New Researchers Blog to Get Soft Launch

A long-standing desire to provide interactive collaboration facilities to the lively New Researchers (NR) section within VSSN came a step closer today as developments surrounding a new web facility, 'VSSN-NR', were announced.

A pilot 'weblog' (often known as a 'blog' these days) dedicated to the NR group is scheduled to get a soft launch at the forthcoming New Researchers session at this year's annual research conference. NR activist Daniel King has agreed to demonstrate the prototype site being put together by a small team coordinated by Joanna Machin.

Daniel said "VSSN-NR is a weblog that helps connect, support and encourage new and emerging Voluntary and Community Sector researchers, run by and for its members under the aegis of the Voluntary Sector Studies Network. The content and direction is down to VSSN-NR members, what you are interested in, the support you need and the areas you would like to contribute."

Nick Plant, VSSN Web Officer, added "The VSSN Steering Group is very glad to support the NR group in launching this new facility as soon as they are ready. Our intention is to review this exciting experiment after a pilot period, at the same time as reviewing and redeveloping our main web site. VSSN hopes that the ideas and experiments taken on board here at VSSN-NR will help inspire these general developments – particularly this pilot of 'Web 2.0' interactive technologies driven by new researchers."

Further details about the rationale for VSSN-NR are available via the proposed site itself at http://vssn.freecharity.org.uk/ (though this is in strictly prototype format so far).

Further details about the New Researchers group (including links to conference details) is available here.