Aren't There More Important Things Than A Website For A Poor Rural Village?
from the it-takes-a-village... dept
Technology clearly has a place in helping poorer areas of the world lift themselves up -- but too often it seems like technology isn't used in any strategic fashion, but simply because it's there. That's why it was nice to see India at least recognize that there may be more important things to focus on instead of just handing everyone a $100 laptop. However, one village in rural India seems awfully excited that they've now got their very own website, despite the fact that almost no one in the village has surfed the internet. The website was built by a former villager who left the village to become a web designer. There's nothing wrong with building the village a website, and perhaps opening up new avenues for commerce and communication within the village -- but it seems like some villagers are expecting this one website to do a lot more than it's likely to do. One farmer announces that the website "will be a revolution." Others believe that the website will force the government not to ignore the village any more. They almost sound like companies when they first put up websites a decade ago and simply assumed the world would beat a mouse-driven path to their door. Having a website is nice, but it is not the solution to all of the village's problems -- and having people in the village think so may simply add to the problems the village faces.
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small step, lead to bigger steps
However, it seems that a lot of interest has been generated from those who live the village. Of course, they may not understand what a website does, or can do to help them gain some interest from the outside world. At the least, it seems to give them "hope" that their goverment will listen to their needs.
Who knows, the website might inspire the young in the village to take up IT and educate themselves. At the end of the day, we all have to start from somewhere. So good for them, I hope that get the interest they need.
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Re: small step, lead to bigger steps
They make fun pf people like us you know but, let them. How awful it must be to wake up every day with an "Oh my God, it's another morning!" whereas I wake up with a "Thank god, it's another morning!"
Better be nice to even the small villages in India. They are already outbidding us ( along with China ) for goods and services that only a few years ago, we assumed were ours, and ours alone.
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Maybe not...
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Rural village?
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Re: Rural village?
In technical terms a village is simply smaller than a town.
To say a "rural village" is quite valid.
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Re: Rural village?
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Proof is in the pudding...
- Peter
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Re: Proof is in the pudding...
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Re: Re: Proof is in the pudding...
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Re: English & internet penetration in India
India fourth largest Internet user [in the world] I hope this answers your question, AC #5
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But being connected does give the villagers an opportunity to explore the rest of the world. Maybe someone will find a job. Maybe somr farmer will find a way to increase crop yield. Maybe some mother will find a doctor for her sick child. You never know. Also, not all villages in India are poor. Many villages I've been to have sattellite tv and MTV, so seeing a website isnt all that surprising.
Like already stated, it won't solve all their problems, but its a start, hopefully for the better.
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Re:
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It will help
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I agree
But, these tend ot be rare and special occurences, and at the heart of it, there tends to be someone entrepeneur from a G8 country pulling the strings and turning these situations into a business model using cheap labour to turn a tidy profit off of those struggling to live.
In reality, Intenet is a luxury and once a country has the necessary infrastructure to provide safe water, food clothing and shelter, as well as political stability, then you can start to focus on education and infromation services. Education DOES NOT improve a childs life if they can't survive long enough to finish school. Most people assume that once a child gets a good enough education, they can solve their countries problems, but if those problems prevent the child from being healthy, then school/education/Internet is not the immediate solution.
I have been largely dismayed by the assumption that all a poor country needs is $100 laptops and Internet access and they will be fine. Its like saying, here is a bandaid, cure world hunger, cure AIDS, cure drought with it, but don't bug us once we give you access.
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I'm not opposed to them getting laptops, but the priorities should be straight. Although - there's a good chance if they can get to the web they may learn some new farming techniques. They may also learn the true depths of human stupidity, lol.
You know - seriously - some stuff to improve daily living and perhaps one computer the community could use might just do the trick.
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what about internet access?
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Re:
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Lame...
Instead of filling these peoples heads with grandiose websites, why don't they develop/generate real revenue (i.e. farm equipment, schools, utilities, etc).
Perhaps training the villagers in some sort of skill that they can really utilize.
So they have a website...big deal. I know lots of village websites...all they do is sit there or act as a communication among the villagers. It hardly changes anything other than knowing when the town meetings are.
I wonder what the web designer charged the government for developing the site?
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Mixed feelings...
