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March 15th, 2009
March 12th, 2009
Our team made a special visit last Wednesday to San Juan town, in Pinar del Rio province. There were three hours of travel by road from Havana, and in our minds, we carried the intention of knowing better the roots of the association that has supported us so much.
At 10:00 AM we were in front of the following entry:
The surprising thing
It was not a conventional museum, as well as being open to visitors, this house is still the home of Esther, the mother of Luis and Sergio, better known by all as “Hermanos Saíz “; a ninety-eight years woman that has survived to the most difficult test and continues to inspire with her courage and optimism.
She received us in the door of her home and accompanied us throughout the visit, with a specialist from the museum: first to the martyrs´s bedroom, then to the living room where the two bodies were veiled, to finish in the flowery courtyard where she continued talking to us.
There is enough life in dreams and in memories
The members of our team got a shocking experience: In this museum there is enough life to think that ever came two youths shot dead and left there the last moment of their bodies.
The conviction of the two brothers was so strong that, at the Esther concerned warning because assassins were around the neighborhood in their capture, they responded recalling the ideas of Martí, from which their mother and teacher had taught them years earlier in school.
Therefore, today the association that represents the Cuban young artists was named “Hermanos Saiz Association”.
This was a unique meeting to learn and share experiences; and to confirm that always, where there is enough love, will remain the dreams and memories, as life itself.
RBOL Team
Tags: 2009, Havana, meeting, RBOL team
Posted in RBOL | No Comments »
March 10th, 2009
March 7th, 2009
Friends,
Distribution lists of our bulletins are finally at your disposal.
Our programmers have worked very hard for several months to create bulletins: a weekly delivery of all that will happen over the next few days in Havana and updates on changes or cancellation of events. Now we can get the information directly into our mailboxes. Although we must point out, that it is only a test, and during this period, many details must be corrected.
To visit the lists
Just click on: http://listas.kewelta.cu and you can subscribe to Kewelta´s Bulletins.
There are lists for everything
Each cultural manifestation has its own distribution list. So that users can select the information of their choice and skip the rest of the bulletins.
Cubarte technicians gave us a good option to use Sympa, a mailing list manager that allows a direct and easy subscription, without the upsetting confirmations and referrals.
Kewelta Havana
The e-mail is the electronic mass media more used and wider reached in our country, that´s the reason why the bulletins have long been an aspiration of our team.
Finally, this aspiration can be shared with you all.
This is one of the greatest satisfactions for all our members and contributors, to provide our users with activities and cultural events.
Have Fun!!!
Soon we will approach further to the bulletins and their potential.
RBOL Development Team
Tags: 2009, bulletins, communication, Cuba, CUBARTE, culture, events, Information, kewelta.cu, users
Tags: 2009, Bulletins, communication, CUBARTE, event, Havana, information, users
Posted in RBOL | No Comments »
February 24th, 2009
Friends of Kewelta,
As part of our campaign for the year 2009, which includes as an important issue the participation of the team in cultural events of relevance, and our explicit purpose of promoting cultural activities in the city, we set out to get closer to the events that occur in Havana.
To this end, our team was present at the recently ended International Book Fair, approaching this way to the current developments and intellectual creation in the literary field.
In furtherance of the activities planned for this important event, with the goal of ensuring that our users are informed of everything that happened during the Fair, the portal of Kewelta published, in the category of “Literature” and under the title “International Book Fair Activities”, each of the activities to be developed during the event.
The International Book Fair has become one of the largest and most expected events that occur in our country. Kewelta, as part of this large audience, eagerly awaiting its arrival, this time played an active role during its development from the cultural promotion.
Greetings,
RBOL Team
Tags: 2009, book fair, Campaign, cuban culture, event, Havana, literature, Portal, RBOL team, users
Posted in Campaing, KeWelta, RBOL | No Comments »
February 23rd, 2009
Cloud Box
Who is responsible for the hundreds of emails we receive at habana(at)kewelta.cu? Who select and place the information in the very place that corresponds in our system? Who cleans all impurities so that the information reaches only the essentials and save time to the users?
Editors are.
To Edit
According to the Royal Academy of Spanish Language, to edit a text is to adapt it according the rules for the style of a publication. For us, editing is to take the information we receive through the institutions that cooperate with us, and to adapt it taking into account the editorial standards of Kewelta.
