By Sandor Panton, Contributor
WITH LIMITED and sometimes non-existent support from the Jamaican Government, it is quite impressive as a Jamaican to observe the strides that we have made in building online communities, especially where the main focus of these communities is on technology as it relates to Jamaica and Jamaicans.
For many of us who make our living in various fields of technology, the Internet has become not only the place to catch up on industry news and do research, but also a place to network and interact with fellow professionals in our field.
Not only do Jamaican 'techies' utilise the numerous U.S. and international flavoured technology portals such as SlashDot.Org and WebmasterWorld.Com, but also in recent times they've been able to utilise technology portals that are more specific to us as Jamaicans. Numerous Jamaicans living abroad and employed in various areas of technology, wherever they might be, have also found these portals useful and important enough to be in their list of sites that are visited daily.
A look at some of Jamaica's technology cyber portals:
TECHJAMAICA.COM
Online since June 2002, TechJamaica.Com is by far Jamaica's most popular technology portal. Its message board, in particular, is usually a hub of activity, with Jamaican technologists (local and foreign-based) posting in a range of forums that cover everything from hardware and software topics to gaming and tech classifieds. In addition to the discussion board, the site offers articles, recent and archived links to technology-related news items from the local media, and details of upcoming tech events across the island.
CHANNELJAMAICA.COM
ChannelJamaica.Com has been online for only a few months, with its main target audience being web developers and just about anyone that is involved or interested in the design, development, marketing and maintenance of web sites. It too has an active message board that has become popular not only among Jamaican web professionals, but also among those from other nations of the English-speaking Caribbean, including Trinidad and the Bahamas.
FORUM.UTASCE.COM
As its name implies, the forum for the University of Technology Association of Student Computer Engineers (UTASCE) serves mainly as an online spot for past and present students of the U-Tech School of Computing and Information Technology to network and share information. The board is not tremendously active just now but maybe it's safe to assume that the holidays have begun and most members are either busy relaxing or working.
JALUG.ORG
The official Jamaica Linux User Group (JALUG) web site has useful resources for those who may be interested in learning about Linux. It also features local and international Linux news as well as details about upcoming events, including the upcoming Open Source and Linux Conference scheduled for June 12 at the PCJ Auditorium.
Just this week, the Women Business Owners Association was launched, with a part of its aim being to influence national economic, financial and social policy directions. Watch for similar moves in the near future from Jamaica's online tech communities, especially as it relates to technology and Jamaica.
Sandor Panton is an Internet specialist and consultant. If you have any comment, contact him at feedbackjamaica-gleaner. com. This series is brought to you by www.go-jamaica.com, the portal web site of the Jamaica Gleaner.
