A www.marketslk.com Tutorial.

Importance of knowledge sharing I think Sri Lankan agricultural knowledge can be divided into two parts. Those are,
1. Academic. (This is agricultural science that is found by western countries). For

an example you can talk about chemical elements such as K, N, and P.

2. Traditional. (This includes each experience obtained by farmers throughout

thousands of past agricultural years.)For an example khemkrama and offerings to gods. Usage of kappitiya leaves as organic fertilizer. But i think there is a variety in these knowledge from region to region. So information technology can bring them to one place. By the way farmer in Jaffna can learn from farmer in Galle and vice versa. My dear friends what do you think? What are your ideas? Do you have ideas better than mine? If so, please reply; make this forum a ground of agricultural knowledge sharing. Thereby we can eliminate poverty of Sri Lanka.Just do your contribution.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is a forum in IT? For my sense, a forum is a gathering of people to solve their problems, which the problems may fall into some category or subject. For an example if people in the world face environmental problems due to emission of gases; then they should have a meeting or a gathering to reduce gas emissions and find options .So we can call that union (gathering) a world environmental forum. In this forum they share their knowledge in problems and solutions as well .They discuss for days and finally declare common practices an applicable in global scale. In IT (information technology) people gatherings can be onlinely arranged by forum software (Installed to a website). People do not need to move for meetings, but join others right from their home or anywhere they like. Structure of a forum.(see figure 1) 1. There are categories.(e.g.-Educational,Travel,Automobile,Social,.etc) 2. One category can have many forums. (E.g.-Educational category can have English language forum, maths forum, Physics forum,..chemistry forumetc).

3. One forum can have many topics. (E.g.-English language forum can have topics; English grammar, vocabulary, dictation, Spoken English, Professional English...Etc.) 4. Then visitors can reply/comment the topics. You can post past tense for English grammar forum(if the topic asks to send examples for past tense)

Figure 1

Features of forums.(see figure 2) 1. There is a one administrator for Forum software. 2. Many moderators can exist for Forum software. 3. Moderators are selected among from the registered and trustworthy users, by administrators. 4. User is a registered visitor. (Log in required.) 5. Guest is an unregistered visitor. 6. Categories are created by forum administrator. 7. Forums are created, and assigned to categories by forum administrator. 8. Topics are posted by a user/an administrator/a guest.(depending on the forum privileges assigned by administration) 9. Replies are posted by a user/an administrator/a guest.(depending on the forum privileges assigned by administration)

Figure 2

How internet forum can be useful? 1. It is a non formal technique of education. Go Google and search for automobile forum, If you are a vehicle lover. 2. If you are a teacher, you can post questions (to the forum), that are to be answered by students. That is you can tutor online.

This tutorial is created by W.H.A.U Ariyaratne. (amila.ariyaratne@yahoo.com) Sri Lanka.