This seems obvious, but I'm amazed at how often the confusion comes up - I see it particularly in knowledge management, but I'm sure other people see it elsewhere. Either an 'online space' or 'database' seem to be the cure for any problem, from poor project management to insufficient administrative capacity. This is definitely not to dismiss the value of a great website, database, or social media strategy. All of these things can be fabulous, if they are doing what the organization needs. Often, however, something 'digital' is brought in to fill the gap when an organization doesn't know what it wants, or doesn't know how to be effective. Buckets of money are poured at building snazzy things that an organization doesn't really need or can't really use. Meanwhile, simple things that work if used well, are overlooked.
For some reason, 'technical' things, perhaps because they feel both hip and complicated at the same time, seem to be exempt from asking fundamental questions an organization would usually ask of any other project. Mostly, 'what do we want to do', and 'how is this actually going to help us accomplish it?'
Problems in development organisations are rarely never technical, but changing the tool seems easier than changing the user. Drowning in a sea of email doesn't happen because email is inherently problematic….people use it badly, and constantly reply all, don't reply at all, or subscribe to a gazillion listserves. Sometimes, setting (and then enforcing, and then continuing to enforce) some simple guidelines is a better (and far cheaper) solution than an elaborate intranet system, only a small fraction of which would actually get used (and possibly also used badly!). Things like making sure everyone understands and uses google filters can do more for managing information than elaborate intranets.
This is even more true of digital campaigns. It is absolutely true that the face of campaigning is changing quickly, as technology lets organisations reach more people directly. Obviously, this is changing the way your average NGO goes about building a constituency. Too often, the results of fumbling through these changes are neglected facebook pages, mass emails that reach the wrong people, or a form to collect peoples contact information online, without sufficient thought on how it will be used. Before another organization has another online action, everyone should stop, ask and answer 'what do we want to do', and 'how is this actually going to help us accomplish it?'
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