Digital blog

At the moment the SCVO labs team is small but we have big ambitions, put simply, a participation revolution. We're building a place for people to share their stories about charities and good causes in Scotland. I'm passionate about the project and excited about our approach... Read more

Those nice people from Google came to our Edinburgh office this week to launch Google for Non-profits in Scotland. As a self-confessed Luddite, I went along to hear more about the range of free digital opportunities available to third sector organisations. https://twitter.com... Read more

Hello! My name is Hoyam and I am a Digital Research Intern for the digital participation team and SCVO Labs. My role involves researching the digital activities of charities and non-profit organisations, not just in Scotland and the UK but internationally as well. Currently I am... Read more

SCVO’s Digital Participation team are pleased to announce the arrival of their very own Twitter handle! Read more

Sarah Quinn, Marketing Officer at Visibility, talks about Visibility's great night at the Scottish Charity Awards Read more

Hi, this is Alex, lead developer on SCVO Labs. Nice to meet you! For the last few weeks I've been building a prototype of the underlying system which the SCVO Labs app will be running on.I'm a Java developer by history, and this is my first time doing full-stack development (i.e... Read more

One month in, and things are starting to get exciting. In the very near future we'll be launching a work-in-progress product for you to start exploring. We'll post an online sign-up form for pilot users in due course, but if you want to register interest early then drop us a line... Read more

Reflections on our journey around the country to talk about digital participation Read more

Digital Inclusion has been a top priority in BT’s corporate responsibility programme for many years now. We have three clear aims and we’re working towards three ambitious targets, set out in our Better Future strategy. Connected Society – We believe in the power of... Read more

After a few months getting things lined up, the SCVO Labs show is now well and truly on the road. Over the last week we've put the initial team together, upgraded this website and started to prepare our workspace. We'll be running an agile, user-centred design process, and doing... Read more

“There is a crisis in skills and the understanding of the digital world’s power and potential," said the internet entrepreneur Baroness Martha Lane Fox during her recent BBC Dimbleby lecture. Addressing that skills gap underpins much of Media Trust’s work in the digital training... Read more

SCVO Labs is about more than just building great products. We ❤ open, so we want to involve people in what we're doing and talk about what we're learning. Over the weeks and months ahead we'll be using this blog to share our stories with our friends, colleagues and the wider... Read more

The Easter Bunny has been, spring has well and truly arrived and the Let’s Get On roadshow is up and running. On a bright and sunny morning Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities Keith Brown came along to Lidl in Dalry in Edinburgh to launch the initiative... Read more

Over the past year we've been amazed at the breadth and creativity of activity taking place across Scotland to help people get online and gain Basic Digital Skills. Some projects and stories we are able to share on our website, other's we're able to share via our audiences at... Read more

SCVO media release 1 April 2015 The Digital Participation Challenge fund, delivered by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations with Scottish Government support, today published its second round of funding offers to 33 organisations across Scotland to help them get people... Read more

I am a great believer that Digital has the opportunity to reduce costs, improve services and change lives. I had to renew my kids' passports recently. My experience was that the online form was simple and quick to complete, gave me a copy for my own records by default and then a... Read more

Was that another Gathering that just zipped by? In a blur, after months of planning, what feels like a brief few seconds whizzing past - it's done, gone for another year. Already there are cries from the team of ‘how is it that planning for the Gathering 2016 is on the agenda... Read more

Ever wondered what people at SCVO get up to on the internet? Here are some of our favourite digital platforms, as voted by our staff. Read more

Five digital workshops, meeting some inspiring people, free manicure and walking away with a Kindle; just some of the highlights of my first ever Gathering! Read more

We have a new mantra - Basic Digital Skills. Sally reflects on the changes and what it means for us in Scotland. Read more

On Monday I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a fantastic free lecture hosted by Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group. The lecture entitled ‘Digital Changes Everything’ focused on using digital technologies and communications to address climate change. Ian Abbott Donnelly, of... Read more

The conference that put the "social" in social media Read more

It's Safer Internet Day tomorrow (10th Feb), sign up and support this fantastic initiative to make the internet a safer place for everyone. Read more

Mary blogs on the challenges of the Challenge Fund and her top tips for potential applicants. Read more

Alex Stobart from Mydex on person centred services. Read more

Team Digital share their resolutions for 2015. Read more

Iain Robertson on Scottish libraries pioneering approach to digital participation. Read more

We built ourselves a new website in a day. Here's how it's done Read more

Preparations for round two of the Challenge Fund awards and key dates for your diaries. Read more

Sally reviews what has been a fantastic year for Team Digital and considers our resolutions for 2015. Read more

Helen McFarlane, Programme Director of Allied Health Professions at NHS Education for Scotland, explains how a new campaign is aiming to improve the quality of life for people who have problems speaking. Read more

In which Team Digital returns to rock SCVO's annual Third Sector Summit. Read more

Sue Scotland highlights the need for technological innovation in health and social care and your chance to get involved. Read more

Ian Watson, Knowledge Media Programme Manager, explains why IRISS have signed up to the Charter and highlights the importance of digital participation in the workplace. Read more

