Elizabeth Mwambui
Conservation 2.0: Leveraging social media for fundraising in
Kenya – the case of WildlifeDirect
Thesis Submitted to
Malmo University
For the
Masters in Communication for Development
“We hold in trust, for now and tomorrow, the responsibility for protection and conservation of Kenya's extraordinary natural wealth, as represented by its fauna, flora and natural beauty.”
Mission Statement of the Kenya Wildlife Service1
"Our country has a natural resource based economy, and a significant population of this country relies on the health of the environment to survive. We are thus obligated to protect our environment so that it can continue sustaining our basic needs, our livelihoods and the national
economy... The time to take action was yesterday!" Iregi Mwenja, WildlifeDirect Blogger2
"One has to ask the question: is Kenya really Kenya without its wildlife?" Jeremy Hance3.
“Having spent a lifetime creating protected areas, and fighting poaching and habitat destruction, I am convinced that it is inadequate funding that is the major challenge that we must
overcome in order to secure the world’s endangered species and wilderness places. To achieve this, we invite the world to help.” Dr. Richard Leakey, WildlifeDirect4
"If the First World wants the Third World to continue to have wildlife - it's going to have to pay for it." Tom Hill, Trustee of the Maasailand Preservation Trust5.
"I believe social media will become as ubiquitous to development offices as is the phone, direct mail, and email. In the next decades, we’ll see rapid adoption of social media for many
nonprofit purposes, including fundraising (...) Beth Kanter6.
1
State corporation with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife conservation in Kenya. It has the sole jurisdiction over 26 national parks and oversight role in the management of 33 national reserves and private sanctuaries. Not all of Kenya‟s wildl ife is found within protected areas. Some is on community (trust) land and privately owned land.
2
Iregi Mwenja: An Emerging African Conservation Leader Retrieved on 26 March 2010 from http://baraza.wildlifedirect.org/2010/03/26/iregi-mwenja-an-emerging-african-conservation-leader/
3
Kenya's pain, part two: decades of wildlife decline exacerbated by drought. October 20, 2009. Retrieved on 15 July 2010 from http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1020-hance_kenya_two.html
4
Word From Richard Leakey. Retrieved on 30 March 2010 from http://wildlifedirect.org/about/word-from-richard-leakey/
5
Saving Africa's Lions. Retrieved on 15 July 2010 from http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2008/10/saving-africas-lions.html
6
The Right Way to use Social Media for Fundraising: Wildlife Direct Retrieved on 15 July 2010 from
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Description of terms
1. Introduction and conceptual framework
2. Existing research
3. Theories and methodology
4. Analysis of findings
5. Emerging picture
6. Discussion of results
7. Conclusion
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to WildlifeDirect particularly Dr. Paula Kahumbu for the opportunity to study this innovative approach to conservation funding; the blogging community on wildlifedirect.org, which provided rich material for this research; the individual bloggers - on the platform and in other locations - who made time to talk to me either personally or electronically; the donors who responded to the online survey; and the conservation practitioners interviewed. Without them this research would not have been possible. I am grateful to SPIDER for the travel grant
provided through the University of Malmo, which enabled me to conduct interviews in Kenya. I thank my supervisor Kristoffer Gansing and teachers and students of COMDEV 08 for a
wonderful learning experience these past two years. The Kenya Forests Working Group, East African Wildlife Society, Nature Seychelles and the larger conservation community have all provided me with an incredible engagement with conservation that has in no doubt shaped this study. I have also benefited from the experiences shared by others who are adopting and shaping technologies for social change.
Description of Terms
Social media is the array of digital tools such as instant messaging, text messaging, blogs,
videos, and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace that are inexpensive and easy to use. Social media enable people to create their own stories, videos, and photos and to manipulate them and share them widely at almost no cost. (Kanter & Fine 2010:5)
Conservation is the rational and prudent management of biological resources to achieve the
greatest sustainable current benefit while maintaining the potential of the resources to meet the needs of future generations (...) includes preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilization, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment.7
Wildlife - Living things that are neither human nor domesticated, commonly used to refer to
fauna8.
Wildlife conservation - A series of measures required to maintain or restore the natural habitats
and the populations of species of wild fauna and flora at a favourable status.9
Fauna: All of the animals found in a given area.10
Flora: All of the plants found in a given area.11
Natural resources: Resources supplied by nature.12
Biodiversity - Life, the world, the variation of life for the entire globe.13
ICTs - Information and Communication Technologies
7 Source: http://www.ecoagriculture.org/page.php?id=65&name=Glossary 8 Source: http://www.ecoagriculture.org/page.php?id=65&name=Glossary 9 Source: http://glossary.eea.europa.eu/terminology/terminology/concept_html?term=wildlife%20conservation 10 Source: http://www.ecoagriculture.org/page.php?id=65&name=Glossary 11 Source: http://www.ecoagriculture.org/page.php?id=65&name=Glossary 12 Source: http://www.ecoagriculture.org/page.php?id=65&name=Glossary 13 Source: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/biodiversity/what_is_biodiversity/
Abstract
Social media - Blogs, social networks (Facebook), micro-blogging (Twitter), You Tube, Flickr, Maps, and Mashups (combinations) - have changed the way we work and communicate. Social media are experiencing explosive growth rates and new prominence, not only in the lives of individuals but as tools in democratic processes and social change (Clark 2009, Gilmor 2004). Social media have been used for democratic campaigns in the US (Obama14), reporting natural disasters (Haiti15, Tsunami16), responding to conflict and democratic crises (Kenya17, Iran18, Burma19) emergency fundraising (Haiti20) and others. Activists, NGOs and those in the development field are also using social media for social change. They offer a multiplicity of channels, easier and cheaper creation of content, and allow local and global linkages for those in this field.
An innovative example of how social media are being used for fundraising is WildlifeDirect, a group of conservation blogs. Started in 2004 and registered in Kenya and USA as a not for profit organization, it provides an opportunity to secure funds for wildlife conservation through online giving, while at the same time providing a forum for like-minded people to discuss wildlife conservation. Limited funding for conservation contributes, alongside poaching, severe climatic conditions, and reduction of the conservation area, to declines in wildlife and habitats. Kenya has a natural resource-based economy, and its people depend on the environment for basic needs. Conservation of these resources and funding to carry it out is a key concern for Government, NGOs and Communities. WildlifeDirect has collaborated with organizations to help boost conservation funds by providing a platform through which people can support conservation.
