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	<title>oocuz.com</title>
	<link>http://www.oocuz.com</link>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:40:16 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>The African Social News Network</title>
		<link>http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/the-african-social-news-network.html</link>
		<comments>http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/the-african-social-news-network.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:25:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jon322</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Organizing</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/the-african-social-news-network.html</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was recently asked by my magazine editor to carry out a review of a new addition to the social bookmarking scene, the website is called AfricaNe.ws. My first impressions were very good, the site is well laid out and incorporates a warm welcoming feel, something generally lacking in the social networking sector. The site [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was recently asked by my magazine editor to carry out a review of a new addition to the social bookmarking scene, the website is called AfricaNe.ws. My first impressions were very good, the site is well laid out and incorporates a warm welcoming feel, something generally lacking in the social networking sector. The site provides an array of news and gossip from around the African continent, this site more than any other shows how fast web 2.0 is progressing through the online world. The site is bound to attract huge support as there are very few media based African websites. To my knowledge this is the first African based social bookmarking website. I feel honored to be the first to review this unique venture.</p>
<p>The AfricaNe.ws site provides the ideal portal for news based publishers and the general public to post their own news or African related stories. The site encapsulates all aspects of African life with each post being listed in its own geographical section. I prefer these types of sites when I am researching a subject or simply catching up on the latest news, the reason is, they provide an unbiased view and they house all the information under one roof. This prevents me having to visit numerous sites whilst gathering information on a particular subject.</p>
<p>The site is easy to navigate and user friendly, it has a comfortable feel to it, this is backed up by the enforcement of a strict editorial policy, this is important as all the information displayed on the site is deemed suitable for all age groups. The use of colors and fonts certainly help to give an African feel to the site.</p>
<p>I managed to catch up with the owner, Mr Mike Kofi Okyere. I asked him for his thoughts on the AfricaNe.ws project and if he had any future plans for developing African themed websites. Mike Kofi informed me, he has always been passionate about providing a news based African website, in the end he decided to incorporate this idea into a social bookmarking network. With web 2.0 products growing daily I see this as a wise forward thinking move. Mike Kofi also went on to state that this would be the first of many African based websites, he would like to be an integral part of the expansion of the Internet within the African Continent. If the AfricaNe.ws venture is anything to go by I am sure Mike Kofi will have some interesting projects lined up for the future.</p>
<p>I give AfricaNe.ws a big thumbs up, I find the whole site generates a refreshing atmosphere, I am sure it will be well received by its members and visitors alike. As this is a totally new venture I imagine the first few months will be slow going; however I expect the site to gather momentum very quickly and in a few years have a multi-million membership base.</p>
<p>I would like to thank Mike Kofi for allowing us to carry out this review of his website, we wish him well with this and other ventures he undertakes in the future.<br />
Stay updated with <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws">African News</a> and <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws/africa_news_rss.php">Africa News RSS Feeds</a>.
</p>
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		<title>Connecting the African Continent with Powerful, User-Created Content AfricaNe.ws</title>
		<link>http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/connecting-the-african-continent-with-powerful-user-created-content-africanews.html</link>
		<comments>http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/connecting-the-african-continent-with-powerful-user-created-content-africanews.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:17:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jon322</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Organizing</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/connecting-the-african-continent-with-powerful-user-created-content-africanews.html</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Heading to the African continent is easy these days; you simply need to jump on the web and visit a news portal that directly involves you with the news and happenings in Africa.  Having developed a strong relationship with Web 2.0, the African continent is connected with the international community and allows worldwide visitors to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Heading to the African continent is easy these days; you simply need to jump on the web and visit a news portal that directly involves you with the news and happenings in Africa.  Having developed a strong relationship with Web 2.0, the African continent is connected with the international community and allows worldwide visitors to utilize key buzzwords to travel intimately into the news of the continent.</p>
<p>Domestically, with Web 2.0, the African continent is connected through social bookmarking networks, such as AfricaNe.ws, which develop and strengthen the relationships between all of the countries and people in the continent.  By encouraging individuals to choose the most relevant and important news stories, the information is organic, unfiltered, and comes straight from the people.  Thus, the news that is derived from this process is real and important, without any filters created by news organizations in other countries.  The current events and news, as told by the first-hand witnesses on the African continent, is broadcasted all over the world.</p>
<p>Fundamentally, with a social bookmarking network, the fundamentals of discrimination and filtering are eliminated.  The grassroots news and information about the African continent can flow across international boundaries, without any type of filtration or suppression.  When an user engages with Web 2.0, they take the news into their own hands by having the ability to connect with the African continent, collaborate with others, and share information with the world.  Web 2.0 and social bookmarking networks allow people, both domestically and internationally, to make a real connection with the countries in the African continent.</p>
