|
|
.:Resource Guides:Technology-Profile: Online Policy Group/Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
Technology
|
 |
Profile: Online Policy Group/Electronic Frontier Foundation
Biella Coleman, a PhD student at the University of Chicago, is one of the board members of the Online Policy Group, as well as the Intern Coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She answered a few questions about her work, the
Online Policy Group, and technology nonprofits.
| Why is the Online Policy Group focused on this issue? |
Our motto is "one Internet with equal access for all." The Internet is supposed to be very accessible, but there are a lot of economic barriers - not everyone can afford access - and social barriers - censorship or discrimination.
Our organization tries to address these problems at two different levels. On the research level, we do research on Internet access - things like studies to assess the situation of the net. On the service side, we offer free webpage hosting, domain name
registration, and mailing lists to about 50,000 users. We also let people put servers in our facility to get cheap or free bandwidth. This way an individual or nonprofit or human rights groups can afford to do their work.
|
| What is one example of a group you helped? |
Palestinian lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered sites were having difficulty staying up because so much is going on there, plus they have to deal with censorship. We were able to host their Web sites for them.
|
| How does your group differ from other technology nonprofits? |
We're not a lobbying organization, and we're 100% volunteer run. We also have a service side and a research side, and not just one or the other.
|
| What type of people would you advise to look into working for an organization like this one, especially when compared to other types of technology nonprofits? |
There are two types of people who might be interested. First, anyone who is interested in keeping the Internet a space where community can be built. We're working to retain a certain vision of the Internet that once existed but is
less so now. Second, our organization targets certain specific communities, so anyone who wanted to do activism in those target areas could certainly help.
|
| What type of skills would they need? |
We look for a broad range of skills: Anyone from high level programmers to someone who really likes to do research to someone who likes to do community activism. Those who are very Internet focused to those with very non-Internet
focuses.
|
| How does your organization use volunteers, and what benefits are there to volunteering? |
It's really part of our vision to use volunteers. There are limits to volunteering, of course, because the volunteers have to have other jobs. We give school credit to volunteers like graphic artists and web programmers, plus your
work actually goes on our site and into use.
|
| Are there any drawbacks to working for an organization like yours, or working on an issue like the one your group deals with? |
You don't get paid. I'm sure everyone says something similar, but it can be a big drawback because you have to have another job. It's also very hard to get nonprofit jobs in the technology sector right now. Also, there is a sense
that our views are kind of extreme. You have to be comfortable with the idea of equality amongst the various target groups.
|
| Does your organization use virtual volunteering? If yes, how? |
Yes. We mostly use it for software development, but we have also used it for researching in the past.
|
| How did you get started in this field? |
I'm an anthropologist who studied science and technology at the University of Chicago. I was interested in the ethics and politics of free software, and I've always had an activist bent so I went to San Francisco to do field work and
got a job with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). I'm less of a technical skills person than many of the people I work with. At the EFF I do intern coordination.
|
| Do you need technology skills to work for a technology nonprofit? |
You don't need technology skills. It's more important to know and care about the technology. EFF hires legal interns, etc. There's definitely room to get hired if you're not a techy type. Knowing about the world of technology is
pretty important. I don't know how everything works, but I know about it, and the legal issues.
|
| How much do you work and what kind of benefits are there? |
At the EFF staff members work 40 hours a week, although the lawyers may work 40-60 or more hours. There are some great health benefits, and salaries range from $30,000-$70,000 a year. At the Online Policy Group, the board members
have different hours depending on what is going on. We all go to meetings and correspond by email from home.
|
| How easy is to find a job as a recent college graduate? |
It is fairly difficult to find a job, but it can be easy to find an internship, even without any past experience.
|
| How hard is it for women to break into the field? |
The EFF is very balanced. The executive director and head of the legal department are both women. A lot of nonprofits are very attuned to gender imbalances, and since there is a lack of women in the technology industry it may be
easier for skilled women to obtain jobs.
|
For more information about the Online Policy Group, you can visit their Web site. The Electronic Frontier Foundation can be found at www.eff.org.
Biella Coleman can be reached at biella@onlinepolicy.org.
|
next page | Profile: TechCorps
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8 |
|
Career Center Resource Guides
|