14
According to the Washington post, for the 2008 US elections, 2 million profiles were created on MyBarackObama.com, and Obama had 5 million supporters in other socnets. He maintained a profile in more than 15 online communities Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/11/20/obama_raised_half_a_billion_on.html Retrieved on 18 January 2010
15
After an earthquake devastated Haiti, social media became the medium in which everybody spread the word. Source: http://mashable.com/2010/01/17/social-media-political-impact/ Retrieved on 18 January 2010
16
Within hours of the Southeast Asian earthquake and tsunami, bloggers created the SEA-EAT Blog & Wiki to send out information Source: http://desirableroastedcoffee.com/2006/04/the_2004_tsunam.html Retrieved on 18 January 2010
17
Eg. Ushahidi.com a mash-up that was used to crowd-source crisis information during the 2008 election crisis in Kenya
18
One of the striking aspects of the Iran Election crisis has been the heavy use of social media, says Mashable, the Social Media Guide. http://mashable.com/2009/06/21/iran-election-timeline/ Retrieved on 18 January 2010
19 When Burmese monks took to the streets during the „Saffron uprising‟ of August 2007, fearless amateur video journalists used
concealed video cameras to take footage and smuggled it out of the country by courier or internet upload Source: http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Beating-Burma-s-blackout Retrieved on 18 January 2010
20
By 18 Jan 2009, The Red Cross text messaging and Twiter and Facebook viral campaign had raised nearly $20 million for Haiti relief. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/01/17/haiti-20-million/ on 18 January 2010
My involvement with WildlifeDirect begun some years ago when I started using this platform to blog and to fundraise for the organization I worked for - the Kenya Forests Working Group (part of the East African Wildlife Society). I am still today part of WildlifeDirect community,
currently blogging at savingparadise.wildlifedirect.org. Through my involvement I have
witnessed firsthand how this media is being utilised to spread awareness and to fundraise. I also became aware of the challenges intrinsic in the choice of blogs for fundraising.
My study’s principal purpose therefore is to explore the benefits of social media, while looking at its challenges. It places this effort within the context of conservation funding and
improvements in the ICTs environment in Kenya.
A limited number of research and theories shape this emerging and rapidly shifting media. Because the social/new media field keeps evolving, it is difficult to find a theoretical framework for its analysis. (Hassan and Thomas (eds) 2006:xviii). The study has therefore assumed that the media landscape has changed and attempted not to take an old versus new stance whose
discourse found in most literature has been critiqued (by authors such as Holmes 2005).
Instead, the dialectical view advanced by Fuchs is considered. In his seminal work, Internet and Society, Fuchs (2008) notes that the research field of ICT&S (Information and Communication Technologies and Society) deals with two interconnected aspects – society and technology.
Fuchs posits that the relation of the two is inherently dynamic; the two are mutually connected and have constructive effects onto each other. Fuchs avoids the technological determinist view that sees technology as the driving force of society or the social shaping approaches, which consider technology as being invented, designed, changed, and used by humans and influenced by an overall societal context. Fuchs concludes that neither is appropriate because both have deterministic understandings of technology and society. On the one hand, ICTs are embedded into social systems and overall society; social forces and relations shape them. On the other hand, ICTs enable and constrain human social action. This relationship is an endless dynamical evolving loop (2008:345). Within the development field, there has been an equal application of optimism – (ICTs as freeing and democratising) and pessimism (ICTs as isolationist and elitists).
A middle ground has however begun to emerge, one that sees the potential of ICTs while acknowledging their shortcomings. Case studies of how ICTs influence societies and how societies are shaping ICTs are also beginning to emerge (e.g Ushahidi and Mpesa in Kenya).
The study is limited to Kenya although WildlifeDirect has blogs from the rest of Africa, Latin America and Asia. The following broad questions were asked:
1. What impact has social media had on fundraising for conservation?
2. Can it be an alternative to traditional sources or help in diversification of sources of funding?
3. Can it address the sustainability question?21
4. What attracts donations – species, language, relationships, transparency, location?
5. To what extent are the blogs affecting policies, publics and mainstream media?
6. What offline communication practices are bloggers engaged in, if any?
7. Is social media replacing traditional media? Are they used together?
8. What are the inherent power positions in peer to peer giving? and
9. An exploration of the technology – its freedoms and limitations, the state and media regulations, and who governs new media.
The study found that WildlifeDirect is an innovative platform. It has appropriated a relatively new technology for its use. It has had relative success in fundraising, has provided a voice for conservationists, and has served as alternative media bringing news about species and
conservation areas from people working directly in the field. It is used to advocate for important issues affecting wildlife conservation. Success in fundraising has not been across the board, bringing the issue of return on investment of using the technology to the fore. Connectivity is still a challenge in rural areas even with the introduction of the fibre optics cable and so is transacting with Africa. Even then, bloggers acknowledge the role the blogs play for their publicity and raising profiles.
21
In the context of donor-funded development programs and projects, sustainability can be defined as the continuation of benefits after major assistance from a donor has been completed. AusAID, Promoting Practical Sustainability, Commonwealth of Australia, 2000. Quoted by Pact Kenya in a presentation - Organizational Sustainability - made at the KCSSP – Resource Mobilization Training Workshop held in Nairobi. December 2007
1. Introduction
Kenya's image as a safari wilderness is an enduring one. Adventurers and hunters (Ernest Hemmingway), Hollywood films (Out of Africa) and documentaries (BBC Big Cat Diary), national campaigns (Magical Kenya), magazines, postcards, all have contributed to promote the image that sends millions of tourists into the country22. In the financial year 2006/2007, tourism accounted for 20 per cent of government income and the Kenya Wildlife Service posted record revenues of $28 million in 2006/200723. Not surprisingly, Kenya’s diverse wildlife and natural resources play an important role in its economy, with wildlife-driven tourism being one of the sectors expected to deliver a 10 percent economic growth rate per annum by the country’s blue print for growth - the Vision 203024. Apart from economic value, wildlife also has socio-cultural, aesthetic and scientific value for Kenya and the world. Thus, conservation is also carried out for conservation’s sake: ―the project of wildlife conservation in Africa is of major importance to biodiversity, its international protectors, African states, and, most important, to the African peoples.‖25
However, there is a decline in wildlife and habitats.26 Growth in human population, conversion of wildlife areas to agriculture, severe climatic conditions, poaching, and funding for the management of wildlife are the causes of the decline. Wildlife populations throughout Kenya - inside as well as outside the national parks - have declined by 40 percent from 1977 to 1997.27 A 2009 study of wildlife decline in the Maasai Mara - one of tourism’s money-spinners - by the Nairobi based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), recorded a severe decline between 1989 and 2003 of a number of species.28 And a July 2010 study of Africa's national parks that includes the Mara and Serengeti in Tanzania shows populations of large mammals
22
Wildlife based tourism accounts for about 75 per cent of all tourist visitors to Kenya. Source: Early Recovery of Nature-Based Tourism Good for Kenya and Good for Biodiversity Says UNEP Head. Retrieved on 15 July 2010 from
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=528&ArticleID=5756&l=en
23
Ibid
24
Kenya Vision 2030 available for download at
http://www.safaricomfoundation.org/fileadmin/template/main/downloads/Kenya_VISION_2030-final_report-October_2007.pdf
25
Africa, Africanists, and Wildlife Conservation. Peter J. Rogers. African Studies Review 48.1 (2005) 143-153 Retrieved on 1 June 2010 from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/african_studies_review/v048/48.1rogers.html
26 See Kenya‟s Wildlife in Steep Decline. Retrieved on 22 November 2009 from
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/22/kenya-wildlife.html
27
University of California - San Diego (2009, July 16). Kenya's National Parks Not Free From Wildlife Declines. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 22, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2009/07/090707201216.htm
28 Kenya‟s Wildlife in Steep Decline. AFP. Retrived on 22 November 2009 from
declined by up to 59 per cent. These parks, visited by thousands of tourists each year need urgent efforts to secure their future and their role in tourism, the study says.29
A global trend
Loss of biodiversity (species, habitats and ecosystems) is being experienced globally and is occurring more rapidly than previously thought.30 The United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity in 2002 in an attempt to halt this loss. Governments that are signatories to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) agreed to a 2010 target by which to save biodiversity. The target was integrated into the Millennium Development Goals in 2007 to give it further impetus. Scientists already say that the 2010 target is unlikely to be met.31 There is thus a renewed urgency to save biodiversity. In July this year the largest public environmental fund, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), approved major reforms aimed at improving access to funds by developing countries to meet international environmental challenges.32
How much does conservation cost?
