Executive Officer (who in some delegates’ view was there to do all the work) also impacted on the volume of communication between delegates.

197

As WIFT Australia discovered, any expectation that the technology will (by its very nature) promote sharing and harmony, is false. The technology can make good working relationships more effective. It cannot guarantee them nor guarantee political will and commitment to an organisation. It also cannot guarantee that email recipients will actually read or respond to messages275.

7.5.2 External Factors:

There were some key external factors impacting on WIFT and all NGOs’ uptake of ICTs which were outside their control.

7.5.2.1 Lack of Universal Access: The lack of universal access limited the use that could be made by all the WIFT organisations of ICTs, particularly to communicate with their broader memberships. For WIFT Australia and Queensland it precluded any significant cost savings and necessitated a continued reliance on traditional communications media.

Universal access is a problem which ultimately needs to be addressed at the policy level276 but until such time as affordable, universal access is available, the utilisation and benefits of email will remain significantly compromised particularly for those volunteers who have to travel to their organisation’s office to access email, for volunteers performing their volunteer work outside business hours, and for all for nonprofit organisations unable to provide email access for their Boards and members.

However, complicating email access in the home environment is the fact that while online one cannot receive telephone calls. A second telephone line or broadband access is the ideal

275 When lack of funding meant email was the only affordable means of communication, I discovered that even emails marked urgent did not elicit an immediate or even necessarily any response even after reminders were sent. Similarly in April 1996 just as email for the national office was established and during the debate on increasing the number of delegates, I faxed delegates pointing out that the issue is not quantity but quality. All the delegates from three states at that time were not contributing to WIFT Australia in any meaningful way. Email could not in itself improve this situation. 276 The Rand report as early as 1995 recommended every home have an email account and be connected (http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR650/). 198 solution, but is expensive277. As Brayton points out:

Whenever we choose to use the Internet, we are committing time and money that could be more beneficial somewhere else. As was noted at the 1997 Janus conference on Women and Technology, using the Internet is a choice that has real life consequences. The cost and effort we give to negotiating the Internet means cuts and diversions from other resources (and these can be both financial and time resources) (1998).

Physical access in a wide range of venues, including council libraries, women's centers, shopping centres or centres such as the Women's Infolink public access point located in the centre of Brisbane, could have enabled more use of email278.

In addition at this time not all regional, rural or remote areas in Australia had access to ISPs or could gain access via a local phone call, adding considerably to the expense (and destroying the advantage offered by email of its cheapness)279. Many of the WIFT members were filmmakers sometimes filming in inaccessible locations for extended periods280. Access to mobile phone email was not available at this time and would have been beyond the affordability of many of WIFTs’ members just beginning their careers or working freelance with uncertain income.

In short, access is a complex but vitally important issue that needs to be resolved if nonprofit organisations are to be able to integrate ICTs into their standard operating procedures and fully realise their benefits. Arguably this will not happen until access is as universal and as readily accessible as the telephone.

7.5.2.2 Lack of Critical Mass: The lack of critical mass stemming from the lack of universal access both within the organisations and externally was also a major obstacle.

277 I was eventually forced to install a second telephone line for Internet access after complaints about my non-accessibility from family, friends and the WIFT Administrator. I was, however, the only WIFT Australia or WIFT Queensland Board member to do so until at least late 1998. 278 Such access points are still not necessarily easily accessible to women with young children and reliant on public transport. 279 It was only in the early months of 2001 that the federal government announced funding to help ameliorate this situation. 280 This specifically affected delegates to WIFT Australia, (L.B. & E.R.), WIFTI Board members (M.A., F.R.) and WIFT Queensland Board of Management member (E.R.). 199

WIFT Australia was never in a situation where every delegate had email access and only for the month of October in 1996 and from March to June inclusive in 1997 was a delegate from each state connected. Similarly without at least a critical mass of email users among the general membership, film organisations and Australian women's NGOs, the use of ICTs was significantly restricted. Without everyone in the organisations on the Internet, connected for more than a few hours per month (and preferably 24/7), the use of ICTs remained incidental.

Internationally the situation was similar. By 1998 WIFT International had only established email contact with 7 chapters, most of which were in the US. As of August 1999, WIFT international was still trying to identify and build up an email contact list of WIFT organisations in Asia and Oceania and even in 2003, 11 chapters without any email contact were listed on the WIFTI webpage.

7.5.2.3 The nature of email: Email could not be used to transmit copies of signed documents and did not offer the convenience of real time telephone linkups. The lack of spontaneity of email through time delays in delegates’ responses to messages could make communication a protracted process. Email messages were also easier to ignore than teleconferences or telephone calls which provided immediate responses to the issues under discussion or made it more difficult to avoid responding. However, emails as written communication avoided the transcription of long telephone messages.

7.6 Outcomes:

The end result of these and the proceeding factors discussed in this chapter, was that members of all three organisations never used digital communications exclusively but rather tended to choose the medium that most suited the type of message (for example ignoring email for complex messages but utilising it to avoid being drawn into protracted/probing phone conversations) and their personal circumstances (whether or not they had convenient access, were comfortable using email etc).

The fact that email was not used exclusively is in line with several studies conducted into its 200 use. Oren Ziv (1996) in his study of email use in a university workplace found that adoption of email was not straightforward and that even when workers had become familiar with email they chose to use the form of communication that they perceived was most suited to their message and the outcomes they wished to achieve. Thus, Ziv found that his study cohort tended to use email most ‘for providing or requesting short answers and establishing the need for a meeting’ while they used ‘printed documents, group meetings and face-to-face discussions for substantive communications within their own group’ (1996: 259).

Similarly Toni Robertson conducted a field study of a small Australian company owned and managed by women with employees (all bar one of whom were women) working in geographically separate sites designing computer based training and educational software products. She found that the ‘communication between them, while they were working apart, was mediated and supported by telephones, faxes, overnight and normal postal services, couriers and an electronic bulletin board that supported the asynchronous exchange of computer files, including work in progress and electronic mail’ (1997: 264).

Reder and Schwab also found in their 1989 study that ‘professionals often used computer- mediated communication along with other types of communication for related sequences of interaction, where interactants’ choices of vehicle were made in relation to their personal set of communicative strategies and tactics’ (cited in Ziv, 1996: 244).

Malcolm Parks and Kory Floyd in their study of Internet discussion groups found that:

About a third had used the telephone (35.3%), the postal service (28.4%), or face-to-face communication (33.3%) to contact their on-line friends. The average number of channels used was 2.68 (SD = 1.23), and nearly two thirds (63.7%) of our respondents with personal relationships had used communication channels other than the computer (1996).

And they note that other studies have found ‘mail, telephone, and face-to-face contact as supplements to CMC (Ogan, 1993; Reid, 1991). In some cases, participants in on-line groups have organised social events so that they might meet in person (Bruckman, 1992; Rheingold, 1993)’ (Parks & Floyd,1996).

Singh and Slegers’ CIRCIT281 research into small businesses shows that firms use a wide

281 Centre for International Research on Communication and Information Technologies 201 range of communication methods in dealing with clients and choose the communication method they perceive to be the most suitable for the particular type of communication (cited in Uren, 1998: 42).

Ultimately all three WIFT organisations made less than optimum use of ICTs. Some reasons for this stemmed from internal organisational factors. Others were external to the organisations and inherent in the nature of the particular media, such as email as written communication, for example, or, as in the case of WIFT International and IRC, stemmed from the design of the software and delivery platforms. In common with all women's NGOs, gender added further challenges.

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202

CHAPTER 8: KEY FINDINGS and CONCLUSION:

Introduction

This chapter draws out key findings and issues from the case study, surveys, and analyses undertaken. In addition, alternative models for the uptake of ICTs available to WIFT Australia and NGOs in general are discussed. Progress made by women since the publication of Dale Spender’s book, Nattering on the Net (1995) is reviewed in light of the research gathered for this thesis, and finally the research question results are presented.

PART 1: KEY FINDINGS - DISCUSSION:

8.1 The Process:

A key finding of the thesis is how protracted, complex and difficult a process establishing ICTs was for all three WIFT organisations. And this is despite undertaking research, adopting various policies and strategies and approaching the implementation in a methodical manner.

A significant contributing factor to the difficulties experienced by the WIFT organisations lay in attempting to establish ICTs in the earliest days of a new medium but the Australian peak women's NGOs survey and all the NGO research shows, it has remained a difficult process through to the present time. The continual updating of ICT and introduction of new technologies makes all organisations in a sense early adopters at this point in their development while the fundamental problems the WIFT organisations experienced (such as lack of funding, affordable technical advice) remain.

A further key finding of this case study is the limited use WIFT Australia and the state WIFT organisations initially made of email and the Internet, with ICTs proving to be far more difficult to use than envisaged, even at the level of basic email and electronic exchange of documents and spreadsheets. Advanced applications were even more fraught with difficulties while costs 203 and lack of technical assistance further limited use. The WIFTs’ experiences were mirrored by those of the Pamela's List participants and the international surveys. In 2000, the development of ICT and its integration into the communications array of organisations on Pamela's List was still very much in the experimental and developmental stage as it was for many national and international NGOs in 2002.

The case study also demonstrates that ICTs do not provide automatic benefits, are not the panacea some proclaim and will not ipso facto solve an organisation’s problems. It shows the huge gap between techno hype and reality, demonstrating that even the most basic technologies require significant technical support and training and rarely deliver all that is promised.

Nothing in all the ‘celebratory’ literature prepared the WIFT organisations for how hard it was going to be. But it should not have been so hard. That it was points to serious problems. The Internet may have democratic potential, but the technology used to access it is not282. It is not the ‘people’s technology’283. Thus, a potentially democratising technology is fast being taken over by a technocracy with values fundamentally at odds with not only the values of women's NGOs and the nonprofit sector generally, but with the concept of the democratising potential of the Internet.

Further attenuating the democratic potential of these technologies is the lack of universal access. The proponents of the information and communications technologies who advocate their revolutionary nature, democratising potential and myriad of benefits, neglect the fact that such outcomes are predicated on universal access. But not everyone or every organisation has the money, expertise or is geographically located to access these technologies. As a result NGOs’ use is constrained, as is their ability to instigate cost saving measures and they can be worse off financially in the new communication environment. Thus, for all their democratising potential, as was noted by Laudon’s (1997) study and continues to be argued by theorists such as Scott (2001a), computer based communications are less inclusive than the telephone. Governments and researchers have been less than focussed on the social costs of access denied and the IT and telecommunications industries are not necessarily interested in supporting ‘democratic’ uptake. Yet the lack of universal, equitable and 24/7

282 Unless using Linux open source software, cf. Section 8.4. 283 to borrow a term from Randy Stoecker (2002) 204 access seriously impacts upon the efficacy of the technologies themselves and ultimately their consolidation in the array of modern communications and their profitability.

8.2 Back To The Future:

As shown in the case study, the barriers to the uptake and successful use of ICTs were extensive but a key finding is the fact that all NGOs shared similar problems and barriers, be they the WIFT organisations, Pamela's List participant organisations, NGOs in third world countries or even the most well resourced NGOs in the U.K., Canada and America. Thus the barriers are systemic to the technology and to the NGO sector and not unique to any specific NGO or country.

Furthermore the impediments experienced did not cease once ICTs were established. Indeed successful establishment brought with it further challenges. Nor have the impediments disappeared over time as knowledge and familiarity with various communication technologies has grown. Nor will they disappear, because hardware, software and delivery platforms are continually being superseded with changes coming too fast for the meagre resources of NGOs to keep up with. Thus, for example, only 25% of Australian NGOs in 2002 had a broadband connection (CICT, 2003). The advent of SMS messaging, wireless technology, the World Wide Grid284 and html format email (with its greater download volumes) provide further current examples of this ongoing process. With each technological innovation the wait begins again for costs to become affordable but ultimately they cease to reduce in price and move to providing ‘more bang for your buck’. Moreover, the bar is continually raised vis-à-vis design and user expectations of, for example, webpages, the expectation that all organisations have email, timely responses to emails, etc.

284 The DataGrid project, led by the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CERN, is developing a high-speed Internetwork, connecting high-end devices, such as supercomputers and processor farms, with scientists, information systems, major databases, and other computer resources as a successor to the World Wide Web. The European Union is donating EUR9.8 million (USD9.3 million) over the next three years toward its development http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905356348&rel=true accessed 23/1/01. 205

8.3 The Digital Divide:

Many of the studies reviewed in this thesis stress the necessity of women's NGOs and the general NGO sector being part of the ICT revolution if they are not to be effectively crippled. The thesis has also demonstrated that it is crucial that women's NGOs and the general sector gain access and help shape these technologies to their requirements and resource capabilities while the technologies are still being developed. Yet this thesis has shown that there are problems systemic to the NGO sector affecting their uptake of the new technologies. And while there is considerable focus worldwide on the digital divide disempowering disadvantaged individuals, there is little focus on the disadvantaged NGO sector which services those individuals.

In broad terms (with due regard to the difficulties in making comparisons between surveys discussed in Chapter 2), it would appear that Australian women's NGOs (as per the Pamela's List survey) lagged behind U.K.285 and US286 generic NGOs in 1999-2000 (there were no studies available in this period for Canada). Similarly Australian peak women's NGOs’ uptake of ICTs was slightly less than for non-gendered Australian NGOs. However, it is also the case that the level of access of non-gendered Australian NGOs throughout the entire period surveyed (1997-2000) also lagged behind their international counterparts (excluding Canada) until 2002 when the Australian CICT survey suggested 89.7% had access to the Internet.

What can be clearly discerned from the research studies on non-gendered NGOs is the fact that the key impediments faced by WIFT and Australian peak women's NGOs were replicated in the general Australian and international NGO community. This could be cause for optimism for the Australian women's NGO sector in that it shows they are, in broad terms, only slightly disadvantaged in comparison with their mixed gender national and international counterparts but conversely a cause for pessimism given the findings show how difficult access and usage is for most national and international NGOs including those with substantial human and financial resources.

285 Only large organisations were surveyed by both U.K. surveys although the office of the E- Envoy gave higher figures again than the surveys in both cases. 286 77% takeup for the US in comparison to 41-51% for Pamela's List. 206

Chapter 2, the Case study and the Pamela's List survey also reveal that a far more strategic use, application and implementation of the technology by NGOs is needed. Preventing this is the lack of software specifically tailored to their needs and the lack of affordable, quality technical assistance that is sympathetic to NGO operating realities. Technical assistance based on corporate sector operating models where profit is the key driver and ‘time is money’ are not transferable to the perennially under funded, altruistically driven and volunteer reliant NGO sector; a sector often forced to use obsolete and mismatched hardware and software.

The greatest problem, however, for NGOs revealed across the WIFT case study, the Pamela's List survey and the international studies, was lack of funding and/or sponsorship. This must be addressed if NGOs are to fulfil the increasing expectations placed on them by government and their increasing role in society.

Yet when I contacted the OSW in 1999 regarding federal government initiatives to assist women and women's groups in taking up the new communication technologies, Networking the nation (1997) and A strategic Framework for the Information Economy (1999b) were the only initiatives they could offer (email response from OSW 3.3.1999). However, Networking the Nation was a 1997 policy initiative which established the $250 million Regional Telecommunications Network Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) and focused on projects in rural and remote areas287. Its focus explicitly excluded metropolitan based women and women’s NGOs.

A strategic Framework for the Information Economy: Identifying Priorities for Action, released in January 1999 articulated the Commonwealth Government’s vision for Australia, provided priorities for the development of key enablers in the economy, the community and Government; and provided the overall context against which the activities and priorities of NOIE were broadly determined. None of its 10 priorities specifically mentioned women or NGOs and it did not offer funding in any event.

The OSW also advised that:

287 Networking the Nation (1997) was claimed to specifically focus on rural and remote projects which would enhance telecommunications infrastructure, increase access to services that could be delivered via electronic networking, contribute to the increased economic and social development of rural Australia through the use of telecommunications networks and services, and it was hoped reduce the disparities between rural and remote Australia and metropolitan Australia (http://www.dcita.gov.au/). 207

OSW, although maintaining a watching brief over women and new information technologies (IT), does not play a primary role in this area (email from OSW 3.3.1999).

Its OSW Working For Women: Strategic Directions 2001-03, for example, had no mention at all of new technologies.

Thus, NGOs have not been a key focus of government policy, strategies or funding programs (unless they operate in rural, regional or remote Australia)288 and have been offered little hope that they will receive assistance in the uptake of broadband. This is despite the Advancing Australia: The Information Economy Progress Report which stated:

Future work will focus on improving access to online technologies for all Australians, particularly not-for-profit community organisations and disadvantaged people such as older Australians, indigenous Australians and people with disabilities. Activities include:

• formation and recognition of business/community partnerships involving access to and usage of the Internet and ICT by not-for-profit community organisations and the people they serve (NOIE, 2002: 24).

While laudable and at least providing recognition that not for profit organisations exist, such statements are a long way from providing the funding and technical assistance most needed by Nonprofits to take up this technology. Unfortunately many NGOs or Nonprofits do not fit within the bounds of ‘community’ focussed organisations and there is no specific focus on women.

Similarly, without universal access, NGOs are unable to use ICTs to contact their general membership or embrace time and cost saving applications such as electronic newsletters, for example.

The Advancing Australia: The Information Economy Progress Report states that:

288 The only specific assistance to NGOs I have found is the Commonwealth Governments announcement in June 1997 of $2 million under the Online Public Access Initiative for projects to enhance public access to online technologies in a wide cross section of communities around Australia. While many projects focussed on regional and rural online access, some focused on providing public access to special groups including women. NGOs benefited through the establishment of the Community Portal which included information on Internet tools and services to help people and community organisations ‘get online and become effective ICT users’. It also encouraged collaboration between the community and business sectors through the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, including ICT projects such as the partnership between Cisco Systems Australia and The Smith Family (Advancing Australia The Information Economy Progress Report 2002). 208

The Digital Data Service Obligation (DDSO) ensures that digital data services are reasonably accessible to all people in Australia on an equitable basis, wherever they live or carry on business. Everybody can have access, upon request and payment of relevant charges, to a 64 kilobits per second or comparable data services, particularly for accessing the Internet. Around 96 per cent of the population can access the service through a Telstra ISDN-capable exchange (the General DDSO). The remaining four per cent of the population can access the service via a satellite service (the Special DDSO) (2002: 14).

Likewise in the latest government commissioned information policy report, the Broadband Advisory Group’s Australia’s Broadband Connectivity (2003), while there is no mention at all of the NGO or nonprofit sector289, it states: ‘broadband should be available to all Australians at fair and reasonable prices’. However, making the technology available to all Australians regardless of location for ‘payment of relevant charges’ or ‘fair and reasonable prices’ does not equate to affordability and access for everyone.

Affordable universal access is not a pipe dream. The British government has pledged universal Internet access by 2005, by building free local Net centers and promoting laptop loaning programs (London Telegraph, 7 September 2000). In 1981 France Telecom funded by the French government placed free terminals in any home willing to forgo paper telephone directories in a nation with a population more than double that of Australia290 while Belgium introduced free ISPs in mid 1999 which attracted many late adopters including ‘housewives’ online (InSites, 2000).

Consideration could be given to extending the discounts on telephony services available to nonprofit and charity organisations to the ISP realm. Certainly low cost access has been instigated with great success in Victoria through VICNET. In addition consideration must be

289 Rather, health, education, content, the rural and regional sectors, and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are the focus. Of the 19 recommendations only one offers some vague relevance to the NGO/NPO sector: The Government should consider initiatives, investment incentives and public private partnership to develop services that may not be commercially viable, but which could potentially deliver significant economic, security and social benefits. These should be predominantly but not exclusively focussed on rural and regional Australia and should take into account the outcomes of the process in Recommendation 5. (Recommendation 5: The Government should identify areas that are unlikely to receive services on a commercial basis at fair and reasonable prices within an acceptable timeframe). 290 This was the Minitel system representing cutting edge technology at the time and allowed access to a range of government and commercial services as well as online chatting, etc. (Barbrook & Cameron, 1996). Current population is approximately 60 million. 209 given to funding that is sufficient to enable NGOs to provide Internet access for all office bearers. Without this NGOs’ use of ICTs will remain limited.

Lacking policy or funding support, many women's NGOs also lack the resources and expertise to lobby for assistance, or research; comprehend the implications of these technologies; respond with appropriate policy proposals; or formulate gender-sensitive proposals.

Moreover with evidence of an emerging digital elite among NGOs (as shown in Chapter 2 and the CICT (2003) survey), NGOs without or with only limited access to these technologies may see their traditional funding, membership and powerbases eroded. They could find themselves disenfranchised, less able to access and influence government and policymakers or respond to issues in a timely manner, and disadvantaged against better informed and researched organisations. As Balka (1999) points out, computer networks, far from being the great equaliser, reproduce existing disparities between organisations. The larger the NGO, the more likelihood of its takeup of ICTs. Moreover, that uptake reflects a centralist ‘top down’ model driven by the leadership rather than by grassroot membership. The central offices are the first to adopt and promote the technology as was the case with WIFT Australia’s promotion of ICTs to the state WIFTs (cf. also Chapter 2 studies). However, it is only when the grassroots are connected that any kind of working network can begin to function. During these early phases, power continues to reside at the centre, and it may only be when the technology becomes commonplace that options for new structures emerge. While it is heartening that the leadership of NGOs recognise the importance of ICTs, it is less than satisfactory that funding authorities are proving slow in embracing them or that the grassroots memberships’ lack of universal access is limiting NGOs use of ICTs.

Government must face these issues, especially as they move to outsource more of their services to NGOs, move away from providing print information, and move towards conducting more transactions and liaison online.

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8.4 A Clash of Values:

Throughout this thesis it is evident that the altruistic purpose and ethos of nonprofit organisations come into direct conflict with the individualistic, for-profit purpose and ethos of the corporate sector and the focus and design of ICTs291.

NGOs want these technologies for the lowest cost and accessible to all sections of society equally, subsidised or government mandated if necessary. They are not focussed on what the latest technological innovation can do for them and are not interested in technology that has to be constantly updated, requires major training programs and retraining with every update, frequent complete systems upgrades and the backup of a major IT department. Rather they want simple, user friendly technology as a background aid to their key focus of providing services to their members/clients.

Technological implementation through democratic decision making292, for use by non- hierarchically structured organisations, does not fit well with technology designed for corporate models of top-down implementation. Consequently the technology is designed around non interchangeable and incompatible hardware, software, peripherals and upgrades forcing complete organisation fit outs. Digital technology relies upon a certain hierarchical logic in its implementation – once decisions are made to commit to a particular platform or operating system, this conditions all lower order decisions and priorities. Moreover the technology is designed for an individualistic, competitive ethos with profit and productivity rather than delivery of social policies and facilitation of universal access as the key focus.

For the corporate and IT sector any encouragement of egalitarian values is a dangerous step towards anarchy and empowerment or worse, the open source philosophy of Linux, rather than the Microsoft’s closed code’ approach293. Rather the technology must be opaque,

291 As Lyons points out, third sector organisations operate on a different logic to and have different goals to the for-profit sector (cf., Lyons, 2001: 223). 292 Democratic decision making models and a consequently slower response time are key characteristics of third sector organisations (Lyons, 2004). 293 The Linux open source operating system and associated software is freely shared globally and developed by a wide cross-section of people who put altruistic goals before profit as opposed to Microsoft, which develops their software in secret, never releasing more than a tiny portion of their "code". The Internet itself is a product of the open source philosophy (Stoecker, 2002). Nonetheless, Linux based software is not necessarily a panacea for all the difficulties associated with ICTs (cf. Streeter, 2003). 211 shrouded in mysticism, governed by an impenetrable language that only the initiated can understand and controlled by suitably qualified (male) IT professionals.

These conflicting values underlie the many difficulties confronting NGOs in their access to and uptake of these technologies; technologies manifestly not designed for the nonprofit NGO sector.

The values of the Corporate and IT sector also clash with feminism with its central values of empowerment and egalitarianism, and it is this which should be the primary focus of feminists’ attention. We need to resist being sidetracked into channelling efforts towards fixing symptoms which, while important, do not address the cause of the problem. As Scott (2001b) points out ‘communications technologies may be helping to catalyse the development of a global feminist movement, but they are also facilitating the worst aspects of globalisation [and] facilitating the global restructuring of socio-economic power’. This is the battlefront for the 21st century.