<p>The divisions amid social media have recently gathered frequently to discuss censorship, regulations, and even blogging in the realm of news portals.  There have been heavy discussions whether other media producers might join in the revolutionary social media.  There are many issues that centre around the relevancy of blogging and the news, and whether or not news bloggers should be added to the mainstream news media.</p>
<p>Despite the news media debates, the importance and relevancy of Web 2.0 and social bookmarking networks is making a deep impact for African news, both domestically and internationally.  By bringing people and countries together, social bookmarking networks have allowed people to link together on the net and experience cultural growth.  It has been an important step in distributing real, relevant, and organic African news to others around the world.</p>
<p>With the advent of Web 2.0 and social bookmarking networks such as AfricaNe.ws, people are connecting with the African countries, both domestically and internationally.  Breaking down international boundaries, social bookmarking networks bring people closer together.  Through the process of creating, producing, and sharing web content, Web 2.0 news portals continue to empower individuals to share with the world relevant, real news and events.  This process in itself provides the news media with unfiltered news stories that come straight from the people of the African continent.</p>
<p>Web 2.0 and African social bookmarking networks will make a tremendous impact on the domestic and international communities, with the important, real news stories connecting people and the news media around the world.<br />
Stay updated with <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws">African News</a> and <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws/africa_news_rss.php">Africa News RSS Feeds</a>.
</p>
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		<title>Are You a Die-Hard Football Fan</title>
		<link>http://www.oocuz.com/recreation-sports/football/are-you-a-die-hard-football-fan.html</link>
		<comments>http://www.oocuz.com/recreation-sports/football/are-you-a-die-hard-football-fan.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:16:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jon322</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Football</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.oocuz.com/recreation-sports/football/are-you-a-die-hard-football-fan.html</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you a die-hard football fan? If so, there is a new web site that was designed just for you. f8tballNEWS.com is quickly becoming one of the most popular destinations on the internet for football fans from all around the world. Regardless of which football team is your favorite, this football news site has the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Are you a die-hard football fan? If so, there is a new web site that was designed just for you. f8tballNEWS.com is quickly becoming one of the most popular destinations on the internet for football fans from all around the world. Regardless of which football team is your favorite, this football news site has the latest news, gossip and transfer rumors from all over the world. If you are serious about knowing the latest events throughout the world of football, then this very football news bookmarking exchange is the place for you to go.</p>
<p>Unlike traditional web sites, f8tballNEWS does not simply provide you with repetitive football news in a boring format. Instead this unique football news site is a highly responsive web site that allows users to not only interact with the web site itself, but also with each other.  In contrast to letting a third-party decide what stories should be published on the web site, this trendsetter gives its users direct control over what football news should appear on the web site.</p>
<p>The first step to participating on the site is signing up for an account. By signing up for a free account, you will be able to take advantage of all the features that this trend setting football news site has to offer. Additionally, when you create your account, you are able to choose not only your display name, but also an avatar. An avatar is a small picture that is displayed next to your name, which means that you can select your favorite football team&#8217;s logo as your avatar and show the world what football team you support!</p>
<p>Once you have created your free account, you can start participating in everything that f8tballNEWS has to offer. The most popular feature of the site is the ability of users to submit news stories about football. Regardless of what the story is about, as long as it is related to the world of football, you can submit it. When you are submitting a story, you can choose which of the following categories your story best fits into: World News, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia or Australia. Additionally, you can choose tags to describe the story you submit, which makes it easy for other users to find relevant stories when they perform a search on the web site.</p>
<p>Once you have submitted a story, it will appear on the web site. Once the story is live on the web site, other users can read it and decide whether or not they like it. If they do like the story, they can &#8220;Vote&#8221; for it. Each time a story receives a Vote, it will move up the list of stories. To help identify spam, users can also &#8220;Bury&#8221; a story. This helps keep the web site clear of spam such as advertisements or off-topic articles.</p>
<p>In addition to voting on stories and identifying any potential spam, users can also discuss stories. Each submitted story has its own discussion area where users can leave comments and chat about the story with each other.</p>
<p>Football has become an exceptionally popular sports within the past decades, which has to be mostly attributed to its great fans and supporters. Alongside of the web advancements, the internet has finally reached the worlds most popular sport and now offers football fans worldwide a great news driven network, which invites for vivid discussions about the latest matches, the renowned Sunday gossip, transfers rumors and any other facet about worlds greatest sport - football. If you would like to visit f8tballNEWS and have a look around for yourself, the address is <a href="http://www.f8ballnews.com/">http://www.f8ballnews.com/</a>.<br />
Stay updated with <a href="http://www.f8tballNEWS.com">Football Transfer News</a> and <a href="http://www.f8tballNEWS.com">Daily Soccer News</a>.
