We started to build the UN Studies Community with the help of the interactive, web 2.0 based wiki-technology.

We have migrated our old wiki portal to a new platform offering an improved technology, structure, and design. Above all, it is much easier to handle.

A big thank you to our two assistants, Dominika Mitrovic and Julia Biermann, who not only conceptualized and designed the new portal but were also in charge of the entire migration process.

We think that they have done a tremendous job, in a phenomenal 5-week-span!

What is new?

The key thought that users of our informal working space can freely contribute remains the same. However, the new technology and the new design allow users to

1) gain a better overview of all the content available on the platform

2) contribute and comment more easily and quickly.

If you wish to learn how to use the elementary functions, please refer to our quick tutorial or our FAQ. Both comprise all the key information you need to get started.

Background: the role of new technologies in community-building projects

If you are interested in learning more about the use of new technologies and social network-building (such as an academic expert community), please refer to the following presentations:

Henrike Paepcke:

Wiki-based social networks – Introducing the UN Studies Portal

Paper presented at the Vienna Colloquium on Innovative Techniques for Teaching the United Nations, Diplomatic Academy, Vienna, Austria November 22, 2008

Henrike Paepcke / Julia Harfensteller:

The Wiki Portal of the UN Studies Group

Presentation at the Colloquium on UN and the New Media / Information Age, Wels, Austria, November 16, 2007; organized by WWEDU–World Wide Education and ACUNS