Wildlife is expensive and has significant public and private costs. The costs of wildlife
conservation to the Kenyan government alone are considerable; a 1998 estimate by Emerton put direct expenditure required to manage the wildlife estate in excess of US$ 25 million (1998:2). This does not include the costs to communities that harbour wildlife and costs incurred by the varied players involved in conservation. For instance the fence around the Aberdare
conservation area that took 21 years to build through an effort spearheaded by conservation NGO Rhino Ark has cost upwards of Kshs. 750 Million (approximately $10Million) and costs about Kshs. 10 million to maintain annually.33 Ironically, despite the money wildlife generates, in general, little money is availed to fund government operations in the sector (Emmerton 1998:1) or ploughed back into conservation.34 This is because there are huge demands for resources for various sectors in developing countries. As resources are distributed according to the perceived
29
Zoological Society of London (2010, July 13). Africa's national parks hit by mammal declines. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/07/100712141851.htm
30
Statistics from the IUCN Red List 2009 indicate that a minimum of 16,928 species are threatened with extinction: 21% of mammals, 12% of birds, 31% of reptiles, 30% of amphibians and 37% of fish globally are threatened. Retrieved on 25 June 2010 from http://www.countdown2010.net/biodiversity
31
Global Environment Outlook-3, 2010
32
38th GEF Council Approves Major Reforms in New Funding Cycle Retrieved on 9 July 2010 from http://www.thegef.org/gef/node/3363 on 9 July 2010
33 Chairman‟s View. Arkive, the Newsletter of Rhino Ark. Vol. 35. November 2009. Pg 3.
34 Rhino Ark‟s Chair Colin Church says the costs of the fence have been borne by donations to Rhino Ark and inadequate funds
importance of the service, public services such as health, water, education and security get the bigger share (Ruhiu 2004:2). Conservation and research receive least priority. (Ruhiu 2004:3).
Who funds conservation/how do organizations fund conservation
Funding for conservation in Kenya comes from diverse sources: the government (direct spending mostly to KWS), multilateral and bilateral donors (e.g USAID, SIDA/Sweden, EU) UN
Agencies (UNDP, UNEP), Charities, Trusts and Foundations (e.g Ford Foundation),
International NGOs (e.g WWF), private sector (e.g Safaricom), Endowments (e.g Community Development Trust Fund), Legacies and individual philanthropists.
Conservation spending is said to be less than 1 percent of Overseas Development Aid to Africa (Scholfield et al 2009:28), but is still a big part of spending for countries such as Kenya. The World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are some of the big donors. As of 5 July 2010, GEF had allocated US$ 8,350,000 for biodiversity projects in Kenya and US$ 4,000,000 for climate change projects.35 The EU and the government partnered to provide funds for the environment through ―basket funding‖ to the Community Development Trust Fund. Its allocation to the environment facility (running from 1 April 2006 to 31 December 2012) is Euros 8
million.36 These funds are available to NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs).
The non-government sector is the focus of this study. NGOs, community groups, and the individual conservationist are the main partners of WildlifeDirect.
Typically conservation NGOs receive funds from some of the above sources but also generate funds through membership fees (e.g Nature Kenya, Friends of Kinangop) and legacies (e.g East African Wildlife Society- EAWLS,) special events (e.g Rhino Ark, Born Free), and income generating activities such as eco-apparel (e.g Wildlife Works). There have also been attempts to tap into online fundraising. Rhino Ark has used the online service Just Giving (Fast Giving in the USA) to help participants to fundraise for the Aberdare fence since 2002.37 The actor Edward
35
Source: Country Profile for Kenya http://www.gefonline.org/Country/CountryDetails.cfm
36
See http://www.delken.ec.europa.eu/en/information.asp?MenuID=4&SubMenuID=52&ThirdmenuID=31
37
Norton used Crowdrise to help the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust raise $1Million during the Maasai Marathon campaign.38
Blogging and Internet use in Kenya
The Internet became available in Kenya in 1993. In 1995, the first commercial ISP started operations. By the end of 1995, there was a reported 100 Internet users in the Nairobi area, and 3,000 by the end of 1996.39 In 2010, there is a reported 3 Million plus Kenyans using the
Internet.40 This number is expected to increase because of the laying of fibre optic cables and the growth of the mobile web.
“Testing the Seacom fibre optic cable in Mombasa, and this is on steroids! Last time I had Internet this fast, I was in Germany!”
The comments above, extracted from blogs, are part of a news item on the commissioning of an undersea fibre optic cable that links Kenya and eastern Africa to the rest of the world posted on the Daily Nation’s website.41
It is not surprising that Kenyan bloggers were among the first to be excited by this development. Blogging has been very active in Kenya. According to Rotich and Goldstein Kenya has perhaps the richest blogging tradition in sub-Saharan Africa (2008: 8). An Alexa ranking42 used by blogger Moses Kemibaro43 shows that the popular free blogging platform Blogger had more traffic than both the websites for the Daily Nation and East African Standard. At the widely tweeted and blogged March 2010 Pan-African Media conference in Nairobi, President Kibaki acknowledged the advent of citizen journalism made possible by Social media.44
The first Kenyan blogger launched his personal blog Mental Acrobatics in March 2003 and with it, the Kenyan Blogs Webring, which tracks hundreds of blogs with an aggregator and the
38
http://www.crowdrise.com/edwardnorton
39
Overview of the Internet in Kenya - The African Internet & Telecom Summit Banjul, The Gambia 5-9 June 2000 Retrieved on 6 July 2010 from http://www.itu.int/africainternet2000/countryreports/ken_e.htm
40
The exact figure is 3,359,600 as of June 2009 Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/africa.htm#ke
41
Internet flurry as Kenya goes live on Seacom cable Retrieved on 1 July 2010from http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/629306/-/ul2ena/-/index.html
42
Alexa is a tool used to rank web site traffic. The lower the Alexa ranking number the more heavily visited the site. See: http://www.alexa.com/
43
in a presentation about Citizen Journalism made for the Kenya ICT Board Media Workshop on 23rd April 2010
44
Media Conference kicks off in Nairobi. Retrieved on 20 March 2010 from
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Aga%20Khan%20to%20set%20up%20media%20institute%20in%20East%20Africa/-/1056/881900/-/wgm6xw/-/index.html
KayBees awards for bloggers.45 Blogs are on current affairs and politics, with writers voicing frustration at poor governance, corruption and divisive politics. These gained prominence prior to, during and after the 2007 elections by providing updates on the election and the crisis after. They include Mzalendo (The Patriot, part of a website of the same name) on parliamentary accountability; and Kenyan Pundit, a blog by Ory Okolloh of the crowd-sourcing platform, Ushahidi (www.ushahidi.com) used during the post 2007 election period to report incidents of violence via SMS and the Internet, which when mapped helped to show what was going on.46
Other blogs comment on technological development such as iHub Nairobi - a place to share technological ideas sponsored by among others Hivos, Google and Nokia.47 Tech blogs include Wanjiku’s take (www.wanjiku.co.ke) and White African (www.whiteafrican.com). Blogs on the environment currently on the Kenyan Blogs Webring include Kenyaforests.blogspot.com of the Kenya Forest Service and http://kenvironews.wordpress.com/.48
A good example of online fundraising came in the wake of the 2008 election crisis. Ethan Zuckerman writes that Mama Mikes (www.mamamikes.com), an online business that accepts payments via the web and delivers goods to addresses within Kenya started offering diaspora Kenyans the opportunity to give online and purchase relief materials that the staff delivered to displaced persons camps. Mama Mikes then documented the materials purchased on their staff blog, thanking donors by name and documenting their trip to the camps ―to add transparency to the relief efforts and reassure donors in the diaspora that goods were reaching people in need.‖49
Kenya is adopting technology. Case studies - Ushahidi (Goldstein & Rotich 2008, Okolloh 2009), Mobile use in citizen media (Mobile Active/Usaid/Pact 2008) tend to support the idea that they have the potential for citizen journalism, promoting collaborative activities such as crowd sourcing information and driving social change.