Ultimately the opposing values do not only affect women, they also clash with the central values of liberal democracy and should give pause to all liberal minded men and women, not only or exclusively feminists, and all groups concerned with the rights of disempowered people. This underlines the need for a realignment of the current goals and values of the IT sector away from an almost exclusive focus on designing technology which delivers the ‘winning’ competitive edge to one that also encompasses more socially equitable values and goals.

Similarly the values of the IT sector also clash with the inherent anarchy and democratic values of the Internet and consequently the Internet in its present form is continually under attack. High speed, high capacity successors to the Internet such as Internet2294, the X Internet (executable Net) and Extended net that connects the real world (Pastore 2001), and the DataGrid with entry restricted to the scientific and corporate sectors, continue to be proposed and attract huge research funds. The freely available content of the Internet is continually under assault as the corporate sector worldwide scrambles to turn the Internet into

294 Trialled in Canada; it encompasses different kinds of broad and narrow band access with different prices, platforms and audiences just as free and pay television are now separate domains with different audiences and media forms (http://[email protected]/links.htm). 212 a profit making medium. There have been many attempts, particularly by Microsoft, and the traditional television and newspaper media, to establish proprietary networks with content and entry available only to paid members; various portals offering pay-to-view content; and Telstra’s ongoing ‘walled garden’ strategy which forces consumers to subscribe to their $49.95 a month Big Pond Internet service to access content over which it has exclusive rights such as video of AFL matches (Sainsbury, 2004).

Thus as Cleaver points out,

the pioneers of cyberspace can create new spaces…that at least initially threatens or transcends existing norms of capitalist society. Corporate capital then tries either to enclose their spaces by commercializing them if they look profitable, or to crush them if they look dangerous. Thus, online rhetorical spaces can be understood as always threatening, but never guaranteeing, to disrupt the social orders against which they attempt to enact resistance. (Cleaver, 1996 cited in Koerber 2001).

There is an urgent need to develop and retain a commitment to the democratic values of the Internet, maintaining it as open and accessible and not controlled by private interests. As Harold Rheingold warned in 1993, we must be vigilant in ensuring that ‘big power and big money’ do not take over the Internet.

8.5 Non Technological Barriers:

The difficulties experienced across the NGO sector cannot be blamed on the technology alone. Technology cannot and does not operate in a vacuum. To consider otherwise and lay the blame solely on the technology for the problems women's/NGOs experience in the uptake of ICTs is to fall prey to a technological determinist perspective.

Rather this thesis has shown throughout that while the technology itself was problematical, the characteristics of NGO organisations themselves and factors systemic to the NGO sector (detailed throughout the thesis) were also of key significance.

213

Similarly the human factor was also of importance. As the case study demonstrates access to the technology did not guarantee use. Not everyone who had access immediately changed their accustomed communication patterns. The communication media chosen and level of use depended on individuals’ comfort levels with the technology, access to training and technical assistance, affordability, whether it satisfied existing needs, the ease of access and incorporation into their activities, etc. Thus, even when WIFT Australia faced a funding crisis which provided a strong impetus to the utilisation of ICTs, some delegates still sought to use traditional communication media while at an organisational level, preference remained for personal and phone contact in all three organisations. Another key example of the impact of the human element on the use of ICTs comes in the arena of the electronic forums and the chat rooms established by WIFT Queensland and WIFT International which were not overly successful (Refer Sections 4.2 and 4.3). As the Gk97 (1997) point out, organisations have to demonstrate the usefulness and practical benefits of new technologies to assist their uptake, which will only be successful if the emphasis is on people’s needs and not the technology per se295.

This thesis has also shown the importance of the socio-cultural and political context. As detailed in Chapter 2, there is a social and cultural world outside the Internet that influences who has access and authority vis-à-vis the new technologies. Women face a number of constraints such as less income and disposable time etc. They also have less access to power in society, make up fewer of the politicians and policymakers, board directors or CEOs and have less involvement at senior levels in IT and Telecommunication companies.

Of key significance in the socio-political context was the political backlash against feminism evident throughout the 1990s which provided a veneer of legitimation for:

• the policy context of mainstreaming which under the guise of incorporating gender concerns into the mainstream of policy has been used to justify removal of funding for equity projects; and

295 Summary available: http://community.web.net/gk97/resource.htm 214

• a funding and political environment which has seen severe cutbacks in funding of women's NGOs under the Howard government; and a systematic attack on their legitimacy296.

The other key socio-political factor was a policy environment notable for its lack of policies and initiatives to assist NGOs in establishing ICTs. Instead, in Australia, the telecommunications policy debate has focused on deregulation and the provision of a competitive telecommunications environment to facilitate the building of the necessary telecommunications infrastructure. The development of this infrastructure, however, has been undertaken with little regard for the requirements of the nonprofit sector. Overall, Anne Moyal argues, the social and cultural goals in Australian communications have been neglected, and ‘we have lagged (as other industrial countries have also lagged) in providing the critical social research needed to balance an accelerating, special-interest-driven ‘technology push’ with knowledge of our social communications practices, expectations and needs’ (cited in Goggin & Newell, 1995: 432)297.

Even when operating in the virtual domain, NGOs have to operate from a base that is comprised of and impacted by these hegemonic webs of socio-cultural, economic and political spheres of influence.

8.6 WIFT Australia – Implementation Models:

Ultimately WIFT Australia really only had three choices regarding ICTs.

It could have adopted the approach it did, that is, the piecemeal uptake of ICTs. While this approach was not as successful as it could have been, with ICTs becoming lost as a focus, had WIFT Australia not sustained the simultaneous blows of the loss of OSW funding and the debts incurred by the national conference, it may have survived. With the motivation of loss of infrastructure funding for the organisation, it may have then gone on to a greater use of ICTs.

296 Experienced firsthand by WIFT Australia almost immediately upon the advent of the Howard government. Cf., also Melville, 2003. 297 Gerard Goggin (2002) argues that social research in telecommunications is still a marginal undertaking, emerging internationally only in the last twenty years as a serious area of scholarly research. Policy debate in Australia remains dominated by the economic and legal disciplines. 215

Alternatively it could have delayed the establishment of ICTs and concentrated its limited resources initially on establishing the organisation, consolidating its role and function and securing its future. In the interim it could have ensured all states and delegates had faxes, paid their telephone and fax bills and operated via teleconferences, phone and fax with the occasional face to face meeting. It could still have taken up the funded offer of the AFC webpage and the Screen Network Australia webpage which would have given it a web presence. This approach would not have prevented it from continuing research into ICTs or precluded its focus on educating women filmmakers in these technologies. However, the key problem with this approach, is that communications would have remained costly.

However a third approach would have been to place a stronger imperative on establishing ICTs, a stronger focus on using them once established, and of pivotal importance, eschewing the establishment of a national office; unnecessary given that the states were the only members of WIFT Australia and provided offices as a point of contact for their members298.

While it may appear foolhardy to suggest WIFT Australia operate as a virtual organisation, the fact is that it was one for the first three years of its operation, with no physical office and all its administration and projects undertaken by the delegates from their homes or workplaces across Australia. Moreover, all three WIFT organisations eventually became ‘virtual organisations’ to some extent299.

Foregoing the establishment of a physical national office would have enabled WIFT Australia to more easily retain its original focus on the establishment and use of ICTs by freeing the organisation from the double work load of trying to fund, operate and maintain a staffed physical office, and implement ICTs. In addition to which it was undertaking numerous other projects (childcare, lobbying, etc), trying to raise its profile, and carve out a role for itself distinct from that of the state organisations Consequently its human and financial resources

298 However, at the time the debate centered on where a national office should be located and not whether there be one or whether the organisation could afford to sustain it long term. When first incorporated WIFT Australia had no intention of establishing a national office. It only did so when the OSW no longer allowed funding to be shared among the states but would fund a national office. 299 WIFT Australia and WIFT Queensland were forced to operate electronically when they no longer had funding. WIFT International, embraced the concept through necessity but did have a ‘desk’ at its host chapters and supported its virtual organisation with face-to-face meetings of directors and members bi-annually at its summits and conferences. 216 were spread far too thinly with the difficulties in undertaking such a diverse and heavy workload dissipating the focus on ICTs.

Moreover, given that the lack of commitment to WIFT Australia (and resignation of Western Australia), stemmed from the establishment of the national office and the resulting increased Sydneycentric focus of WIFT Australia, without it the organisation may have been able to retain the commitment crucial to its survival. Furthermore the national office did not facilitate ICTs in that the Executive Officer, having established Internet access and email for the national office, did not actively promote its use and still relied heavily on post, telephone, fax and teleconferences to communicate with delegates.

Conversely, there are several important factors which could have aided the success of the virtual organisation model.

As WIFT Australia was already operating as a virtual organisation no great paradigm shifts or major structural or operational changes to entrenched practices were required. The fact that it was in the process of establishing itself and defining its role provided the opportunity to evolve its administration and operations around ICTs as WIFT International did300.

The money otherwise expended on the physical infrastructure for an office could have been used to pay the ISP costs for delegates (who rather than the states carried the bulk of the WIFT Australia workload) and in providing them with the necessary modems, up-to-date computers, and uniform software on the understanding these were to be passed on upon their resignation. This would have ensured all delegates had email and uniform software. The incentive of a paid ISP account, and a computer and modem for home use would have helped attract delegates to WIFT Australia. The ease of after-hours access should also have enabled a greater contribution to WIFT Australia.

Similarly a Technical Consultant could have been employed instead of an Executive Officer. The lack of an EO would not have disadvantaged delegates who had undertaken the full workload of the organisation from inception anyway. A Technical Consultant could have

300 As Symon (2000) points out organisational studies “on the use of new communication technologies (e.g. Ciborra & Patriotta, 1996)…suggest that emerging communication patterns are much more dependent on the pre-existing organisational context and culture. 217 minimised the problems of establishing ICTs and facilitated IRC for online meetings, a board chatroom, and webpage based projects, as well as an email list as a step towards increasing the relevance of the national body to the members of the state organisations. Funds could still have been sourced for a part-time Administrator to ease the workload if felt necessary at a later stage, with that person working from a desk at one of the state offices, the model eventually adopted by WIFT International.

There is every possibility that a funding application to the OSW for a virtual organisation infrastructure would have been successful given the OSW had a focus on the new information and communication technologies and their impact on women and had released several reports in this area (OSW, 1996a; 1996b; 1996c). In addition the OSW encouraged organisations at its 1995 Women's NGOs Round Table meeting to apply for financial support for ICT software and hardware.

The building of a virtual organisation could have evolved gradually supplemented in the interim by post, phone, fax and teleconference but significantly facilitated by mandated use of ICTs now made possible by the provision of computers, modems, ISP accounts and technical assistance.

With a track record of operating electronically as a virtual organisation, WIFT Australia may then have been more successful in attracting funding for web based projects. An ICT infrastructure could also have aided the long term survival of the organisation given that both WIFT International and WIFT Queensland proved that it was possible to function via ICTs with minimal funding.

While major international NGOs with large budgets have been shown to be still not using ICTs strategically, WIFT Australia’s more limited goals and sphere of operation and requirement to answer to only five members may have made a virtual organisation more achievable.

However, none of this is to suggest that a total focus on ICTs to the exclusion of all else would have been desirable given that an organisation exhibiting best practice in the use of ICTs ultimately would have been of limited benefit to the WIFT constituency. The aim would be to establish ICTs as a means of addressing the communication and administrative needs of the 218 organisation which when achieved would allow the organisation to undertake other projects for which it could obtain funding.

Nor is this to suggest that attempting such an uncharted and untested approach, in the relatively early days of ICTs, even with a technical consultant, would have been easy. Ultimately, there is no guarantee that this model would have worked. But on analysis and with hindsight it stood a very good chance of being more successful than the model adopted.

8.7 NGO Implementation Models:

In view of the findings of this thesis, for NGOs with limited budgets and human resources, or operating only in the local sphere, ICTs may not be necessary nor offer significant benefits. Email and web access through board/committee members if needed may be sufficient for some time into the future301. As Making the Net Work (NCexChange, 1997) points out, consideration must be given to ‘why you should go online or how you will use networking in your day-to-day work or whether going on line is even the right step for your organisation’.

Other Nonprofits may prefer the piecemeal and gradual adoption of these technologies (as with WIFT Australia). For some, consideration could be given to using the technology to eliminate the necessity for and significant costs of maintaining a physical office (as with WIFT Queensland and WIFT International). There are numerous possibilities regarding degree of uptake up to organisations prepared to wholeheartedly embrace ICTs, adapt their operations and even their organisational structure in order to take full advantage of these technologies (as with WIFT International). Indeed as Symon (2000) points out:

Some commentators claim (e.g. Drucker, 1988; Hinds & Kiesler, 1995) that it is the new forms of technology themselves which demand that organizations restructure and adopt new ways of working, if they are to survive in a competitive market. This they argue is not technological determinism but a ‘soft determinism’.

Conversely, Randy Stoecker (2002) sounds a warning to NGOs that they must not let the technology drive the project:

301 Committee members could share the roles of subscribing to email lists and regularly checking key web sites. To avoid individuals shouldering the costs, access via the cheapest dial-up account available could be established. 219

Today too many of us ask "what can we do with this technology?" It is the wrong question. The right question is "what technology do we need to accomplish our goals?" We let the technology, and the corporations who sell it to us, tell us what we should do with it.

Each NGO needs to find the path that best suits itself and the level of technology it and its constituency are comfortable with and can sustain.

The reality, however, is that women's NGOs cannot totally ignore the 21st century communications environment as they undertake the work of their organisations. They also have to survive with limited funding and resources in the current economic rationalist funding and policy environment with its mainstreaming policies and underlying anti-feminist sentiments. ICTs, unfunded as they are for many smaller NGOs, can be a significant drain on financial and human resources302. They can also, for organisations prepared to learn from the lessons of others, able to research and put in the effort, be utilised to ‘work smarter’ with less.

302 As WIFT Australia and many of the Pamela's List organisations discovered, obtaining funding is not straightforward with many funding bodies refusing to fund capital expenditure for the purchase of technology hardware and software. 220

PART 2 - CONCLUSION:

8.8 The Hardwiring of Women:

Problems and difficulties notwithstanding, all the WIFT organisations managed to gain benefits from their Internet access and ICTs as detailed in Chapter 5.

That they were able to do so with only limited access to technical support and funding was a considerable achievement. Moreover, WIFT Australia, Queensland and International were early adopters of the information and communications technologies without role models or the experience of others to call upon, while WIFT Queensland and WIFT International were able to proceed to advanced use. Thus the WIFT organisations can take some pride in being pioneers in the use of ICTs at the end of the twentieth century.

Participants on Pamela's List have shown even more significant use of email and email lists and the survey of Pamela's List and review of the APC and the Asia Pacific Surveys demonstrates that women's NGOs nationally and internationally are embracing the technology and doing so in numbers and at levels on a respectable par with their mixed gender counterparts.

Thus the case study and the arguments advanced in this thesis dispel notions of women as ipso facto technophobic. No evidence of it emerged in the WIFT case study, the Pamela's List survey or was uncovered in the international women's NGOs’ reports. Rather the thesis has shown that women can use new technologies competently and appropriate the technology creatively for their own egalitarian ends. The difficulties encountered by the WIFT organisations and women's NGOs in their uptake of ICTs were due to a myriad of factors which this thesis has shown to be shared by all NGOs such as costs, lack of technical advice, etc. It also details the efforts and success in overcoming such problems by women's NGOs.

Women's NGOs were more challenged in some areas due to women's lower earnings, greater parenting responsibilities, lack of disposable time, etc., but the thesis seriously questions received wisdom about women and technology (as feminist have been arguing since the 221

1970s) and shows no indication that women are ‘ICT phobic’. Thus the thesis demonstrates the necessity for careful categorisation of problems as belonging to women's versus non- gendered NGOs.

Ultimately, the successes of the women's NGOs studied in this thesis in adopting ICTs has created a reservoir of expectation and expertise which should bear fruit in the future.

8.9 Pragmatic Conservatism:

There are gender differences in the approach to computing and technology. Even a cursory skip through the literature available on male and female computing styles (a significant body of work) and the limited literature available on women's attitudes to and use of the Internet and ICTs, underlines the difference in approach and use between the genders (as reviewed in Chapter 2).

This difference is not technophobic in origin but rather, where women have shunned the technology, the reasons given regularly refer to the fact that the technology (in the early phases) was not (yet) practical. Women's focus is that of utilitarian use and if a technology cannot offer clear, practical benefit, they are not interested. Men’s approach has been shown to be as an extension of the ego and competitive in origin, viewing the technology as a personalised ‘challenge’ (computer games and hacking being two examples of this approach - refer to Chapter 2).

Women also appropriate technologies often in ways (male) designers do not anticipate. For example, Lana Rakow (1987) points out that ‘the telephone was initially conceived of as a tool of business; American women transformed it into a household necessity’. Rakow (1993) and Gillard (1994) show that women developed their own uses for the mobile phone, as babysitters thus enabling them to work parallel shifts combining work and parenting responsibilities and appropriating it also as an aid to safety. Cox and Leonard (1993) have also shown that women place a high value on “intrinsic” calls which they make for the maintenance of kinship and friendship networks rather than instrumental calls made by men, research also supported by Moyal (1992, 1989). These same processes are now becoming 222 visible as women appropriate the male designed technology of the Internet using it as a resource and an aid for interpersonal communication. Thus, for example, the Pamela's List participants embracing of a staggering number of email lists which fulfil both functions.

8.10 Spender Revisited:

It is informative to revisit Dale Spender’s book Nattering on the Net (1995) using it as a benchmark to review women's progress in the arena of ICTs as revealed by the research of this thesis. In it she argued we were in the midst of a revolutionary change brought about by the advent of the Internet and one that would affect every aspect of our lives in the new millennium.

Spender admitted to being a complete convert to the world of computers and the Internet and she extolled the advantages of new communications technologies for women. She applauded women who were taking the new technology to heart, developing their and its potential. She gives examples of women fighting against sexual harassment and examples of what girls can achieve in enlightened educational computing environments.

While Spender listed the barriers being experienced by women particularly with regard to computers in the classroom, an emerging culture of intimidation, and online sexual harassment, and detailed their exclusion from computing and the cyberworld, her book never endorsed the view that women couldn’t do computing or were technophobes.

Her book exhorted women to get involved with cyber-society insisting that ‘there is nothing optional any longer about computer involvement’ (1995: 168). Women had to participate in the development of net culture or ‘risk becoming the outsiders’ (1995: 168), with the Internet ultimately governed by the `White, professional, English-American-speaking male' viewpoint (1995: 249).

Her primary concern, using the analogy of highway and car design was that

women's acceptance as drivers came long after all the design work had been done. Long after the patterns had been laid down. And there are consequences; no matter how many 223

cars are sold to women, no matter how many buses and routes are put on to meet women's transport requirements, women are for ever restricted to working with a product that men designed to fit men’s lifestyles and hobbies (1995: 169).

She argued that there was a battle being waged; a real one. If women did not want a repeat of the gender bias in the old law of the land, then they had to insist that they were equally represented in the development of the new laws of cyberspace. Her warnings were illustrated with an exposition of what had happened to women during the last major communications revolution, that of print. However her focus was not women ‘can’t’ but rather women ‘can’ and ‘must’.

Several years on from when she wrote the book it is informative to compare the findings of this thesis to the concerns Spender enunciated in Nattering on the Net.

While the excesses and problems of an Internet comprised of 94% of males have lessened and the male stranglehold of the Internet has weakened, women still experience sexual harassment and flaming, and are still denied freedom to express themselves on the Internet. This is particularly the case if one is a self proclaimed feminist or ventures into male dominated domains.

While women still face challenges in accessing and participating in the online world, they have managed to increase their basic access to the Internet to that of approximate parity with males at least in western democratic societies. The fact that women have managed to achieve parity with relative ease is immediately suspicious for a feminist. It would seem to indicate that the real struggle lies elsewhere303. And so it does.

Of key concern is that women's and girls’ participation in maths and science courses has dropped rather than increased. They have not yet made any great inroads into the IT arena particularly in software design or management. Thus their access to the development of technology and the power basis of the IT sector has weakened.

303 As Spender points out it is often the case that when women achieve equity and begin to achieve critical mass in an arena, it is to find that the rules are changed and the real power has moved elsewhere (1995: 185). 224

Furthermore, as Balka (2000) points out, gender remains off the agenda in information and communication research. A review of government policy and initiatives shows that women's interests and concerns have not translated into any significant policy support. Moreover, the continued rise and adoption of mainstreaming policies have eroded the practical and funding support that was previously available.

As Cox (1994) has previously argued women and their telecommunication needs tend to be ignored not least because ‘the context and content of discussions is based on experiences and interest of engineers and technicians’. Obviously the advent of a technocracy can disadvantage all consumers given the debate is being constrained within very narrow parameters bounded by purely technical considerations and commercial applications. But as it has been shown that women are more likely to be accessing these new technologies in the domestic setting or as private rather than business consumers, (a fact borne out by both the case study and the Pamela's List survey) their viewpoint is least likely to be heard. In addition, as the OSW reports ‘with lower average incomes and smaller voices in decision-making (in both the public and private sectors) than their male counterparts, women are less likely to be able to influence markets or Government policies’ (1996a).

Certainly women still have a long way to go before they realise the celebratory predictions of the cyber feminists such as Sadie Plant. We have yet to see men seriously impeded, as she suggests, as a result of their pervasive conditioning by the industrial age to think exclusively in a linear fashion. Nor have we seen women reap the benefits of being ‘better prepared culturally and psychologically’ (1997: 42-43) and thus rise to prosper in the new information and communications environment. The Internet and ICTs can facilitate women's relationship work and communication interests but the technology used to access these technologies, as this thesis has shown, does not. This undermines their subversive potential. The problem for feminists is to create technologies that, rather than mirroring patriarchal values, are reflective of women's values, are non-exploitative, are empowering and have social justice rather than the reproduction of existing power relations at their base.

We have still to move beyond the myth of women as technophobes; which they are not, as the case study demonstrates.

225

In short women are fighting a technocratic value system that is sexist and upon which they have yet to exert a major influence. This is the site of the power struggle in the new millennium, as Spender points out and which this thesis has demonstrated remains the case. Indeed Manuel Castells argues that: ‘the most important cultural impact of computer mediated communication could be potentially the reinforcement of the culturally dominant social networks, as well as the increase of their cosmopolitanism and globalization’ (1996: 363). Thus the new information and communication technologies, rather than heralding any fundamentally democratising of the social order, are to a considerable extent replicating the existing social order and power relations.

However, while women still have a long way to go before making these technologies their own, they are not shunning information and communication technologies (and Spender never suggested they would), they are embracing those they find useful. Their differences in attitudes towards computing, the Internet and technology remain (and possibly always will).

Spender’s exhortation to women to get on with commandeering these technologies remains germane. Now that women have achieved basic parity (although universal access remains a key issue) and these concerns have abated, there is a growing urgency for the need to fight the growing power and control of the technocracy and its value systems. This is the real site of struggle, not to be obfuscated by concentration on many of the issues that have concerned feminists in the immediate past.

8.11 The Research Questions Answered:

This thesis began with my concerns over the celebratory hyperbole surrounding the Internet. While I questioned whether the democratising potential so lauded by the Internet’s proponents would apply equally to both genders, feminists themselves were divided on the issue. There were many who were pessimistic citing women's traditional relationship to technology, yet the cyberfeminists with their optimistic predictions and ‘technophoric’ arguments saw the Internet and its associated information and communication technologies as subversive of patriarchy, opening up new spaces for women, and inherently suited to women’s ways of working and styles of communicating. 226

My central research question was:

Not unexpectedly when studying three organisations operating in different spheres (the local/state; national, and international) the results were mixed. All three organisations were able to access and utilise ICTs despite encountering significant difficulties. However, while WIFT International was ultimately able to utilise these technologies successfully and effectively to overcome the communications challenges it faced, WIFT Australia’s uptake and implementation was limited and it was never able to use these technologies effectively to meet its specific communications requirements within the limited timeframe of the organisation’s existence. WIFT Queensland’s use lay somewhere between that of WIFT Australia and WIFT International. It had longer than WIFT Australia to evolve its use of the technologies and while it did go on to more advanced applications, it did not achieve the advanced strategic use evinced by WIFT International. Greater access to these technologies by the membership of all three organisations could have facilitated the organisations’ greater use of the technologies. Clearly at this point in the development of ICTs, there were compatibility problems between the communication needs of the WIFT organisations and the degree to which ICTs were responsive to those needs.