For example, when we received information, it comes in different forms depending on the institution that sent it. We extract the data that interest us such as event name, date, place and time that will happen, its description, and any other information that may be relevant (cost of tickets, opening hours, etc …)
To publish
It is the last stage of the work of the Editor. The event is added to the system, stripped of everything that is not relevant to the personal programming of the user. In an easily and accessible format in accordance with the interests of our visitors.
Tags: Edition, editors, event, information, institutions, users
Posted in Edition, KeWelta, RBOL | No Comments »
February 18th, 2009
Friends,
A disaster has happened…!
A stream of hundreds of emails has flooded our mailboxes… Our team is already trying to solve it. For months we have been waiting for the surprise, full of patience and expectations, our bulletins are finally begin and a wave of megas is who breaks the ribbon opening.
During this afternoon e-mail clients could look like this:
Crowded by the headings of our bulletins such as: cinema, theater, television, music, visual arts, community…
What happened?
Tuesday February 17th, our development team met with CUBARTE´s technicians and between them, gave a solution to a problem that had delayed the dispatch of all mails into and out of our system.
To correct the bottleneck in almost a month of delayed information, all these emails came one after another in search of their destiny, and nobody could stop them.
The Good News
Is that we can already send our bulletins, and we can also receive all the information you send to habana[at] kewelta.cu, direction that was bottled.
The Bad News
There is no doubt that we have caused untold inconvenience to the friends who came with us from RadioBemba, and all those who have expressed interest in the Project and we subscribe them to our bulletins from the start to exchange opinions.
We are also aware that all those who choose not to join us at this stage of testing, should be easy to unsubscribe.
You can write to habana[at]kewelta.cu and ask for unsubscribe.
Once again, we ask apologies for any inconvenience caused at this stage of testing.
RBOL Development Team
Tags: 2009, Bulletins, cuban culture, CUBARTE, ETECSA, information, project, RadioBemba, RBOL team, servers, users
Posted in KeWelta, Problems, Programming, RBOL | No Comments »
February 16th, 2009
Hi Friends,
Kewelta is hosted in CUBARTE servers since October 2008. This change to an ISP in Cuba, is which allows to many of our friends to access to the information that is published daily on our site.
CUBARTE team has helped and worked with us in the move, was an important support for the realization of our project and its main goal, which is that you be aware of everything that happens in the Cuban culture.
However, the October 30th and November 11th of 2008, were published in our Blog two posts, which led to some concerns about the support that has provided this service. Therefore we wanted to clarify this issue.
By the magnitude of objectives of Kewelta and the number of users expected to reach, we need the best technology platform and network that can provide the Cuban institutions. CUBARTE is the server that host our project in their network, who offer support to develop the applications that we need and who give us their institutional support, who allow all users who from the national network to access to Kewelta; in short, they form an important part of the body of this project and take it with consciousness and responsibility.
The need of using the first platform in network technology of our country: ENET, to increase the availability of our website, has no connection with the work developed by CUBARTE team. These are objective conditions of technology, which moves us towards the direction of ETECSA.
Each of those who visit and work on the site, need a strong recognition to the CUBARTE team. The circumstances which have revolved around this period, are only part of the motivation that we all have to carry forward a great effort.
And continues, as a part of the enthusiasm of CUBARTE team and Kewelta, to offer you the best of cultural dissemination.
RBOL Development Team
Tags: 2009, blog, cuban culture, CUBARTE, ENET, ETECSA, information, institutions, project, RBOL team, servers, users
Posted in Programming, RBOL, communication | No Comments »
February 13th, 2009
What is the meaning of “to orientate” in Kewelta? In Kewelta, when we talk about “guide, orientate, rate, valuate…” we are not only referring to the mere fact of showing in our Portal all the options that can be used by our users, but also giving them the opportunity to learn about events that, according to the Kewelta rating are favourites in each of the manifestations.
However, given a valuation implies a great responsibility to our users. Thus, our editors have always been concerned about how we, simple mortals, can decide what is favourite and what is not? That´s why Kewelta editors have the firm intention of becoming familiar with the art manifestation that each represents, in this way will undoubtedly be more seriously to evaluate the quality of events.
But, that is not enough. Rely on the advice of specialists, is an invaluable aid to the team. These people are professionals in the area where they work, and their approach will help us deliver a more solid opinion.