45 http://www.kenyaunlimited.com/ 46 See http://legacy.ushahidi.com/ 47 http://www.ihub.co.ke 48
List was gathered via the feed http://www.kenyaunlimited.com/feed.php accessed on 5 July 2010.
49
Kenya: Citizen Media in a time of crisis Retrieved from
2. Existing Research on use of Social Media for fundraising/Online giving
The existing research - not specific to conservation - can be grouped into the following areas:- Social media use in Kenya
- Online giving in developed countries
- Use of online giving by non-profits and benchmarking of impacts
- Surveys of donors – why they give and power relations in peer to peer giving - Use of social media for advocacy
a) Social Media in Kenya
A number of studies show how New Media and ICTs are affecting the lives of Kenyans. The latest (2010) is a national survey from market research company Synovate on access and usage. The study suggests that the "digital divide" has began to narrow with growth, driven by the low end of the market, witnessed more in rural than urban areas. The survey describes the digital divide in terms of current monthly usage, potential users (especially those with mobile phones and some secondary or above education) and those that are completely cut off (low levels of education, are older, no access to phone, mainly live in rural areas and are in the lower income groups). It concludes that there is significant interest in the Internet with half the non-users saying they would use it if it was available, but three out of ten Kenyans may never use the Internet because of literacy level, age and attitudinal barriers. It shows that access to the Internet on mobile phones is growing at the expense of the public access routes. This is more visible in the rural areas. Social networking and entertainment tops the list for what Kenyans are doing online. 2 million50 are said to be on Facebook (where they also support various causes. One of the largest groups is "Half a Million Kenyans Unite Against Greed of Kenyan Mp's (salaries)" which currently has 18,838 members.51) The study concludes that Internet users are reaching out to get higher quality and more varied content.
50
But, Synovate was criticised by bloggers for this figure - Facebook at the time gave the figure of Kenyans on its site at over half a million. See comments left on Moses Kemibaro‟s Synovate‟s research on Internet usage in Kenya at
http://www.moseskemibaro.com/2010/02/12/synovates-research-on-internet-usage-in-kenya/ and the blogger at
http://mboizmnoma.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/kenya-has-2-million-facebooks-synovate-c%e2%80%99mon-give-me-a-break/ - Kenya has 2 million Facebooks!!!?? Synovate, c‟mon give me a break
51
Insertion mine, not part of the study. Retrieved on 19 July 2010 from http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19194360527&v=wall
The Kenya ICT Board through Research International carried out research on the online lives of Kenya. Dubbed Digital Kenya, it was carried out to help organizations understand how people in Kenya use the Internet; provide new analysis of the consumer and what motivates them to behave in particular ways when they are on-line; and understand the needs of users to harness opportunities and drive innovation of services. The Internet is used more than any other media among respondents. People’s workplaces facilitate access with the mobile phone acting as back-up for access outside of work. There is demand for phone browsing but small screens and low content are barriers. Cost and speed is still a hindrance. In terms of usage, this study differs from the previous one in that it shows that communication/social networking comes second to seeking knowledge and information. It does agree that the Internet is widely used for social networks, chats, downloading music and videos. 21 percent of respondents write their own blog. Only 29 percent have bought something online – a lack of local delivery service and secure on-line payment is the main problem with 88 percent saying they would like to use mobile phones transfers, a means of transacting popularised by a local phone provider.52 89 percent said there are too few Kenyan sites and suggested e-learning and education as the kind of content they would most like to see. At least 21percent want the government to regulate the cost of Internet, and 32 percent want the government to increase Internet connections in the rural areas.
Other useful information was garnered through blogs an websites. Internet prices are set for regulation in the coming months. 53 And Kenya had its first viral music video featuring
Makmende, a fictional hero created by Kenyan band ―Just A Band‖ to market its single ―Ha-he‖. The character based on a ―bad guy‖ wannabe of the 90s became an instant sensation and became Kenya’s first viral You Tube video.54
The video received considerable local and international media attention, with the inevitable discussion on how Kenyans were adopting social media.55 Bloggers like White African bemoan the lack of online transaction services for Africa and Kenya. He accuses businesses like PayPal of ―blacklisting‖ the continent by screening and
52
M-PESA is a Safaricom service allowing people to transfer money using a mobile phone. Kenya is the first country in the world to use this service. Retrieved on 20 May 2010 from http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=745
53
Fibre optics and changes in rates Retrieved on July 1, 2010 from http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/-/1006/854926/-/hdbo47z/-/index.html
54
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makmende
55
E.g Daily Nation http://www.nation.co.ke/magazines/buzz/-/441236/887778/-/g5qf98z/-/index.html, the Wall Street Journal http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/03/24/kenya-launches-countrys-first-viral-music-video/, CNN
providing extra security measures for transactions carried out whilst on the continent, making it difficult for people to use.56
These researches show:
- The Internet is becoming more popular in Kenya. Given a chance to use it, more Kenyans will socialise, entertain, and look for local content.
- Social networks enjoy the bulk of Internet visits and time.
- The mobile phone has overtaken many modes of communication as one of the most preferred ways to communicate and transact business.
- It’s not enough to have Internet access; capacity to use, and attitudinal changes are essential. - There is not enough research on social media for social change.