The second component of the research question was:

How did gender negate or facilitate the uptake and utilisation of the information and communications technologies by women's NGOs? Did women's NGOs’ use of these technologies offer evidence to suggest the technologies were inherently suited to women's ways of communicating and working together?

Factors directly related to gender can be seen as accounting for women's NGOs (and women's) slightly lower uptake of these technologies in relation to their non-gendered counterparts. Lack of disposable time and income are adding further challenges to the 227 plethora of problems facing women's NGOs in their uptake of ICTs. This thesis demonstrates that gender factors in relation to women's NGOs uptake of ICTs require far greater attention by researchers and government.

There was little indication in the choice of technologies adopted or their manner of use to indicate that they were inherently suited to women's ways of communicating and working together. The only exception to this was the widespread, enthusiastic embracing of both Pamela's List and email lists in general. Even in its embryonic stages of development, Pamela's List showed great promise of becoming a significant political tool for women's NGOs. This strongly suggests that this would be the arena in which to concentrate future development energies for women's NGOs.

With regard to the third component of the research question:

Do NGOs have specific needs and requirements of ICTs that differ from their corporate counterparts and if so are these needs being met? If not, is this affecting their uptake of ICTs?

This thesis has demonstrated unequivocally that NGOs do indeed have requirements specific to the sector which are not at this point being met and which are limiting their uptake and use. Similarly the NGO sector is facing considerable challenges in embracing more advanced uses of the technology.

The findings presented in this thesis contribute to the mapping and evolving understanding of women's NGOs’ relationship to the new digital information and communication technologies. It enables their voices and experiences to be heard through recording their experience vis-à-vis ICTs. Moreover, by documenting women's experiences, the thesis, as feminists have long recognised, offers a basis for the development of strategies to enable women and women's NGOs to more fully appropriate these technologies for their needs and thus take their rightful equal place in the centre rather than at the margins of the current information and communication technology revolution.

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APPENDIX A: “WIFT AUSTRALIA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES” MASLIN, SUE AUGUST 1993

W.I.F.T. Australia’s primary policy direction over the next two years, will be the impact of the new media technologies on women. I’m including in this, Pay TV, MDS, satellite services, multi-media and CD ROM publishing, to name only a few – exactly what impact will these have on women as both producers and consumers.

The introduction of PAY TV as a stimulus has Australian broadcasting and technology now looking into the future. The industry is witnessing its biggest overhaul in 50 years.

These ideas are being widely circulated to an industry poised for overhaul. It represents one aspect of what could be described as a revolution in information technologies taking us by storm.

In fact, Dale Spender has gone as far to say that this revolution is only rivalled by the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. According to Spender, the literary industries effectively silenced women for nearly four centuries and it is critical that we are not doomed to repeat history with the current introduction of new information technologies.

We are not just concerned with access to these new technologies but also with their content and programming.

Our first strategy will be to conduct research on just how the new technologies will impact on women culminating in a national conference to be held in December, 1994.

Our second strategy is to attend major industry conferences such as the forthcoming Broadcasting summit and to lobby hard for gender equity as a key point in all industry discussions on new technologies.

Our third strategy will be to produce an encyclopaedia of Australian women’s film on CD ROM. This will be an educational initiative that will not only list all Australian films made by women in terms of director, title and subject, but summaries, bibliographies and keynote articles.

W.I.F.T Australia will continue to focus on the representation of women both on and off our more conventional screens. We will launch a publicity campaign surveying roles for women on Australian TV, broadcast across the nation on one day from 6 – 8.00pm. It will be called rather appropriately, I think, WHAT’S FOR DINNER MUM?

We will also aim to host national achievement awards for women filmmakers to coincide with the annual WIF Crystal awards in L.A. and similar awards in London.

Finally, W.I.F.T. Australia will focus on an issue that will not go away – childcare. This will be the first stage of a wider strategy on dependant care. In 1994, we will release our national report on childcare options in the film and television industry, titled NOT KIDDING. This will include a business plan for childcare options that can work in an industry where the ten hour day is the norm.

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APPENDIX B: ESTABLISHING A STATE EMAIL SYSTEM:

Prior to the instigation of WIFT Australia’s National Communication Strategy, WIFT Queensland had decided to update its antiquated Mac Classic computer and submitted a successful application to the Queensland Government Gaming Commission Community Development Fund304. Consequently, WIFT Queensland was subsequently well placed with a new Internet capable Pentium computer with Windows95.

The initial modem received from WIFT Australia was for use with MacIntosh computers (due to a communication misunderstanding between the Queensland Administrator and WIFT Australia Executive Officer). Sent in May 1996 (WIFT Australia May 1996 Monthly report), WIFT Queensland was still trying to ascertain in August whether it was compatible with an IBM computer or if it could be exchanged.

I eventually had to contact the Queensland University of Technology IT department to establish the compatibility of the modem (email 19.8.96). When I was advised that special cables and software would be required and was quoted $29 for cables and $250 for the software from Netcomm, it was decided to persevere in swapping the modem.

It took until May 1997 before WIFT Queensland came online. Key factors in this 12 month delay included:

• WIFT Queensland did not complete the purchase of its new computer until late June 1996 or receive the IBM compatible modem until September 1996. • WIFT Australia did not realise until September 1996 it could not accommodate the states within its internet account at which point, Queensland began to explore (unsuccessfully) various funding avenues for an internet account (WIFT Queensland Minutes November 1996). • By this time WIFT Queensland’s remaining funding for 1996 was tight and by November the minutes show the organisation as ‘desperately short of money’. • Funding from Film Queensland for 1997 (despite the application being lodged in August 1996) did not come through until late March 1997. • The Project Officer resigned on the 28th October, 1996 but the position could not be advertised and filled until the funding situation was resolved. In the interim the Administrative Officer who was unfamiliar with the new IBM computer, Windows95, the internet, modems, communication software or email could not proceed.

It was finally able to employ a Project Officer knowledgeable in the digital arena, who had been involved with Digitarts305 and undertaken IT courses. However, she still required technical assistance to install and configure the various hardware and software components. WIFT Queensland did not have the funds to obtain professional technical support and with the AFC Technical Officer working only part time and located in Sydney, obtaining technical advice was slow (it could take a week to receive replies to queries) and expensive for long distance phone calls and faxes. The WIFT Australia Executive Officer had only limited

304 The initial application was unsuccessful but as per usual procedure was automatically entered into the next six monthly round at which point it was successful. 305 Digitarts is an arts, culture and technology organisation dedicated to giving young women and emerging artists, access to the knowledge and equipment necessary for the development of their arts and cultural practices in the area of new technologies. 230 technical skills, was an AppleMac user and unfamiliar with IBM computers or Windows95. Thus, while she was able to contact the AFC technical support officer for the cost of a local telephone call, advice passed through a technically inexpert intermediary to WIFT Queensland office staff and Board also working at the outer limits of their technical knowledge, was often more confusing than helpful. Limited support was obtained from WIFT Queensland’s ISP but only in relation to installing the dial-in software and configurations for internet and email access.

Part of the difficulty lay with the fact this was all very new technology but the process was exacerbated by a new computer with the just released Windows95 which few people were experienced with and which itself came with significant programming bugs in the original releases. It was also discovered that the new printer was faulty and had to be replaced. Ultimately it took the combined efforts of WIFT Queensland’s two part-time staff, Board members, the WIFT Australia EO and the AFC technical support officer to successfully install and configure all the hardware and software components.

WIFT Queensland chose MSN Australia (the Microsoft network) as its ISP ([email protected]) taking advantage of their ‘first month free’ offer. ISPs required a credit card to establish an account and WIFT Queensland had to utilise a staff member’s account. The only problems encountered with MSN were:

• Notification on 3.10.97 that hoax memos purporting to be from the MSN Billing Department seeking credit card information were circulating; • Notification on 10.10.97 that a billing backlog while updating billing software had resulted in some accounts not showing all charges – a definite concern for organisations such as WIFT on very tight budgets; and • The annoyance of receiving MSN’s Oz Weekly News which, while including tips for using the MSN network, mainly advertised MSN’s Pay TV affiliate (basically amounting to spam).

WIFT Queensland chose the standard $9.90 per month plan which provided two hours access per month with excess usage charged at $5 per hour. It continued to search for cheaper alternatives or more access hours and, for example, approached Hub Communications in June 1997 (email from the Hub to WIFT Queensland 6.6.97)306. However their cheapest plan was $20 per month allowing 10 hours access per month with an establishment fee charge of $30 plus $3 per hour excess charges. There was also a charge of $65 for a business mailbox and $45 per additional mailboxes if required307.

WIFT Queensland could not pay for technical support whenever there were any technical problems. Without access to university IT support that several Board members had, the costs for ICTs would have been much higher.

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306 The Hub Internet Café (one of the first in Brisbane) was established by a young woman, Emily McDonald, who had been a presenter at the WIFT Australia New Technologies forum in Queensland. WIFT Queensland had held several networking events at the Hub and would have been happy to support her business. 307 It took until 2000 before AOL, for example, began offering in Brisbane internet access for $8 per month for 4 hours with 7 free email addresses included; free 24 hour technical support; and free webspace for a webpage. Four hours per month still only allowed minimal usage. 231

APPENDIX C: ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL EMAIL SYSTEM:

While it had been envisaged that the state WIFTs would each have a mailbox within the WIFT Australia email address, connecting to the ISP network locally and then accessing their mailbox within the WIFT Australia account, at that time, technical limitations meant that only one person would be able to access the account at any one time. Ultimately the ISP advised against five state organisations and the national organisation sharing one email account.

It was only after WIFT Australia had finally sorted out its email connection, however, that the states were advised of this. Even as late as July 1996 the states had been advised that they would be shortly receiving the software to connect to WIFT Australia’s email account, but in the September 1996 Monthly report, the Executive Officer of WIFT Australia announced that:

Now that we are up and running on the Internet it is too difficult for every office to use the same email address, therefore can each state organise their own service provider?

Each state also had to insure the modems received from the AFC which were essentially on loan308 (May 1996 WIFT Australia Monthly Report).

Regarding the choice of an Internet Service Provider, the WIFT Australia Executive Officer, advised:

I have been checking out servers [ISPs] for WIFT Australia’s Internet and email access. I spoke to RealNet Access, Australia On-Line and Pegasus. Most servers are a much of a muchness, however I spoke to Spider Redgold at Pegasus, (recommended by the OSW). They have a women's net which is expanding daily. They have set up email connections with women in South Africa, Bosnia, etc that do not have access to WWW, hence women's net is truly a global network. All capital cities can dial up for the cost of a local call, so WIFT Australia could join and then all the states could share the time and have access. Fees are $360 per year for 20 hours on-line time per month, which is all we require for our AFC home page. Women's net also provides user friendly support for all users, and is especially sensitive to women's needs (Teleconference Minutes, January 1996).

WomenZnet was not the cheapest ISP but given its recommendation by the OSW, a service advertised as specifically tailored to the needs of women and its membership of the Association for Progressive Computing (APC), a global network of non-government organisations which has as its mission:

to promote electronic networking around the world among women's organisations, to increase women's access to training...[with]…a particular focus on redressing inequalities in access to technology (WomenZnet Brochure) the decision was made to use WomenZnet. WIFT Australia became the first national Australian women's organisation to sign with them.

308 AFC policy was that it purchased the equipment and provided it on loan to an organization as per correspondence from the AFC to WIFT Australia 6.3.1996. 232

The costs consisted of a $50 establishment fee, a $30 annual fee and $30 per month for 20 hours access per month (with access time non cumulative), one email address, a website on the Pegasus/WomenZnet network, up to 200K storage and1 MB volume download limit per month. The monthly fee rose to $32 per month within two months of connecting and rising to $45 per month in May 1997. Additional charges were levied if connection time exceeded the monthly allowance, for extra mailboxes, excess storage, excess download volume, or if connecting to the WomenZnet Network via Austpac or DialConnect. For a nonprofit organisation finding $30 - $45 every month was a not insignificant expense.

Although advising delegates that its email was operational at the end of March 1996, WIFT Australia continued to experience problems. An email sent to WIFT Australia on the 21st May, 1996 by a South Australian delegate, for example, was unable to be retrieved resulting in the WIFT Australia EO faxing WomenZnet on the 4th June stating “Further to our earlier conversation I hereby grant permission for Pegasus staff to access my email to find an email message from G.K. WIFT South Australia which was sent in the last two weeks”. On the 13th September, 1996 I faxed WIFT Australia advising I now had email but also asking whether WIFT Australia was actually connected as my attempts to email WIFT Australia were not getting through.

These problems continued throughout 1996 and 1997. As of the 24th September 1997 WIFT Australia was still experiencing problems with its email configuration resulting in a fax from WomenZnet “as per our phone conversation today, here is [sic] the instructions for doing a manual login in ConfigPPP software”. WomenZnet had in earlier correspondence (13.7.96) pointed out that with “inexperienced users many configuration changes can be made without the user even realising they are making these changes”. Similarly in October 1997 WIFT Australia’s Tools of the Trade conference organiser had to fax WomenZnet requesting assistance and confirming that “we are aware that this service will be charged for”.

Ultimately, WomenZnet’s technical support was limited, despite claiming to offer a service tailored to the needs of women and women's organisations. There is no way, however, of knowing if other ISPs would have been more or less helpful given none of the states or delegates set up commercial internet accounts at this time. Certainly WIFT Australia did not reap any special benefit from joining the WomenZnet network.

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APPENDIX D: - LIST OF WIFT AUSTRALIA EMAIL ENQUIRIES

An example of the variety of general emails received and offered as illustration of the increased workload email represented for an organisation in reading and dealing with such inquiries, included:

• A request for assistance in compiling a list of women directors. • An American woman working in film, married to an Australian about to return to Australia and wanting information on jobs. • A journalist offering their screenplay – email began ‘Dear Sirs’. • Information on training options to make wildlife documentaries. • A request to sponsor a book research expedition to Lebanon. • A Mining company informing of the WIFT Australia website’s inclusion in their entertainment directory. • A request for help finding a film. • An American University women's housing complex requesting WIFT Australia to send an email protesting the university’s end of funding. • A general inquiry about what women are doing in front and behind camera. • French Canadian new media artist wanting to come to Taking The Byte forum 2 years after it was held. • Researcher in BBC Documentary Department planning to emigrate to Australia and wanting work. • A man asking WIFT to join his scheme to acquire properties to convert to Bed and breakfast accommodation for those in the film industry. • Emails about the Ozcomics resources list. • A German lady wanting work experience and to improve her English • Requests from students for information for university assignments. • Notice of Artspace bookshop sale. • an email from a WIFT LA member asking for her company to be included as a link on WIFT Australia website. • a request to contribute to book chapters. • notification of a book release re women and US death penalty. • laser printer toner ad. • request for assistance with cost of producing 3rd year student film. • various invitations to join mailing lists. • invitations to link to websites including a Center for Women's Research in Sri Lanka. • a request from a 6th grader in Kansas City Missouri wanting to dress as an Australian 1849 Gold Rush immigrant or wanting information on a good costume for an Australian woman. • request for information on course and programs offered by WIFT Australia. • information on 2000 Goddess festival.

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APPENDIX E: EMAIL STATUS OF WIFT QUEENSLAND BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

In the May to December 1997 period WIFT Queensland was online, the Board of Management had 15 members and 19 sub-committee members. 8 out of the 15 (53%) and 8 of the 19 (42%) had access to email.

These figures do not, however reflect the actual email status of the Board. Firstly not all 8 women with email were on the Board concurrently. One woman with email access did not join the Board until the July Board meeting two months after email had been established, one only came onto the Board at the November 14th Board meeting 19 days before the email account was cancelled, and another woman joined just 9 days before the account was cancelled309. One Board member with email access was inactive for much of this period.

Of the 4 (26%) active members who had email for the entire period, one could only access email one day a week when not based in a film studio and she came to the main university campus. She never used email to contact WIFT. Similarly the organisation’s secretary who had email never used it to contact WIFT. She typed up the minutes on her laptop as meetings progressed, tidied them up at home and faxed them off. Her reasons for faxing them were, ‘that was the way she had always done it and it worked’, and she argued it was less of a hassle than logging on (sometimes after several attempts to get through to her ISP) and emailing them. Given her use of a laptop and fax, technophobia was not an issue.

Of the two women who came onto the Board in November, one had email access through her husband’s account but had never used it and the other had a student account which she had never activated. She explained she “could never be bothered” because she had so few occasions to use it and because accessing the account was too much trouble and far from straightforward. Technophobia was not a consideration given she was computer proficient and helped the Administrator sort out problems with the IBM computer and Windows95 software310.

Ultimately only two Board or Sub-Committee members (myself and E.R.) ever used email to contact WIFT during this period.

Communication with WIFT Queensland via email was not sufficient motivation for Board members not already familiar with email to learn to use it or to establish email accounts (although during the later Powerup period it was). No Board members ever used email at the WIFT office (although one Board member did on occasion request the office to send emails on her behalf).

With the exception of Queensland’s WIFT Australia delegates, individual Board members did not use email to communicate with each other. Contributing to this was the fact that only three (all Executive Office bearers) out of the 8 of Board members’ email addresses were ever listed on the Board contact list, in retrospect an oversight by a busy Board and administration. That they were not was symptomatic of the low priority accorded email communication in the local context where in general it was easier and quicker to use the telephone than type email

309 There were other additions and resignations to the board during this period but none by women with email access. 310 Unfortunately she was not on the board when WIFT had first acquired the IBM computer. 235 messages, particularly regarding complex Board issues. As most Board members had answering machines and several had mobile phones, the telephony system was by far the most common method of communication. In addition in the local sphere Board and committee members were easily and frequently able to meet face-to-face while conversely it was hardly time or cost efficient to travel into WIFT or to university (see Table Below) to send an email when one could simply pick up a phone and communicate wherever one happened to be for the cost of a local call. Only three Board members had access to email from home (myself, a woman through her husband’s account which she never used, and the organisation’s secretary). A fourth had provision through the university for dial-in access but did not own a modem and never activated her dial-in access.

Technophobia per se did not appear to be a factor in the lack of email use given that 100% of Board members were computer literate and at least 76% of Board members were proficient in the use of various film and television production technologies.

Figure 12: WIFT Queensland Board of Management Email Access

20 15 10 5 0 il il c c c a a / / / A A A m m i e d E E n e i o d U r a N a F P H

W.A. period 26/3/96 - 2/12/97 MSN 23/5/97 - 4/12/97 Powerup 25/11/98 - 8/9/00

Notes: • The first column above refers to WIFT Queensland Board members with email during the period WIFT Australia had email and while WIFT Queensland did not have an email account for this entire period, its delegates to WIFT Australia were using email on its behalf during the entire period. • The number of Board members without email access declined over the years from 1996 through to 2000, however no Board members utilised free accounts until WIFT Queensland instigated the Powerup account with both Presidents during this period strongly encouraging Board members to establish email accounts. Not all members with email access used email to contact WIFT. • University accounts represent the highest proportion of access in each period - 70% during the WIFT Australia period, 50% during the MSN period and 53% during the Powerup period. • The number of Board members with commercial accounts remained virtually steady in all three periods.

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YAHOO ACCOUNT:

When the Yahoo account was established in June, 6 out of 11 (54.5%) of WIFT Queensland Board members had access to email and 50% of the 12 women on the committee from June to September. None of the other Board members had ever advised their email address (with the exception of I.T. who resigned in July) and a similar situation pertained as had during the MSN account, namely:

1 Board member had access through her husband’s account but never used it. 2 had access to email but never used it to contact WIFT Queensland and 1 had access one day a week only.

POWERUP ACCOUNT:

Initially 6 of the 12 members of the Board had email311 and of those 4 had email through a university account312 with a further 3 members setting up email access by January 1999313.

With 9 of the 12 Board members having email and 7 of those with access at their workplace or home314 using email became more feasible although the Treasurer (C.B.) a pivotal member of the committee and two other Board members never established email access315. A further Board member only had access via her organisation’s address (R.W.) which provided no privacy. Only three members ever paid for email access316, two relied on free email accounts via Hotmail317 and four, university accounts318.

The VIRTUAL BOARD: Six of this Board’s members initially had email access, the final Board member gaining access in March at the commencement of the academic year. Two Board members had access as university students, one as a University staff member and three via hotmail. Only one had access via a commercial service.

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311 N.McQ., W.R., K.T, J.C, D.O, R.K. 312 N.MCQ.. K.T., D.O., R.K. 313 C.M., G.O’R., R.W. 314 W.R., N.McQ., K.T., J.C., D.O., R.W., G.O’R. 315 B.T., J.A. 316 W.R., J.C., N.McQ 317 K.T., C.M. 318 University students did pay for dial-in accounts and if they exceeded their download limit. 237

APPENDIX F: WIFT QUEENSLAND FINANCIAL NOTES:

This table demonstrates that during the first period WIFT Queensland had email access (May – December, 1997), telephone and fax expenditure actually rose in comparison to both the months immediately preceding and following its uptake and in comparison to the corresponding months in 1996.

Table 3: WIFT Queensland Telephone Expenditure

TELEPHONE EXPENDITURE 1997 1996 January$ 99.95 February$ 114.10 March$ 128.85 April$ 163.81 May$ 181.55 unavailable June$ 160.50 $ 156.50 July$ 185.10 $ 137.15 August$ 176.77 $ 158.47 September$ 161.80 $ 134.35 October$ 188.66 $ 106.00 November*$ 196.00 $ 125.30 December*$ 130.00 $ 114.10 January* $ 120.00 $ 99.95 Nov/Dec/Jan$ 466.35 $ 339.35 February$ 249.90 $ 114.10

Notes: Months in italics represent the period WIFT Queensland had email.

January expenses were always low due to reduced activities over the holiday season.

*As no breakdown available for November, December and January 1997/98, January and December were estimated at slightly less than 1/3 ($120 & $150 respectively) to adjust for the Christmas break.

YAHOO EMAIL ACCOUNT PERIOD: postage charges did drop from $382.10 for June to November 1997 to $215.01 for the period June to November 1998 (the period of the Yahoo account). However, this drop in expenditure reflects the fact that WIFT was no longer posting out a monthly newsletter to its members as it had been in the 1997 period319 rather than the use of the Yahoo account which was negligible. Similarly phone/fax expenditure showed a reduction in this period from $817.80 in June to November 1996 and $1043.28 for June to November, 1997 down to $564.90 for June to November 1998. However, just as the rise in expenditure in 1997 reflected increased funding and consequently activity, the fall in

319 Funding for the newsletter had ceased in December 1997, although one last WIFT Queensland newsletter was sent in July 1998 as a brief chat and to notify members of the upcoming AGM. It also notified members of the Yahoo address. From the beginning of 1998, WIFT Queensland along with the other QPIX partner organisations was allocated space in the QPIX Newsletter. 238 expenditure reflected the drop in funding (reduced to $15,000 in total for 1998 following the advent of QPIX) and commensurately activity rather than email use.

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APPENDIX G: EMAIL USE GLENDA CARRIÈRE

I was the most prolific user of email on behalf of WIFT Queensland. During the May to December period WIFT Queensland was online, I sent 33 emails to the WIFT Queensland office and received 16 from them. I sent/received a further 8 from Emma who was the Vice President and fellow WIFT Australia delegate, the fact we shared an office at QUT keeping email communication low. These accounted for 43% of the overall number of emails I sent/received on behalf of WIFT Queensland during 1997, WIFT Australia matters a further 15%, the rest being to the WIFTI conference, applicants for the producer position, other states’ WIFT Australia delegates and miscellaneous matters. I also subscribed to and monitored a number of email lists I thought might be beneficial to WIFT Queensland (such as Ausfem Polnet, OWLS, Queensland Women’s Info Link).

