Introduction to Community Networks

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Introduction to Community Networks

• VCE Agent Training
• September 23, 2002

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What is a community network?

• Combination of people, content, services, and
  infrastructure
• Goals
• increase the ability of the community to adapt to
  a rapidly changing society
• use technology to solve increasingly complex
  community challenges

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Components of the network

• People
• Create information and knowledge and share it
  with others
• Content
• Can be any kind of information events, news,
  descriptions of services, thoughts of the people,
  etc.

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Components, cont.

• Services
• How you connect to the internet and the community
  network
• Infrastructure
• The hardware part of networks cabling, network
  electronics, circuits between buildings, etc.

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Roles of a community network

• Serve as a focus for learning and training
  efforts in the community
• Create public spaces in cyberspace
• Act as a community technology resource
• Help communities understand importance of network
  infrastructure
• Shift economic development focus to the new
  information-based economy

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Education training

• Develop basic Internet skills (how to use e-mail,
  how to use a web browser) and train people to use
  public spaces
• High tech training creates workers
• Educate community about infrastructure need
• Example BEV training classes, classes in
  libraries

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Public spaces in cyberspace

• Critical in both the physical community online
• Increases participation in community issues
• Increases communication within community
• Examples using the calendar to announce town
  meetings, using the discussion forum to discuss
  community issues

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Community technology resource

• Enhance participation in community affairs
  through creative use of technology
• Discussion forums
• Community calendars
• Meeting minutes online
• Pools technology needs in the public sector and
  makes high quality technical expertise widely
  available at low cost for public and civic needs
• Example Community Connections

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The importance of network infrastructure

• Modest community investment in telecomm will spur
  private sector investment create new jobs
• Affordable access allows for more people working
  at home in small offices
• Affordable access encourages new business
  development at home (90 of new jobs come from
  small businesses)

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Shift economic development to new information
economy

• Traditional development approaches may not meet
  need of high tech companies looking for a trained
  workforce and Internet-ready office space
• Internet skilled workforce needed, from
  entry-level to college graduates
• Community network helps by coordinating and
  offering a wide range of training efforts
• Community networks help landlords
  businesspeople convert existing facilities and/or
  plan new buildings

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Information economy, cont.

• 90 of new jobs come from small businesses, not
  manufacturing plants
• Information economy focused on creating
  businesses from the ground up, not just
  relocating existing companies to the web
• High speed access is to the Information economy
  as interstate highways were to communities in the
  20th century -- communities without access will
  wither

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Keys to success

• Make it a learning project, not a technology
  project technology projects fail
• A community learning center with a technology lab
  is helpful
• The community is the most important part! A
  network is no good if no one uses it.

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More keys

• Key groups teachers, leaders, business people,
  seniors, youth
• Key partners libraries schools play important
  roles in skills development training
• Putting computers in classrooms isnt
  enoughteachers need adequate training
  technical support

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Example network activities

• Set up and run a community technology center
• Design develop a micro-business incubator
  project
• Develop a Seniors outreach project
• Develop a program to get community civic groups
  online

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The community technology center

• If possible, provide centers with a neighborhood
  focus
• Centers can act as agents of the community
  network
• Provides not only internet access training, but
  also registers users for e-mail accounts, web
  sites, other services.

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The micro-business incubator

• Provide small entrepreneurs comprehensive
  business planning, management, marketing
  assistance along with assistance in developing an
  online presense for their business (e-mail, web
  site, domain name, etc)
• Put a time limit on the duration of assistance

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Seniors outreach project

• Provide training basic internet skills
  development
• Set up mailing list to encourage interaction
  online, with some social events to meet face to
  face
• Seniors can be a valuable resource

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Get community and civic groups online!

• Community Connections - 20/year
• Space for a web site, 2 email accounts, mailing
  list
• Easy way for churches, scout troops, sports
  clubs, volunteer organizations, and other
  community and civic groups to establish an online
  presence

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Examples of community networks

• Blacksburg Electronic Villagewww.bev.net
• Abingdonwww.eva.org/
• Floyd County, Virginiawww.community.floyd.va.us/
• Giles County, Virginiawww.gilescounty.org/
• Martinsvillewww.martinsville.com
• Radford Information Networkwww.radford.va.us
• Wythe County, Virginiawww.wytheville.org

• Columbia, Missouriwww.columbiamo.com
• Prairienet Community Networkwww.prairienet.org
• Seattle Community Networkwww.scn.org
• Boone County, Indianawww.bccn.boone.in.us
• Vancouver Community Netwww.vcn.bc.ca
• Fairbanks, Alaskawww.fairnet.org
• Middlebury, Vermontwww.middlebury.net