However, there are points that still remain a concern. The thing is that, although Kewelta has as target audience, young people, we still do not have a detailed segmentation of audiences, which would help us when evaluating events. For example, this film or this show can have a high valuation for a specific audience, while for another may be the opposite. What to do then to “marry” the preferences of users? Fortunately, users who visit us today, come to Kewelta knowing what to look for. But, how to do when the wealth of information makes it impossible for users to find what they are looking for, how to help them?
These are some of the concerns of our team, which have driven many meetings and more than one discussion. Still, the important thing is that we are aware of the responsibility we have and we are doing everything to achieve the best result.
RBOL Editors Team
Tags: editors, event, information, meeting, Portal, rating, RBOL team, users
Posted in RBOL | No Comments »
December 28th, 2008
Friends of Kewelta,
Since 2005, we have been together, by e-mails, in theatres, in movies, in music shows, in congresses, in the universities, institutes and public places, always counting with the help of many people. In our houses in front of our PCs or reading a printed e-mails.
It has passed four years of effort and sacrifices, all these with an only goal:
To know every event of the cultural world that happens in Havana and, of course… To Have a good time!!!
Thanks to you, that has also contributed to this Project of cultural enrichment …
Thanks to all the institutions and individuals who have who have given us encouragement in every moment.
Happy New Year 2009!!!
And…Have Fun!!!
A big hug, RBOL team
Tags: 2009, institutions
Posted in RBOL, RadioBemba | No Comments »
December 20th, 2008
The desktop, is a software solution created by Freyre, and enriched by Julio Carlos and Zuzel for the use of our editors. It enables editors to provide the information that the site will show as new entries.
At only a week of starting in the Project, I had the great responsibility (as a programmer) of allowing, through the desktop application, to asses an event (one of the most important features that the Portal will have). For this purpose, I “digested” almost all the source code of the kw_desktop, and began, as soon as I could, the task assigned.
At first, it was hard for me to understand (as always happens in matters of a foreign code), everything was easier as soon as I become acquainted with the code. After 2 nights of hard work, the result could be hardly seeing in this application to which my predecessors had spent months working in its improvements:
But that far of discouragement, it motivated me to continue adding functionality to this software that I already feel like mine. The next day, besides reflecting the Rating in the main window of the application, I achieved the software to be able to export and update the site, and that way it was (as I thought), 100% functional.
Nothing was further from the truth, because a few hours later I discovered that the eliminated events were not sent to the trash, and when I tried to extract some of those events that were there: Kabooom! The application launched an exception.
That day I was until 4am trying to solve the problem, (do not forget that the code is not mine and there are things that I´m still completely unaware of). So, I fall asleep over the keyboard about 3 hours, in what I called “the revealing dream”. I do not know if anyone had experienced this, for me it is totally unusual. The truth is that I dreamed how to proceed to solve the problem with the trash. At the time I awake, shocked, I could not believe what I had dreamed of, and much less that it was indeed the solution to a matter I had dedicated so many hours… So, I phoned Blast and told him happened … “Hahaha, it happens!!” he told me. But I wasn´t sure until I spoke with Zuzel who confirmed what, later led to the code, was 100% clear.
Tags: desktop, editors, rating
Posted in KeWelta, Problems, Programming, RBOL | No Comments »
December 17th, 2008
When I heard Estelita talking about radiobemba(at)uh.cu, I was still a MATCOM student at the University of Havana. I can say that I was one of the firsts to receive their e-mails about cultural events, but I was far from imagining that I would be some day a part of the RBOL team.
At that time, had a deep desire to find alternatives for fun, to know where to go and in which place was planned the activity I needed. But in terms of distribution lists, radiobemba(at)uh.cu had me dissatisfied…
First and foremost, was to assume the challenge of being involved in a social Project as Kewelta, unprecedented in the island. Then it caught my attention, particularly, how seriously, every member of this group of young people, take their job… to the point that they seem to be “possessed” with the magic of their leader: Blast (aka Carlos Manuel), who impose to the Project such an energy and dynamism, which one comes to be convinced that, in his only 24 years old, has leaded projects from adolescence …
So, I am proud to be part of this team with which I feel identified and intend to spend all the time required, and do everything that is expected of me.
Greetings,
Garcés Luilver Briñas, Programmer of Kewelta Project.