Figure 13: Glenda Carrière, Emails Sent/Received regarding WIFT Queensland 1996 - 2000

140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Sent 564376 5 Received 6 52533282

Notes: • I did not get an email account until September 1996 and then had to learn how to use it. These factors coupled with the problems WIFT Australia had with its email account, the fact WIFT Queensland withdrew from WIFT Australia from April to August 1996 and the limited use of email in the general community, account for the limited use of email in 1996. • In 1998 I stepped down as President of WIFT Queensland and from its Board at the AGM in September. Although I continued to receive emails from the new Board in the transition period, my WIFT Queensland involvement decreased significantly during the final 2½ months of the year. • The decrease in emails sent and received in 1999 reflects the fact that I was no longer on the board of WIFT Queensland (although remaining a member of WIFT Queensland) and the fact that WIFT Queensland activities were limited due to lack of funding. • 2000 saw WIFT Queensland become a virtual organisation and for the first time begin contacting its general membership via email, accounting for the large number of emails received. • These totals refer only to WIFT Queensland related emails and exclude WIFT Australia and WIFT International Board emails.

240

WIFT Australia:

1996:

I also received three emails from WIFT Australia in 1996, two of which I replied to by email and initiated a further three to WIFT Australia during this period but did not get email access until September.

WIFT International: The total numbers of emails sent and received from 1997 to my resignation from the Board in August 1999320 (inclusive) were 192 with the following breakdown:

1997 = 11 (including WIFTI Virtual Conference emails) 1998 = 96 (17 sent / 79 received) (averaging 8 per month) 1999 = 85 (to mid August only, 16 Sent / 69 received averaging 12 per month)

Apart from an occasional email giving information on a specific chapter’s event, all emails concerned WIFT International Board business.

For me personally, there were a number of benefits ensuing from my usage of email, including:

• Savings on phone/fax costs321; • More efficient time management (ie could send out-of-hours messages to WIFT, eliminated some trips into the office, enabled sharing of information without getting caught up in protracted phone calls); • Email facilitated management of the day-to-day administration of the organisation from a distance enabling input whether at work or home and eliminated at least some trips into the office, phone calls and faxes; and • In the wider context it enabled me to take up a position on the WIFT International

320 With WIFT Australia no longer operational, I resigned from WIFT International in August 1999 and Erika Addis then sought a position on the WIFT International Board as New South Wales’ representative. WIFT Victoria unhappy with this, in turn made representation to WIFT International for Australia to be granted two positions on the Board. (email from Erika Addis, 24.08.99). Supporting Australia’s case was the fact that Canada had had two places on the WIFTI Board from its inception and in July 1999 the Board agreed to allocate two positions to Australia (WIFT International Board Meeting Minutes, 14.7.99 via email from Fiona Milburn, 28.07.99). Ultimately the second position was not taken up as WIFT Victoria concentrated on reviving its state organisation. WIFT Queensland and WIFT South Australia considered a Board position to be beyond their resources given both were struggling to fill their own committee positions.

321 I have not provided a financial analysis as there are so many variables impacting on the level of my involvement in WIFT Queensland from 1995 to 2001 to make comparison of my telephone expenditure before and after obtaining email access meaningless. 241

Board and saved money on communication costs with WIFT Australia.

However email did not replace other communication methods, given the Administrator’s non use of email and for complex issues a phone call or meeting remained necessary.

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APPENDIX H: MEMBER CHAPTERS OF WIFT INTERNATIONAL (as per website November 2002)

NB. Email address and web page URLs have been included where listed.

WIFTI BOD at the end of an entry designates that the WIFT Chapter holds a Board of Directors’ position

243

AFRICA NEW ZEALAND

WIFT Kenya WIFT Auckland Nairobi, Kenya Auckland, New Zealand T: 254 2 562 278 T: 64 9 378 7271 F: 254 2 562 106 F: 64 9 378 7679 [email protected] WIFT Johannesburg WIFTI BOD Bryanston 2021 T: 27 11 483 2006 WIFT Christchurch F: 27 11 483 2037 contact through WIFT Auckland [email protected] WIFT Wellington WIFT Zimbabwe Wellington, New Zealand Avondale Harare www.wgtn.wift.org.nz T: 263 4 701 323 [email protected] [email protected] WIFTI BOD EUROPE

AUSTRALIA WIFV Denmark c/o Nordisk Film WIFT NSW Denmark Paddington, NSW 2021 T: 45 3618 8562 T: 61 2 9332 2408 www.wift.dk F: 61 2 9380 4311 [email protected] [email protected] WIFTI BOD www.wift.org WIFT Deutchland WIFT Queensland D 13627, Germany West End QLD 4101 WIFT Ireland WIFT South Australia T: 353 1 280 8415 Cheltenham T: 61 28 8341 0180 WIFT Italy [email protected] 00185 Roma, Italy T: 39 06 445 0090 WIFT Victoria www.wifi.3000.it St. Kilda 3182 WIFTI BOD T: 61 3 9525 4922 F: 61 3 9525 4088 WFTV United Kingdom www.acmi.net.au/wift London WC2H 9JA [email protected] T: 44 20 7240 4875 F: 44 20 7379 1625 www.wftv.org.uk [email protected] WIFTI BOD 244

FRANCE WIF (currently non active) Paris, France 75017 THE CARRIBEAN WIFTI BOD WIFT Jamaica Femmes Cinema Audiovisuel & WIF Kingston, Jamaica 10 France T: 876 927 5108 10 Rue Vielle du Temple F: 876 927 7621 75004 Paris www.wiftjamaica.org F: 00 33 1 42 71 5779 WIFTI BOD

POLAND Tel. 48-22-647 6778 MEXICO Fax 48-22-647 7645 SPAIN WIFT WIFT Mexico T: 00 34 1 396 5521 De Allende, GTO F: 00 34 1 396 5924 T: 52 1 415 272 64 F: 52 1 415 288 99 [email protected] CANADA

WIFT Alberta U.S.A. Calgary, Alberta T: 1 403 240 7461 WIFT Arizona [email protected] Scottsdale, AZ 85252 T: 1 480 668 8993 WIFT Montreal F: 1480 668 9047 Montreal, Quebec T: 1 514 289-9977 WIF Atlanta F: 1 514 289-1863 Atlanta, GA 30355 [email protected] T: 1 404 352 1379 Ina F: WIFTI CHAIR www.wifa.org [email protected] WIFT Toronto WIFTI BOD Toronto, Ontario T: 1 416 322 3430 WIFT-ArkLaTex F: 1 416 322 3703 Shreveport, Louisiana www.wift.com T: 1 318 219 9108 [email protected] F: 1 318 219 8585 WIFTI BOD [email protected]

WIFV Vancouver WIF Dallas Vancouver BC Dallas, TX 75207 T: 1 604 685 1152 T: 1 214 954 4488 F: 1 604 685 1124 F: 1 214 954 0004 www.womeninfilm.ca [email protected] [email protected] www.wifdallas.org 245

NYWIFT New York WIFT Florida New York NY 10016 Orlando, FL 32853-3541 T: 1 212 679 0870 T: 1 407 487-0111 F: 1 212 679 0899 www.womeninfilmfl.org www.nywift.org WIFTI BOD [email protected] WIFTI BOD WIFT Houston Houston, TX 77098 WIF Seattle T: 1 713 788 8075 188 Seattle, WA 98121 www.wift-houston.org T: 1 206 447 1537 [email protected] www.womeninfilm-seattle.org [email protected] WIF Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV 89119 WIFV Washington D.C. T: 1 702 737 7337 Washington, D.C. 20036 F: 1 702 737 7767 T: 1 202 429 WIFV (9438) www.wiflasvegas.org F: 1 202 429 9440 www.wifv.org WIF Los Angeles [email protected] Beverly Hills, CA 90211 WIFTI BOD T: 1 310 657 5144 F:1 310 657 5154 www.wif.org WIFTI BOD

WIFT Maryland Baltimore, MD 21203

WIFV New England Watertown, MA 02472 T: 1 617 612 0091 www.womeninfilmvideo.org [email protected]

WIFT New Orleans New Orleans, LA 70115 T: 1 504 891 0546 F: 1 504 891 0881

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246

APPENDIX I: TRANSCRIPT OF WIFT INTERNATIONAL IRC BOARD MEETING: 24 FEBRUARY, 1998:

Anne B has joined the chat. Anne B: Hi carol Carol S: Is anyone there, looks ike Anne is Anne B: You're very very welcome Carol, I'm sure the others will arrive. Carol S: Did Carol B ever break thru the firewall? I received all of Fiona's emails so at least we know where she stands. We need a little time to get used to the system but after that... Ina F has joined the chat. Ina F: hi there Anne B: Carol has not succeeded yet - but she said she may be able to from home. Welcom Ina Ina F: Joy hasn't succeeded either. I tried to walk her through it, but it was a tad confusing because she links to the internet via Compuserve Ina F: who else is joining us? Anne B: I presume Bev will be Carol S: While we're waiting - I am meeting with the person we have hired to help with the summit and WIFTV thurs. am, it would be helpful to begin to outline her duties Anne B: Did you both receive the agenda sent tonight and today Carol S: Yes Ina F: Yes. But, since I didn't print it out, you'll have to take us through the meeting. Anne B: I'm talking to Melva on the phone =- she says hello Anne B: Could we begin with the First Class system? Ina F: Anne... is it possible to create a folder entitled "minutes". I could then post the minutes there. Carol S: Ina - were you & bev trying to reach Beth re:the website? how is that going? Ina F: I haven't had a chance to reach her. I will send her an email this week. Hi Melva... Carol S: I'm going to try and save this to print in entirety later for our records, I have also printed all of the emails I have received Anne B: Ina, We can copy this chat into a file and print it Ina F: I have been saving the chats and will "rewrite" them as minutes. It would just be nice to have a folder so that people who can't attend the meeting can read the posting. Anne B: Great idea, I'll also save it Anne B: Fiona is almost on the system Carol S: Are we able to proceed with any actual votes today, we're clearly not in quorum but could discuss all items Ina F: Is Carol B. joining us by phone? Ina F: Anne.. can we proceed with the meeting. I have to leave in about a half hour. Anne B: YeI have Joy and Fiona are on-line Anne B: Joy can only stay for a few minutes - can we discuss elections Ina F: Let's go.. Carol S: Lets go Anne B: Shall we vote on the 4 proposals Carol S: Sure Ina F: sure.. can you present them 247

Anne B: Ok, I'll just have to give them to Melva, Fiona and Joy - they did not get into thier emails, give me a minute Carol S: I have your last email Anne B: Carol B feels the 4th proposa is too complicated Anne B: She is explaining how the idea came up Ina F: what is the fourth proposal Anne B: What we discussed at the last meeting Ina F: Two co-chairs and three vice-chairs? Why is it to complicated? Carol S: 2 co-chairs (hosts) 3 vice chairs for chairing 3 committees - legal, communications & fundraising - Ina Ina F: WHOOPS, I mean "too" complicated Anne B: Joy is saying we must not lose sight of our goals eg setting up by-laws Anne B: She feels that the committees mentioned need to be chaired by Board members, not necessarily on the executive committee Carol S: I'm assuming this legal committee will have reps from more than one country Anne B: I'll ask Ina F: I realize we shouldn't lose sight of our goals: setting up the legal structure of the organization as well as our means of communication (ie. website). Fundraising will also be a priority. Anne B: Joy is suggesting defining the roles of all chairs - committees and others Ina F: So, what is the proposal: 2 chairs, 2 vice chairs and committe heads Anne B: They are still in discussion Carol S: Although initially - this selection seemed complex, it might be a way of better organizing and seperating duties Beverly B has joined the chat. Beverly B: Sorry I'm late Carol S: I'm referring to the 3 vice-chairs Ina F: Anne.. can you give us a sens eof what you are discussing with the three others. Hi Bev! Anne B: Caril, everone agees with you on the legal advisors - they are advisors, Anne B: Hi, Bev - you are welcome Anne B: The other discussing the pros and cons of the options Carol S: This meeting is looking more and more official each minute, welcome Beverly B: Are we expecting others to join us? Anne B: Joy would go with 2 co-chairs and 3 vice-chairs heading up committees and support the co-chairs Ina F: So, the three vice-chairs would support the chairs... Carol S: Initially it looked like only 2 would Anne B: Two specific chairs would support the chairs Carol S: Not sure I understand why we wouldn't have all 3 Ina F: How does everyone feel about this structure: 2 co-chairs (co-host) 3 vice-chairs who would head the committees we outlined. Two out of the three would support the chairs. Anne B: Two would take on the responsibilty specifically to second the co-chairs Carol S: I'm fine with this - 2 or 3, either way - no strong feelings Ina F: I agree with Carol 248

Anne B: Joy is saying that since we do not have a quorum we must sent out a recommendation from us to the others Beverly B: This sounds fine -- would like to hear more about what is exactly we mean by "supporting" or "seconding" the chairs in this virtual environment. Anne B: I'll pass that on Ina F: Bev... have you thought about whether or not you would be willing to head up a committee as a vice-chair. Carol S: WE definitely must open this to the other BOD members - what to do if they do not respond timely? Beverly B: Yes, I'd like to be a vice chair. Ina F: Great! Carol S: Who are the other candidates for vice-chair Beverly B: Can I get a quick list of those who are with us on the phone... Anne B: Fiona and Joy Beverly B: thanks Anne B: Bev, the vice chairs would step in in the absence of the chair Beverly B: And what is on the table is that only 2 of the three VCs would have this responsibility? Anne B: Yes, Uk for Ireland and Washington for LA Carol S: Should we as a group vote to recommend to the BOD - recommend for a formal vote to be made by a certain deadline Anne B: I could send the recommendation to everyone and they could vopte on it Beverly B: yes. I could see an email "ballot" being sent immediately with a deadline for response. We would need to designate a single source for tallying, etc. Ina F: Can we put forward a slate which would go as follows: Carol S.and Anne B (co-chairs); Vice-chairs: Bev Bricker (communcations), Joy Pereths(legal), Fiona Ross (fundraising); Treasurer: Carol Bidault; Secretary: Ina F. Anne B: Joy is offering the pro bono services of 2 legal experts Carol S: sounds good Anne B: Sara Gaeter would also help - says Fiona Beverly B: great. I take it these are advisory and not voting members of the board. Anne B: Yes Carol S: we need sara and possibly another Ina F: Let's get back to how we are going to vote? Anne B: We suggest we give people a deadline of two weeks to vote up or down Carol S: let's do it Beverly B: At this point, then, we are ready to vote on an entire slate (as per Ina's suggestion), not on individual positions (since there is no competition). Is this correct Ina F: What are people voting on? WHo is voting? Beverly B: The entire BoD should get an email summarizing the slate. This can be a up or down decision. Carol S: ok Anne B: Co-hosts as co-chairs, Fiona and Bev usporting those and running the fundraising and communications committees and Joy running legal. Ina F: Are we talking about 16 people voting? In that case, who do we still need to contact: Jane Gilbert, SAfrica, Kiely W. (Toronto). Carol S: the original bod should vote, to my knowledge we haven't added any new seats - 249 that's for the next bod mtg, i think Beverly B: Can we have a vote by March 1. If anyone has had trouble with the email system, a fax-based ballot can be issued. Yes, all members of the Board of Directors should have the opportunity to vote. A quarum should be received. Anne B: We feel we should ibclude all those who have ratified and have a quorum of 50% Anne B: March 1 is too soon, how about the 9th? Ina F: How many comprise a quorum? So, now we are looking at going beyond the BOD (16 members) to the larger board, right? Beverly B: Since we're voting on Board of Director officers, should the entire Board of Governors vote? or just the Board of Directors? Carol S: so we put this out to the chapters? I can live that as long as we get enough responses - our record with that could be better, let's go for the 9th Carol S: i guess the board of govenors would legally only include those who have ratified and qualify Anne B: I think the total no. to vote is 18, Poland and Zimbabwe have come onBoard Carol S: but..all of the original 16 bod chapters have ratified, correct? so we're only talking about 2 addtl? Anne B: Yes Ina F: Anne... will you send out the slate to the board of governors? I think March 9th is reasonable. I am wondering if we want to qualify all of this to say that this is an interim board which will be re-evaluated at the summit. Beverly B: Good point, Ina. Anne B: Yes, on the interim board issue Carol S: can we move to the next point on the agenda assuming we're in agreement on the slate? Anne B: Yes Carol S: corporate global sponsorship Anne B: OK Ina F: That was my idea and perhaps we want to defer this to the next meeting, or when our structure is in place. I just wanted to say that there are some companies like Viacom who may be interested in WIFTI. But, let's leave it at that. Anne B: We all agree Beverly B: let's defer to next meeting Carol S: also, LA has received funds from Ferragamo and other intl sponsors, we have committed a significant % to the Summit Anne B: Can we defer the other items to next time - Carol B has to end the conference call. Ina F: Sure. Anne, I am assuming that you will send out the slate. Thanks alot. Carol S: can I get an idea for Summit sessions and attendees- how many and what Beverly B: I have a quick question Anne B: I'll pass that on, Carol Ina F: What's Bev's question? Anne B: Go ahead Carol S: we also have a staff person who will be devoted to summit/wifti, I'll have her compile address lists etc to be sent out Beverly B: Regarding Poland and Zimbabwe... have they been added as part of the "5 additional representatives drawn from Board of Governors, to be determiened by the 16- perosn Board of Directors"??? 250

Anne B: Great Ina F: I don't think we have decided that as yet... Anne B: It was agreed that Poland should be the other European rep. and Zimbabwe have ratified - I don't know who contacted them originally. Ina F: Anne, I have to go. Can we ajourn the meeting? Beverly B: Zimbabwe, then, is on the Board of Govs., not the Board of Directors. Beverly B: Kit Reynold, Johannesburg, is our BoD rep from Africa. Carol S: Zimbabwe has not been given a seat on bod - we can readdress this next bod mtg - when will that be Anne B: I thought these extra chairs were to be incluclcluded on the BOD - I asked the others on the call, some of them think, like me, that the Bd of governors is all the chapter in the world! Anne B: But who do I contact to vote? NY sent me the ratification form for Zimbabwe and not S.Africa Carol S: the Board of govenors is one chapter/one seat - the Bod is the original 16 Ina F: Yes.. the board of governors comprises all those chapters who ratified. Carol S: Did Kit's chapter ratify? Anne B: I was requested to contact Zimbabwe during the last conference to ask if they would want to stand for an Executive position. Ina F: Anne.. I really must go. Can we set the next meeting for Tuesday March 10th at 1:00 pm Anne B: Ok but do you agree that I should ask the 18 to vote? Beverly B: this date and time is good for me Carol S: ok Anne B: Are you replying to me or Ina Carol S: let's ask all 18 Ina F: I agree about the 18 Carol S: date and time good too Anne B: Bev, do you agree with the 18? Beverly B: doesn't Poland count as one of the 16 -- Sorry to be a pain about this! Ina F: Finally, let's try to get the others (incl. our phone compatriots) on the First Class system. Anne, was the info sent to Kiely in Toronto? Carol S: were they formally part of the 16? - we may have to consult outside of chat Carol S: move to adjourn? Ina F: For the purposes of the vote, it shouldn't matter who is a member of the BOD as we are going wider into the BOGoverenors: ALL chapters who have ratified. Anne B: Carol, maybe you could contact NY on the ratification issue, I have emailed unsuccessfully and faxed to get no reply - there were no ratification forms sent to me for NZ and Australia322 Beverly B: If Poland is the 3rd rep from Europe, then yes, they are part of the original 16 member board. Zimbabwe would be 17th and only chapter granted addition rep. from Board of Govs. Ina F: I second the motion to ajourn. Carol S: i'll check my notes and with NY Anne B: Thanks and goodbye - I'll talk to Carol S. about the numbers etc.

322 Australia ratified in March 1998 251

Beverly B: Does everyone know who's doing what? Ina F: Anne B is sending out the slate and people will respond to her. Anne B: I am sending an e-amail or fax to those who have ratified to vote and I will sne Carol S: cs to consult on ratification and bod v. bogovenors Anne B: Carol S and I will send lists of those ratified Ina F: Great. Bye everybody.... Carol S: bye Anne B: Bye and thanks again Beverly B: great! I'm avail if anyone needs anything. Bye for now. Ina F has left the chat. Carol S has left the chat. Beverly B has left the chat. Beverly B has joined the chat. Beverly B has left the chat. Beverly B has joined the chat. Beverly B has left the chat.

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APPENDIX J: WIFT INTERNATIONAL BOARD EMAIL PROBLEMS

While not every problem experienced by every delegate would have been notified, the problems listed below still amounted to over a problem a month and given the small number on the Board (a maximum of 16 members), the list exemplifies the inherent unreliability of electronic communications, dependent as they are on the successful functioning of an assortment of hardware, software, telephony and ISP components. This continuity of problems led some Board members to utilise receipt notification to monitor who had actually received the emails they sent. Delegate churn and the fact that as with WIFT Australia and Queensland, not all delegates were equally active, also added to the general confusion. This caused Bev Bricker to email delegates, stating “Let’s do an email check in at the first of the year. I think some of you have fallen off the planet” (email 25.12.98).

• Attachment failed to come through with Anne B’s email (5.2.98). • Melva Akens notified her email was established but it had taken quite a while (email 18.3.98). • Akens notified Board that Burke’s March 9 email did not completely print the last 7 digits of each line and requested it be resent323 (18.3.98). • Burke sent contact list but it is corrupted and had to be resent twice (19.3.98). • Kay Tanner is off line while computer is repaired (19.3.98). • Burke notified she has had problems with email for last couple of days (email 25.3.98). • My email to Carol Bidault bounced. Neither of us established why (26.5.98). • Burke notifies her system was put out by an electric storm (16.6.98). • Ina F was somehow dropped off Board email contact list & query raised as to how many others had also been dropped (7.7.98). • Burke notified she had not been able to access any new messages in her email system for the last 8 days (27.8.98). • Bev Bricker notified that she is back online after a temporary loss of connectivity (17.10.98). • Akens notified that “my server has 9 emails holding, they can’t figure out how long they’ve been there or why I haven’t received them” (4.11.98). • I was offline for almost 3 weeks in November when my computer crashed and required a new hard drive. • Emails to me bounced when my university casual contract expired, automatically cancelling my email account.

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323 This was a common problem with lack of word wrapping facility on early email programs which caused problems with different screen widths set up by individual users. 253

APPENDIX K: PAMELA'S LIST SURVEY

Dear Pamela's List Participant,

We are asking you to assist us evaluate Pamela's List by completing and returning the questionnaire which follows.

Pamela's List was established by the National Women's Justice Coalition Inc. ('NWJC') with a grant from the Pamela Denoon Trust, for the specific purposes of assisting representatives of Australian women's peak organisations and regional women's organisation not represented nationally, to share information and promote greater understanding in the lead up to the 1998 Australia women's Round Table Meeting at Parliament House, Canberra in August, 1998.

The enthusiastic support for the List from participating organisations has led to the continuation of the List. The Pamela Denoon Trust and the NWJC wish to evaluate the List to ensure that the List is as effective as possible to the needs and purposes of participants.

The evaluation of Pamela's List is being undertaken by a highly qualified independent consultant, Glenda Carrière from Queensland University of Technology as part of her PhD research on the use of new information and communication technologies by Australian women's groups.

The evaluation will consist of the compilation and analysis of responses to the questionnaire which follows. The questionnaire has been designed to try to obtain a full picture of technology issues in relation to access to and participation in Pamela's List, experience and views on the operation and content of the List, views on the value and effect of the List and views on how the List can be improved.

Your responses to the questionnaire are to be sent to the consultant (see the information at the end of the questionnaire). All information provided by you will be treated as strictly confidential by the consultant. Only aggregate data or non-identifiable responses will be disseminated. No information concerning individual organisations will be provided to the Pamela Denoon Trust, to the National Women's Justice Coalition or to any other person or organisation.

A summary of the outcomes of the evaluation will be provided to Pamela's List and copies of the report will be available to all participants on request. It is also intended that a summary of the outcomes and implications will be presented to the Australian Conference of Women's Organisations, and subject to agreement by the Office of the Status of Women, an overview with any additional input from AWOC will be presented at the National Women's Round Table.

Jane Carmody and Emma Ralph Pamela Denoon Trust http://www.ozemail.com.au/~denoon Judy Harrison Convenor, NWJC http://www.nwjc.org.au 254

This questionnaire and the evaluation process has been designed by Glenda Carrière with input from the Pamela Denoon Trust and National Women's Justice Coalition.

INSTRUCTIONS:

This questionnaire is designed to be completed by one person subscribed to Pamela's List nominated by your organisation. If your organisation has more than one representative on Pamela's List, please nominate one representative to complete the questionnaire or alternatively you may arrange for the representatives to confer on completing the questionnaire.