- Online transactions with Africa are still a challenge for business.
b) Online giving in developed countries
Online giving has continued to grow in the developed countries. A study of nonprofits that compared online fundraising results for the first six months of 2008 to the same period in 2009 shows a 22.13% growth in online revenue with more than $15.42 billion given to online US charities in 2008.57 Donations to environmental, conservation, and animal-welfare charities in 2009 showed a 2.7-percent increase to $6.2-billion, according to Giving USA, but cannot compete with human needs like feeding the hungry.58An environmental crisis helps like the catastrophic oil spill along the Gulf Coast; organizations responding to the disaster are getting extra attention from donors.59
c) Use of online giving by non-profits and benchmarking of impacts
Not much in terms of local (Kenya) empirical research is available on the use and impact of online fundraising. The researcher however found several studies (mostly American and from the UK) that are tracking trends and benchmarking achievements. Fundraising is a popular theme in
56
Being in Africa Makes You Untrustworthy Retrieved from http://whiteafrican.com/2010/07/05/being-in-africa-makes-you-untrustworthy/ on 15 July 2010
57
The state of Online Giving Retrieved on June 26, 2010 from http://www.nten.org/blog/2009/09/24/state-online-fundraising on June 26, 2010
58
Environmental Groups Chalk Up 2.7% Increase in Gifts, Report Finds
Retrieved on June 26, 2010 from http://philanthropy.com/article/Environmental-Groups-Chalk-Up/65817/
59
philanthropy websites (e.g philanthropy.com) and blogs (e.g BethKanter.com) where survey results are shared. These are useful as a number of donors on WildlifeDirect are from these nations.
Beth Kanter's blog (www.bethkanter.com) is an authority on online fundraising and social media. Kanter, alongside Allison Fine, has written a book The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change based on her experiences with the subject. It mentions
WildlifeDirect. The whole premise of the book is that social media powers social networks for social change (2010:10). They have come to the following conclusions: social media are not a fad or a trend; they will continue to grow (2010:5). Networked nonprofits do not use just one tool, they use many tools and they are no rules about what will work for a particular organization (2010:6). Although the digital divide persists, it is closing rapidly (2010:6). However, for a time organizations might need to continue using traditional media, while preparing for a future of wide use of social media especially among the youth (2010:8). Nothing will ever substitute face-to-face engagement; trust that happens in a room between people is hard to replace, therefore online and offline engagement augment each other (Ibid). The time to use social media
especially in the beginning when there is a learning curve needs to be invested (2010:10). Human beings want and need to connect with one another in meaningful ways. These connections are being made through social networks that are the conduits for the conversations that power social change. The job of nonprofit organizations is to catalyze and manage those conversations (Ibid).
Another study conducted by Philanthropy Action, ―Social Networking and Mid-Size Non-Profits: What’s the Use?‖ is not encouraging. Respondents, selected randomly via Facebook Causes pages and through a list60, say that in terms of fundraising and attracting volunteers social media is not very effective. While advocates of social technologies say these are not the only metrics by which social technologies should be judged, the majority of respondents to the survey cited these metrics as driving their participation. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority say they are going to increase their investment in the use of social networking.61
60
Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of Non-profits in the USA
61 Social Networking and Mid-Size Non-Profits: What‟s the Use? Timothy N. Ogden and Laura Starita November, 2009 Philanthropy
Action Retrieved on June 26, 2010 from http://www.philanthropyaction.com/documents/Social_Networks_and_Mid-Size_Non-Profits.pdf
Closer to home, Sangonet, a development information fortal for NGOs in South Africa, in 2003 outlined the lessons and challenges of online fundraising in South Africa by looking at case studies of NGOs that have tried online fundraising. It concluded that online fundraising is rarely the sole method of fundraising that NGOs engage in. Online fundraising is usually part of a comprehensive resource mobilisation strategy that involves both traditional and non-traditional methods of fundraising. Traditional media and other forms of public outreach are critically important to the success of online fundraising (2003:3).
d) Why people donate
The question on why people donate has been with us even before the advent of new media. Guy and Patton [1989 quoted in Pollach et al 2005: 1) argue that the strongest motive to donate is the deep-seated human need to help others. This intrinsic motivation is far stronger than extrinsic factors such as tangible or intangible rewards. Its most effective activator is an appeal to help others. The 2008 Bank of America Study of High Net-Worth Philanthropy that polled wealthier givers bellies this finding. Those polled believe charitable contributions have a greater impact on their personal fulfilment than on the organizations they support.62
Pollach also found that people's trust in both the organization and the Internet are key factors in shaping their attitudes toward online giving. Thus, nonprofits need to pay particular attention to donor relationships, process transparency, and transaction security in order to induce people to donate online. The Bank of America study also shows trust and relationship building ranked high, as does a study done in the UK by the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB).63 Wealthy donors told Bank of America they have high expectations of charitable organizations:
appropriate amount spent on overhead, acknowledgement of contributions, and full financial disclosure and protection of personal information. The giving attitudes and behaviour of more than 250 donors in the United States and Canada surveyed by Penelope Burk quoted by the Fundraising Forum64, show similar results. Large majorities said that they would continue to give if they received prompt acknowledgments of their gifts, confirmation that the contributions were
62
2008 Bank of America Study of High Net-Worth Philanthropy - Initial Findings Fact Sheet Retrieved on 15 July 2010from http://giving.typepad.com/files/2008-hnw-study---initial-findings-fact-sheet-final.pdf
63
FRSB survey confirms trust influences 75% of people in giving. Retrieved on 15 July 2010 from http://www.fundraising.co.uk/news/2010/02/02/frsb-survey-confirms-trust-influences-75-people-giving
64 "Charities‟ treatment of donors key to understanding why they stop giving" Fundraising Forum Number 75 March 2007 p5
used as they intended, and evidence of measurable results about what their donations had achieved.
Less intrinsic reasons for giving like tax relief also motivate giving. Among the many reasons for establishing one or more charitable vehicles given in the Bank of America survey are personal financial benefits such as maximizing income tax deductions and avoiding capital gains and estate taxes.
e) Use of Social Media/Internet for environmental Activism and Advocacy
Perhaps the best example of use of social media came during the climate change debate in 2009. Environmental writer Bill McKibben started a campaign to urge world leaders to agree to a reduction of current levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (that cause global warming) from 389ppm to 350ppm. The number 350 and subsequent use of social media via 350.org provided citizens around the world the inspiration and tools they needed to build an international climate movement. 350.org organized a global day of climate action with over 5200 actions in 181 countries; "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history," according to CNN. The organisers said that the technology that will stop the climate crisis isn’t solar panels, it’s the Internet." 65
In contrast, lobbying of policy makers through networks, mainstream media, online petitions and the Internet, helped to save Lesser Flamingos in Tanzania, for now anyway. Mwathe et al (2010) report that in 2006, the Tanzanian Government and the Indian company Tata Chemicals, put forward proposals to build a large-scale industrial plant to extract soda ash from Lake Natron. Conservationists believed that the development will displace and scatter the 500,000 pairs of Lesser Flamingos which nest at Lake Natron. They came together as the Lake Natron
Consultative Group (The Group) to respond to the soda ash proposal. The outcome of The Group’s and BirdLife International’s ―Think Pink‖ advocacy campaign was the withdrawal of Tata’s intention to mine soda ash as originally conceptualized in 2008.66
The advocacy was undertaken through a global network of supporters and partners, intensive media publicity,
65
(http://www.350.org/media)
66
In May 2010, new information on the possible revival of the soda ash plant plans at Lake Natron, were received. Retrieved on 15 July 2010 from http://www.birdlife.org/action/campaigns/lake_natron_flamingos/downloads.html
engagement with relevant government authorities, sensitisation, and seeking the support of local communities (Mwathe et al 2010:1). The "Think Pink" campaign launched on BirdLife’s website and posted on partners websites and blogs used online petitions and protests to oppose the
project.
