About the INCORE Internet
Country Guides
Contents Index
Criteria
for inclusion in the INCORE Internet Country Guides
Each guide lists sources which have unique, relevant and preferably
substantive content relating to ethnicity and/or conflict in the
country/region concerned.
Unique
The guides
do not list sources whose material is available at other web sites.
Thus, large numbers of users put together sites which provide, in
slightly modified form, statistics available through the CIA World
Factbook, to take one example. Such sites are not included.
Relevant
There is a
large quantity of information available about countries where conflict
is taking place which is not directly relevant to the conflict -
tourist information for example. This is not included. Information
should be concerned as closely as possible with ethnicity and/or
conflict.
Substantive
We prefer sources
with substantive information, that is sources that provide actual
information rather than information about information, however the
latter are not always excluded. Our list of prime sources are essentially
lists of sources with the greatest substantive content.
These are
the criteria for inclusion in this guide. Our current policy is
that items will not be assessed for political 'acceptability' but
only according to the criteria above. If an anti government group
involved in a conflict has put up material about their organisation
we consider that to be relevant, however biased. If a government
involved in a conflict has put up material about that government
we consider that to be relevant, however biased. This means that
the guides include links to sites which many find offensive but
which are included because they provide unique, substantive, relevant
content. For further information on this please read our warning
about information included in these guides.
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Warning
About Information Included In These Guides
We include
items in our guides, to put it shortly, if they contain unique,
relevant, and preferably substantive content. For further information
on this please read our Criteria For Inclusion in the internet country
guides.
Balance
We do not seek
to achieve a balance between groups. INCORE does not adjudicate on the relative
merits and strengths of different parties to conflict and does not
act as an internet conflict referee. Users should be aware that
in many conflicts certain parties to the conflict are more powerful,
wealthier, and better able to spread their message than the other
side or sides. This is expressed in the relative presence on the
internet, but perhaps more so, in the media beyond the internet.
We do not seek to achieve a balance between competing viewpoints
and INCORE will not be attempting to redress
the world wide imbalance in the quantity of information provided
by different parties to conflicts.
Objectivity
We do not vouch
for the accuracy or objectivity of the sources we include in this
guide - many of the sources are neither, but users must assess that
for themselves. We suggest that, at the very least, users exercise
the judgement and follow the guidelines that they would use when
assessing a printed document. We do not exclude items because of
their political affiliations.
Offensive
Material
INCORE provides
links to material which many will find offensive. These links are
included because these sites have unique, relevant and preferably
substantive content relating to ethnicity and/or conflict in the
country concerned. For more information on this see the Criteria
For Inclusion in the internet country guides.
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Updating
And Additions
These guides
are being produced at a time when not only the content available
on the internet, but the internet itself, is changing rapidly.
Updating
These guides
are not 'constantly updated'. It is in the nature of the internet
that these guides begin to go out of date within days of their production.
Rather than pursue the mirage of 'constantly updating' we have decided
to give each guide a version number and date. When they first appear
they are comprehensive. As time passes their value depreciates.
We are currently
expanding the number of regions covered while producing 'version
2'of the earlier guides. As we begin to broaden our coverage we
will then be able to devote more of our efforts to producing regular
new versions of the existing guides. When that point is reached
any-one using the guides should be able to find a reasonable up-to-date
guide on the country or region they are interested in. At that point
also INCORE hope to be in a position to rapidly produce and publicise
new versions of existing guides in response to crises in particular
countries or regions.
Additions
When a new
guide is produced it is given a simple version number, version 2/97,
for example, means the second edition of the guide. The 97 is to
remind you of the year it was created in. When a new guide is produced
and publicised to those who are interested, we will allow a 10 day
addition period. We guarantee to look at and consider for inclusion
any sites that we are notified of during that time. We do not guarantee
that these sites will be included in the guide - we will use our
usual criteria for selection. We may have already seen the site
and judged it inappropriate. We will then produce an updated version
of the guide, a version 2a. Information received after the ten days
will be taken into account only for inclusion in the next full edition
of the relevant guide, which is likely to be several months later.
If you wish to be informed of new editions just E-mail INCORE
and let us know, naming the country or countries you are interested
in.
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Archiving
Policy
New guides
replace the old guides, supercede them. That is, if you have a hyperlink
or bookmark for the guide, that bookmark or link will automatically
bring you the new version of the guide when the new version becomes
available. If you've heard there's a new version and only find the
old one try clicking reload on your web browser. All guides which
have been superceded are kept by us. We plan to develop an archiving
policy. However, we do not make old guides publicly available. Because
of their nature they are virtually of no value.
We welcome
your comments or advice on the guides. Just E-mail INCORE.
Liam O'Hagan
November
2000
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