If your organisation wishes more than one representative to complete the questionnaire, this is acceptable provided the organisation's name is identified on all questionnaires completed. This is essential to retain the statistical validity of responses when processing the questionnaires.

To complete the questionnaire by Email simply type in your response or where you are given a list of possible responses, simply underline the appropriate responses to show your response to the question. To complete the questionnaire by Fax or Post, simply fill in your answers or circle your chosen response.

Please return questionnaires by COB on the 18 February, 2000 to Glenda Carrière, at [email protected] OR Fax (07) 3864 1810, or C/- Glenda Carrière, School of Media and Journalism, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane Q 4001

If you have any questions concerning this questionnaire please feel free to contact Glenda Carrière by email. Alternatively you may contact Judy Harrison either by email [email protected] or phone: 0417 212306.

We thank you for your help in enabling us to evaluate Pamela's List

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PAMELA’S LIST EVALUATION

(PLEASE NOTE THAT WHENEVER THE FIGURES QUOTED DO NOT EXACTLY EQUAL THE NUMBER OF ORGANISATIONS WHO RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY, THIS WILL BE BECAUSE ONE OR MORE ORGANISATIONS HAVE NOT ANSWERED A PARTICULAR QUESTION OR ALTERNATIVELY MORE THAN ONE ANSWER HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY AN ORGANISATION. WHERE PERCENTAGES GIVEN DO NOT ADD UP TO 100% THIS WILL BE DUE TO ROUNDING OF FIGURES).

The evaluation of Pamela's List was initially conducted during June and July 1999. 22 responses to the evaluation were received from 21 organisations. Several reminders were posted to the list and follow-ups including personal phone follow-ups were made. 61 organisations were subscribed to Pamela's List at the time and responses from 24 organisations represented a response rate of 39% of the organisations subscribed to Pamela's List. Because of the low response rate, it was decided in January 2000 to put out a further call for responses to the questionnaire. This was followed up with personal emails to organisations that had not responded and resulted in a final response rate of 59% (37 responses from 36 organisations). The Pamela's List members who responded to the survey include all the most active members on Pamela's List.

QUESTIONNAIRE

NAME OF ORGANISATION (OPTIONAL unless more than one representative from your organisation is completing the Questionnaire). ……….……………….……….……………………………………………..………..

1. What is your position or role in the organisation? ….……………………………………………………..……………………………….

2. Is this a paid or unpaid position?

Figure 14: Percentage of paid or unpaid positions Pamela's List Responding Organisations

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68% of responses (26 in total) were from unpaid workers for their organisations or 71% if the representative that classified herself as ‘nominally paid only’ is included rising to 76% when two representatives who answered ‘paid/unpaid’ are also included in the category of unpaid.324

24% of responses (nine in total) were from paid representatives of their organisations including the two representatives who stated they were both paid and unpaid. This also includes one other representative who was paid by her employer to perform the duties of the organisation she represented.

3. How many hours (on average) do you work in your position or role each month?

The paid employees worked on average 144 hours per month or approximately 33 hours per week. The unpaid volunteers worked on average 55 hours per month or put in 13 hours per week.

4. Do you normally work from an office of your organisation? Yes No Other (please specify)?...... …………………………………

62% or 23 of the responding representatives did not work from their organisation’s office while 38% or 14 representatives worked from their organisation’s office and of the 37 responses to this question, 41% (15 representatives) stated that they worked from their homes. This is an important finding in that it underlines the necessity from the perspective of women's organisations of being able to access affordable email ‘out of hours’.

GETTING CONNECTED

Pamela's List began in June/July 1998 approximately six weeks prior to the 1998 National Women's Round Table.

5. How long has your organisation been subscribed to Pamela's List: Since commencement in June/July 1998 Soon after the National Women's Round Table in August 1998 After October 1998?

Of the 36 organisations that responded, 58% or 21 responding organisations had been on Pamela’s List since its inception, that is 12 months by the time of the first call for the survey. A further 22% or eight organisations had joined Pamela's List soon after its inception and six or 17% or six organisations had joined Pamela's List soon after a final membership drive in

324 For example one of the paid/unpaid workers was paid for 25 hours per week and did an extra 40-50 hours extra unpaid per month, a not insignificant number of unpaid hours. 257

October 1998. This means that all bar one of the responses were from organisations with at least nine month’s participation on Pamela's List. The one organisation with less than nine months on the list had been connected by April 1999. This organisation, however, answered the second call for the survey and had therefore been on Pamela's List for 10 months by the time of answering the survey.

6. Was the process of subscribing to Pamela’s List for your organisation: Very easy easy undecided difficult very difficult?

Only one organisation stated they found it very difficult to subscribe to Pamela's List, all the other organisations responded that it was ‘very easy’ (75% or 27 organisations) or ‘easy’ (eight organisations or 22%).

Figure 15: Difficulty of Subscribing to Pamela's List

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7. Does the organisation you represent on Pamela's List have its own email account/s: YES / NO?

47% or 17 of the organisations that responded to the survey have their own email account for their organisation and 53% or 29 organisations did not. Two organisations, have deliberately chosen not to have an email account for their organisation as they find they can operate efficiently through their members’ accounts. One of those organisations was a technology based organisation and given all its members had email accounts saw no reason to set up one specifically for the organisation. The other organisation which had deliberatively chosen not to set up an email account for the organisation commented that:

This comment points to the fact that while email may be a relatively cheap and convenient form of communication, its convenience is somewhat hampered and cost savings 258 compromised if representatives of an organisation have to travel into the organisation’s office to send and receive emails.

A further organisation that did not have an email account did have a web site for the organisation and ran their own email list – so the reason for not having an email account was not lack of technological expertise.

On Pamela's List overall, of the 61 organisations subscribed in June 1999 at the time of the initial round of the survey, 41% or 25 organisations had an email account for their organisation. A further six organisations had set up an email account for their organisation by August 1999 making 51% or 31 organisations overall of organisations subscribed to Pamela's List with their own email account at that time.

The fact that just over 50% of women's organisations on Pamela's List have set up their own email account points to the importance women's organisations are placing on email accounts especially given the significant problems these organisations have often had to overcome, as outlined in this section of the survey, in order to do so. This is also evidenced by the present growth in the number of organisations who are coming online.

7. Does the organisation you represent on Pamela's List have its own email account/s: YES / NO? a). If NO what have been the barriers to obtaining an email account: Cost of setting up email Yes No Don’t know ? Comments………………..………………………..…………………………..…

For the 53% of organisations (19 organisations) which responded to this survey who do not have an email account, costs associated with setting up an email account affected 63% (12 out of 19 organisations). Comments such as “Office currently operates on volunteer support and donated funds” and “We are struggling financially to maintain our operations” illustrate the problems faced by these organisations. Relying on individual members or their employers to provide an email account (which overall, a total of 69% of responding organisations do325), becomes the only viable alternative. One organisation explicitly stated that they relied on their delegates to Pamela's List to bear the cost of initiating and maintaining an email account. Another representative commented “I maintain [my account for the organisation] as part of my contribution to the organisation”. The lack of a central office also proved to be a barrier for one organisation and another succinctly pointed out that the problem was “money, lack of office space and equipment”.

325 Only 14 out of the 45 representatives covered in the responses to Q10 used the email account provided by their organisation, 31 of the 45 representatives used their own account, an employers’ account, a family members’ account, a sister organisation’s account or some other account. 259

Cost of maintaining an email account: Yes No Don’t know? Comments…………………………………………..……………………..…….

63% (12 out of 19) of organisations without an email account nominated the cost of maintaining an email account as a problem.

Cost of obtaining or accessing computers and communication software: Yes No Don’t know? Comments…………………………………….………………………………….

47% (9 out of 19) of the organisations without email accounts had problems accessing computers and/or software which again is cost related. “Lack of pc’s in members homes” was also a consideration for one organisation and for another the lack of a computer or telephone line of its own made it difficult to set up an email account.

Technical problems with setting up or using email: Yes No Don’t know? Comments………………………………………………………………………

26% (5 out of 19) of the organisations without an email account had technical problems in attempting to set up or maintain an email account and this was particularly a problem as one organisation commented for “many older women not familiar with [the] net”. One organisation’s delegate relied on her 14 year old granddaughter and her daughter to sort out technical problems.

Lack of local Internet Service Provider: Yes No Don’t know? Comments………………………………………………………………..………

16% (3 out of 19) of organisations also had problems with internet service providers.

Inadequate telephone service: Yes No Don’t know? Comments………………………...... …………………………………………

21% (4 out of 19) had problems with an inadequate telephone service. Problems with rural/remote telephone services and cost of STD calls were the major problems listed.

Lack of access to training in use of email: Yes No Don’t know? Comments………………………………………………………………………. 260

26% (5 out of 19) considered lack of access to training particularly vis-à-vis training for people using email at the local level, to be a problem.

Other (Please list)?……………………………………………………………

NB: I have included or incorporated every comment given. However, it appears that the organisations with an email account are far more likely to report than those without.

7. Does the organisation you represent on Pamela's List have its own email account/s: YES / NO? b). If YES (your organisation has its own email account) was the process of establishing an email account for the organisation: Very easy easy undecided difficult very difficult?

Of the organisations that have gone through the process of setting up an email account. 71% (12 out of 17) answered that the process of establishing an email account was easy (nine organisations) or very easy (three organisations). Only 12% (2 out of 17) of organisations had found it difficult (one organisation) or very difficult (one organisation) and 18% (3 out of 17) were either undecided or answered ‘don’t know’.

While establishing an email account may have been easy for the majority of organisations which had set one up, the process was not necessarily so simple three years ago as one organisation attested, “it was difficult originally when we took the first email account with Ozemail in early 1996”. And if an organisation wanted to branch out beyond simply having a single stand-alone email account then the process became concomitantly more complex, as two organisations commented:

• [it was] very difficult when we got our own domain name and had to set up new email accounts with a new local ISP, redirect from Ozemail and get the address and from fields resorted for a number of mail boxes. • At our National Headquarters it took a very long time to sort out the email difficulties over the network. It has been much easier in regard to the volunteers who work from home as they have all set up systems themselves.

i) Has your organisation experienced difficulties with any of the following:

Cost of setting up email: Yes No Don’t know? Comments………...……………………………………………………..………

12% (2 out of 17) of organisations with their own email account experienced problems with the cost of setting up email. 6% (one organisation) answered ‘Don’t know’ and of the 14 261 organisations that answered ‘no’, two organisations pointed out that they had obtained sponsorship initially. One of those had an ongoing “continued sponsorship through arrangement with an internet provider in exchange for advertising in their nationally circulated journal but the other had subsequently lost the sponsorship and with it their computers and email access. Another organisation commented that ‘cheaper would be better – limited resources’. And a fourth commented: “[our] organisation is no longer funded so I donate associated costs of email”. That same organisation’s representative pointed out that the “organisation has always relied on resources available through committee members. Some committee members use email facilities available through their workplace.”

Consequently if the three organisations that have answered no but then signalled problems with cost (excluding the organisation with a successful ongoing sponsorship arrangement) are included with those who answered yes, the number of organisations which have experienced problems with the cost of setting up email totals five organisations or 29%.

Simply being able to afford a single stand alone email account in today’s technologically based world, however, is not enough, as one organisation’s comments illustrate:

We had email access from early 1996 for the Executive Officer (part time employee based at the office since we established the office in an office (cf. home) location in late 1997. However, we could not afford a second email account for me and consequently I have born my own costs. In August 1998 we received a grant…and this plus our own accumulated funds from membership contributions has enabled us to take a permanent connection, multiple mail boxes and to network office computers. We are still unable to afford to pay for my day time email access or for email access to enable us to take on teleworking volunteers and/or interns. Board members bear their own email costs. We are also unable to afford an ISDN line which we would like to have for faster email and internet and so that we can experiment with and promote the use of PC based videoconferencing (128k is the required speed and consequently an ISDN line is required).

Cost of maintaining an email account: Yes No Don’t know? Comments……………….………………………………………………………

Regarding the cost of maintaining an email account, 47% of organisations (8 out of 17) did have problems with the ongoing cost of maintaining an email account. For example, “we have a timed monthly account, for unlimited access we’d be a bit burdened by cost, so we have to watch how much time is spent on the net”. And a further organisation commented that “We are able to afford the permanent connection only because of [a] grant and I have access to the permanent connection at night. The ISP does not have broad pops and consequently I bear the cost when I am travelling using my own email account with a large number of local pops”. Other comments, “At times when funds run dry”. Or: “[we] can only afford a total of 7 hours internet access per month – there are no commercial ISP’s who will donate extra hours, etc.” and “we are on a very basic $10/10 hour a month account …which is hugely in adequate” 262 highlight the fact that even after establishing an email account, organisations are still struggling to meet the costs of keeping that account.

Cost of obtaining or accessing computers and communication software: Yes No Don’t know? Comments…………………………………….…………………………………

Accessing computers and communications software was also a significant problem for organisations with their own email account with 53% (9 out of 17) of organisations experiencing some problems in access. One organisation answered ‘don’t know’. And of the organisations that answered ‘no’, two added provisoes, one “computers provided by individuals and employer”, the other “as long as we have funding”.

Of the problems listed, one organisation had experienced problems when a sponsor withdrew all their computers; another stated that it was only able to access a computer because their representative had bought it herself “by going into huge debt”. One organisation commented that they “had an old slow mac that took forever to connect and download and spent outside of budget to get a new fast IBM” and another made the point that “[our] operational funding does not make allowances for the need to purchase updated computers/software etc, so we have had to try and find alternative sources of funding to buy the necessary hardware/software for our organisation”.

Conversely even when an organisation is able to afford computers and software for their office they cannot necessarily support the volunteers upon whom they are so reliant to carry out the work of the organisation. This point is illustrated by the comments from an organisation which stated: “[It is] Ok for national office – it is difficult for us to finance hardware for volunteer office bearers in remote locations, ie. away from national office costs covered by individuals or by employers”. Comments from a further organisation illustrates the heavy burden placed on NGOs in terms of equipping an entire national organisation with the technology necessary to operate in today’s world, “Our association has a policy of providing hardware and software up to email standard for any Director who is unable to provide them for herself”.

Several organisations stated that lack of funds prescribed their purchasing decisions. For example:

• We have a new computer (June 98) but have had to go for a cheaper package which has certain glitches on occasion. If we’d had the money we would have purchased a better machine with a scanner as well. • We now have four computers in the office - we started with none and first bought a second hand 486 computer for $150 - we have gradually upgraded. We receive a…grant [but] it is a condition of this grant that capital items such as computers may not be purchased…We have used some of [membership fee] income to upgrade first to a second hand pentium and this calendar year to add more memory to that one and we bought two more second hand pentiums for $150 each and then had them upgraded (more memory). The fourth computer is the best and it is a new pentium which was purchased using [another] grant funds (we had specific permission to do 263

this). We have had all four computers in the office networked. Lack of computers has previously been a major hinderance in having volunteers in our office. My own computer - the laptop is Dell Latitude - this cost me about $6,000 including software - the [organisation] could not afford to purchase a computer of this quality or utility. It is fundamental to the level of output which the organisation generates.

We have had to be very economical with communications software - while the email client we use - Eudora Pro is relatively cheap (about $75) we are unable to afford the web publishing software we want and we have been trying to obtain sponsorship to obtain Adobe products including Adobe Acrobat publisher…the budget is tight and we need more web skills to add more functionality and user options to our web site. We have taken a membership with Computer Assisted Support and Education (a nonprofit in Canberra which provides computer and technical assistance to other nonprofits) and this has provided a source of advice and mentoring.

Comments such as these highlight the fact that managing to obtain funds to purchase computers and communication software is not the end of the matter. Upgrading memory, RAM and software is a never ending necessity. The above comments also highlight the problem with funding grants that preclude, in today’s technologically driven society, the use of those grant funds to purchase the technology so vital to functioning in the new millennium.

Technical problems with setting up or using email: Yes No Don’t know? Comments……………………………………………….……………………….

35% (6 out of 17) of organisations with email answered that they did have technical problems (although one organisation answered that they didn’t have technical problems but her son set it up for her) and another organisation answering ‘no’ commented that “there is some variation in access and experience but generally no technical difficulties” and another: “No problems but only because we have expert help on hand – we would not have been able to configure equipment to deal with mail for all the organisation’s sharing the space, through the one computer/line otherwise”. The problems organisations experienced included:

• Problems with attachments; • At our National Headquarters it took a very long time to sort out the email difficulties over the network. It has been much easier in regard to the volunteers who work from home as they have all set up systems themselves. • Major problems when we converted from Ozemail to a local ISP and established a domain email addresses. At the same time the…office converted from Eudora Lite to Microsoft Outlook. We had weeks of problems trying to set up personalities and trying to get rid of email attachments (dat files) which automatically attached themselves to outgoing emails from MS Office and wrapped and file attachments inside (and locked them). Staff in tears - absolutely pulling our hair out. We dumped Outlook and went to Eudora Pro which has been just fine. • XX doesn't/hasn't had the skills when it comes to configuring email and dealing with technical glitches etc. However, I have tended to rely on my partner for all technical 264

assistance with [our] computers/emails - he has spent many a weekend in [our] Office dealing with our computer hassles and fixing modems etc. This type of in-kind support is vital to [our] existence yet is not recognised by funding bodies/Ministers etc as "real" in-kind support. • We need more web skills to add more functionality and user options to our web site. We have taken a membership with Computer Assisted Support and Education (a nonprofit in Canberra which provides computer and technical assistance to other nonprofits) and this has provided a source of advice and mentoring.

However, given that a large number of the organisations rely on representatives to provide their own email access (often through employers), it is not unreasonable to speculate that a higher percentage of organisations would have technical problems if they themselves were directly responsible for the provision of technical support.

Internet Service Provider problems: Yes No Don’t know? Comments………………………………………………………………….…...

29% (5 out of 17) of organisations with their own email account had problems with their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with one further organisation admitting to ‘minimal’ problems. This would bring it to 35%of organisations who had experienced ISP problems.

Regarding ISPs, one organisation commented that “We moved from Ozemail because of the cost and also because the technical support was awful. We are getting good service from our current ISP but the cost of technical support, while worth it, is significant”. Another was similarly disparaging of Ozemail stating: “[our] ISP is Ozemail and they have been a nightmare in relation to the accounting processes and billing procedures. Many times we have had to contact them regarding incorrect charges and so on”. Other comments on the problems with ISPs pointed out that “It’s no fun being put on hold for more than 20 minutes or having to wait in phone queues for an eternity, yet this is how most of the ISP Technical Assistance services operate”. And one organisation had found that lack of credit card facilities (generally required for billing purposes) limited their choices of ISPs.

Only one organisation specifically commented that they had found their ISP to have been ‘very helpful’.

Telephone service problems: Yes No Don’t know? Comments…….…………………………………………………………………

35% (6 out of 17) of organisations with their own email account had telephone service problems. One commented problems happened when she “moved to a rural area - not enough lines and those that are kept going out”. Another commented that “There have been some problems for our personnel who live in isolated areas”. And a further organisation stated “we 265 had trouble with the quality of phone lines and still have problems a couple of times a month. The issue is generally noise on the line such that the modem can't dial out through it”. Another organisation commented that “our sponsor withdrew phone lines and we moved offices several times so phones have been a problem”.

Given that one organisation commented employers provided phones and a large number of the organisations rely on representatives to provide their own email access (often through employers), it is once again not unreasonable to speculate that a higher percentage of organisations would have problems in this area if they themselves were directly responsible for the provision of telephone lines.

Training in using email: Yes No Don’t know? Comments……………………………………………….………………………

Lack of access to training was a problem for 41% (7 out of 17) organisations. But of those organisation which answered ‘no’ one organisation did comment, “my board members are only just in the brave new world so have some limitations on their use of the technology. Like feeling comfortable having group discussion with it”. Another said they had “relied on training outside the organisation”.

Problems with training, included lack of time, lack of availability and having to make do, ie “trial and error did it in the end” and “Training has not happened for staff in the office - they have shown each other what to do - this works pretty well but the level of proficiency with the email package is not at optimum levels. I have not had training in the use of email but have become expert through use and perseverance”. Other comments included:

• Only [our] Executive Officer is proficient in using email, and unless I take the time to train volunteers or [our] bookkeeper in using email, we don’t have the resources to provide email training for volunteers/staff; and • national committee could do with some training.

And again, evidence of reliance on the representatives’ employers: “The various employers have provided for individuals”. However one organisation made the comment that “email seems one of those things that nearly everybody has been able to use almost straight away”.

Comments Other (Please list)……………….…………………...…………..

• We have a website but the person who set it up left no information about the ISP or passwords or anything. It is a terrible mess and so far (6 months later) we are still not able to fix it. • There is a problem with corporate governance which we have not defined yet - what is part of the directors communications under the corporations act?. 266

• Email has made a huge difference to the way the Board of Directors and Officers of the company work. There is much more discussion of issues and topics and most Directors would feel that they were more informed. As our Membership is 12,500 it is not possible to use email as a means of contacting all the Membership, but it is being used in some areas in conjunction with the postal service.

The responses regarding problems experienced with email underline the heavy reliance of women's NGOs on their volunteers to provide access to computers, software and the internet; the precarious funding position of many organisations; and the constant financial juggling act required to acquire the necessary hardware and software, connect and maintain an internet account.

Table 4: Summary Comparison of Email Problems – Pamela's List Organisations

Problems accessing training 41% 26%

The comparison between organisations with their own email account and those without does not provide any major surprises. Those without an email account cite problems with costs involved in setting up or maintaining an account as a far more significant factor than those who have managed to fund an email account. Those organisations which do have an email account not unnaturally then experience more problems with technical matters, ISPs, the telephone service and training. While both organisations with and without email accounts experience roughly the same percentage of problems accessing computers and software.

What the responses to this section primary highlight, is the high percentages of organisations encountering problems with email.

8. Has your organisation experienced any difficulties in accessing Pamela’s List specifically: Yes No Occasionally Don’t Know?

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89% (31 organisations) specifically answered they had no problems in accessing Pamela's List. Only four organisations or 11% of the organisations which answered this question said they had some problems with accessing Pamela's List. Of those four, one responded that they occasionally had a problem with their “[ISP] provider not providing” which of course is beyond the jurisdiction of the Pamela's List administration.

9. If your organisation has experienced any difficulties in accessing Pamela’s List please describe the problems experienced: …………………………………………………………………………………………

The only other problems listed regarding accessing Pamela's List were problems with ‘attachments sometimes’, one organisation which felt that “sometimes it’s very busy – and much of the stuff is not relevant – so it may tend to clogg up my system” and another who commented that the “Biggest issue is with the volume of traffic and not responding adequately to some requests and information”. In the final analysis only one organisation had an actual technical problem in accessing Pamela's List noting that “in the changeover period between different addresses, [we] could not post a message to either address”.

10. What email account does your organisation’s representative/s on Pamela’s List normally use to access Pamela's List: Your organisation’s account Their own personal email account An employer provided email account A family member’s account Other? …………………………………………………….

In response to this question, some organisations which have more than one representative on Pamela's List answered for all their representatives thus providing multiple answers, one representative used both her own and an employer’s account; another used three accounts, her own, her employer’s and her organisation’s, so in this instance there were 45 responses to this question.

Figure 16: Pamela's List Organisations – Email Account Used

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Of the 45 representatives covered in the responses: 31% (14 organisations) representatives used their organisation’s email account to subscribe to Pamela's List; 49% (22 organisations) their own account; six (13%) an employer’s account; 2% (one organisation) a family member’s account, 2% (one organisation) a sister organisation’s account and 2% (one organisation) answered ‘other’.

11. How does your organisation’s representative normally RECEIVE messages posted to Pamela's List: Directly to their own nominated email address The organisation forwards postings on to them by email The organisation forwards postings on to them by mail The organisation forwards postings on to them by fax The organisation forwards postings on to them by phone Other?………………………………………………………………………..

All representatives who responded to the survey receive the Pamela's List posting direct to their nominated email account with only one exception where the representative has the Pamela's List postings forwarded on to them by email.

12. How does your organisation normally POST messages to Pamela's List: Directly from its own email address Through its representative’s email address Other (please explain)?

51% or 19 organisations post to Pamela's List directly from their own email address; 41% or 15 organisations post through their representative’s email address; and 8% or three organisations listed other (for example in one case, that was an employer’s account, in another a sister organisation’s account and in the third instance the account used was not specified).

