New association will help networking in Chile

He believes that the new international association will be a big help in convincing funders of the value of community networking.

"It will give credibility, and I hope the clearinghouse of information will be useful in developing a management structure for a new non profit body," he said.

"We have Internet Service Providers, and a schools network in Chile, but there is nothingto provide other users with useful content and conferencing.

"In Chile, people are unwilling to pay a high price for this type of service, so I will have to fund-raise. I will be the first volunteer!"

As well as running the university Internet services, Giovanni has managed a bulletin board system -- so he feels he has the technical expertise to develop a network.

When he returns from the community networking conference to Chile, he will research different technical options, and start drafting a funding proposal.

He added: "I feel I have got two things from the conference. I feel much more powerful in trying to build a community network in Chile -- and community networking is a good subject for the main paper I must present in my final examinations."

gmorchio@uvimar.cl
http://www.uvimar.cl/gmorchio