Kosovo, New Media & Technology

Kosovo Search Challenge: Helping people find information from Kosovo

Until recently there has been no introduction to Kosovo on the internet from people actually living in the country. If you search for Kosovo in Google you get many websites that are run outside Kosovo and many results that have nothing to do with Kosovo.

Some websites seem to have been created specifically to build fear of Kosovo in the world. This presents a considerable problem for people wanting to contribute to Kosovo and to assist in development of this country based. Taken simply from information that they find on search engines there is no reason to invest at all.

Kosovo written from a Kosovar perspective
Many searchers want to hear the latest development from this country. They want people to see what the Kosovo people think for their country, for their life and for their community. The people want to see the projects and the education going is this country and how it is being redeveloped since the war. The best site I could find was www.travelsinabeautifulworld.com

Kosovo: new communication and new education
I am part of a group of students studying at the IPKO Institute in Kosovo who have started to use technology to publish things about Kosovo for almost a year from now. We have been introduced to blogging, forums, email, intranet and other solutions from professors who are coming from abroad.

We are using these technologies to show different opinions and viewpoints; our own stories rather than the biased stories that offend different countries and groups that dominate the search results for Kosovo. Our stories are about new ways of life, new education, community and ordinary and extraordinary things that interest us. Electronic Democracy Blog and Kosozone Blog are a few of the active bloggers who are writing the stories from the fields.

Kosovo: Where is the problem?
We need more people using this technology and promoting balanced views of Kosovo. We need to get more Kosovars in Kosovo blogging. Most are not aware of the potential to learn through the world wide web. The need for education in Kosovo is vast, enhanced by the large number of disabled victims of war that find it hard to receive a standard education. If we do not get online and use ICT then our views will never be understood by the world and we will miss a huge opportunity for freedom of speak and open society.

Barnraiser.org is one of the organisations who want to start a project in Kosovo to provide young people with an Internet based network to better education, move them towards economic growth and self sustainability and allow them to participate in the information society.

Kosovo: Will it succeed?
Being witness of new revolution of information society I think that this is the only way to succeed and raise awareness of freedom of speech, better education better network and the most important thing a picture of Kosovo online.

An example:
Visit this link to apply for Prishtina Summer University Kosovo rather than seeing a usual pictures of KFOR soldiers on their mission.

Update: Here is an article in Re-engage about Kosovo online problem on Re-engage.org