13. How frequently had your organisation used email before subscribing to Pamela's List: Very Frequently Frequently Occasionally Never Don’t Know?

Figure 17: Pamela's List Organisations – Prior Email Use

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The greatest majority of organisations were experienced users of email prior to subscribing to Pamela's List. 80% (28 of the 35 organisations which answered this question) had used email frequently (40%, 14 organisations) or very frequently (40% or 14 organisations) before subscribing to Pamela's List. Of the remaining organisations, only 9% (three organisations) had never used email and 9% (three organisations) had used email only occasionally, while one organisation answered they didn’t know ‘it depended on their members’.

14. Was Pamela's List the first email list your organisation subscribed to: Yes No Don’t know?

Despite the fact that 80% of the organisations were experienced email users, 37% or 13 organisations stated that Pamela's List was the first or probably the first email list the organisation had ever subscribed to. 51% or 18 organisations stated Pamela's List was not the first email list they had subscribed to and 11% or four organisations did not know if Pamela's List was the first email list subscribed to.

15. Was participation in Pamela's List the motivation for your ORGANISATION to put in place a means to access email: Yes No Part of the reason Don’t know?

Only 3% or one organisation stated that Pamela's List was the motivation for the organisation to put in place the means to access email with 3% or one other organisation stating it was part of the reason. 95% or 35 organisations stated Pamela's List was not the motivation for the organisation to put in place the means to access email. Nonetheless as one organisation commented, while Pamela's List was not the motivation to go online “it was certainly an excellent reason to stay on-line”.

Having an email account has been shown by this survey to be very important for women's organisations, to the extent that despite considerable difficulties they have persevered in setting up email access. But what the responses to this question highlight is the fact that their reasons for going online are more complex than simply wanting to access a particular email list, irrespective of how beneficial membership of Pamela's List is to the majority of these organisations [cf. Q41]. In short the perceived benefits of email and necessity of having email access cannot be reduced to or accounted for in terms of membership of a single email list.

16. Was participation in Pamela’s List the motivation for your REPRESENTATIVE to put in place a means to access email: Yes No Part of the reason Does not have email Don’t know?

Similarly only12% or four representatives stated Pamela's List was ‘part of the reason’ for putting in place email accounts while 88% or 30 organisations stated that it wasn’t.

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17. Does your organisation currently subscribe to any other email list: Yes No Don’t know Has done in the past?

However, by the time of the survey many of those responding had fervently embraced email lists and Pamela's List members are prolific subscribers to other email lists. 74% or 26 of the responding organisations were subscribed to other email lists. In addition, two organisations not currently subscribed to any other email list had been in the past making 80% of organisation who were currently or had been subscribed to other email lists. One delegate to Pamela's List stated that while her organisation did not subscribe to any other email lists, she herself did. In addition two organisations ran their own email list or lists. One of the organisation which ran their own email list stated “we expect to be providing 150 email lists by the first quarter of 2000”. This shows the importance organisations place on email lists.

18. If Yes, please list the other email lists subscribed to: ..……………………………………………….…………………………

In all, the organisations listed 77 email list subscriptions. However, the actual total number is far higher than this, as a number of organisations stated that they may have missed one or two lists in their listing of email lists subscribed to; three organisations stated that they were subscribed to “too many to list” and another stated that other representatives of the organisation had the responsible of subscribing to other lists. (See Appendix 2 for the list of Email List subscriptions.)

GENERAL EMAIL USE AND PROFICIENCY

19. Overall (not limited to Pamela's List), approximately how many emails does your organisation send in a week: More than 100 50-100 20-50 10-20 Less than 10?

31% or 11 organisations send over 100 emails per week; 11% or four organisations send between 50 and 100; 20% or seven organisations send between 20 and 50 per week; 14% or five organisations send between 10 and 20 per week and 26% or nine organisations send less than 10 a week. Overall 42% of organisations could be classified as heavy email users; 40% as light users; and 20% of organisations sit midway between the two categories.

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Figure 18: Pamela's List Organisations – Emails Sent per week

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20. Overall (not limited to Pamela's List) approximately how many emails does your organisation receive in a week: 1-10 10-20 20-50 50-100 100-250 250-500?

Regarding emails received per week: 6% or two organisations receive over 700 emails per week; 20% or seven organisations receive between 250 and

Figure 19: Pamela's List Organisations – Emails Received per week

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500 per week; 23% or eight organisations receive between 100 and 250 emails per week; 9% 272 or three organisations receive 50-100; 17% or six organisations receive 20-50 per week; 14% or five organisation between 10 and 20 per week and 11% or four organisations between 1-10 per week. Thus 58% of organisations are receiving a large volume of emails per week (over 50), 42% a relatively low volume and 13% sit midway between the two categories.

21. In your opinion, how reliant on email communication is your organisation: Extremely Moderately Undecided Not Very Not at all?

49% of organisations (18 organisations) stated they were extremely reliant on email and 30% (11 organisations) considered their organisation to be moderately reliant on email. 3% of organisations (one organisation) stated it was increasingly becoming so. Only 11% (four organisations) stated they were not very reliant on email and only 3% (one organisation) believed it was not at all reliant on email.

Figure 20: Pamela's List Organisations - Reliance on Email

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22. How do you rate email as a means of communication for your organisation in terms of:

Reliability: Excellent Good Undecided Not very helpful Unhelpful?

60% (21 organisations) considered the reliability of email to be excellent; 34% (12 organisations) considered its reliability to be good. 6% (two organisations) were undecided but none of the organisations felt the reliability of email to be lacking.

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Ease of use: Excellent Good Undecided Not very helpful Unhelpful?

63% (22 organisations) felt that the ease of use of email is excellent and 31% (11 organisations) felt it to be good. 6% (two organisations) were undecided but none of the organisations felt email to be difficult or very difficult to use.

Ease of access: Excellent Good Undecided Not very helpful Unhelpful?

63% (22 organisations) responded that they felt ease of access of email to be ‘excellent’; 26% (nine organisations) ‘good’; 6% (two organisations) were ‘undecided’ and 6% (two organisations) answered ‘not very good’.

Cost of communication: Excellent Good Undecided Not very helpful Unhelpful?

50% of organisations (17 organisations) felt the cost of email to be ‘excellent’; 32% (11 organisations) ‘good’, 12% (four organisations) were ‘undecided’ and 6% (two organisations) felt the cost was ‘not very good’.

Speed of communication: Excellent Good Undecided Not very helpful Unhelpful?

80% of organisations (28 organisations) considered the speed of email to be excellent and 20% (seven organisations) considered it to be good. None considered there were any problems with the speed of communication of email.

23. How would you rate your organisation’s use of email: Very proficient Proficient Undecided Inexperienced Very inexperienced?

32% of organisations (12 organisations) considered that they were very proficient in the use of email; 42% (16 organisations) considered their organisation to be proficient; while 13% of organisations (five organisations) considered themselves inexperienced and 8% (3 organisations) rated their organisations as very inexperienced. 5% (two organisations) were undecided.

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OVERVIEW OF COMMUNICATION WITHIN AND BY YOUR ORGANISATION

24. What methods do the members of your Board and/or National Executive currently use to communicate with each other on board business? Please rate in order of use with 8 being the most used method and 1 the least used: Closed section on your web site, Standard email, Email list, Phone, Standard fax, Fax stream, Postal service, Face-to-face, Don't know?

Given the overall favourable ratings of email, it is not surprising that the second most used method to communicate with each other by the Board of Directors and/or national Executive of organisations was email. The phone was nominated as the most used method with the third most used form of communication being the postal system; (4th face-to-face; 5th fax; 6th email list; 7th faxstream). Only one organisation nominated the WWW as their most used form of communication between board and national executive although one other organisation had just set up a closed WWW section for its board.

It is both informative and important to note that even though email could be considered to still be in its infancy vis-à-vis development of the technology and spread of access and use in society in general, it has already overtaken the postal system as a form of communication for these women's organisations.

25. Do your Board and/or National Executive members ever use email to conduct board meetings: Very Frequently Frequently Don’t Know Occasionally Never?

However, while email is the second most used method of communication between Board members, very few of the Boards or National Executives of the responding organisations ever use email to conduct board meetings with 88% or 29 organisations answering ‘never’.

Only 9% or three organisations had used email (one frequently and two organisations occasionally) to conduct board meetings. It is, however, being used to facilitate board communication. One organisation commented “background work is done by email’’ one commented that they “use teleconference for meetings and email list for discussion/decisions between meetings including voting if necessary”. Another three organisations had used email as an adjunct to meetings, one to circulate agendas, one used ICQ occasionally, and one used email “occasionally to get agreement on matters outside meetings”. In addition one 275 organisation used email for sub committee meetings, making a total of 21% or seven organisations that used email to facilitate in some way, board meetings.

These results are hardly surprising considering the fact that conducting board meetings via email would be somewhat cumbersome and tedious. ICQ would be the more appropriate medium but is more technically complex to put in place. Given the significant problems organisations have faced in setting up or trying to access email, the fact that ICQ has not been tried by the majority of organisations is understandable.

26. Do your Board and/or National Executive members ever use the world wide web to conduct board meetings: Very Frequently Frequently Don’t Know Occasionally Never?

Only one organisation had used the WWW to conduct board meetings with 97% of organisations having not tried the web for board meetings.

27. What is the current means of disseminating information to your MEMBERS? Please rate in order of use with 8 being the most used method and 1 the least used: Closed section on your web site, Standard email, Email list, Phone, Standard fax, Fax stream, Postal service, Face-to-face, Don't know?

When it comes to communicating with their own members, the postal system was the most used method and email the second most used while the phone came in third, (fax = 4th; face- to-face = 5th; Email list = 6th; faxstream = 7th; and once again the WWW was the least used method.

Thus, a clear pattern of use begins to emerge when viewing the responses to the survey as a whole. These organisations are not embracing email to the exclusion of all other forms of communication nor conversely choosing to turn their backs on the new information and communication technologies. Rather, where they can put together the means to access these technologies, they then utilise them to provide one further choice in the forms of communication available to them.

Thus we see that the use of email as a quick and cheap form of communication has significant use among these organisations as does membership of email lists to keep abreast of information in relevant areas of endeavour but email is not used to conduct meetings and nor has it replaced the telephone as a means of communication. 276

In short email is being used to supplement traditional forms of communication or in areas where it can provide a better, quicker and/or cheaper service (for example email lists versus newsletters; email versus the postal system) but has not replaced other forms of communication (telephone, teleconference, face-to-face communication) where it is not perceived to be appropriate, practical (eg communicating with a national membership in the thousands) or able to offer a clear benefit.

28. How frequently does your organisation normally check its email messages: Is constantly connected Every few hours Every day Every few days Once a week Other (please specify)?...... …………………………………………

13% or four organisations are constantly connected to the internet; 35% or 11 organisations check their email every few hours; and 39% or 12 organisations check their email every day. 3% or one organisation checks its email twice a week; 7% or two organisations check their email every few days, 3% or one organisation checks its email once a week and 3% or one organisation answered that it is up to members. Thus 87% of organisations are checking their email at least every day if not more frequently.

POSTINGS TO PAMELA'S LIST

29. How frequently does your representative read the messages posted to Pamela's List: As soon as emails arrive, Every few hours, Every day, Every few days, Once a week, Other (please specify)?

Pamela’s list members are quite conscientious in reading Pamela’s list email messages, with the majority of organisations (79%) reading the messages on a daily basis or more frequently.

8% (three organisations) read the emails from Pamela's List as soon as they arrive, 34% (12 organisations) read the messages every few hours; and 37% (13 organisations) read the messages on a daily basis. Of the remaining, 14% (five organisations) read their messages from Pamela's List every few days; 3% (one organisation) once a week; and a final organisation responded that: 277

Really it depends on the topic and other pressures on my time. I try to catch up every couple of days but if I am away or snowed under it could be longer. Unfortunately life gets in the way sometimes and I feel I haven’t been able to respond in a timely way – eg when my family was away for 2 months last year the other women on the committee were not in a position to receive the email (for various reasons) and we just had to let them pass.

However, the frequency with which emails are read obviously can vary as evidenced by two organisation which chose to tick two different answers to indicate this. In addition one organisation’s representative commented that they read their emails at least every few days “but don’t always read all of them”.

30. Approximately how frequently does your organisation post to Pamela's-List: About every couple of days, About once a week, About once a fortnight, About once a month, Every now and again, Never?

56% (or 18) organisations only post messages to Pamela's List every now and again. Only 3% (one organisation) posted more frequently, nominating every couple of days as their frequency of posting. Of the remaining, 9% (three organisations) post about once a fortnight, 6% (two organisations) post once a month, 6% (two organisations) seldom or very rarely post messages, 6% (two organisations) have only posted once, and 9% (three organisations) have never posted a message to Pamela's List. In addition 3% (one organisation) described their frequency of posting as “slow start but becoming more frequent” and a final organisation responded that their frequency of posting “varies depending on issue”.

The reality then is that only 3% (one organisation) posts to Pamela's List frequently.

31. Could you describe why your organisation posts with the level of frequency indicated?

The reasons given vary (See Appendix 1 for a full list of reasons given for the frequency of posting) but could be summarised as a lack of knowledge and expertise on the range of issues under discussion and the fact that not every issue raised is relevant to every organisation. However, a number of the responses emphasised that while they may not respond to every issue, they did want to be kept informed of these issues. As one organisation stated:

I think we have only posted something once but we have been able to respond to some issues which we believe are important and relevant to our organisation because we could find out about them in time.

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32. Could you describe the process for reading and answering email from Pamela's List (eg. Our representative reads messages directly from the list and responds directly to the list; our representative forwards the email to another person in the organisation and posts their replies if they wish to respond; our representative prints the email and it is read in hard copy form by the relevant person in our organisation who writes out a response which the representative types and posts to the list etc.)?

When organisations do respond, at least 62% or 21 organisations respond to issues on Pamela's List by return email.326 An almost equal number of organisations forward the Pamela's List emails on by email (24% or eight organisations) as do by hard copy (21% or seven organisations)327.

In the case of organisations printing out emails to circulate, 6% or two organisations commented that this was because not every member had access to email. Overall, 59% (20 organisations) forward emails from Pamela's List to other members in their organisation, generally members of the Board or National Executive. One representative has to be circumspect when forwarding Pamela's List postings pointing out that “Some directors think this is leftwing stuff and don’t want to read it with the Pamela's List heading. If I know this to be the case, I recopy without the source”.

One organisation actually stated it replied by post while another organisation stated that responses to Pamela's List emails were sent on to the “relevant person in our organisation who writes out a response which the representative types and posts to the list”.

[For a full list of responses – see Q34 where the answers to Q32 and Q34 have been paired for clarity.]

33. How effective do you believe your organisations process for reading and answering email from Pamela’s List is: Very effective effective undecided ineffective very ineffective?

77% of organisations felt that their organisation’s method of reading and answering email was effective or very effective. 52% or 17 organisations believed it to be effective and 24% or eight organisations believed their method to be very effective.

18% (6 organisations) were undecided and 9% (three organisations) believed their organisation’s method of handling emails was ineffective. None considered their method to be very ineffective.

326 Many of the responses to this question were not specific in stating how they replied to Pamela's List postings, so the percentage of organisations responding directly by email could be higher than 62%. 327 Similarly many of the responses were not specific in stating whether email messages from Pamela's List were forwarded by email or hard copy so only those responses which specifically state how messages are forwarded have been included. 279

34. Why has the process specified in Q32 been adopted by your organisation? ………………………………………………..……………………………………….

• [Q32 – representative reads the list – forwards items to others on Executive. If there was a response it would be circulated to others for comment and approval then it would be posted. If there was a specific issue that related to one of our members groups which was not represented on the Executive – the email would be forward to them by email or hard copy) for their info and comment – but this hasn’t happened to date.] [Q34 This is how we respond to all information that we receive.]. • [Q32 – our organisation reads directly from the list and if necessary confers with other reps on the list and/or with other committee members and then responds directly to the list.] [Q34 Because we are all working in different cities around Australia with individual email arrangements and we need to be responding on behalf of our organisation and not as individuals.]. • [Q32 – our representative reads messages directly from the list and responds directly to the list. Sometimes info needs to be passed on to our Board for discussion/decision on a position before the second posting, but mostly it is direct turn around.] [Q34 I am the clearing house for information in and out of the [national organisation] and I like to accomplish as much as possible in the short time available. The process allows me to get information, respond quickly where appropriate, involve relevant others and get on with it.]. • [Q32 – our representative prints the email and it is read in hard copy – yes if relevant.] [Q34 Because it is most convenient for me.]. • [Q32 - our representative reads messages directly from the list and responds directly to the list.] [Q34 it’s easy and immediate.]. • [Q32 - Depends on the issue. Some would be responded to directly by [our] Executive Officer. Some forwarded to [our organisation’s] email list. some forward to the … board for their input, etc.] [Q34 Easiest way to manage given resource constraints.]. • [Q32 read mail directly from list [then] passed to relevant person. Any responses are posted directly back to the list.] [Q34 No response.]. • [Q32 read directly from and respond to the list. May sometimes forward on to board for feedback.] [Q34 It seems the most efficient.]. • [Q32 representative reads emails with interest but rarely makes actions.] [Q34 Lack of interest from committee.]. • [Q32 I read it and decide if there is anything of interest to the board, the members, the admin and would pass it on – occasionally I correspond directly with Judi on some topic.] [Q34 Don’t know – ease perhaps.]. • [Q32 Immediate response.] [Q34 To respond in a timely manner.]. • [Q32 Representative reads messages directly from list and responds directly to list.] [Q34 Naturally evolved and role of national co-ordinator to handle external communication.]. • [Q32 1) Representatives read messages directly from list and can respond directly. 2) Office Staff prints relevant material on the list and it is read in hard copy by relevant office bearer.] [Q34 Works for us – has developed ad hoc rather than being 280

intentionally devised. We will consider future processes to help us to become more effective.]. • [Q32 I read the message and respond. I forward it on if I think it is applicable to anyone. Some directors think this is leftwing stuff and don’t want to read it with the Pamela's List heading. If I know this to be the case, I recopy without the source.] [Q34 Only one person to do the job.]. • [Q32 Responds directly if short, otherwise prints the email and responds by post.] [Q34 Because it suits me.]. • [Q32 Rarely answer – no authority.] [Q34 No response.]. • [Q32 representative reads email and sends it on to relevant person or answers if necessary.] [Q34 It is the simplest way of dealing with the emails.]. • [Q32 I read and respond directly to the list.] [Q34 Because I am responsible for all daily matters of the organisation.]. • [Q32 Our representative reads and responds to the list directly. We have another representative who monitors the list for our Advocacy Working Group and forwards any relevant information to that Group by email.] [Q34 It suits the way we work.]. • [Q32 Representative reads and generally responds directly after copying (via email) to other Exec. Members.] [Q34 (a) National Co-ordinator has delegation to respond. (b) All other executive members interstate.]. • [Q32 I read and if relevant to us – email to all members of the National Executive and then I ask for feedback as part of our RT preparations.] [Q34 Ease.]. • [Q32 Respond by return mail.] [Q34 As a matter of courtesy and expediency.]. • [Q32 Our representative reads messages directly from the list and responds directly to the list.] [Q34 Simplest to do.]. • [Q32 One/two people with delegated responsibility.] [Q34 Reality.]. • [Q32 All of the above [eg our representative reads messages directly from the list and responds directly to the list; our representative forwards the email to another person in the organisation and posts their replies if they wish to respond; our representative prints the email and it is read in hard copy form by the relevant person in our organisation who writes out a response which the representative types and posts to the list etc. ] President responds and reads all documents.] [Q34 No response.]. • [Q32 Messages come to my email. I read and answer when I have time.] [Q34 No response.]. • [Q32 Our representative reads messages directly from the list and responds directly to the list.] [Q34 Ease.]. • [Q32 I respond directly if the matter is of a non policy nature.] [Q34 “Wait and See” period of evaluation of Pamela's List by [our organisation].]. • [Q32 Usually read and respond directly or after conference on print-out material.] [Q34 It is workable. Paid officers are available to monitor the list.]. • [Q32 Our representative reads and forwards on to management committee members most postings.] [Q34 No-one else has volunteered to be on the list and process in another way!]. • [Q32 It is received by me, another member (who is as of last month the secretary) and the main address for the Council. I will distribute it to either our email list or to individual members who may be interested or able to contribute.] [Q34 Because of how the email list is set-up and how the council operates.]. 281

• [Q32 Copy taken and distributed to relevant member(s).] [Q34 No other Ex. Member has access to email as yet.]. • [Q32 Read from screen; emailed on if hardware available at relevant end; electronically filed my end. Hard copy only if necessary.] [Q34 Not all members have access to email.]. • [Q32 The email is read by the representative who responds directly to the list.] [Q34 Because it is the most efficient and our representative has authority to speak on behalf of our organisation].

35. In relation to the number of postings to Pamela’s List, would you like to see : more postings the same volume of postings less postings to Pamela's List?

With regard to the volume of postings to Pamela's List, 29% (nine organisations) wanted to see more postings and nine organisations 29% wanted to see less postings with one organisation suggesting a weekly post. Thus those wanting to see more and those less postings were equal. 42% (13 organisations) wanted to see the same level of postings.

Comments…….…………………………………………………………………

• I’d like to see some of the big sisters participate and share – when you go through the postings, only a minority do. • I trust the judgement of whoever makes these political choices – sometimes a flood sometimes not. • I would like to see a weekly posting only, unless something is urgent – I like the Unity posting. • Not more [postings]. I am thinking for instance of unsubscribing from Ausfem as it has too many postings as the numbers of subscribers continues to grow. • Whatever is relevant, useful and significant for all concerned. • As many as organisations see fit to make.

36. Do you feel that there are barriers to your sharing information on Pamela’s List: Yes No Undecided?

58% (19 organisations) felt there were barriers to sharing information on Pamela's List, 33% (11 organisations) believed there wasn’t, 3% (one organisation) believed the barriers were minimal and 6% (two organisations) were undecided.

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Figure 21: Pamela's List - Barriers to Sharing Information

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S L D O E E N Y IMA ID N C I E M D N U

37. If YES, what are those barriers (eg. Lack of knowledge of issues; Confidentiality issues; Don’t want to publicly commit your organisation; Afraid to voice an opinion, Lack of time)?. Against each could you make any suggestions you have about overcoming them. …………………………………………………………………………………………

For a full list of the barriers identified by respondents see Appendix 3.

Some of these barriers result from the nature of the medium of email itself as a public forum and moreover one which enables any message posted to an email list to be forwarded on to others without the permission or knowledge of the originating poster. Some of the barriers are beyond the control of the list administrator such as the lack of time available to individual organisations. Other barriers are the responsibility of list members themselves for as noted by one respondent, there are “ways we can work towards overcoming [the barriers] as our commitment to the list continues”.

This is not to say that the list administrators cannot put in place some measures to address some of these barriers but the fact that overall list participants rate Pamela's List very highly shows that these perceived barriers, while factors to take into consideration, do not appear to be critical to the success of Pamela's List and as one respondent pointed out ultimately in some cases there are no solutions as some of the barriers are inseparable from the technology at this point in its development.

38. Are you happy with Pamela’s List's current:

Posting topics: Yes No Undecided?

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77% or 24 organisations were happy with current topics; 7% or two organisations answered ‘no’; 16% or five organisations were ‘undecided’. One organisation commented “Yes, it’s improving all the time”.

Depth of information given on topics: Yes No Undecided?

76% or 22 organisations answered ‘yes’; 10% or three organisations answered ‘no’; 14% or four organisations were ‘undecided’. One organisation commented “Sometimes I think this has been a little narrow”.

Amount of discussion of topics: Yes No Undecided?

41% or 11 organisations answered ‘yes’; 44% (12 organisations) answered ‘no’; 15% or four organisations were undecided. One organisation commented “Too much unwanted responses”.

Level of participation: Yes No Undecided?

37% (10 organisations) answered ‘yes’; 48% (13 organisations) answered ‘no’; 15% or four organisations were undecided One organisation commented “More is better”.

Current level of interaction: Yes No Undecided?

39% or 11 organisations answered ‘yes’ they were happy with the current level of interaction on Pamela's List; 36% or ten organisations, however answered ‘no’; and 25% or seven organisations were undecided

Comments…….…………………………………………………………………

• Pretty good amongst those that post. • No I think that more should be participating – including my organisation – but I understand the difficulties.

