ICAR Launches New Online Forum Over 300 ICAR Members Registered
The new ICAR Community Network and Forum was launched on August 31st and within three weeks, over 300 members of the ICAR community have joined. This new online forum is based upon infrastructure offered by ning.Com and features a popular social networking format with robust user generated content. Users are able to share text, photos, videos, and more in a variety of contexts such as individual user pages, blogs, forum discussions, and within groups.
Groups have been created within the network for the faculty, GSCS (Graduate Students in Conflict Studies), the alumni chapter, undergraduate program, certificate program, as well as for working groups, projects, specific courses and social activities. In total, there have been 33 groups created so far. The Discussion Forum features postings by scores of people includes entries ranging from announcements of events (ICAR and external), courses, grants, scholarships, and conferences to discussions on current events and items for sale. This is the easiest way to spread the word to the ICAR community about almost anything you can think of. Pages created by individuals add a layer of personal connection and help with the matching of names and faces in our growing community. This is also a great way to share stories and experiences about your work and life with people who are scattered across the globe.
The network is searchable, making it easy to find members of the ICAR community with particular interests and specialties. For alums, it’s a great way to find ICAR folks who are practitioners in your area and classmates from previous years. The ICAR Community Network and Forum hopes to be a digital connection between all of the people, past and present, associated with ICAR who are learning and working in the field or simply want to stay connected. Here is a tally of the total postings so far:
ICAR Announcements and Upcoming Events (56)
• Discussion (16)
• Course Announcements (3)
• Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships (47)
• Conferences and Calls for Papers (11)
• External Events (16)
• Housing and Items for Sale Bulletin Board (4)
Says ICAR Masters student and forum user, Vanessa Brake, “As a recent graduate of ICAR I have found the new networking site very useful for keeping in touch with my course mates that have since left the DC area. I have also utilized the network to meet other Alumni, to plan meetings with ICARites who share my interests, to discuss current issues as well as to connect with faculty. I’m glad that I can still be kept in the loop on ICAR’s progress and events, even if I’m no longer a student. Its a wonderful way to keep ICAR as a community, and not just another department of a school.”