Tags: RadioBemba
Posted in KeWelta, RBOL | No Comments »
December 17th, 2008
We would like to admit that the Post of Bloggers CUBA called “Threats, constraints and barriers to the arrival of Web 2.0 to Cuba” has aroused a particular interest among several friends of our project and Cubans bloggers. We believe it is our responsibility to publish step by step in our blog how Kewelta Project has come true, and the ideas that we intend to develop in order to make an important step in a topic that is far more than technology and approaches the reality that has been imposed in many latitudes, and which is not far from touching the Cuban territory, and is the implementing a social model based on the 2.0 philosophy inside the Cuban Web. In this post we will limit ourselves to talk about the current Keweltas´s Social Model and the changes that should be happening, later we will talk more about our experiences.
1.0 and 2.0 These concepts are widely disseminated: Portals like Kewelta, La Jiribilla, CUBARTE Portal, Cubasí and Juventud Rebelde, to name a few, all have implemented a Publishing Model in which information goes through an editorial flow with some rigor until it is published. So it is said that these websites are of the old school or that they follow the 1.0 concept, in which the portals as issuers of information play the most important role because the team behind them is the one who decides what to publish and what not.
The truth is that, technology, communication and years have shown that above 1.0 concept prevails the 2.0, in fact, history has shown that the portals 2.0 literally devour the 1.0 sites. This revolutionary philosophy in every aspect of daily life, simply argues that each portal should be a facilitator of communication between users, who are the makers and publish the information, at the time it is consumed. Some examples of portals that follow this philosophy in our lenguage are Meneame and Wikipedia, among many others.
To finish this part I would add that, perhaps in our country the most interesting rapprochement to the 2.0 philosophy are the forums of La Vanguardia newspaper, though its been talked about a lot of projects like http://blogs.sld.cu, La Vanguardia wins by being 100% public and online.
As we know in Kewelta, the 2.0 philosophy is not an option, is simply the way forward to achieve a cultural orientation service with the quality standards of our planet today. Certainly, to follow each of the cultural activities that are conducted only in Havana, take control of the changes, cancellations and new events that occur, we would need a building the size of FOCSA full of journalists (to give an example), because if we really quantify the additional resources, it would require too many telephone lines, all of the bandwidth that Cuba has at this moment, various vehicles to transport us and an endless unthinkable resources, just to keep the track of what happens day by day in our capital, we would have to reproduce an entire tracking apparatus like the one that exists today for organization and execution.
Do you understand the point my friends? We are forced to open up the system so that the artists and institutions themselves are allowed get close to users through the Portal that allows them to make public the schedule of its events. Kewelta has to be the way to facilitate communication between users that promotes information and users who are eager to know that information, and, as the years and history have shown, those users, at the end, are the same
RBOL Development Team
Tags: cuban culture
Posted in KeWelta, communication, strategy. | No Comments »
December 13th, 2008
Or
editorial valuation. The thing is that our editors can assign a numerical value (a number from 1 to 5) to the events they publish. It is an idea with which we intend to qualify the most representative of Cuban culture. It seems simple, but is far from it.
To do this, our editors must prepare themselves very well, because there are many criteria to be taken into account when assessing an event. As a programmer, my task is to enable editors to allocate the valuation in the event (basically, to put the number) but this is only the simplest part. What does it mean that an event has 5 points, or 3 or 1? This is the complicated part.
Formula… Calculations…? No, we can not count the culture! There are so many indicators with which to evaluate an event! They’re all so different for each event, and among them, everyone has a different importance. Recently we met to discuss this issue, and it has generated a good debate, with many different conclusions, including the need for assistance from the critics. The “Music” events are not measured with the same parameters with which we measure “Movies”; the place of occurrence of the event, when to take into account the price of entry, with what kind of critics to contact to, etc …
Another issue is how to visualize this assessment. We can use stars, vertical bars, horizontal bars… on which side of the chart in the event…
The editorial valuation is also geared with the Votes and Mystique, helping the event to become “Tokao”(most popular). 
The Rating is translated to a number that is added to the Mystique at the time of the Vote, allowing events with more Rating to become More Popular faster than others. It also affects the order of the Events, because the events placed in “On hand” are ordered by Mystique in a descending order. So two events with the same Mystique but with a different valuation, at the time of voting, the event with the highest rating is the first.
Then, the Rating influences, but does it determine…? No, an event only becomes “Tokao” through the Votes from users. For example, an “Event A” can have 5 points and an “Event B” can have 2 points; for the same amount of votes, the Mystique of the “Event A” (5 points) increases faster and becomes “Tokao” faster than the “Event B”. But if we vote more for the “Event B”, this can become “Tokao” before the “Event A”.