General:

• Too much rubbish is sent via list that should be sent directly to single participants, eg have received many postings where two people are having a discussion that is not relevant to other users. 284

• I think Judy Harrison does a great job and deserves a lot of credit. • Some people/orgs participate more than others. • Broader range of topics preferred. • Unfortunately, it seems like only a few people contribute most of the time even though there are lots of participants. I would like to see more organisations representatives comments on issues or contributing ones of their own. • Don’t appreciate the way some of the negative responses are articulated – rudeness. • I want to understand how others see the world so I would like more comments from people who do not think like me – eg the women who think women should stay at home. • Could be lack of time for people to respond and “shyness” in voicing opinions. • I sometimes think that only a few of the list members actually engage in discussion. Without making too many assumptions I sometimes wonder if there are women who are not familiar with the net and feel “scared” of saying anything for fear of seeing themselves in print. Also there is a certain element of some of us being seen as experts and some not, which means those who don’t think they are just sit back and watch. I’m not sure how we can encourage these women to be more active on the list but I think it is necessary for its future survival that they become so. • Just too much stuff – but that’s not a criticism. • There is a lot of stuff I am not interested in. Also the posts seem quite long compared with other lists I subscribe to. Also most posts come from few people. I feel most participants are ‘lurkers’. • I am satisfied in a general way because the participant population has grown substantially in the last 12 months and people have stayed on the list - indicating that they think it is of value. I also think that the list still has untapped potential I have answered no to the questions above because I would like to see more of all of the things listed and more postings by more organisations.

39. Do you have any suggestions for Pamela’s List's future:

Posting topics? • Keep up covering current and emerging issues, sharing information and helping each other work better. • Should always be titled – this actually has been pretty good – not all the topics are of direct interest to my organisation. • Sticking to matters involving national women's orgs is probably important as we do need to interact and many of us don’t have the time to be weighed down by too much incoming mail. There are other lists like the Polnet that can take broader discussion. • I believe these (posting topics etc) will all increase with time familiarity wider concept. • Wider posting topics. • Broader range of topics. • A broader set of objectives may make it more useful; level of participation could be higher; interaction between participants could be greater, • The posts seem quite long compared with other lists I subscribe to. 285

• All organisations post on their topics targeted to what they want to let other national women's orgs know and do about their issues level of participation: more active participation including sharing tasks such as getting hard copy material scanned or typed for posting interaction between participants: more of this on the list - I don't know how much there is off the list - hopefully this has been one of the benefits ie that orgs have been able to link up and have private discussions I'd like to see exploration of how OSW might be able to use Pamelas-list (with out being subscribed) to provide more information, more frequently to women's organisations and possibly vice versa.

Level of participation? • O.K., • I think this will improve with time as organisations feel more confident with the medium – once my organisation is able to develop an email consultation process (ie as more members get access to email) we should be able to participate more, • I couldn’t say at the moment – although I do think there is a clique of organisation’s who are very experienced and who have paid staff which dominate – that is fine as their contributions are worthy. However it does make it harder for the smaller ones, • It would be good if we could increase the level of participation, and the interaction between participants. Doubtless, the meeting in Canberra at the RT and the pre-RT will help the situation. Otherwise, see suggestion above (ie happy with posting topics, depth of information given on topics, No to amount of discussion of topics, level of participation and interaction between participants, • Congratulations to Judy Harrison, Michelle Beg and other regular contributers for their endeavours in encouraging use of the list, • More from more people; more interaction between participants. There is a lot of stuff I’m not interested in. Also most posts come from few people. I feel most participants are ‘lurkers’. • Maybe every month each organisation could post an update of their activities? • Maybe extend across to organisations that don’t quite fit the current criteria but don’t have other email list resources – but not too many on list.

Interaction between participants? • more interaction please, use as a real networking tool. • Folks are getting to know each other, who’s who, who can be trusted/relied on to raise issues etc., it will grow. • Keep private conversations off list. • I think this will improve with time as organisations feel more confident with the medium – once my organisation is able to develop an email consultation process (ie as more members get access to email) we should be able to participate more. • I like the potential confidentiality of the list. • Essential that it be continued.

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40. Which have your organisation found the most useful? (eg Information based Postings; issue based postings, calls for action, policy information postings, Australian affairs, international affairs)? Comments…….…………………………………………………………………

53% or 16 organisations answered “all”. In addition 87% (26 organisations) nominated information based postings as helpful; 73% (22 organisations) nominated policy information postings; 70% (21 organisations) nominated issue based postings; 67% (20 organisations) nominated Australian affairs; similarly 67% nominated international affairs based posting and 60% (18 organisations) nominated calls for action as most useful.

Comments…….…………………………………………………………………

• All of these: more postings would be great. • All issues have been of interest and of varying use – depends more on the topic rather than these classifications. • We have found all of the above useful but in addition what we would really like is the information that CAPOW! Used to fax stream to us regularly advising of forthcoming parliamentary inquiries to which we could make submissions. • All of the above, we can never be too informed about what we are all doing. I think postings about what orgs are doing more would also be useful as some of us are repeating each other’s work, or doing it again in our own area and don’t know this. We should be using the list to have a better knowledge of our general work as well as our common work. • Any networking is beneficial and we feel more informed about what other organisations are doing – it also allows us to concentrate on what we are doing and let others focus on their speciality. • Everything is useful to me. As an organisation we have a brief only on…issues but I send on anything I think will be useful to others whether they are in my organisation or not. Eg. women in sport I have sent this to lots of other people and suggested they join. [comment is not from a women's sport organisation]. • Information is good / consultation is good / social action initiatives are good. All useful and welcome.

EFFECTIVENESS OF PAMELA’S LIST

41. How would you rate the benefit to your organisation of being subscribed to Pamela’s-List: Extremely beneficial beneficial undecided unbeneficial extremely unbeneficial?

All bar two organisations rated the benefit to their organisation of being subscribed to Pamela's List as beneficial or extremely. Thus 33% of respondents (11 organisations) rated membership of Pamela's List as extremely beneficial and 58% (19 organisations) rated 287 membership of Pamela's List as beneficial. 3% (one organisation) was undecided; 3% (one organisation) believed membership of Pamela's List was beneficial for her personally and only one organisation (3%) considered membership of Pamela's List to be ‘not very beneficial’.

Comments…….………………………………………………………………… One organisation commented that “I think someone in the organisation (i.e. preferable a board member) should be listed – as it’s an important source of relevant information – but they are reluctant to take it on because of the heavy flow of mail so I do it”.

a) If of benefit, what do you see as the main benefits?

• Easy access to all orgs / Sharing info / Alerts / Getting endorsements, etc Great service. • Access to information and reports on issues. • Information. • Communicating with women's organisations. • Access to information, knowing what others are doing, collective action on issues of concern. • Link up with women's non-government organisations. • Staying in touch with national issues as they arise. • Me and my domestic network. • Keeping up to date with current events, keeping in touch with other women's NGOs. • Sharing info on women's issues allows for a broader outlook. • It keeps us in the information stream. • Keeping in contact with issues outside my comfort zone. • Networking and information sharing. • Being able to talk amongst ourselves without having to go to each individually. The initial reason for the list still stands, we need to network prior to meetings with government and agencies and Pamela's List does this very well for us. • To find out some of what is going on. • Sharing info. • Being kept informed on CEDAW and OSW matters. • Preparing for RT and for other discussions where caucusing among women's organisation is useful beforehand. In addition, we have distributed campaign materials and colation launches on a number of occasions. This has been extremely useful. We also find th[e] role Judy plays very useful – like a facilitator, frequently making helpful suggestions and summarising and so on. • Alerts to a broad range of issues and gives quick reference to important issues. • Information sharing. • Increased awareness of NGO issues, building network. • Ability to see what’s happening at national policy level in government. • Interaction and information of other women's organisations. • Knowing what is going on with other organisations and being able to tell others what we are doing. 288

• Ability to immediately post information to most of the national women's organisations cheaply and fast ability to hear the views of other national women's organisations; feeling of community and common purpose; ability to organise and network. • Keeping up with issues. • Networking, info from experts in the field, visible leadership of women, support. • Contact, sharing of ideas, information. • Networking and keeping informed.

b) If not of benefit, are there reasons why there has not been significant benefit? ………………………………………………….…………………………..

• Lack of knowledge/explanation about some issues. • Too much personal comment and chat – while I know this is very important in an email group – it’s rarely of interest to me.

42. What effect do you think Pamela’s-List has had on the following: a) Communication between organisations represented on Pamela's List (eligible organisations are currently national women's organisations and regional women's organisations not represented nationally): Very positive positive undecided negative very negative?

38% (12 organisations) answered ‘very positive’; 50% (16 organisations) answered ‘positive’; 13% (four organisations) were undecided and there were no negative responses.

b) Dissemination of information between organisations represented on Pamela's List: Very positive positive undecided negative very negative?

29% (nine organisations ) answered ‘very positive’; 61% (19 organisations) answered ‘positive’; 7% (three organisations) were undecided. There were no negative responses. One organisation commented: “more organisations need to post to the list for it to become very positive”.

c) Cooperation between organisations represented on Pamela's List: Very positive positive undecided negative very negative?

30% (nine organisations) answered ‘very positive’; 40% (12 organisations) answered ‘positive’; 30% (nine organisations) were undecided. One organisation which posted the response ‘undecided’ to this question added the comment “a bit political. A bit over the top in terms of being activist” and one other organisation commented: “This is difficult to judge”. 289

43. Has your organisation ever received emails directly from others subscribed to Pamela's List on matters or issues being discussed on Pamela’s List: Yes No Don’t know?

56% (18 organisations) answered ‘yes’; 31% (10 organisations) answered ‘no’; 13% (four organisations) answered ‘don’t know’. With 56% of organisations emailing and thus communicating directly with each other this is concrete proof that organisations are talking to each other off list and that Pamela's List has at the very least facilitated communication between women's NGOs.

44. How successful do you believe Pamela’s List was in preparing organisations for last year’s Australian Women's Round Table Meetings: Very successful sucessful undecided unsucessful very unsucessful? Comments………………………………………………………………………..

With regard to how successful organisations found Pamela's List in preparing for last year’s Australian women's Round Table, 26% (eight organisations) believed Pamela's List was very successful; 23% (seven organisations) believed it was successful; 19% (six organisations) were undecided; 19% (six organisations) were not on the list at that time; 7% or two organisations considered Pamela's List to be unsuccessful which one of those organisations believed was because “the list was new and there were few organisations on it”. The other organisation which considered Pamela's List unsuccessful in preparation for last year’s Round Table commented: “organisations that were invited were not prepared. All that happened was a list of who was and who was not invited which was sent back and forth too many times”. 3% (one organisation) didn’t know if Pamela's List had been successful or not.

The other comments in response to this question were:

• My organisation was one that was “uninvited” so it was useful to see the reports/comments on the Pre-RT and the RT although there appeared to be some confusion about action afterwards – eg I couldn’t understand who was being asked to endorse/and or what were to be the consequences of the endorsement. Our attendance at previous RTs particularly in latter years has not impressed us with the value of the RT apart from interaction with other participants. • It was very noticeable who was on the list and who wasn’t. Hopefully this year we have a higher percentage so we will have an increased benefit on the knowledge of what we are all going to the AWOC and the RT with. • Hard to tell, we didn’t think we were invited.

45. How successful do you believe Pamela’s List has been so far in preparing for this year’s pre-Round Table Meeting (now called the Australian Women's Organisations Conference): Very successful successful undecided unsuccessful very unsuccessful? Comments……………………………………………………………………….. 290

With regard to preparation for this year’s pre round table, the fact that the Round Table itself was postponed while the survey was being conducted impacted on responses with at least one organisation commenting it was difficult to answer in view of this fact. This may also have contributed to the 33% (10 responses) of ‘undecided’. Nonetheless 27% (eight organisations) considered Pamela's List to have been very successful and 40% (12 organisations) successful in helping to prepare for this year’s pre-Round Table with organisations commenting that:

• The planning started much earlier than previously because organisations were in contact through Pamela’s-list. This list enabled a process to be established for topics to be contributed and for soundings to be taken about the possibility length of the pre- round table. A detailed agenda was circulated about a month ago (unheard of previously) and this year the ambitious plan is to have a two day pre-round table. • It seemed to me that it was a vast improvement on previous years – but it is hard to actually judge its success. • Excellent democratic planning and communication. • Concept launched and discussed via Pamela's. • It has facilitated discussion on topics of agenda. • Difficult to answer this as the pre-Round Table is in doubt. • We can’t attend this and have suggested a breakfast briefing on the morning of the RT – no one has taken this up yet as far as I know and that would be a great help to voluntary groups like us. • It’s put me off a bit as it’s very political. • The agenda setting has been very important although the problems with list participation which I referred to earlier (only a few members participate) have had an impact on this. • I don’t think we have been invited.

46. How successful do you believe the List has been so far in preparing organisations for this year’s National Women's Round Table: Very successful successful undecided unsuccessful very unsuccessful? Comments………………………………………………………………………..

28% (eight organisations) responded that they felt Pamela's List to be very successful; 31% (nine organisations) felt Pamela's List was successful in helping to prepare for the Round Table, one organisation commented it was a pity the Round Table was cancelled and 41% (12 organisations) answered ‘undecided’. Once again the cancellation of the Round Table most likely contributed to the high percentage of ‘undecided’ responses.

Comments…….…………………………………………………………………

• Pity it got canned – but Pamela's List will keep us all informed. • Very successful as far as this can be achieved by email exchange. 291

• There hasn’t been enough discussion to say that we are really prepared as a group. Individual orgs may have information that they otherwise wouldn’t but we haven’t really employed our ability to “caucus” as we should. • How do we get invited? • It has facilitated discussion on topics of agenda. • Sadly I consider the issues raised by Pamela's List appear not to have been heard by government. • Successful, however, we can’t attend this and have suggested a breakfast briefing on the morning of the RT – no one has taken this up yet as far as I know and that would be a great help to voluntary groups like us. • I can say that Pamela's List has been HUGELY [caps in original] influential in influencing government – even though it might have been a negative response – I think Pamela's terrifies them. • Only problem is the lateness of the agenda which hampers discussion. • OSW is aware of the list and is aware that women's organisations are now in contact with each other. My impression is that the fact that Pamelas-list exists has encouraged OSW to take up a focus on women and technology and to focus on technology issues in terms of capacity building in relation to women's organisations.

47. How successful do you believe the List has been so far in sharing information and discussing the review of the National Women's NGO Grants Programme: Very successful successful undecided unsuccessful very unsuccessful? Comments………………………………………………………………………..

The fact that the cancellation of the Round Table may have impacted on organisation’s responses to these questions is borne out in the answers to this question. Without the complication of a cancellation of the Round Table, 37% (11 organisations) believed Pamela's List was very successful and 43% (13 organisations) believed the list was successful. Only 2% (six organisations) answered ‘undecided’ and there were no negative responses.

48. What effect do you think Pamela’s-List might have in the future in strengthening the following: a) The effectiveness of individual national women's organisations and regional women's organisations not represented nationally: Extremely beneficial beneficial undecided unbeneficial very unbeneficial? Comments………………………………………………………………………

List members are overall optimistic about the future benefits of membership of Pamela's List with 48% (14 organisations) answering ‘Extremely beneficial’ and 45% (13 organisations) answering ‘beneficial’, giving a total of 93% of responses in the beneficial and extremely 292 beneficial category. Only 7% or two organisations were undecided and there were no negative responses.

Comments………………………………………………………......

• It provides a forum for info exchange. • The list is likely to provide a vehicle for organisations to establish partnerships, broaden networks, discuss how to do things and mentor / pick each others brains as well as tapping into information and being able to originate information including calls for support for their individual activities. • It’s re-building the women's movement.

b) The overall effectiveness of national women's organisations and regional women's organisations not represented nationally en masse / as a group: Extremely beneficial beneficial undecided unbeneficial very unbeneficial?

54% (15 organisations) answered ‘Extremely beneficial’; 39% (11 organisations) answered ‘beneficial’; 7% (two organisations) were undecided and there were no negative responses.

Comments………………………………………………………………………:

• The list is likely to provide a vehicle for organisations to establish partnerships, broaden networks, discuss how to do things and mentor / pick each others brains as well as tapping into information and being able to originate information including calls for support for their individual activities. • So long as more contribute/participate.

c) The Australian women's movement generally: Extremely beneficial beneficial undecided unbeneficial very unbeneficial No effect at all?

62% (18 organisations) answered ‘Extremely beneficial’; 28% (eight organisations) answered ‘Beneficial’; 10% (three organisations) were ‘Undecided’.

Comments……………………………………………………………………….

• It already is. • It has helped develop technological skills. • Encourages women to engage in the new technologies and develop ways of using them effectively. 293

• Comments? The list to me has a feel of 'community' and the number of organisations represented indicates good coverage. The fact that so many women's organisations are able to use email, even if not from their own account, points to email as a key tool for communication across the women's movement in the future. Organisations will gradually establish proficiency and better access and many will use it, in my view, to strengthen their structures and networks. • A bit too radical.

49. Does your organisation believe the criteria for membership of Pamela’s List (ie that only representatives of a national women's peak organisation or a regional women's organisation not represented nationally) is: Too narrow Just right Too broad Undecided Comments.……………..………………………………………………………..

48% (14 organisations) answered ‘just right’; 14% (four organisations) answered ‘too narrow’; 38% (11 organisations) were undecided. NB. In some instances organisations have made the same comments regarding both Questions 49 and 50.

Comments……………………………………………………………………….

• I think the focus of the list is right and that it shouldn’t try to be everything to everyone – otherwise it will just fall over. • Good number – not too big, but pretty comprehensive. • It’s a hard one – others could gain from participation. Good number – not too big, but pretty comprehensive. • Depends on purpose. • I was going to write “Just Right” as I’m reluctant to have the List get too broad for reasons of limiting the traffic but I was not aware that state organisations without national representation could not join. Does this mean that we would be swamped by lots of Antique Associations or ladies auxiliaries? If so, we would not welcome such an expansion. • If too many, splinter groups may form. • Yes Pamela's List should be extended to include such organisations – this is a step which is obviously appropriate (to me anyway!). • Thinking about the purpose of the list and our capacity to deal with a lot more work I think opening it up to state orgs would diffuse our subject matter. At the moment whatever is discussed is of a national nature and we are dealing with the women that we deal with at AWOC and the RT. To broaden that is to enhance the chances of information spill too, which I do have real concerns about. At present we are probably only just keeping a lid on this.

294

50. Would your organisation agree that the criteria for membership of Pamela's List should be extended or clarified to include representatives of state women's organisation not represented nationally in addition to the existing membership criteria: Yes Undecided No?

48% (15 organisations) answered ‘Yes’; 19% (six organisations) answered ‘No’; 32% (10 organisations) chose ‘Undecided’.

Comments……………………………………………………………………….

• Yes Pamela's List should be extended to include such organisations – this is a step which is obviously appropriate (to me anyway!). • The states should refer business via the national body. • I would imagine this would fit under regional. • Several state networks have expressed an interest in being involved, but I’m not sure whether the list would become too large to manage if this occurred – too many issues may result in “thinning out” of important issues. • Thinking about the purpose of the list and our capacity to deal with a lot more work I think opening it up to state orgs would diffuse our subject matter. At the moment whatever is discussed is of a national nature and we are dealing with the women that we deal with at AWOC and the RT. To broaden that is to enhance the chances of information spill too, which I do have real concerns about. At present we are probably only just keeping a lid on this. • Yes/maybe – although this contradicts the answer, I think it would strengthen Pamela's List if state (not represented nationally) orgs could join. • Undecided but not opposed but worth a try to gauge interest / level of activity. • Why not. • As above - I am reluctant to have the List get too broad for reasons of limiting the traffic but I was not aware that state organisations without national representation could not join. Does this mean that we would be swamped by lots of Antique Associations or ladies auxiliaries? If so, we would not welcome such an expansion.

51. Does your organisation intend to continue to subscribe to Pamela’s-List: Yes Undecided No?

Of the 31 responses to this question, only 6% or two responses were undecided as to whether their organisation itself would continue to subscribe to Pamela's List. The remainder (94%) answered yes their organisation would continue to subscribe to Pamela's List. There were no negative responses.

52. Does your organisation wish to see Pamela’s List continue: Yes Undecided No? 295

Every organisation (bar one) that responded to the question wished to see Pamela's List continue ie 97% or 30 organisations out of the 31 that answered this question responded in the affirmative.

53. Does your organisation have any suggestions about how Pamela’s-List can be improved and if so, how this could be done?

• Well after all I’ve said I wonder if we could sometimes have a chair for a discussion who does the rounds of all subscribers to ascertain their views on a subject and thereby feed back in a broader view of the matter at hand. This may lead over time to a greater sense of ability to be involved by all those women who feel a little timid. • The list is ok. It’s us! • Congratulations to Judy Harrison, Michelle Beg and other regular contributers for their endeavours in encouraging use of the list. • Getting more people to contribute. Keeping posts short. • Broaden objectives. • Additional lists should be established on specific topics – including teaching lists. • The list needs a closed archive so it is easier for participants to manage their email and the ability to send a range of file attachments through the list is needed - these features will be available when the list is rehosted - which is planned to occur within the next month. • List housekeeping tasks need to be shared - the burden on the NWJC is significant. • The NWJC public domain list of women's organisations needs an on-line address update facility so that manual checks don't need to be made with the current level of frequency through Pamelas-list rotation of facilitators would be useful - first to relieve the burden from the NWJC and second to ensure that the list has a common / shared feel. • 'Missing' organisations such as the CWA need to be recruited (we have tried various ways but email access is an insurmountable problem at this stage for some groups like the CWA) we have direct posted (snail posted) to missing organisations and some came back and asked to subscribe - some haven't responded. • Just to extend it so that other women's orgs can participate. The Ozfempolnet List is not necessarily relevant for all women's orgs, so it would be good to have a list that caters to the needs of all different types of women's organisations. • I think it runs really well.

54. Would your organisation like to see additional lists on specific topics? (eg. Pamela’s-List-optional-protocol - a specific list for representatives of women's organisations on Pamela’s-list interested in working on Australian ratification of the Optional Protocol to CEDAW; Pamela’s-List-reconciliation - a specific list for representatives of women's organisations on Pamela's List interested in working on reconciliation): Yes Undecided No?

296

53% (17 organisations) answered ‘yes’; 18% (six organisations) answered ‘no’ and 27% (nine organisations) were undecided.

Comments……………………………………………………………………….

• Yes but keep them relevant to current or hot issues. • I would prefer them (suggestions given in Q) to stay in the main list with prefixes for easy sorting. On separate lists they may become remote issues. • No - email lists for all these issues already exist. We are already subscribed to too many email lists and do not wish to add to the number of emails we receive. • May cause problems, if too many, splinter groups may form. • No, I don’t think so. This would reduce the number of emails but also makes it difficult to keep an eye on important issues which may be outside the focus of the organisation in any direct sense. • No there is already an overload of emails – let’s limit it rather than increase it.

55. If Yes, do you have suggestions about additional lists on specific topics?

• Optional Protocal. • Bejing +5. • Reconcilliation. • Why not the APEC Women Leaders Network? The problem is with including profit organisations; • Changes to government policy on issues like employment etc. • Beijing + 5 and into the future – monitoring government’s role in implementing BPFA. • Refugee Women's Issues – protection etc. • Women and Media. • Something across current issues. • Human Rights. • Women's Health. • Suggestions in Q54 might be useful, particularly things like Beijing process, although we must remember that the polnet already does some of this. • Recognition of unpaid work and inclusion in the national accounts. • Women against violence. • Women against poverty. • Use of volunteers – including encouraging organisations to link into the resources of state and territory volunteering associations. • Optionsl protocol to CEDAW. • Good governance – including things like insurance, procedures, delegations, budget planning, positioning, sponsorship etc. • Sexual and Reproductive Health.

297

56. How would your organisation rate Pamela's List overall: Excellent Good Uncertain poor very good?

Figure 22: Pamela's List – Overall Rating

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%

IN NT OD O TA OOR LLE G POOR Y P

EXCE UNCER VER

60% (18 organisations) rated Pamela's List as ‘Excellent’; 36% (11 organisations) rated Pamela's List as ‘Good’; 3% or one organisation was ‘uncertain’ and no organisations rated Pamela's List as poor or very poor.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER COMMENTS YOU WISH TO MAKE?