</p>
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		<title>Football News For The Fans by The Fans</title>
		<link>http://www.oocuz.com/recreation-sports/football/football-news-for-the-fans-by-the-fans.html</link>
		<comments>http://www.oocuz.com/recreation-sports/football/football-news-for-the-fans-by-the-fans.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:31:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jon322</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Football</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.oocuz.com/recreation-sports/football/football-news-for-the-fans-by-the-fans.html</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a football fan I recently visited a new website called F8ballNews, I was delighted to see the site has fully embraced the concept of Web 2.0 by providing a social network for global football fans. The site combines an up to date news facility from football clubs around the world, the site also includes [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As a football fan I recently visited a new website called F8ballNews, I was delighted to see the site has fully embraced the concept of Web 2.0 by providing a social network for global football fans. The site combines an up to date news facility from football clubs around the world, the site also includes an interactive, user-friendly chat interface. The concept of Web 2.0 was initially born from a meeting between Tim O’ Reilly and MediaLive International, the results of this meeting were visionary. Their interpretation was, that far from the internet ‘crashing’ when the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, it was in fact flourishing with new websites and applications appearing on a regular basis. The results of this meeting turned out to be true, however at the time they were scorned.</p>
<p>The introduction of social networking sites is a major aspect of Web 2.0, you will no doubt have heard of the major players in this industry, such as; Stumbleupon, MySpace and Facebook. These sites are growing at such an alarming rate that is it forecast they could well be bigger than Google by the year 2015.</p>
<p>F8ballNews have recently launched their own brand of Web 2.0 by delivering a social networking that focuses on delivering up to date football news and gossip. I have longed to find a website like this, generally I have to visit around 5 sites to find out what’s going on in the football world. Now I simply visit the F8ballNews website where I am able to find out all I need to know. It is nice and refreshing to see F8ballNews pushing the boundaries by combining the ethos of web 2.0 with a sporting network, I personally believe social networking sites will form the corner stone of the Internet for many years to come. They are certainly user friendly, fun to use and they are a great medium for interaction and making new friends.</p>
<p>The interactive chat facility contained in the website is an interesting concept, I like the idea of exchanging my views on football with people from different environments and cultures. Football is truly a passionate sport followed by children and adults alike, it is strange that when my favourite team win on a Saturday afternoon it lifts my mood for the whole weekend. Unfortunately the reverse is also true, I remember even threatening to cancel my forthcoming wedding because my intended was laughing when my favourite team lost.</p>
<p>I certainly feel F8ballNews have been first to the market with their football based social networking site. I am sure the site will be well subscribed to by global football fans and webmasters alike. Currently F8ballNews are offering free membership to all of their subscribers. I imagine this is just taster for what we are to see in the future, in a few years time I imagine all sports will be covered by a social network.</p>
<p>If you would like to visit their website and have a look around for yourself, the address is <a href="http://www.f8ballnews.com/">http://www.f8ballnews.com/</a><br />
Stay updated with <a href="http://www.f8tballNEWS.com">Latest Football News from around the Globe</a> and <a href="http://www.f8tballNEWS.com">Daily Soccer News</a>.
