Date: Sat, 02 Nov 1996 16:41:20 GMT
From: INFO.UNLIMITED@MCR1.poptel.org.uk
To: communet@list.uvm.edu, iacn@sheffield.ac.uk
Subject: Community Networks : Criterion for success
 
 
 * * * draft * * *
______________________________________________________________
 
This is a list of criterion which those thinking of establishing a community
network might wish to consider both before embarking on a project and 
throughout the projects lifetime. The criterion do not aim to be 
prescriptive in terms of what kind of community network you might wish to 
set up. 
 
1. Key principles / values
 
- an understanding that each community will have different expectations 
about what this new media can do  (including the possibility that it may do 
nothing for a particular community !)
 
- an understanding of the need for ground work - what are the community's 
needs and wants -> how can they be met  ? 
 
- commitment to the principle of social inclusion in the 'information 
society' for all (learn from other networks that have found ways of 
providing access to the less well educated, elderly people afraid or 
uncomfortable with the technology, the economically poor who cannot afford 
the hardware...)
 
- free public access at a wide range of venues (libraries, community 
centres, leisure and recreational facilities, electronic village halls...)
- communication as well as information
 
- room for dissent / freedom of speech within the law 
 
- availability of information in different languages
 
- spaces for children to participate
 
- independent spaces for entrepreneurs, groups and citizens
 
- community involvement (local residents, local businesses, schools, 
colleges, community groups, institutions, local councillors ) 
 
- community involvement in decisions about content from the outset
 
- community ownership of the project (i.e. feeling a sense of ownership 
amongst the community)
 
- willingness to evaluate as an ongoing process of improvement / development
- commitment to training and support
 
- a financial model to ensure their ongoing viability
 
- need to compliment CI interchange with other means of communication 
(letters, telephone calls and meetings)
 
2. What outcomes are we looking for ?
 
- improving local democracy (e.g. providing access to local government 
information and email access to councillors - enabling two way communication
between local representatives and citizens )
 
- improving links between schools, parents, companies and other local 
communities of interest
 
- improving business and work opportunities
 
- improving public access to local information by providing another source 
of information for the community
 
- improving public feedback to organisations
 
- improving input into local planning and development
 
- support for self help initiatives such as LETS, Credit Unions, Food 
Co-ops, volunteering
 
- support for local organisations - membership, homeworking, networking
 
- widening access to technology amongst those previously not able to access 
it (elderly people, women, disabled people, ethnic minorities)
 
- improved ability for the housebound to be involved in local affairs
 
- improving communication for minority groups to build up relevant 
information contacts and cultural identity
 
- local services including home learning, shared entertainment, net friends
- easier collaborative work
 
- increased understanding and use of online opportunities
 
- community building, increased local pride and participation
 
- new skills, services, jobs and opportunities arising from the above
 
- long term aim that the CI becomes part of the fabric of the community
 
3. What will it take to implement and sustain
 
- preliminary work in the community to establish communication and 
information needs
 
- vision, co-ordination, co-operation and consultation amongst interested 
parties - partnership of interests
 
- a viable plan for making the network self sustaining
 
- excellent (and ongoing) local publicity
 
- build on existing networks within a community to extend possibilities for 
communication
 
- awareness of resources required to get something up and running, then 
maintain it (funding and volunteer support)
 
- commitment to using the technology from the start
 
- skilled support to ensure the website(s) are effective and well maintained
- use of techniques such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) files to 
reduce the workload of answering repetitive questions
 
- training and education programme to involve those not familiar with the 
technology (involvement both as 'users' and / or as volunteers helping to  
run the system)
 
- agreement amongst those involved about scope of the system
 
- agreement to focus on activities that achieve visible results locally
 
- commitment to involve local people in production and development
 
- finding encouraging, inspiring local champions in as many spheres of 
activity as possible
 
- clarity and agreement about who owns information and equipment, who is 
responsible for maintaining it
 
- recognition of the importance of participant feedback at all levels (links
with evaluation)
 
- commitment to make resources available to evaluate the project against 
hoped for outcomes (otherwise how can we know whether the project is meeting
the community's needs)
 
- recognition that networks grow according to their reputation