• Just keep it going, this is one of the most powerful tools that we have come up with in a long time. And the funny thing is many government players know that we have it so they aren’t as active in trying to divide us as they once were. Almost a deterrent policy, terrific!! Email lists as powerful as nuclear weapons !! eek. • At present Pamela's List is very informative, but a lot of valuable time is spent sifting through mail that is not necessary eg. Individual duals having conversations via list, duplication of information etc. • Pamela's List is a great service – and sometimes we probably take it for granted. It’s good to have this opportunity to give some feedback. • Well done Pamela's! • At this stage Pamela's List has done a very good job. A lot of organisations are still coming to terms with email and I think that PL has handled this well – though you would expect to continued improvements. • Judy does a terrific job and I would hate to be critical of her in any way – she is the most wonderful networker I have ever come across and I am absolutely full of admiration for what she does and has achieved through this list. • I met a woman in NZ who has a web site for which people pay to put their info. To make people read the web, she sends out a weekly newsletter to 12,000 people. Why 298 doesn’t Pamela's List do this then all women's groups can be on the one website and simplify our costs of readership and concentrate our advertising on the site – everywoman in Australia should know to read the Pamela's List website – united we stand.

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PAMELA’S LIST APPENDIX 1

Q 31. COULD YOU DESCRIBE WHY YOUR ORGANISATION POSTS WITH THE LEVEL OF FREQUENCY INDICATED?

• We tend to be in there whenever something is being discussed. Occasionally I’ll post an announcement, but usually it is comment on the issue at hand. • Dependent on issue. • Nothing to send to everyone – I want to hear what everyone says and send relevant info to my members or friends. • Makes a contribution when seem relevant and have something to offer. • Lack of relevance of material to our organisation – we do not always have someone with time and expertise to respond – however, we very much appreciate Pamela's List as a significant help in maintaining our awareness of issues common to NGO’s. We hope to respond more often in future. • As interested is generated – we are not interested in all topics. • Busy-ness prevents more postings. • I think that it is important that women's organisations interact with each other in informal ways and discuss/comment/help with various issues. • Not always information to share; not always interested in what has been posted. Find there is some back stabbing – not interested in. • Post when we have access to information which is relevant to post. • Is still a new organisation and we are not in a position yet to have too much to offer. • We are a small organisation – main focus at present is international conference. • Only raise the issues on Pamela's List for list purposes. • Older members a little afraid of posting information for all to see – I’m trying!. • No need. • Only messages that are suitable for the list are included. • The nature of the organisation. • The organisations representative is also the representative for two other organisations so must go through her main organisation (paraphrased to avoid giving names of organisations). • Largely it is a matter of priorities and energy levels. It is useful to have access to the list to keep in touch with what is going on, but since we lost our OSW funding the organisation has been struggling to keep its head above water and there is little energy for input into Pamela's List unfortunately. • Because the list is extremely useful as a way of getting information quickly and cheaply (!) to national women's organisations. • As the list facilitator, to encourage use of the list. • Most messages are posted by a sister organisation. • [don’t post often] because my organisation is international…I remain very concerned about domestic matters. • Information Sharing, Seeking Advice/Input. 300

• Personal reservations about knowing whatever I post goes to whole list. Will respond/post with confidence if truly au fait with the issue. • No – who knows – relevancy – time – interest? • We use Pamela's List to exchange information, gain support for activities/positions, support others, lobby amongst the national orgs, egg them on to bigger and better things, sometimes shame/encourage them into taking stands. • Discussion has been around OSW & Beijing + 5 meeting, which we can’t attend. • President doesn’t really support women's issues. • Exchanges monthly minutes between states.

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PAMELA'S LIST APPENDIX 2

Email lists subscribed to:

1. ABC-news mail - twice or three times daily ABC email news summary 2. ABIGAILS 3. ACOSS 4. ACSELSIC-L Australian Computer Society email list - includes women and IT and internet policy / developments 5. ACTWEL-members ACT WEL members email list 6. ACT-WOMEN (2 orgs subscribed) 7. AFPN 8. AGRIWOMEN (International) 9. ATSIC update announce email list 10. AUSFEM-POLNET (11 orgs subscribed) 11. Austlii update - Australian Legal Information Institute email news 12. Australia/New Zealand Guide List 13. Australian Forum Of Human Rights Organisations 14. AWCN-Steering - email list we provide for the steering committee of the Aust. Women's Constitutional Network (we are also represented on the steering committee) 15. AWIA 16. B95 Beijing-l international email list formed around Beijing women's conference 17. BCNET 18. Beijing + 5 (2 orgs subscribed) 19. Benton's tool kit list (ie web tools particularly for non-profits) 20. CAL-WILD 21. CATW - international Coalition against Trafficking in Women email list 22. CEDAW (2 orgs subscribed) 23. CEDAW-in-Action (international) 24. Child Support List (2 orgs subscribed) 25. Clinicaled Clinical Legal Education email list (national) 26. Community Legal Centres – BBS 27. Country - email list focusing on Australian country/regional issues (2 orgs subscribed) 28. DV-standards - NWJC's domestic violence training standards working group list 29. ENDVOILENCE (2 orgs subscribed) 30. Family - international email list family law - out of UK 31. Feminists Against Violence (international) 32. FLAW- feminist legal academics email list 33. Global Net - International Women's Tribune email news list 34. Government press releases (not really an email list but using similar technology) 35. HREOC Alert ie Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commissoin Alert list 36. ILSN - International Legal Services Network email list (legal aid, international) 37. ITTrain IT Training list from Canada but international - non-profits sharing IT training resources 302

38. KNOWHOWCONF - Know How Conference email list (ie women and info technology including library and information dissemination) 39. Leftlink 40. Legalinfo - NSW Law Foundation email news service 41. Link - technical list (internet policy etc in Australia) 42. National Machinery List 43. NetLawyers - commercial focused international lawyers email list 44. Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 45. NWJC lists (2 orgs subscribed) 46. NWJC-Board - closed email list for our Board 47. NWJC-womlawstu - NWJC email list for women law students 48. Online Australia Update (email bulletin by National Office for the Info Economy) 49. OZADVOCACY 50. OZMIDWIFERY 51. PIAC EMAIL NEWSLETTER 52. PIAC news - public interest advocacy service email news service 53. RECONNET (reconcilliation issues) 54. RURAL FUTURES 55. SISTER LIST 56. SOCAPNET 57. UNHCR 58. Uniwomen - university women 59. Violence Against Women Web 60. WEL 61. welink - rural women's email list 62. WELINK (2 orgs subscribed) 63. Welmembers 64. WEL-members (national WEL members email list) (2 orgs subscribed) 65. We-the-Women - email list for the Australian Women's Constitutional Network (4 orgs subscribed) 66. WILPF International 67. WISE-l women's science and electronic IT list 68. Women-East-West and Network East-West - women Europe, development, political development 69. Womenspace - Using the Internet for Women's Activism (international) 70. Womenstudies (international women's studies) 71. Women-talkback - provided by Office of Women's Affairs Qld 72. World March of Women 73. Women’s Constitutional Network 74. World Bytes 75. Wraw-a-bom (?) 76. Wwda-Discuss 77. Youth Forum Online

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PAMELA'S LIST APPENDIX - 3

Q37. What are the barriers (eg. Lack of knowledge of issues; confidentiality issues; don’t want to publicly commit your organisation; afraid to voice an opinion; lack of time) to sharing information on Pamela's List?

• Too much not directly relevant. • Confidentiality issues with some organisation’s links with government. • Lack of knowledge of some issues, public comments, lack of time. • Secrecy by some. • Some responses need to be off-list because you know that messages make their way to govt etc., on occasion. • Many organisations have traditionally had strong democratic decision making processes which are very cumbersome and slow. It’s taking a bit of time for orgs to feel comfortable with allowing their spokeswomen to speak on behalf of the organisation more freely – but it is happening. • If more women had access to email at home this might speed the consultation process – we need to look at developing our own email list [for our organisation]. • Lack of time – I’d love to know how to overcome this – but funding for some admin help would be wonderful. • We acknowledge that these (lack of knowledge; confidentiality issues, don’t want to publicly commit organisation; afraid to voice an opinion, lack of time) barriers are there – but believe there are people available and ways we can work towards overcoming them as our commitment to the list continues. • We are a state based body and not present at the round table and not financial enough to send someone for the prelim meetings – have a state focus, not national, although we have national concerns. • Lack of time; overload in material coming in. • Perception that Pamela's List is a left wing group. • Don’t appreciate the way some of the negative responses are articulated – rudeness. • The assumption that everyone knows what is going on and what has gone before. • Lack of time. • Concern at how some info might be used by others (few) mostly not a problem. • Solution – there ain’t one – the gains of having all the orgs on line far outweighs the slight losses – these can be dealt with off-list. • The list rules are restrictive – it has a limited purpose. It is monitored and only required responses are given. • Don’t want to publicly commit our organisation. • I usually say what I think is necessary but am conscious that we are reliant on the other list members being discreet and sticking to the rules about not discussing matters on Pamela with government etc. • Not knowing the others on the list is a barrier. No personal feel to it. This could be overcome by inviting women on the list to post in answer to a personal profile. • The nature of the organisation – I cannot speak on behalf of all members on many of the issues and time constraints prevent research necessary this end. 304

• There is frequently little response to postings and responses which do occur are frequently off the list … Because Pamelas-list is currently a Vicnet majordomo list and Vicnet does not allow a reply to list setting - the settings could be contributing to this. The list is to be moved to a new list facility which will allow reply to list. Lack of feedback is a barrier to sharing information because more feedback would help target the information ie refine what is posted etc. The results of the evaluation should assist in refining what is considered to be of value.

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APPENDIX L: SEXUAL HARASSMENT – AUSTRALIAN EXAMPLES

Simply by placing their name as a board or committee member of a women's group on that group’s web page can lead to harassment.

Elizabeth Shannon, List-owner of AUSFEM POLNET writes: I had one experience of this type [sexual harassment] a couple of years ago which I know for sure was linked to my e-mail address being up on the WEL web page (as he made mention of it), when I was Tasmanian National Board representative. As some of you may also know I had another experience like this late last year as a result of the ausfem-polnet home page I maintain which is linked to my academic CV home page at the Centre for Public Management and Policy, University of Tasmania. I also know the source of that complaint for sure because he followed it up with telephone complaints to my university administration and my boss (which got nowhere) (email posting to Ausfem Polnet, 13 Feb, 1998).

As Shannon’s comments highlight not only do women have to deal with sexual harassment via the electronic medium, such harassment can also spill out into the physical domain and underlines the serious consequences women face.

Several other women and women's organisations also experienced sexual harassment and flaming which they linked to their participation in Ausfem Polnet. For example:

Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1998 20:31:57 +1000 From: Webweave [email protected] Subject: post to board – need help with response Sender: [email protected]

Hi all I have some discussion boards online and one post to a sexual and domestic violence board has come in that reads:

“Did you ever think that men's can also be the victims at the hand of you bitches, huh? Naaaahhh, I didn’t think so. As long as you do not accept that you bitches are capable Of DV, then the nights will be ours and you bitches will Continue to be beaten like fucking donkeys!!!”

Anyone got suggestions for a response? Cheers S.M.

////

Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1998 18:53:27 +1100 From: K.S. Subject: Father's groups 306

Sender: [email protected]

Speaking of the threatening father's groups though the list might be interested in reading just what it is they are up to. This is not the first email I have received from this group either. Does anybody know anything about "Dad R' Us (apart from their apparent lack of imagination and originality in naming themselves or do they think they are toys?)

Any information would be of assistance.

Regards K.S.

>X-Originating-IP: [192.102.239.129] >From: "Dad R'Us" >To: [email protected] >Subject: Our Turn Next >Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 23:21:41 PST > >Watch out K…., the pendulum is swinging back. We have the Family >Court, Child Support Agency, embittered self centered women such >as yourself and their effeminate/poofter men supporters, in our clearly >in our sights. The problems are not going to go away until children are >able to experience their birth right of being loved and cared for (and >that includes financially) by both parents. Men are getting more than a >little sick of the all the rhetoric about domestic violence and >associated myths (John Coochey and co have exposed the feminist >ratbags).

>Hope the Indonesian muslims invade soon. I'll be recommending you >for the front line of defence. > >______>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

///// From D.Al. 12 Feb 1998: Subject: annoying messages from hotmail.com For some time now I have been receiving a range of anti-woman, anti-feminist email emanating from a range of hotmail.com addresses, with a primary addressee of: [email protected]

Email to [email protected] has produced no result apart from a standard automated response. I have also contacted The Equal Opportunity Commission, Sth Australia, the primary addressee of the email, and they are at a loss as to how our addresses seem to have been selected, and what to do to stop this annoying email. 307

I’m wondering, given that ausfem-polnet is the only feminist space I participate in on the net (after years of harassment of this kind, one becomes more careful about the electronic spheres in which one operates), if someone has been able to gather email addresses from monitoring this list or from some related source.

Are other people on the list receiving these emails? And if so, I wonder if we ‘all’ are.

/// From: [email protected] To: [email protected]> Date: 12 Feb 1998 Subject: re annoying messages from hotmail.com

Yes D.., several of us have been receiving this mail, I have for some months and no longer open it. It always seems to come in pairs too, the message is sent twice for some reason. I had thought it may have something to do with WEL contact emails, but it would seem not. Clearly we need to assess methods for dealing with the kind of mysogyny that we have managed to overcome in the main in other fora.

C.R Women's Constitutional Convention

/// From: A.C. To: [email protected] Date: 12 Feb 1998 Subject: abusive email

Ditto for us at Women’s Information Service re receiving abusive email. The service is also the subject of one. Hotmail have not responded to my requests for assistance. We can’t screen them all because the sender’s name changes regularly. I’ve been informed by a service provider that it’s impossible to do anything about this – though I refuse to believe it. Still thinking about ways to approach dealing with this type of abuse – any information and support welcome.

A.C. Women’s Information Service of SA 308

The protection of privacy and problems of personal intrusions on the Internet are only now becoming a mainstream issue but women have been dealing with these issues from the earliest days of the Internet. However, when it is no longer a problem just for women and money becomes involved (stealing bank accounts) or a wider social problem (as in identity theft) only then does it becomes an issue worthy of attention.

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APPENDIX M: RECOMMENDATIONS

Government must recognise that market forces will never voluntarily work to reduce the imbalance between the corporate and nonprofit sectors, and within the NGO sector. In addition to policies and funding initiatives to address the issues and barriers faced by the NGO sector, facilitation of partnerships and collaboration between industry, government and the NGO sector must also be encouraged.

They must also address the fact that it is no longer sufficient to simply get NGOs connected. Rather assistance in developing strategic approaches to the use of technology is also required.

Government policies, initiatives and funding are also needed with particular reference to the issues faced by women's NGOs and women who must be involved from the start in planning and decision making on ICT policies and projects.

In addition, the effectiveness of any policy development in addressing these issues will depend to a large extent on the accuracy of information available. Far more research is needed into women's NGOs use of ICTs. Research conducted to date could only be described as providing the basis for future research projects. In addition more research is needed into the broader NGO sector’s use of ICTs with particular attention to any evidence of ‘digital elites’ or a digital divide forming in the sector. Such research should always provide gender disaggregation of its findings. Current research in the overall NGO sector has actually raised more questions than it has answered as the research reports in this thesis demonstrate.

Key

• The establishing of no cost / low cost IT consultancy centres to assist NGOs (as in the ACT and across the USA) required in every state and territory providing access to comprehensive, competent, affordable, unbiased NGO and female sympathetic technical advice with ideally 24/7 support for volunteers working outside business hours.

• The facilitation of software and technology development appropriate to NGOs through government R & D grants with input from a diverse range of NGOs throughout the process. (This could be a market niche suitable for exploitation by Australian firms.)

• Expansion of the current universal service applicable to telephony to include digital communications technologies and legislated as a basic right for all.

• The policy of reduced rates to non profit organisations for telephony services be extended to Internet service provision.

• The extension beyond regional, rural and remote Australia of the 2003 Broadband Demand Aggregation Broker Program (NOIE, 2003a) offering funding to nonprofit and 310

community organisations (among others) to engage a broker who can assist them to better identify and meet their broadband requirements.

Access:

• Development of comprehensive and ongoing access strategies for both NGOs and the general population (especially women). • Provision of a diversity of means of access such as public facilities in schools, libraries, community centres etc.

Training:

• Develop train-the-trainer programme(s) that are gender sensitive, inclusive of all women including low income earners, women with disabilities, minorities and indigenous groups that can be customized to individual needs, differing skill levels from beginners (including basic computer training and technical problem solving) to technical "sysop" skills with provision for such training to be ongoing328. • Work with women's groups and individual women to develop mentoring programs. • Provision of women only Internet and training access points.

Digital Networking Support

• Develop a national forum (with ideally international ties) for networking, exploring, strengthening and expanding partnerships and joint activities to maximize existing resources, coordinate activities nationally and plan strategies to encourage electronic networking. Such a forum to also: o provide a clearinghouse for dissemination of information by all means including non electronic means and including both offline and online sources, information about technological and policy developments, government press releases, technical assistance, funding information and mentoring; and o produce a web portal to consolidate and disseminate the above information and women's / NGOs online resources. • Support women's NGOs networking, information and issue-based exchange through initiatives such as Pamela's List. • Instigate a women's / NGO Internet Conference on a regular basis.

328 The Federal government has a ‘train-the-trainer program’ for women with disabilities thus why not for NGOs to assist in strategic application of digital communications (cf., OSW ‘Australian Women’ document). 311

Policy329:

The instigation of policies is needed to facilitate Australian women / women’s NGOs access and strategic use of the Internet and associated technologies with acknowledgement they are of core significance to the future of women / women’s NGOs policy planning (as recognised in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action330).

In the first instance, systemic, catalytic and definite policies are needed rather than generalised ‘feel good’ statements. These policies need to be tied to significant practical support, programs and funding initiatives with performance indicators applied and outcomes clearly identified. All stakeholders must be aware of the import of gender with facilitation of the participation of all stakeholders in policy and development formation.

Specific measures include:

• Mandating that mainstreaming goals of incorporating systematic processes to ensure all policies, services and initiatives are evaluated for the benefits they provide to, their impact on, and their accessibility by women, are adhered to across all areas of government. • Accountability measures are established and the outcomes made available for public scrutiny with a body such as the OSW given overall responsibility for monitoring and regularly reviewing the process. • That body to provide information alerts on calls for policy input and submissions. • Ensuring the women’s policy arena is focussed on the implications of digital communications, undertakes to broaden women’s/NGOs access and proficiency; and is a major area of activity and focus for government policy with support for the continuance and expansion of the OSW work in this arena. Programs to remove stereotypical marketing campaigns, and the positioning of women as technophobic should be instigated. • The establishment of a national women’s sector information technology task force which includes a permanent consultancy process to foster close relationships and strengthen dialogue between government, policymakers and women’s NGOs at the local, regional and national levels, to determine strategies, projects and policy supportive of women's access and use of digital communications technology, and to assist in the lobbying for women’s / NGO inclusive policy. • The OSW to review women's policy structures to ensure they are effective and responsive to the new communications environment and promote best practice in the women’s policy arena.

329 A number of these policy recommendations had their genesis in suggestions from Judy Harrison, Convenor of Pamela's List (cf., Harrison, 1998). 330 The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action identified twelve critical areas of concern. A number of these are directly relevant to women’s access and utilisation of the Internet and digital communications technology. These include: addressing unequal access to education and training; addressing inequalities in the sharing of power and decision-making; mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women; overcoming stereotyping and promoting women’s access to and participation in all communication systems (http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/). 312

• The OSW to review information dissemination strategies across its and the women’s policy arena to ensure women's NGOs are fully informed regarding new technologies policy issues. • The encouragement of each State and Territories establishment of policies and initiatives to assist women and women's NGOs implementation of new technologies. • The support of initiatives such as Green PC331 with such initiatives extended to provide basic “no frills” equipment for NGOs.

Research:

Priority given to research:

• That specifically focuses on issues affecting women / women's NGOs issues, their needs, approaches to and use of the new technologies. • Specific to NGOs’ situation, uptake, connectivity and identification of their needs of the Internet and associated technologies to address the gaps in current knowledge and to support NGOs’ utilisation and strategic use. • That provides ongoing statistical tracking of levels of connectivity and strategic use of new technologies by non profit organisations to provide the basis for public sector planning, policy development and national co-ordination. • Into the benefits of information and communications technologies to the non-profit sector, how nonprofits apply the technology to engage in public policy participation and contribute to social capital building. • Into information and knowledge management practices within NGOs.

Funding:

• The provision of support that is ongoing for women's / NGO electronic networking through programs that support basic infrastructure funding and ISP costs, updates and advanced software and peripheral needs, web site establishment, and advanced IT projects. • establishment of a facility to link NGOs with funders, funding sources and grant opportunities providing email alerts on funding availability and deadlines. • the ‘wastage factor’ in this developmental period needs to be accepted in performance indicators for funding with less restrictive and more open performance indicators adopted. • providing funding support for a diversity of NGOs especially those with the least resources and special needs eg. aboriginal women, minority women and women with disabilities.

331 Green PC is a nonprofit enterprise established by Infoxchange Australia provides employment and training opportunities for unemployed people through refurbishing ex government and commercial computers. These computers are then available for purchase by people or nonprofit organisations who would otherwise not be able to afford a computer (cf., www.greenpc.com.au/). 313

• recognition in funding programs that women's NGOs are disadvantaged by the specific problems women face (less income, discretionary time etc). • explore the means of enabling the NGO sector to utilise the new information and communication technologies and provide examples of best practice to ameliorate funding and resource cuts to the NGO sector.

NB: You do not help women’s organisations get online by putting in place The Network Exchange of Women¹s Services e-news bulletin funded by money that would have gone to Australian women's NGOs! And it took until late 1998 / early 1999 for the federal government to set it up.

NGOs’ Action points:

To large extent NGOs are going to either do it for themselves given the federal government’s current economic rationalist stance and a political focus that is primarily interested in projects that will get rural, regional and remote Australia online or lobby hard for funding and policy support.

• Develop communication / IT protocols with mandated use wherever possible. • Ensure managerial policy and organisational culture supports digital communications and networking. • Set realistic IT goals. • Research the online resources and guides available. • Prioritise contributing to the formation of government IT policy and initiatives. • Work to involve young women who are more at home with the new technologies.

Lobbying of the IT industry is needed in the first instance to

• to encourage recognition of the huge market opportunities NGOs represent; and • to promote understanding of the distinct ethos and operational reality of the NGO sector.

In the second instance lobbying of the IT industry is needed for:

• the development of specialist software to meet NGOs specific needs; • donation/sponsorship to NGOs recognising their huge membership and ever growing influence; and • provision of ‘unbiased’ NGO friendly technical support.

Finally NGOs and the IT industry need to collaborate to dispel funding organisations’ misgivings about the value and importance of IT. This could be supported by:

• Donations of equipment and training to funding agencies as a method of increasing their appreciation of the importance of new technologies to NGOs and to increase their confidence in funding new technology initiatives. 314

What is not required are marketing campaigns targeted at NGOs by companies without any underlying understanding of NGOs needs or the products and services to meet those needs.

Ultimately significant funding, policy support, and infrastructure establishment support is needed which recognises the special needs of women's NGOs and the NGO sector. Without such support NGOs will continue to struggle in adopting and fully exploiting ICTs. Market forces on their own cannot realistically be relied on to provide convenient, affordable and universal access.

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CORRESPONDENCE:

Correspondence from WomenZnet 13.7.96

Correspondence from WIFT Australia to the AFC 25.9.96

Correspondence from WIFT Australia to Deakin University 7.8.96

Correspondence from Hilary Glow, AFC 6.3.96

Correspondence from Australia On Line to WIFT Australia 30.1.96

340

Correspondence from Kate Ingham, AFC TO WIFT Australia 12.12.95

Correspondence from Penny McDonald TO WIFT Australia 6.9.95

Correspondence from the AFC TO WIFT Australia 6.3.96

Correspondence from AMOS, Howard to WIFT Australia 17.8.95

Correspondence from WIF International Coordinating Committee, ‘WIFT International ‘Organisational Structure’, to WIFT Australia 26.6.94.

Correspondence (memo) from Schaffel, Lainie to Summit attendees 4.8.98

Conversation with C.B. - WIFT Queensland Treasurer

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