SOROPTIMISTS IN CYBERSPACE
From Our Archives
Updated August 4th 1999.
Things keep happening world wide with SI in cyberspace.
Early in 1996 an extensive search of the WWW resulted in 2 references to Soroptimism, to-day there are more than 1,000! It is predicted that the Internet will become as much part of our lives as the telephone and motorcar. Furthermore, an "Internet year" is considered to be 3 months!
1999 - Soroptimist Chat Line!
FACES OF THE CHAT LINERSFollowing informal discussions in October 1997 between Kate Moore (SI Nantwich & District Club, Region:Cheshire NWales & Wirral SI/GBI) and International President Hilary Page, a pilot scheme was introduced and worked successfully. IP Hilary discussed the project with the four Federation Presidents and expansion was agreed by all.
At the 1998 Federation Convention in New York, IP Hilary announced that Kate Moore runs our official Chat Line on the Internet. The purpose of the SI Chat Line (List Server) is to maintain an 'on-line' facility on the international computer network which will be in harmony with and support the work of Soroptimist International.
This list can be used for the exchange of ideas and projects, and the
furtherance of friendship, international goodwill and understanding and
networking between individuals and clubs.
The following guidelines have been formulated: There should be no fundraising or soliciting of funds for club projects; no canvassing and no discussion of SI Board, Federation or Region delicate or confidential items. Personal letters should continue to be sent using private EMail.
After consultation with Kate Moore, Jacqueline McNally (SI On the Terrace, Western Australia Region, SISWP) has
established a new 'Chat Line In Helsinki' web page.
The 'happenings' in Helsinki, as reported by the Chat Line press gang, will be collected by Jacqueline from postings to the Chat Line during the Convention. She will continually report news and events live (almost) from Helsinki!
"Hafa Adai from Guam! We are the Soroptimist International of the Marianas
and have just posted our site" This is a quote from an email sent to me by Lorie Yu, SIM Webmaster, inviting us to visit this new SI site on the WWW.
We welcome another Soroptimist Club on the WWW. Liz Davis, a Soroptimist, is the Web Master of this innovative and attractive new site. Visit this site
for information about the SIAM project and details of other Anchorage projects, a good description of our emblem, as well as information about The Soroptimist Symphony.
It is particularly pleasing that Soroptimists are often creating and maintaining these sites themselves. 
Don't miss
Sue Carsey's brand new "baby" !!
On May 11th Janet Bilton, SI Executive Officer announced on the SI Chat Line that
SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL (Headquarters Cambridge, UK) now has its own Website.
Kathy Sechrist, Director of District 1 of SI Northwestern Region, SIA is to be congratulated on this Regional Web Site! Kathy is the Web designer of this excellent site.
CYBER SOROPTIMISTS - NEWS 1998
Fay Cori, SI Cardigan & District, SIGBI writes: "At long last SI Wales South has its own website - well almost! It is
intended to be a fairly domestic set-up so that we have a central information point for our 26 clubs.Eva Tyson (Scotland South) and I have been lobbying very hard to ask SIGBI to develop their own site and carry regions like us under their main heading. Jo Darbyshire Federation President promises us that something is happening there and it will probably be announced at the SIGBI Conference in Bournemouth. I still have some photographs to put in to our website but will be on line at midnight on Friday so that we can announce it at Conference."
Please visit this new SI site at
http://www.webswonder.co.uk/sorop/
Gwendolen Freundel is now fully responsible for the German website. This site now also has an English version. Do visit this very informative Soroptimist site, look for information about
the 1999 International Youth Croisieres under News and Activities. Gwenda says: "My kids have
taken part in the Croisieres in the past and always had the time of their lives - heartily recommended! "Cyber Soroptimists: Early 1998
We are pleased to welcome one of SI Pretoria's friendship links, SI Antwerpen de Zes Rosen on the WWW.
SI Desert Coast Region, with 51 Clubs and 1483 members, now has a WWW site 
maintained and sponsored by Sybil Cayir,
member of the Diamond Bar/Walnut Club and Environment Chair for SI Desert Coast Region. The site has interesting and useful information, e.g. Governor Janet Gregory-Amtmann has ideas for Soroptimist Clubs that might generate enthusiasm and increase membership.
Jona Harrington, Governor Elect, gives an informative report on the Desert Coast Region's 19th Annual Spring Conference (April 18-20, 1997).The page also has information from the Soroptimist Legislative Workshop that provides AWARENESS of timely legislative issues; shares ADVOCACY tools and techniques; and encourages ACTlON to influence legislation at all levels that will empower and enable women.
