About this yarning place
We have recently changed some of the terms associated with the electronic services that support the Network. We now refer to the 'community of practice' as a 'yarning place' - and the electronic services offered through the yarning place have been renamed and redesigned to improve their look and make them more user friendly.
What is the yarning place?
The WA Indigenous Health Promotion Network (WAIHPN: the Network), includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous people involved in Indigenous health promotion, and aims to facilitate the sharing of relevant information and knowledge with the ultimate goal of improving the health of Indigenous Western Australians.
This website has been created to support the development of the Network. It combines web-based information resources with a yarning place (electronic network), which encourages people within the Network to share information, knowledge and experience - even when they live in different locations and work for different organisations.
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 board for discussion and debate about relevant issues (view info); and
- e-message stick - an email list for communicating with other members (view info).
A number of information sharing features are available to both members and non-members and you are encouraged to use them to contribute relevant information, they include:
- links to relevant 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).
Why join the e-mob?
If you are working or studying in areas that deal with Indigenous health promotion we encourage you to join the Network's e-mob and share your knowledge and experience through the yarning place.
Already a large number of people have joined the Network. They include representatives from a range of public and private sector organisations including: government and non-government departments and agencies, mainstream and Aboriginal community controlled health organisations, educational and other institutions.
The yarning place will thrive with regular input from its members so please contribute by using the various yarning services. It's a great way to network, and active information sharing will give you the opportunity to benefit from the wealth of knowledge and experience that exists among health promotion professionals and practitioners working In Indigenous communities across WA.
Register to join the e-mob now!
People involved in Indigenous health promotion are invited to become members of the e-mob list, and to begin the information sharing process by using the resources and yarning services provided on this website.
Yarning place membership costs nothing - just complete and submit 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 e-mob list.
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 regarding use of the yarning place are provided in the email.
To access the yarning services (e-mob list, e-yarning board and e-message
stick) you will need to log in (view yarning
place login) and enter your email address and password. (Just a reminder
- your password is the one you submitted on the membership form)
The following sections provide general information about use of the e-yarning board and e-message stick.
What is e-yarning?
When you join the e-mob you can begin networking and e-yarning through the 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.
How does the 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 e-mob members. You simply send your message to the email address provided when you join the yarning place and 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.
You may be interested in talking to people who are involved in the delivery of specific Indigenous health promotion programs for example programs promoting physical activity or tobacco control. You may wish to advertise a job vacancy, or obtain an abstract from a particular conference - you can use the e-message stick to request advice or assistance in various ways. When you send a message it is a good idea to include in the 'subject' line the health area your message refers to - for example 'nutrition'.
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet also uses the list to send out information that may be of general interest, or to forward relevant queries from people who are not members.
How does the e-yarning board work?
The e-yarning board (electronic discussion board) has been developed to enable Network members to share information and ideas without requiring that they be in the same geographical location, or on their computers at the same time. It will only become an effective tool for sharing info when members begin to actively use it to yarn. 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 board is 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 'Add new topic' area at the bottom of the page (click on 'add new topic' under the subject heading or scroll down to see the bottom of the page).
- If you wish to reply to a message that has already been posted, enter your message in the 'Reply' section - 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.
Yarning place guidelines
As a courtesy to others, and to protect yourself, please follow these guidelines when using the 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 issues surrounding Indigenous health promotion.
- 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.
Yarning place disclaimer
It is expected that members of the yarning place will not send/post any messages that are obscene, racist, vulgar, sexually explicit, hateful, threatening, or that may in other ways violate any laws. The HealthInfoNet will attempt to keep any objectionable messages from being sent/posted through the yarning place. We reserve the right to remove or edit inappropriate messages, but it is impossible for us to review all messages. All messages express the views of the author. The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet does not endorse the content, viewpoint, accuracy or opinions expressed, and will not be held responsible for the content of any message.