6. Communication and Dissemination MISA’s communications and dissemination strategy is aimed at supporting the work of the various programme areas; strengthening the brand of MISA as the leading organization in media freedom and freedom of expression in SADC; ensuring that MISA produces and disseminates materials and resources meaningful to stakeholders; and galvanize pubic support on media freedom and freedom of expression issues. This continued to be the aim in the year under review. 6.1 Communication Policy The communication policy which was developed in the previous financial year was approved at the end of the year under review. This will ensure that there is a policy that is strengthening the strategy that was approved in the previous financial year but could not be properly implemented due to policy gaps. Consequently, in the next financial year the proper implementation of this policy will begin and the various trainings will be conducted in order to improve communication in MISA. Compilation of the MISA Style Manual has begun but will only be completed when all the design of all corporate materials is completed. The style manual will be part of the training manual that will be used for training. 6.1 Information Technology The website was continually updated and baked up over the year to ensure that the organization’s stakeholders get up to date information on media freedom and freedom of expression in SADC. A web-monitoring tool was installed towards the end of the year and over registered more than 15 000 hits and the number of hits continues to increase. However the tool also showed that most people do not spend a lot of time on the website and in an effort to ensure that it more user friendly and information that stored there is more accessible MISA embarked on a website revamp which is planned to be completed in the next financial year. MISA mailing lists have been maintained and updated as membership increased. During the course of the year the web server crashed and had to be replaced. It was replaced with one that has the capacity to host other sites. Sites that will be hosted include various chapter sites as well as the website for the Network of African Freedom of Expression Organizations (NAFEO). Chapters like Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe continued to update their various websites. MISA South Africa has embarked on the re-design of their website and they expect to publish it on the MISA server during the next financial year. All chapters maintained their mailing lists and updated them accordingly. The MISAnet news exchange was still running. The organization is exploring ways and means of expanding MISAnet into a news pool organization as it is a direct benefit of MISA’s members. 6.2 Publicity As part of the organization’s branding and establishing of it’s cooperate identity, several materials were produced which also helped in improving the organization’s visibility. Another MISA banner was to be produced and is the Annual Report 2006 45