In a study of global activism and new media, Seo et al surveyed communication representatives at 75 transnational NGOs based in the United States. They found out that promoting the
organization’s image and fund-raising were the two most important functions of new media for the NGOs (2009:123). Fundraising came second after promoting the image of the organization for these NGOs. Most said that the prestige of getting stories into the mainstream media is still very important, as publics do not always think of new media modes as being as reliable as well-known media programs (2009:124). The approach taken by ―the Group‖ and BirdLife tends to lean towards this approach. However, 350.org illustrates a massive acceptance of social media for activism.
3. Theories and Methodologies
The dominant approach to ICTs in development has been bridging of the digital divide through provision of technologies meant to bring the developing world to the level of the developed. This modernist view sees progress as inseparable from access to technology (Granqvist in Hemmer & Tufte eds. 2005:283-296). For Grangvist and others (e.g Fuchs 2008:221) focusing on access inevitably leads to a technological determinism - the premise that access to technology will solve the problems of the less developed (Granqvist in Hemmer & Tufte eds. 2005:286). The extreme opposite is what Fuchs calls dualistic technophobia - the less developed world doesn’t need technology because there would be more basic problems such as poverty, health issues, and illiteracy (2008:223). Obrist and Fuchs conclude that neither is appropriate because both have deterministic understandings of technology and society. Rather, a position of techno-realism that assesses the actually existing effects, critically judges risks, and tries to help shape society in ways that advance opportunities and minimize the risks of new technologies is preferable (2009:345).
In assessing ICTs and society, theorists like Fuchs propose a critical social approach; one that contends that it is unlikely that technology only has advantages in society (Fuchs & Obrist 2009:2-3). For example, Web 2.0, the category in which blogs belong has a potential for acting as a tool that helps establish a more participatory democracy in which decisions are discussed and taken by those they affect. But, Web 2.0 is not automatically progressive; it can also be used for advancing fundamentalism, right-wing extremism, and terrorism (Fuchs 2008:133).
Fuchs also says assessments should look at how society shapes technology because the antagonisms and cooperation that structure modern society are reproduced on the Internet (2008:345). Important therefore is the context within which the technology is used. For instance, digital activist Mary Joyce editor of the Digital Activism Decoded says that assessments of digital activism should look at both the technology used in a given activism campaign and to the economic, social, and political context in which such technology use occurs, as they ultimately alter how activists use this technology. (Joyce ed, 2010: 2)
This study is grounded in this critical theory approach. It positioned itself to ask how the use of social media (the blogs) has been advantageous to its users while not being blind to its
disadvantages and the way the environment shapes its use.
Methodology
A literature review of some existing research for ICTs and blogs for proposals of methodologies and ethical considerations had few examples. Snee (2008) looked at how Web 2.0 (blogs, social network sites and wikis) can be used in data collection. Dan Li and Gina Walejko (2008) looked at strategies of sampling the blogosphere. A 2003 user handbook for researching ICT projects by UNESCO strongly recommended ethnographic action research. The authors took this approach in studying a range of ICT projects for poverty alleviation in South Asia started by UNESCO (2003: vii). Theirs was a multi-method approach. But fundamentally, they propose that alongside more formal research activities such as interviews, every experience, conversation and encounter is treated as material or data (2003:10-11).
Nevertheless, Holmes (2005) in a study of research methods for new media observed that
qualitative or interpretive studies are prominent for such study, although quantitative approaches such as online surveys are also represented. Many of the current and proposed investigations are constructed as case studies.
The case study approach is ―particularly oriented toward exploration, discovery and inductive logic‖ (Patton 1990:45). Its value is its manageability in terms of time, cost and logistics (Patton 1990:100). Case studies have however been criticised for excessive reliance on a single observer, lack of systematic data collection, and insufficient distinction between researcher and object of study. Multiple forms of data collection undertaken during periods of extensive fieldwork are suggested. For methods to use, Marshall et al prescribe participant observation, in-depth
interviewing, and elite interviewing for exploratory case studies, and adds unobtrusive measures and survey questionnaire to the descriptive case study (1995:41).
As I was interested in this one particular group of people coming together on WildlifeDirect - I took the case study approach for this research, while integrating ideas prescribed in the
UNESCO handbook of using a multi-method approach and treating every piece of information as data (2003:10-11). The following is a description of the approach.
a) Laying out a conceptual framework
To put the study in context, a review of archival information and interviews were carried out. Interviews with practitioners/NGOs within the sector were conducted between 14-17 April 2010 in Nairobi. The interviewees were selected based on prior knowledge. I have worked within this sector at the East African Wildlife Society for more than seven years. Elite interviewing of individuals well informed in their organizations was used (Marshall et al 1995:83). Most of the people entrusted with fundraising for many conservation organizations - big NGOs and small community based ones - are high up in the hierarchy. They are most informed about an organization’s policies, histories and plans, as well as the fundraising environment in general. Therefore, especially for traditional donors the interviews were with such people. It did pose a challenge in terms of getting meetings scheduled, and in fact three did not materialise, a disadvantage Marshall et al identify (ibid) but my insider position and network helped with getting most of those I wished to interview. I might also be accused of getting only views from the ―big‖ organizations. However, some of these organizations support or are in partnership with the more community-based organizations, and while they do not claim to represent these
organizations or others in the field in less formal structures, they are certainly aware of how conservation funds are raised. I did have an interview with one of the community-based
organization (Friends of Kinangop, FOKP, a Site Support Group for Nature Kenya). FOKP had come to my attention when I found out that the 10,000birds blog had fundraised online on its behalf. A list of interviewees is included as Appendix 1.
Archival information supplemented the interviews. Government reports such as the Vision 2030, and the strategic plans and annual reports for relevant ministries provided useful information as did other funding related studies, such as those by Emerton on conservation costs. Some of the NGOs like Born Free, Rhino Ark and EAWLS provided in-house magazines while bloggers like the Lion Guardians have annual reports on their websites.
For the ICT environment in Kenya, websites and blogs that write/follow ICT developments proved to be mines of information. Interviews with two individuals were requested but there was no response. The White African blog (whiteafrican.com) and the website of the Kenya ICT board were two sites that I visited frequently. I also became aware of ICTs development through social networks.
b) Existing research on the use of social media for fundraising
The ICTs blogs and sites mentioned above were also useful in pointing to existing research on the use of social media in Kenya. Extensive Internet searches on popular philanthropy websites (such as e-philanthropy), on personal weblogs (Beth Kanter, Allison Fine) and websites that track social media (Mashable) yielded information on social media research in the developed countries. I became a member of numerous Facebook pages including Non-profits on Facebook, Mashable, Beth Kanter, Just Giving, and Global Giving. The purpose was to get up to date information on trends on online giving.