At the same time it could be argued that the money could have just gone straight to the things I just listed. Maybe the site was created under the "Give a man a fish..." notion.
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We know about it now.
They got a few people's attention though, that's for sure.
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Website for rural village
I think it's a good idea and I also think it's a wonderful gift from their prodigal son.
It's too bad that some of you out there can't see the forest for the tiny bits of dirt on the bark...
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Re: Website for rural village
Clearly there is a cultural bias to your argument.
What does this town need a website or $100 laptops?
Answer: neither.
They need infrastructure, sewage, clean water, electricity, revenue, etc.
No one cares about the website but the site developer and that guy who thinks a revolution is around the corner.
Shelter, eating, shiting, domesticating...these are the things that are important to the poverty stricken. Not porn, Ebay, and Techdirt.
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Website for rural village
I think it's a good idea and I also think it's a wonderful gift from their prodigal son.
It's too bad that some of you out there can't see the forest for the tiny bits of dirt on the bark...
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The Bull
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Website for villages
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A website?
Extraordinary. "It will open new avenues of communication and commerce within the village". Really? When most of the villagers probably can't even read?
"Website's (sic) bring education..." By what mechanism, precisely, do they do that? Don't you have to see a website (and be able to read it) to be educated by it?
Maybe the prodigal son should go back and teach them not to put waste in their water supply, teach them how to manage their land to be more productive and maybe teach them how to make something that others may want to buy. Then they can pass those skills onto their children, and perhaps give them some real hope, not the false, cargo-cult hope brought by something they probably don't even really understand.
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Again with the unfounded assumptions
"When most of the villagers probably can't even read?"
You have no evidence for that and, according to the article, are probably wrong. Even if 'most' couldn't read, there's clearly a young and aware segment of the community. Yes, they want more reliable electricity and cleaner water, but I live in Los Angeles and I want the same things.
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Re: Again with the unfounded assumptions
Could you use a $100.00 laptop?
How about a website?
These are guaranteed to get get you both electricity and water.
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Re: Again with the unfounded assumptions
I don't know if you've been to India. "Poor rural village" probably does mean destitute.
With average male and female literacy rates in Haryana (where the village of Hansdehar is located) less than 80% and 57% respectively, perhaps some of them could read a website (probably not in English, though), if their average income of 10,000 to 13,000 rupees (1 rupee is about $0.02, so these people make $260 per year) supported their buying a computer of any sort.
Nope, a website isn't the way to prosperity for the villagers of Hansdehar. They need a blog! Maybe even one of the 2.0 variety.
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Re: Re: Again with the unfounded assumptions
OOOh, and RFID, it solves all problems. Just think, the residents could be tracked 24x7 by their RFID implants, and that data could be loaded into their blog (that they cant even read cause they dont actually have computers).
Now THAT would raise them from destitution.
/sarcasm
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websites for villages - rural or not
A village web site can hint to a future social-economic-business model where a nation (a concept relatively new) will one day disappear ... a village (town, city) is all you need ... we're back to the nation-city (1400s) economic model ...
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missing the point
give them the chance to exchange information with the rest of the world and they will start to want the things that will improve their lives.
instead of us telling them what they need, they will figure it out for themselves and demand what is needed among themselves.
what would happen to North Korea if we could drop a million laptops with internet access all over the country? they would figure out that they've been lied to for generations and overthrow their government.
oppresive governments remain oppresive because they control information. unleash the truth, stand back, and watch the bullets fly. who is more likely to succeed? the person who needed help to get out of the hole, or the person who figured out how to get out on thier own?
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Current village problems:
Power Supply
Power distribution timings are not stable and power cuts happen abruptly. The condition of electric wires is awesome and needs to be replaced at a number of places.
Un-employment
There are a number of unemployed youth.
-E
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Urban Village
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Yup...
I haven't seen it but let me guess the contents:
- Text of life in a poor village.
- Pictures of a poor village.
- Pictures of poor people swatting flys in a poor village.
Gee, now what. They'll still be poor and they'll still have a very bad fly problem.
Is it just me, cuz I find no value at all in any of this.
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no wonder
Hargurnaz Singh
Webmaster
Jalandhar Mag - Yellow pages directory
Crispyweb - the Indian Multi Search Engine
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