Now that Pietro Gallina is back in Salvador, in Rome the work goes on, with a series of new internet initiatives to spread the ICBIE message to the wider public. We have such a rich and compelling tale to tell, beginning with the whole D’Artagnan story and the travails of Pietro and Marlene, then the transformation of our beautiful old building on the Ribeira waterfront, the inauguration of the Leonardo da Vinci library and the start of our rich educational and cultural activities, not to forget our work with Mestre Pedro or with the two local orphanages. We have built a solid network of support with links to Rome, New York and Amsterdam, and this has permitted our constant growth and it also allows us to imagine ever brighter prospects for the future.
A story as wonderful as this has to be told and it has to reach as many people as possible, not only for the material returns that may be derived from it, but also to encourage others, people who might think, “If Pietro Gallina could do it, I can, too!” And the internet is the way to get our message out there, without a doubt.
The ICBIE presence on the internet is not new, but its voice has not been loud. The www.icbie.com site was opened in 2004 and, for the most part, has not been updated, but instead cluttered with the addition of new tidbits here and there, plus a partial redesign for the English section. After three years, we have received just over 11,000 hits. A serious makeover can no longer be procrastinated, and Adriano Bonforti will guide me in this, so we can have a state-of-the-art website.
Of course, this blog represents a big step forward, as it provides a constant flow of up-to-date information, and this, in itself, in this google-centric universe, has attracted more attention in two months (nearly 14,000 hits) than the main website has garnered in three years, because search engines give highest priority to the most recent information. But even this is hardly a great accomplishment, especially when weighed against the pure-gold of the ICBIE dream.
I spent a couple sultry days pent up in front of the computer, searching for tips about how to increase our internet visibility. The first suggestion I followed regarded the major bookmark sites, places with geeky names like Squidoo, De.licio.us and Digg, where you can describe your sites and add appropriate keywords, so that when someone googles capoiera or favela (or library, non-profit, poverty, assistance, etc.), our websites will appear. These sites are also great sources for specific kinds of information, and I used them to continue my work, finding more great suggestions about how to procede. I joined Flickr, a major website hosting photos, where I uploaded a couple dozen pictures of the ICBIE and its people at work. Finally, I even summoned the courage to join Facebook, which I had always dismissed as a teenage ego-trip like MySpace, but which instead has wonderful possibilities for networking specific groups. Two days ago I formed an “ICBIE Friends” group, and we have 23 members already. OK, many of them ARE teens, but isn’t that what we’re all about? Pietro joined Facebook, so why don’t you?
Roy Zimmerman