c) WildlifeDirect Case Study
For the case study I used participant observation, in-depth interviews, content analysis, field notes, and an online survey
1. Participant observation – This method demands first hand involvement in the social world
chosen for study. It allows the researcher to hear, see and experience reality as the participants do (Marshall et al 1995:79). I am already a blogger on this platform at
savingparadise.wildlifedirect.org. This method forces discussion on the role and stance of the researcher, and raises issues of ethics. My insider status provides both personal experience and knowledge (Zweig and Oakley quoted in Burgess 1984:85-86). Marshall et al add cooperation from research project; immediate follow up of data collected for clarification and omissions; wide range of data types and informants; and validity checks, analysis and triangulation, as additional advantages (1995:100). However, this position is fraught with ethical dilemmas – the key one being to what extent there should be disclosure of intent to conduct study. I preferred full disclosure as far as website owners and informants were concerned, but used un-obtrusive measures to look at the other blogs. As I conducted a survey of donors that was publicized on the
website, some would have been aware of the study. I asked for permission to conduct the study and requested interviews from WildlifeDirect/informants. Marshall et al also warn that this method is dependent on the cooperation of a small group of key informants. It is difficult to replicate, as procedures are not always explicit or are dependent on researcher's circumstances and opportunities such as mine; data is often subjective; and it’s highly dependent on the ability of the researcher to be resourceful, systematic and honest to control bias (Ibid). For bias, Patton advises that one enter the field with ―no axe to grind, no theory to prove, and no predetermined results to support‖ (1990:55). Rather one should commit to be true to findings as they emerge, and be balanced in reporting – both confirming and disconfirming evidence. An insider might not easily achieve this. I found triangulation and validity checks helped. No hypotheses were included.
2. In-depth interviews
In-depth interviewing or ―a conversation with a purpose‖ (Kahn & Cannell 1957, p 145 quoted by Marshall et al 1995:80) is relied on quite extensively in qualitative research. Patton categories them in three general types: the informal conversation, the general interview guide and
standardized open-ended interview (1990:280-290). This research combined all three. A set of interview prompts was prepared and used to interview WildlifeDirect Director Dr. Paula Kahumbu and a number of bloggers, interviewed to validate and triangulate information. The bloggers were selected because 1. They were part of conservation organizations interviewed earlier on for context and therefore would be able to compare the impact of their online and offline activities (Born Free, Rhino Ark, EAWLS). 2. Were easy to reach through the
researcher’s and other networks (Arocha) 3. They could validate information that came up during the interview with the key informant such as that on which species were popular (Dudu Diaries, Watamu Turtle Watch, Colobus Trust, Saving Stripes) 4. The researcher knew their activities (Samburu Monkeys/Bush meat East Africa). An email request sent to other blogs of interest went un-answered. An earlier attempt to draw up a random sample of all the Kenyan blogs on the platform was abandoned when I was advised that it would be problematic to access some of the bloggers either face-to-face – because of their location, or online because of connectivity problems. I still had to fall back on online methods (Email and Skype) to interview some of the bloggers I did not meet face-to-face in Kenya. I envision that future long-term research would
attempt to draw the participation of a randomly drawn sample of bloggers to meet challenges of representativeness and bias. For this case study, I expected that unobtrusive observation of other blogs of interest and the platform at large, as well as content analysis would help solve this problem. I also sent interview questions to Charlie Moores of 10,000Birds a different blog used to fundraise for Friends of Kinagop.
Email/Skype interviews
Markham says the advantage of the internet is the ability to access geographically dispersed participants for interviews (2008:455-457). As inferred above, I used both email and Skype to replace face-to-face interviews to meet challenges of location. The email interviews (except Moores) did result in a paucity of data perhaps caused by lack of visual clues (Sanders, 2005 quoted on EORM)67.
C. Content analysis of the WildlifeDirect
Content analysis was a continuous part of the research process (Tacchi et al 2003:37). I analysed the website, blogs, and the bloggers own organizational websites. It was done to supplement interviews, answer some of the issues that arose, and to address research questions. Purposeful sampling was done to select information-rich cases to answer these questions (Patton 1990:169). I selected examples for an area of interest e.g use of blogs for advocacy (Baraza), success in raising funds and examples of activities funds were assigned to (Lion Guardians, Amboseli Trust for Elephants). As the study progressed, I looked for confirming as well as disconfirming cases to check out the viability of emerging findings, issues raised by other research and literature reviews (Patton 1990:178). For instance, the methods of making online payments to bloggers arose when WildlifeDirect stopped receiving donations on their behalf. Some blogs were analysed to see how they responded to this challenge. Comments made by supporters were treated as data.
67
d. Online survey
A survey of the WildlifeDirect donors was undertaken. Ten people responded to the survey, which was seeking to discover donor relationships with the blogs: how they found out about WildlifeDirect, which blogs they supported, what influenced their giving, and what feedback they expected. The survey was created using Poll Daddy and was publicised on the Facebook page of WildlifeDirect, on the home page of the site and on my blog.
d. Collecting field notes
I collected pieces of information related to the study such as email newsletters. The data was put in a folder and labelled with basic information such as where it fits into the research e.g the newsletter on changes to methods of payment was labelled as challenges of online payment. The biggest drawback with this method was that one ends up with long passages of text, which might or might not be useful but have to be analysed anyway. In the end I looked for common themes and issues, what Tacchi et al call codes (2003:37-42)
e. Ethical questions when undertaking Internet research
There has arisen much uncertainty, debate, and disagreement over ethical considerations surrounding research and new media. States have developed policies for the ethical conduct of research, administered as codes of research conduct (Sage 2008:277-8) Some considerations taken while undertaking this of study from the AOIR code of ethics (2002) were:
- Online research is likely to be far more productive if the researcher has the support (or at least agreement) of the site owners although one broad consideration is if the site is public, there are fewer obligations for informed consent. I had the consent of site owners. - If the posters, authors, and subject are vulnerable or at risk the researcher has an
obligation to protect them.
- If the research focuses on publicly accessible archives then there may be fewer obligations to protect individual privacy.
Time frame and Site of study
The research took place between February and July 2010. It was mainly on the Internet - the WildlifeDirect website and blogs (www.wildlifedirect.org), and other websites of interest, and on the ground - at the offices of Wildlife Direct and various Interviewees from the conservation NGO sector.
4. Analysis
Qualitative research often produces volumes of messy material. (Patton 1990:372, Marshall et al; 1995:111). Data analysis is required to bring order, structure and meaning. Although there are no agreed methods for analysis, nevertheless there are guidelines to assist in analyzing data. Some of the prescribed strategies include searching for common themes, categories and patterns among the data guided by research questions, which often shift as data is collected and new questions emerge. (Marshall et al 1995:111-112). Patton describes strategies that include case and cross case analysis. An open-ended interview can be used for cross-interview analysis for each question; answers from different people are grouped by topics (1990:376-7).
This study’s analysis adopted a case description of WildlifeDirect, cross interviews analysis, which grouped answers under a common theme without providing metrics, and looking for themes and coding field notes and content from the website(s). A description of WildlifeDirect is in 4(i) below. A portion of the cross-interview analysis for the interviews (face-to-face, email and Skype) is in included as 4(ii). Only a sample is presented, as it’s lengthy. The rest can be found as Appendix 2. As explained in the methodology I coded information collected with an emerging theme. During the analysis stage, I checked to see whether codes applied or new codes were needed. A number of data ended up with more than one code. Table 4(iii) shows a sample of the field notes/content analysed. The rest is in Appendix 3. The rest of the data collected, including from observations and unobtrusive means I used as raw data for discussions and to support, cross-validate and check accuracy of statements as well as for presenting contrasting views. I used Poll Daddy (polldaddy.com) for an online survey of donors. Because I was using the free version, I am unable to link to the results. I thus copied results off the site. Results are included as Appendix 4. Three questions of interest are included in 4(iv)
4(i) About WildlifeDirect
The term ―WildlifeDirect‖ refers to the non-profit organization registered in the USA and Kenya, and to the website (www.wildlifedirect.org), a collection of blogs, which enable anybody,
anywhere to participate in conservation through online donations.