</p>
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		<title>The Digital Rise of Africa</title>
		<link>http://www.oocuz.com/business/entrepreneurialism/the-digital-rise-of-africa.html</link>
		<comments>http://www.oocuz.com/business/entrepreneurialism/the-digital-rise-of-africa.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:30:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jon322</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Entrepreneurialism</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.oocuz.com/business/entrepreneurialism/the-digital-rise-of-africa.html</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In comparison to other regions of the world the African continent still remains under developed in regards to Information Technology. This is only to be expected due to poverty and lack of developed infrastructure in the region. Having said that, large I.T corporations view Africa as an emerging market, which has led to a dramatic [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In comparison to other regions of the world the African continent still remains under developed in regards to Information Technology. This is only to be expected due to poverty and lack of developed infrastructure in the region. Having said that, large I.T corporations view Africa as an emerging market, which has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of investment flooding into the continent. Africa’s growth potential is considered huge as they have a population of approximately 680,000,000 making up 10% of the world&#8217;s overall population.</p>
<p>African based firms are now enhancing their technical capabilities in terms of manufacturing, marketing, and product quality in order to remain competitive with the rest of the world. Information Technology plays a strategic role in the long-term survival of any firm. It is now considered a necessity for businesses to have a sound online presence that works alongside their offline business model. While many people in world enjoy easy access to information through the Internet, hundreds of millions of people in Africa as of yet do not have this luxury. The technological divide is not a problem in itself, but rather a symptom of a deeper, more important divide of income, development, and literacy. Fighting poverty is more than transferring money to the poor or direct job creation for the poor; it is providing tools that will empower people to be more independent.</p>
<p>Internet usage for the Africa population currently lies at 4.7%, this figure is low when compared to 21.3% for the rest of the world. However if growth figures are analyzed it shows Africa has grown at a rate of 874% over the past 7 years, compared to 236% for the rest of the world. This figures show first hand why Internet based businesses view Africa as an untapped market with huge growth potential.</p>
<p>Recently Africa’s first news based social networking site was released; the website is called AfricaNe.ws. It provides a platform for African news and related stories to be bookmarked by region. The site encapsulates the full ethos of web 2.0, which is a statement to the rest of the world that African website developers are not willing to sit back on their laurels in regards to the Internet&#8217;s continual development.</p>
<p>Web based entrepreneurs with vision view Africa as a challenging market, however they also understand that being first to market could prove to be very lucrative in the future. Mike Kofi Okyere the owner and developer of AfricaNe.ws is fully aware of the growth prospects that Africa holds in relation to Internet based products and services. Although Mike Kofi is a successful businessman in his own right he is also passionate about providing Africa and its people with Internet based products that are on par with the rest of the world. Having spoken with Mike Kofi at length on the subject of Africa and Internet development I fully realize how passionate he feels about providing Internet services for the African people.</p>
<p>One thing is for certain, it will take many years for Africa to close the gap in the technological divide, however with entrepreneurs like Mike Kofi Okyere working hard to promote African based Internet products and services, when the gap is closed Africa will be in a much stronger position.<br />
Stay updated with <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws">African News</a> and <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws/africa_news_rss.php">Africa News RSS Feeds</a>.
</p>
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		<title>The Importance of the Social Aspect of African News Portals</title>
		<link>http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/the-importance-of-the-social-aspect-of-african-news-portals.html</link>
		<comments>http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/the-importance-of-the-social-aspect-of-african-news-portals.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:30:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jon322</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Organizing</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.oocuz.com/self-improvement/organizing/the-importance-of-the-social-aspect-of-african-news-portals.html</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[African news portals, driven by social bookmarking content, play an important role in connecting the world with the happenings on the African continent.  What happens in Africa impacts us all, and it is critical to know the relevant news and events that shape the continent.  Using social bookmarking news portals, users are updated with the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>African news portals, driven by social bookmarking content, play an important role in connecting the world with the happenings on the African continent.  What happens in Africa impacts us all, and it is critical to know the relevant news and events that shape the continent.  Using social bookmarking news portals, users are updated with the latest events that take place on the African continent. The news portals add socially driven news every day, which is useful for distributing relevant, real, and unfiltered news internationally.</p>
<p>Today there are new resource tools that give users access to African news, such as AfricaNe.ws, which helps users to stay updated with the latest changes around the world.  The African continent is always changing and growing, and each day, something new is developed.  On the same token, there are also daily changes that take place in Africa that cause the people of certain countries to suffer major setbacks.  No longer will the news be filtered through news organizations domestically and internationally, but in fact, the real, relevant, and important news can be easily accessed directly through African social bookmarking news portals.</p>
<p>One of the most important aspects is the “social integration” relationship that occurs with social bookmarking news portals.  By simply loading a website, people are instantly integrated through the portals that connect them directly with African news.  No longer are individuals spoon fed news that have been filtered through various organizations; rather, each person can take the news into their own hands and become involved with the African continent at anytime.</p>
<p>The news media broadcasts new information each day at the African news portals. The news is useful, yet it is the voters that cast their votes to determine how valuable the information is to the readers.  At social bookmarking news portals, such as AfricaNe.ws, all users can cast votes easily, which collectively ranks the importance and quality of each article.  Each individual can make a tremendous difference in creating and shaping the events and news that impact the African continent daily.</p>
<p>By the collective aggregation of votes and rankings, relevant news is determined organically by the people.  The social aspects of African news portals are a powerful force that provides relevant, important news without any domestic or international news filters.  Thus, through social bookmarking, people from around the world are directly connected to the heartbeat of news on the African continent.<br />
Stay updated with <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws">African News</a> and <a href="http://www.AfricaNe.ws/africa_news_rss.php">Africa News RSS Feeds</a>.
</p>
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