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Virtual volunteering is the practice of volunteering using the Internet, off-site from the organization being assisted. Virtual volunteering is also known as online volunteering or e-volunteering. ==In practice== Online volunteering is typically short-term. In one study,〔Dhebar, B. B., & Stokes, B. (2008). A nonprofit manager’s guide to online volunteering. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 18 (4), 497-506.〕 over 70 per cent of online volunteers chose assignments requiring one to five hours a week and nearly half chose assignments lasting 12 weeks or less. Some organizations offer online volunteering opportunities which last from ten minutes to an hour. A unique feature of online volunteering is that it can be done from a distance. People with restricted mobility or other special needs participate in ways that might not be possible in traditional face-to-face volunteering. Likewise, online volunteering may allow people to overcome social inhibitions and social anxiety, particularly if they would normally experience disability-related labeling or stereotyping. This empowers people who might not otherwise volunteer. It can build self-confidence and self-esteem while enhancing skills and extending networks and social ties. Online volunteering also allows participants to adapt their program of volunteer work to their unique needs and life situations.〔State of the World's Volunteerism Report 2011: Universal Values for Global Well-being, United Nations Volunteers, ISBN 978-9211012460〕 People engaged in virtual volunteering undertake a variety of activities from locations remote to the organization or people they are assisting, via a computer or other Internet-connected device, such as: * researching subjects (e.g. for Wikia projects) * writing software (see open-source software which is often made by volunteers) * fixing software (e.g. Community patches) * creating web pages * editing or writing proposals, press releases, newsletter articles, etc. * translating documents (e.g. Fan translations) * developing material for a curriculum * designing a database * designing graphics * scanning documents * providing legal, business, medical, agricultural or any other expertise * counseling people * tutoring or mentoring students * moderating online discussion groups * writing songs * creating a podcast * editing a video * monitoring the news * answering questions * tagging photos and files * managing other online volunteers〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=What are examples of virtual volunteering? )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=examples of virtual volunteering ) 〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Make a Difference From Home: Be a Virtual Volunteer )〕 In the developing world, innovative synergies between volunteerism and technology typically focus on mobile communication technologies rather than the Internet. Around 26 per cent of people worldwide had Internet access in 2009. However, Internet penetration in low-income countries was only 18 per cent, compared to over 64 per cent in developed countries. While the costs of fixed broadband Internet are falling, access still remains unaffordable to many.〔International Telecommunication Union (ITU). (2010). Measuring the information society . Geneva, Switzerland: ITU〕 Despite this, online volunteering is developing rapidly. Online volunteers are “people who commit their time and skills over the Internet, freely and without financial considerations, for the benefit of society.”〔Dhebar & Stokes, 2008〕 Online volunteering has eliminated the need for volunteerism to be tied to specific times and locations. Thus, it greatly increases the freedom and flexibility of volunteer engagement and complements the outreach and impact of volunteers serving in situ. Most online volunteers engage in operational and managerial activities such as fundraising, technological support, communications, marketing and consulting. Increasingly, they also engage in activities such as research and writing and leading e-mail discussion groups.〔 Online ''micro-volunteering'' is also an example of virtual volunteering and crowdsourcing, where volunteers undertake assignments via their PDAs or smartphones. These volunteers either aren't required to undergo any screening or training by the nonprofit for such tasks, and do not have to make any other commitment when a micro-task is completed, or, have already undergone screening or training by the nonprofit, and are therefore approved to take on micro-tasks as their availability and interests allow. Online micro-volunteering was originally called "byte-sized volunteering" by the Virtual Volunteering Project, and has always been a part of the more than 30-year-old practice of online volunteering. An early example of both micro-volunteering and crowdsourcing is ClickWorkers, a small NASA project begun in 2001 that engaged online volunteers in scientific-related tasks that required just a person's perception and common sense, but not scientific training, such as identifying craters on Mars in photos the project posted online; volunteers were not trained or screened before participating. The phrase "micro-volunteering" is usually credited to a San Francisco-based nonprofit called The Extraordinaries. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Virtual volunteering」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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