A website content analysis of development organisations in Zimbabwe

Development organisations websites offer local and international platforms for development communication with various stakeholders. The ability of the internet to incorporate dialogic communication features in the form of visual, auditory and print allows active stakeholder engagement in the design, implementation and evaluation of development projects. This research examines internet features that are frequently used by Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisations in Zimbabwe. The analysis focuses on whether resource bases affect feature use and to what level; they incorporate participatory communication and non-participatory communication. Through content analysis, 27 websites of Multilateral, International and Local organisations were scrutinised. Aspects of interactivity, information provision and creativeness were analysed. The research sheds light on opportunities the internet provides that can actively engage various stakeholders. Although there appears to be no relationship between organisational size and feature use, there is a gap in utilisation of dialogic communication features and creativity features. Keywords: Dialogic communication, content analysis, Zimbabwe