Liz Green, Senior Development Officer at YouthLink Scotland, introduces the Digitally Agile National Principles. Read more

Ian Blewett from Scottish Enterprise explains why they've signed up to the Digital Participation Charter. Read more

The next leg of the DigiScotFest tour finds SCVO's digital participation team in Dumfries and Galloway. Read more

Our digital challenge fund has launched and calls are out for applications from organisations helping people flourish in the digital age. Read more

If someone you know is ready to take their first steps online, it's easier than ever to find help and support near you. Read more

Brendan Dick, Director BT Scotland, takes on a whistle stop tour of people getting online across Scotland Read more

It's the UK's 8th national Get Online Week, and we're giving things an extra push in Scotland too Read more

Information literacy used to be viewed as a rather specialised academic issue, but this is no longer the case. Find out more about information literacy and why it is so important to a democratic society and the third sector. Read more

More public services are going digital. It’s time to ask “what would you like to do online?” Let’s be ambitious! Read more

Young Scot is not alone in facing digital participation challenges. Here’s what we’re doing to overcome them. Read more

It's been a busy summer for Team Digital. Here's what's coming up and who's doing what. Read more

Sally Dyson encourages you to get involved in the Let's Get On campaign by sharing your stories to inspire others to get online. Read more

How would you feel if your Marmite started talking to you? Read more

Following on from getting a whole group of folk together in the central belt to talk about all things digital we’re really pleased to be able to bring together colleagues in the North of Scotland. In partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Society of... Read more

SCVO’s Let’s Get Digital project is set to help organisations across Scotland grow and increase their digital skills Read more

SCVO’s Digital Participation team asked its Leadership Group members what are the key digital participation challenges their organisations are facing. This month’s instalment is from Tommy Laughlin from ScotlandIS Read more

The latest Scottish Household Survey (SHS) results were published last week and its section on digital participation and the use of the internet (page 76) is well worth a look. It covers four key areas: Take up of internet and broadband with a focus on how this varies by income... Read more

A whole week in October will be dedicated to helping everyone get to grips with the online world Read more

Rebecca Stafford shares her thoughts on the recent 'Is the Internet a Human Right?' event in Edinburgh. Read more

SCVO’s Digital Participation team asked its Leadership Group members what are the key digital participation challenges their organisations are facing. First up is Elma Murray, Chief Executive, North Ayrshire Council Read more

In God we trust. Everyone else, bring data. Read more

There has been a great strategic focus on digital inclusion in Scotland this year, with new strategies from both the Scottish and UK governments and the excellent report from the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The need for a new approach and a new focus on tackling digital exclusion... Read more

Lynne, SCVO's new Digital Participation Development Officer, says the hard data is just the start when measuring progress on digital participation Read more

Digital is changing our world. Here are three big themes for third sector leaders to think about Read more

In which we take the challenge of digital participation to the UK's digital leaders Read more

It might have been the first digital participation “unconference” in Scotland but it certainly won’t be the last Read more

The internet brings great opportunity, but the way we use it risks excluding and exploiting those who need it most Read more

Notes from the latest meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Digital Participation Read more

Go4IT is making sure the people with the most to gain from the online world aren’t getting left behind Read more

Just over two weeks to go, and we've added the Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy to the lineup Read more

Helping people use the web is a complement, not a substitute, for other efforts on social inclusion Read more

Gosia from Third Age Computer Fun explains how it's never too late to go digital Read more

... quite simply, so you don’t miss out on the most diverse discussions about digital participation in Scotland this year #DigiScotFest14 Read more

Here's a quick primer on an important part of Scotland's third sector digital infrastructure Read more

And how participation and digital skills are central to jobs, growth and inclusion Read more

...and all the right noises, but actions speak louder than words Read more

We're planning a festival of ideas for getting everyone in Scotland online. Read more

Reflections on the UK Government's new Digital Inclusion Strategy Read more

Can you help us bid for Scotland to Get Connected? Read more

Highlights from the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group on Digital Participation Read more

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: summarise this post in 140 characters or fewer Read more

It's Digital Unite’s Spring Online week. A whole week dedicated to encouraging and supporting people to use the internet. Read more

Could you deliver digital skills training in the community? We want to hear from you! Read more

It's easier than ever to get a great website up and running. Here are two excellent free tools to get you started. Read more

Here's one possibility: a world where user needs come first, and where no one is left behind Read more

Doesn't time fly? Catch up with the digital participation team - we've got new faces and plans afoot. Read more

1.3 million people in Scotland don't have basic online skills. It's time to tackle this head on. Read more

There’s just over a week to go to The Gathering, the annual two-day get-together for everyone working in or with Scotland’s third sector. Read more

My aim (not resolution) through this blog is to try to shine a light on the plans and progress of SCVO's digital participation team. Read more

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has appointed Chris Yiu to the new post of Director of Digital Participation. Read more

A new Digital Participation Programme being launched today by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) will help give people across Scotland the skills to connect to the internet. Lucy McTernan, Deputy Chief Executive at SCVO, said: “Using the internet and digital... Read more