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History of Welink 1997 –
2007
by
June Lennie
The welink list came into
being on International Women’s Day on 8 March 1997. It was established
as part of a feminist action research project that aimed to enhance
rural women's access to interactive communication technologies (ICTs)
such as the internet. This project was conducted by a team of
researchers at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane,
Australia, in collaboration with a number of government and industry
organisations, and women participants from various regions in rural and
remote Queensland. I was one of the members of this research team and
now act as administrator of the list.
As part of the project, a
few participants in each of the ten regions where the project was
conducted were given modems and some financial support for online
charges. Hands on training with using the internet and email was also
provided during workshops and at the Queensland Rural Women’s Network’s
conference, held in Mareeba in North Queensland in October 1996.
The original purpose of
welink was to:
-
Provide rural women with
an electronic venue to explore the many ways in which communicating
and networking electronically may be of interest to them
-
Establish links between
rural women and urban women (and some men) with an interest in rural
women and communication issues.
-
Inform government and
industry policy on issues affecting rural women and ICTs.
-
Through these activities,
to contribute to ensuring that the voices of rural women and their
communities are heard, and that future policies will better address
their needs.
Nowadays, the main purpose
of the list is to maintain ongoing communication, networking and support
among the women in rural and urban areas who are members of the list.
Some of these women have been members since its inception while others
are new to the list.
Welink
was one of three online conversation groups established as part of the
research project. It built on the success of a smaller online group
called ‘wechat’ which involved women in rural Queensland, members of the
research team, and women representing the project’s industry partners.
All of the members of wechat were automatically subscribed to the welink
list which was open to a wider range of people, including women (and a
few men) from interstate and overseas countries. By November 1997 welink
had become a very active online group with 112 members (106 women and
six men). This level of membership was maintained for a number of years.
There are currently 55 members of the list, which is just as active as
ever. Members have lived in every state in Australia and in countries
such as Canada, the United States of America and Ireland.
Initially
there was some discussion among wechat members about their preference
for communicating via the small informal wechat list rather than the
potentially larger and less familiar welink list. However, by May 1997
the conversations conducted via wechat had dwindled to almost nothing
while welink had become a lively forum for an increasingly diverse
group, including those who had formerly contributed to wechat. A very
wide variety of topics were discussed in welink’s early period. They
included urban versus rural life, attitudes to feminism, rural community
development, agriculture and faming matters, the weather (especially the
drought), health (for example, experiences of breast cancer), education,
travel, movies and television, current affairs, and communication
technology issues (including poor quality phone and internet connections
in the bush). Several of these topics are still a regular feature of
conversations on welink today.
An evaluation of the
research project which I undertook as part of my PhD study, showed that
welink members valued the safe, friendly, supportive atmosphere of the
list, the personalised nature of the talk, the commonality with others
and the diversity within the group. They also appreciated the
opportunity to express their opinions, to share concerns and experiences
on a daily basis, to network with other women, and to have a direct
voice with government. A strong sense of community was developed, and
many welink members describe the list as being ‘like a family’.
Welink
was assessed as the most empowering of the various project activities.
However, I also identified some unintended effects of welink membership,
including some experiences of exclusion, and various other forms of
disempowerment. This seemed to be due to such things as a lack of
commonality with others, and a lack of skills, confidence and experience
with using computers and email. Many women also lacked time to
participate due to the many demands of their family, work and
community-related activities. This continues to be an issue for many
members.
The
continuing success of welink over the past 10 years can be attributed to
a number of factors. From the beginning, welink members were encouraged
to take ownership of the list and its activities and to decide what
topics would be discussed. List members were told that they were free to
chat about anything they wanted to without restrictions. However, while
contentious or politically hot issues have sometimes been discussed, the
general pattern has been to avoid them, so as to maintain the list’s
ethos of care and connection.
Welink’s
friendly, informal, welcoming atmosphere and the high level of trust
that has developed between the active members, are other important
success factors. When a new member joins the list they are encouraged to
send a short introduction. In response, existing members often send
information back about themselves. This adds to the personal nature of
the communication. Welink members often share their successes and
receive congratulations and support from others on the list. Several
members have gone on the build their own websites and to have achieved
formal recognition for their work with rural and regional communities.
The following message captures these aspects of welink well:
Congratulations, Kate,
Liz and Nan on your community websites. It seems to me that the founders
of Welink should be excited when they hear of the IT programs and websites
that members such as Kate and Liz and Nan (I hope I haven't missed anyone)
have developed for their communities... And when you think of it, also the
strength of the support in welink - personal, political (by lobbying and
petitioning) and social.
We have an empowering movement here.
Wheeeeee. Everyone pat their backs.
(welink message 19
August 2006)
Some members also regularly
communicate with other members on a one to one basis. This further
contributes to the development of close and friendly relationships
between welink members. Several welinkers from various parts of
Australia and overseas have also now met each other face to face on
several occasions. One very active member from Canada has visited
Australia twice, meeting many welink members during her stay, which was
playfully dubbed ‘The Royal Tour’.
From
my own perspective, being a part of welink has been a wonderful
experience. Given the strength of the relationships that have developed
and the clear need that it meets, I believe the welink group will
continue for many years to come.
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