Blogs (an abridgment of the term web log) are sites, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.68 WildlifeDirect has brought together many blogs on one site. The blogs focus primarily on conservation as a subject while raising
68
funds for it. WildlifeDirect vets blogs before inclusion on the site. Blogs can be found via a Species and region drop down menu and are also listed. The bloggers on the platform are protecting species, saving wetlands, woodlands and forests, carrying out advocacy, helping animals in captivity, working with children and communities, tackling poaching, are vets and doctors, researchers and scientists; the variety of their conservation activities is reflected online. WordPress, the popular open source blogging software runs the site, which has 123 blogs.69
Dr. Richard Leakey70 and others founded WildlifeDirect. They were, ―convinced that the current developments on the internet provided the best opportunity for securing a future for wildlife: an approach that could harness the collective energy of countless good conservationists and
combine it with millions of individuals around the world who have a genuine concern for the future of the planet’s wildlife and unique habitats. These people would connect through the internet to create a movement powerful enough to produce a virtual endowment capable of reversing the catastrophic loss of habitats and species.‖71
Its mission is to provide a voice to frontline conservationists while giving those who care about wildlife the opportunity to follow day-to-day activities on the ground, provide support to initiatives of their choice and to read about the actual results that their donations have enabled.72
Donations are used for a myriad of needs and activities including purchasing of equipment like computers and GPS, food for orphaned animals, patrol vehicles, school fees and bursaries for needy children in communities that border wildlife, field veterinary care, de-snaring exercises and wages for rangers an scouts.
Apart from raising funds for conservation, the blogs also provide a platform for conservationists to tell their daily stories. WildlifeDirect
represents perhaps the largest online community of conservationists. Blogs are used for advocacy such as the high profile campaign to save wildlife and other animals from poisoning by the
69
Figure provided in the Annual report for 2009 p7
70
Internationally renowned palaeontologist and conservationist. Also former Director of the National Museums of Kenya and the Kenya Wildlife Service, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Public Service, Kenya. Credited with halting the large scale slaughter of elephants in Kenya for ivory in the 1980s
71
How We Began. Retrieved on 20 June 2010 from http://wildlifedirect.org/about/how-we-begun/
72
agricultural pesticide Furadan, also known as Carbofuran, which has also caused at least one human fatality,73 to create awareness on the illegal bushmeat trade74 and to protest against unsuitable development in wildlife areas.75 The website also has a news area through which journalists can access news, video, podcasts, and photographs. As with other blogs, readers participate via commenting. Readers can also submit reports to the site through a unique mobile phone enabled platform called WildlifeTracker (http://wildlifetrackers.wildlifedirect.org/) recently added. Built on the Ushahidi76 platform, it is used for sharing sightings of rare and endangered species, and to report incidences such as poaching, logging fires and other threats to wildlife. Reports are made via sms, email or web.
According to web statistics provided online, WildlifeDirect’s reading audience is comprised primarily of college educated people aged 35 – 65 and is located: 45.6% Northern America, 15.21% Northern Europe, 7.2% South East Asia UK, 6.5% Africa, 5.4 % Western Europe and 3.9% Oceania. It has over 70,000 unique visitors per month. In 2008, the community donated to over 70 projects raising nearly $500,000 that went directly to the field.77
A new version of the website was launched in early 2010. It provided new features to enhance user experience and optimize the site for ease of use. For example, top recent stories are flashed on its homepage making it easier to find what is ―hot‖ within the blogs. There is a separate section for "Latest Blog Posts" from all bloggers and buttons for the organizations social sites. The website also introduced paid for advertisements to raise income.78 Bloggers got a unique Report Aggregation System (RAS), to enable them to access information pertaining to their blogs.79 This information includes traffic, donation information by country and by donor,
comments and number of posts, and enabled bloggers to apply for funds through an online form, enabling them to track the application progress online.80 These and other functions were geared to improve transparency and accountability on WildlifeDirect's part and to speed up interaction
73
A 3 year old boy is reported to have died on the website. Retrieved on 20 June 2010 from
http://stopwildlifepoisoning.wildlifedirect.org/2009/11/06/3-year-old-child-dies-after-eating-furadan-in-kenya/
74 Jatropha is an unviable economic crop – it just does not make sense Retrieved on 20 June 2010 from
http://arochakenya.wildlifedirect.org/2010/05/19/jatropha-is-an-unviable-economic-crop-it-just-does-not-make-sense/
75
http://arochakenya.wildlifedirect.org/2010/05/28/public-hearing-for-jatropha-project-in-dakatcha-woodlands/
76
The Ushahidi Platform allows anyone to gather distributed data via SMS, email or web and visualize it on a map or timeline. http://ushahidi.com/
77
Advertise retrieved on 20 June 2010 from http://wildlifedirect.org/about/advertise/
78
http://baraza.wildlifedirect.org/2010/01/26/redesigned-wildlifedirect-site-launched/
79
http://reports.wildlifedirect.org/login
80
between WildlifeDirect and its partners. Kenyan company, Silica Data Systems did the RAS.81 WildlifeDirect also holds training for bloggers, provides manuals with blogging tricks and trips, maintained a help desk (before internal changes were made), and publishes a monthly newsletter, 'WildZine', offering informing on new trends in the blogging industry.82
WildilfeDirect won the Mongabay Innovation in Conservation Award 2009. The award
recognizes the innovative use of the internet for conservation especially in Africa. It was in the form of top placement on the Mongabay.com website for 30 days. Mongabay is one of the world's most respected environmental websites with over 1 million unique hits per month.83
Until April 2010, WildlifeDirect received funds on behalf of bloggers paid to the bloggers with no administration fee take. Grants supported its core costs separately. A ―transparency widget‖ posted on each individual blog enabled both the blogger and donors/visitors to track funds raised. Internal re-organization changed this.
Wildlife Direct, constrained by limitations in funds to support administrative work, stopped
receiving funds on behalf of the bloggers. Initially, as funds were channelled through
WildlifeDirect, they did all the accounting for all the projects. All funds were sent to bloggers net of bank charges, with no administration fee taken, leaving the overhead of managing the
accounts to the organization. After the changes, bloggers were asked to receive funds directly and to provide details about their payment options on their respective blogs. 84 Services were automated to remove the administrative cost and any delays associated with managing donations. The changes had teething problems; they caused some confusion among donors and needed
81
WildlifeDirect Annual Report 2009 p4
82
WildlifeDirect Annual Report 2009 p8
83
http://baraza.wildlifedirect.org/2009/12/02/wildilfedirect-wins-mongabay-award/
84
Important Changes at WildlifeDirect. Retrieved on 20 June 2010 from http://baraza.wildlifedirect.org/2010/03/23/important-changes-at-wildlifedirect/