We welcome the Sierra Nevada Region of SI/A who established a website at
http://www.gs-web.com/SoroptimistThanks to Brooke Laine, SI of South Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada Region, SI/A, for this information. She says in her e-mail "This website is still being developed as we speak, however with your enthusiasm we will find our way."
Sandy Terrell, SNR Governor, responded to the welcome: "I forwarded your first message to several Sierra Nevada Region Soroptimists, and told some others about it -- all were pleased and excited to hear about it. I'll include your web site and e-mail address in our next regional newsletter, which will be published this fall. I can see that this web site is going to be a great help to increase our members' awareness that Soroptimist is an INTERNATIONAL organization -- it's too easy for a club to focus only on its own community, and regular mail communication with friendship link clubs in other countries is usually very slow".
Dr Andrew Hudson (Webmaster of the Soroptimist Homepages in Sussex) writes "SIGBI is to have a web site!! Scotland South is now on via Eva Tyson who launched it the day she was installed as President and Wales are moving towards a site via Fay Cori."
Cyber Soroptimists: July 1997 - December 1997
Linda Deeter (SI/Ceres, CA, USA Sierra Pacific Region, SIA) has compiled and updates an e-mail list of "CyberSoroptimists." 
Sianette Kwee (SI Silkeborg, Denmark) also maintains an e-mail list of Soroptimists. She is enthusiastic about electronic communication and is working towards stimulating the Danish Soroptimists to become truely 'cyberliterate'. Sianette states: " We, the coordinators, want to organize a course for our clubmembers about Internet. The idea is to show about the possibilities of Internet, because knowledge about it is very minimal among Danish Soroptimists."
SIA use the Internet extensively, for example for registration for conventions, for sales of Soroptimist items etc. Marilyn Stemen, SIA, Midwestern Region District II, Club - Lima, Ohio, USA is interested in setting up a web site for their Midwestern Region.
Anne Hudson has put the Soroptimist Residential Club in London, on the WWW and South African Soroptimists can electronically enjoy the activities of the Lewes and District Club in East Sussex. It is particularly good to share with Soroptimists, although they are in another hemisphere, what they experienced in their Soroptimist travels around the world. The pictures of Lewes President, Pam's visit to Nepal adds to the enjoyment of hearing about her talk on the plight of women in both Nepal and Romania at the Lewes Presidential lunch on the 75th Anniversary day of SI. Dr Andrew Hudson (the 'Soroptimister' who is also the webmaster of the Soroptimist Homepages in Sussex) put pictures of a Sherpa mother and children on the Lewes page as well as pictures Anne took on her visit to Cabbages & Condoms in Bangkok.
A relative newcomer to the Internet is Lynne Staines (Leicester Club), however, she is an avid emailer and extended a most gracious invitation to South African Soroptimists: "By the way if any Soroptimists and or their families are travelling to the UK (particularly young student travellers), my husband and I would be pleased to offer accommodation." She states: " I would like to see Soroptimism hit the end of the 90's with truly international links using modern technology."
The European Federation is quite active and there are now Official Home pages for the Unions of Belgium, and Germany. Dr Eleonore Kaeppel is enthusiatically responsible for the content of the German Union's Home Pages. Bea Rabe of the Antwerpen Club and Economic and Social Development-coordinator for the European Federation, is a driving force behind the European Federation's involvement with the Internet. She states: "let's not forget the big advantages of the net :
- think at the reducing of time, not to repeat and to reproduce the same story over again. Of course we have the problem of the many languages, but that is not typical for the European Federation only.
- think at the reducing of costs of making photocopies and postage.
- as for the Soroptimist-member herself, more and more members have a PC and in here in Belgium, we try on union-level to make more members interested. At the latest meeting for Club presidents, I was invited to hold a lecture on the the use of Internet. Bea concludes: " what we really need for the moment is to get more Soroptimists on line (individually and on Union basis)".
The CyberSoroptimists are also active in Brazil where the
Santos Club has a Homepage. Their SI Club President,Carmen M.Sgarbi and Club secretary, Belkis Marieta Tavolaro Rajabally are both Cybersoroptimists. The Home page of the Santos club is in Portuguese and recently an English version has been added. Carmen writes: "Our club is looking into creating an international electronic hub to promote dialogue between members throughout the world."
In the next SI-bulletin "The Link" there will be an article on SI and Internet. The European Federation will hold her bi-annual congress in Malmö, Sweden, 10-13 July 1997. For the ESD-programme, there will be a workshop on "Soroptimists and the use of Internet".
In a message on the Home Page of SI of Belgium , their President states: "SIB is proud to be part of the INTERNET Pioneer Team of SIE. Do not hesitate, join us on the new highways of communication..."
