Indigenous EarInfoNetwork

What is the Indigenous EarInfoNetwork?

People working in the area of Indigenous ear health and hearing report that they frequently feel they are working in isolation, and that they need to ‘re-invent the wheel’ regularly when developing projects and resources for the management of ear disease and hearing loss. This resulted in the establishment, in early 2005, of an informal national network of people working in the field of Indigenous ear health and hearing, so that they could share information, experiences, ideas, and resources. The network is now known as the EarInfoNetwork.

There are members from various fields (including lndigenous health workers, audiologists and audiometrists, teachers, medical officers, nurses, and more). The purpose of the EarInfoNetwork is to collectively address the complex issues of ear health and hearing through improving communication and the sharing of information and resources between stakeholders.

The EarInfoNetwork is supported by a yarning place (electronic network) that enables people to share information, knowledge and experience – even when they live in different States, Territories and regions, come from different sectors (such as health, education and justice), and work for different organisations. By combining electronic yarning services with the quality, up-to-date information available in this web resource we aim to create a 'one stop info-shop' for people working, studying or interested in the area of Indigenous ear health and hearing.

A number of electronic yarning services have been developed to enable EarInfoNetwork members to network and yarn. When you join the yarning place – membership is free (view e-mob membership form) – you will have access to the following services:

  • e-mob list – contact details for members (with their approval);
  • e-yarning board – an electronic discussion board for debating relevant issues (view info); and
  • e-message stick – an email list for communicating with other members (view info).

A number of information sharing services are available to both members and non-members and you are encouraged to use them to contribute relevant info, they include:

  • links to relevant services and organisations (view info);
  • info about current news and events (view info);
  • share your info forms for submitting details about programs, projects, reports, and other resources (view forms); and a
  • feedback form (view form).

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Why join the EarInfoNetwork yarning place?

If you are working or studying in areas that deal with Indigenous ear health and hearing we invite you to join the EarInfoNetwork yarning place and contribute to the development of relevant knowledge. The EarInfoNetwork will thrive with regular input from its e-mob so please contribute by using the various yarning place services. It's a great way to yarn and network, and active information sharing will give e-mob members the opportunity to benefit from the wealth of knowledge and experience that exists among practitioners working across Australia.

Register to join the e-mob now!

Membership costs nothing and simply requires submission of the online e-mob membership form provided (view form). The form will allow us to collect the information necessary to develop your contact details and profile for the online list of e-mob members.

Are you new to the e-mob?

Your e-mob membership will be processed after we receive your online form. We will let you know by email as soon as your login is enabled. Specific instructions about how the yarning place works are provided in the email.

To access the yarning place (e-mob, e-yarning board, and e-message stick), you will need to log in (click here to log in) and enter your email address and password. (Just a reminder - your password is the one you submitted on the e-mob membership form).

The following sections provide general information about use of the e-yarning board and e-message stick.

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What is e-yarning?

When you join the e-mob you can begin networking and e-yarning through the EarInfoNetwork yarning place. Our e-yarning services enable e-mob members to share information, experiences and ideas without requiring that they be in the same geographical location, or even online at the same time. This is done by means of the e-message stick and e-yarning board.

The e-message stick is an email list (also called a listserve) that will enable e-mob members across the country to share information and yarn. Members can use the e-message stick to seek or distribute info about current projects, jobs, events and other relevant news.

The e-yarning board gives members the capacity to debate issues online by posting and replying to messages on the electronic discussion board. To prevent spam (inappropriate messages), the e-yarning board is password-protected and available only to members of the e-mob.

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How does the EarInfoNetwork e-message stick work?

The e-message stick (also called a listserve) is an email list for sharing info and yarning with other members. By using the e-message stick you can quickly and easily email a message to the EarInfoNetwork e-mob.

You simply send your message to the following email address: emsg_ear@healthinfonet.org.au. It will be forwarded to all other e-message stick members.

When other members check their email they will find your message. Other members may also have sent messages, and individual members will decide to read (or delete) each message they have received. If you wish to respond to the message, you can send the response to the e-mob – simply 'reply' to the e-message stick – or just to the person who sent the message.

Should you wish to unsubscribe you will need to follow the instructions:

  1. Log in to the yarning place.
  2. Click on the 'my yarning places' link and it will display a list of yarning places that you have joined.
  3. Click on the 'edit settings' link and a page will display the yarning places of which the you are a member and provide options.
  4. To unsubscribe to the e-message stick, change the relevant option and press the 'Save' button.

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How does the EarInfoNetwork e-yarning board work?

If you would like to use the e-yarning board please join the EarInfoNetwork by submitting the e-mob membership form provided (view form). You will be notified when your access to the e-yarning board has been established. This will allow you to participate in discussions that are taking place.

The e-yarning board won't be operational until members begin to use it to share info. You can browse the e-yarning board before joining (browse e-yarning board). This option allows you to read existing messages but not to post/reply to messages.

As a member, you will have full access to the e-yarning board and will be able to post your own messages and reply to others. When posting messages we suggest that you choose a clear subject heading. This will provide others with a general idea of the content of the message posted by you and help them decide what messages they want to read and what messages they would like to skip.

For the convenience of all members, the e-yarning will be organised by subject. The subjects are provided to help you find the yarning issue that is relevant to your specific area(s) of interest.

Here are a few tips to get your e-yarning started:

  • Choose the subject that is most relevant to the issue that you wish to yarn about. If you can't find a specific subject that is relevant to your yarning issue, choose the subject that has been created for general discussion.
  • If you wish to start a new conversation, enter your message in the 'Post new topic' area at the bottom of the page (it may be necessary to scroll down to see the bottom of the page).
  • If you wish to reply to a message that has already been posted, enter your response in the section called 'Post new reply to message above' - you will find it at the bottom of the message to which you wish to respond.
  • It is a good idea to reread your message for errors and to check your spelling before submitting your post, as the e-yarning board does not let you edit or delete your message after it has been sent.

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Yarning place guidelines

As a courtesy to others – and to protect yourself – please follow these guidelines when using the EarInfonetwork yarning place (both e-message stick and e-yarning board).

  • Use a brief, clear and descriptive entry in the 'subject' line of messages.
  • Where appropriate include your full name, affiliation(s) and email address at the bottom of your messages.
  • Be sure the topic you are discussing is appropriate and relevant to ear health.
  • When replying to a message, please direct your reply to the proper person/people (please be aware that when you hit 'reply' to an e-message stick email the message will go to all members).
  • Do not send/post angry, critical or emotionally charged messages.
  • Do not use all capital letters in your messages. USING ALL CAPITALS IS THE EMAIL EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING and is considered rude by some people (please excuse us for shouting!).
  • Do not use the yarning place to advertise your company, product or service for commercial gain.
  • Use humour and sarcasm sparingly. Humour in messages can easily be misinterpreted – remarks that you think are funny can come across as rude to others.

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Yarning place disclaimer

It is expected that members of the EarInfoNetwork will not send/post any messages that are obscene, racist, vulgar, sexually explicit, hateful, threatening, or that may in other ways violate any laws.

All messages express the views of the author. The HealthInfoNet, and Menzies School of Health Research do not endorse the content, viewpoint, accuracy or opinions expressed, and will not be held responsible for the content of any message. We reserve the right to remove or edit inappropriate messages sent/posted through the EarInfoNetwork yarning place, but it is impossible for us to review all messages.

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Would you like to join this yarning place (electronic network)? » Join now
Last updated: 7 August 2007