Our goal is to guide our users and the general public towards a culture with quality, which represents the Cuban culture. It is very difficult, but it is our intent.
Tags: cuban culture, desktop, editors, event, rating
Posted in Development, KeWelta, Programming, RBOL | 1 Comment »
December 9th, 2008
Since April of this year we decided to publicize Kewelta. To achieve this, we needed to have sufficient cultural information for our portal. To ensure that, we replicated some documents related to our Project, and allocated them to the main directives of major cultural institutions in the Capital.
These materials, that had information about Kewelta, its history and objectives, were delivered by ourselves. That took us to walk many days under our under our characteristic Sun.
Then, we decided that we should not get on only in higher organisms and that we should visit the institutions that make the culture themselves.
Another time to walk with our fliers under our arms, ready to let us know at the base. For months we were visiting institutions basically, those ones placed in the center of the Capital, presenting us and letting them that little piece of paper.
October arrived, and we had our first appearance on national television, in the program Parentheses (Paréntesis) from Havana Channel. At that time everyone in the Capital had the opportunity of knowing from our Proyect, our e-mail and a detailed explanation of how Kewelta works.
In the same month of October, we had our formal presentation at the “Hermanos Saiz” Association. Many important personalities were present: Minister of Culture, Main Directives from the “Hermanos Saiz” Association, and other leaders in the industry. It was also a great opportunity for a new interview, this time to the program “Site of Art”,and to distribute hundreds of flyers for all attendees, the cartel prepared for that day, among other documents.
The members of our team are constantly participating in cultural events, looking anywhere for the cultural information that Kewelta needs (websites, printed billboards, radio and television…)
We have been attending some courses that deal with cultural issues in the different municipalities, and we have taken advantage of it to present the features of our Project to the cultural promoters.
But my friends, after all this pilgrimage, the information still does not reach us… Are those institutions not interested in promoting their cultural activities? Could it be that they do not recognize the value of a Cultural Billboard as Kewelta?
We fail to understand what is really happening. Meanwhile, I leave you with these questions open to a debate and perhaps you, who are reading this, can contribute together to push us to reach fruition.
Ivonne.
Tags: desktop, editors, information
Posted in Campaing, communication | No Comments »
December 4th, 2008
Our work in Kewelta increases qualitatively every day. More information, greater numbers of visitors, and thus of users accessing our site. Thank you very much for all those who, in one way or another, are contributing with our Project and uses the information we provide.
In Kewelta we count with two very important tools for us as editors. One of them, and commented from one of the members of our team is the “editors desktop”, the other of which we haven´t talked about yet, is the “institutions desktop” in which we organize all the data from the cultural institutions (address, phone number, e-mail address…).
This post intends to be a wake-up call in this respect towards our friends, the contributors.
We found that the information comes to us incomplete. In most cases only the name of the event, place and date. In many cases it is easy because they are artists or famous places, in others not so well. We need more detailed information, including also the particular event, place, date and time, also kind of activity that makes the artist, or genre, demonstration, and above all, the place where the data is presented, referring in the name of the place, address, telephone and even people to contact.
Again, greetings and thanks to all who are in contact and we hope that with the cooperation of all increase the quality of our proposal.
Greetings,
Ivonne
Tags: editor´s desktop, information, intitution´s desktop
Posted in Campaing, communication | No Comments »
November 25th, 2008
Our Project, that began a day, as an innocent mailing list, today has become a great opportunity for young people interested in Cuban culture. Kewelta today is known by many, a lot of friends write us daily to congratulate us and make us valuable recommendations and interesting proposals. To all of them, we thank for letting us be a part of their plans to enjoy the cultural life of Havana.
But being part of this great team, not only involves the commitment of carrying out daily quality work, it also involves preparation, training and ownership of the daily lives of those who have many years in the cultural world and who, undoubtedly, have a very valuable experience for us.
Thus, our team has already participated in several courses with cultural promoters and programmers, have learned from their work, their functioning, and has given us a more complete picture of cultural information … where it comes from, where it is going …
We are pleased with the joy with which we have been received in these courses and the enthusiasm shown by contributing with our project.
Friends of Kewelta, on this journey, where many people had joined us, you can always be sure that we work so that the outcome is everything you deserve…
See ya!
A hug, Citacu
Tags: cultural promoters, information
Posted in Development, KeWelta, RBOL | No Comments »
