Digital Inclusion, Social Capital and Digital Barn Raising
I was at today's seminar and can confirm first hand that Tim Davies has done a terrific live blogging job! I think it gave RSA a lot of useful content for their local action research project ... and also the chance for those attending to catch up on each other's activites and look out for possible collaborations. It sparked ideas for me of digital barn raising as a possible social enterprise service, of which more below.
As someone said, we are very good at talking about these issues, and maybe piloting ... but not at taking entrepreneurial action and scaling up. I certainly remember similar discussions 10-12 years ago when I think that there were in fact more local online communities in the first flush of enthusiasm for the Net. Many didn't survive because there weren't as many people online, and so projects often tried to do too much ... covering access, training as well as content. There wasn't an easy business model, and volunteers burned out.
Today's agenda was how digital technologies, through the connections they support, can help build social capital by enabling people to develop new relationships or re-inforce existing ones in their communities.
In theory this could be done by helping existing community development workers, activists and local institutions use digital technology more effectively ... as well helping more people connect online. In fact my experience is that existing "connectors" may not be the most eager to adopt and use new methods. Maybe it's just they are too busy, prefer face-to-face ... or dare I say it, are defensive about their connecting roles potentially being reduced by others. It's the control thing.
We need some new-style connectors in the mix, and that's where the new hyperlocal websites promoted by Will Perrin's Talk About Local project come in. We were fortunate in having Liz Ixer from Harringay Online at the seminar to describe their impressive volunteer-run project.
We also heard from Gary Copitch, describing the role of community reporters in People's Voice Media (PVM) in the North West. Here's my earlier interview with Gary.
There are other excellent examples of local projects around the country, promoting digital inclusion, contributing to development of their local communities ... and generally giving people a voice, access to learning and information. But not many. There are excellent UK online centres ... but many are still concentrating on basic computer and online training. It can take a brave manager to develop a wider agenda.
How can we move forward? I saw three strands emerging, besides the RSA action research project with the Knowle West Media Centre in Bristol. That will yield valuable learning, but will take a couple of years to complete.
First, Will Perrin and others are promoting a UK hyperlocal alliance for anyone interested in local sites ... a sort of community of practice.
Second, this digitalengagement network site can continue to help connect people, and host discussions.
Third, there will be opportunities for some social enterprise activity - like People's Voice Media - that could expand ... aided through connections made via Talk About Local and this network.
I floated the idea of a sort of travelling circus that could be invited in to areas to help with what the Americans call barn raising. That's when people get together to do something in a short period that a small group can't do on their own.
Recently I've been involved in an terrific collaborative social reporting initiative over the two days of the National Digital Inclusion Conference: you can see the videos on this network, many by PVM. In parallel, community social media specialists We Share Stuff ran hands-on clinics to show participants what was possible.
I also helped run a social collaboration game session at the SHINE09 unconference for social entrepreneurs, when about 40 people played through ways in which digital technology could benefit a (fictitious) area.
In other projects, with Drew Mackie, I've been involved in mapping the connections in communities and developing ways to enhance them ... there's a guide we developed here. That's just my me ... others have far more. Also at the seminar were my friends Kevin Harris and Alison Gilchrist, who have huge experience of community development and the non-digital communication ecologies of neighbourhoods.
How about combining all those elements in a proposition that could be taken to local authorities or other organisations prepared to host a digital barn-raising.
It could have some of the characteristics of well-tried community planning techniques like design charrettes.
Before the event there would be period of research to identify who would be interested, where existing connections exist, what's already happening (always far more than you think).
On the day - or days - there could be a for-real game in which people work out how to add digital to their existing mix of acivities. There would be hands-on support from folk like We Share Stuff, or the local online centre. Then we - or rather local people - could start to build their online connections, perhaps on an easy-to-set-up Ning network like this one, and also used by Harringay online. Some people could do photos, others video, blogging, commenting, telling stories. Its the sort of thing that Steve Thompson and colleagues in Teesside support so well with local communities. It's fun. The technology is not just useful ... it creates a neutral space in which people can confess ignorance, or offer a helping hand, and meet people they might not otherwise talk to.
From the digital barn-raising new (and old) enthusiasts would emerge. The site might continue... but even if it doesn't it could stand as an example of what might be possible once there was time for reflection. Nothing would have been spent on hardware of software. Anyone who wanted to could have a go.
I've just sketched out the possibilities to see if anyone else is interested. and it is just one format. There might be a free how-to kit ... and also a more substantial paid-for offering. Let's be entrepreneurial out there. (I should say that this isn't "my" idea ... co-authors Amy Sample Ward and Andy Gibson on the Social by Social handbook and SHINE09 game, and I have been thinking along these lines for a while and will talk more tomorrow).
Anyone else interested?
As someone said, we are very good at talking about these issues, and maybe piloting ... but not at taking entrepreneurial action and scaling up. I certainly remember similar discussions 10-12 years ago when I think that there were in fact more local online communities in the first flush of enthusiasm for the Net. Many didn't survive because there weren't as many people online, and so projects often tried to do too much ... covering access, training as well as content. There wasn't an easy business model, and volunteers burned out.
Today's agenda was how digital technologies, through the connections they support, can help build social capital by enabling people to develop new relationships or re-inforce existing ones in their communities.
In theory this could be done by helping existing community development workers, activists and local institutions use digital technology more effectively ... as well helping more people connect online. In fact my experience is that existing "connectors" may not be the most eager to adopt and use new methods. Maybe it's just they are too busy, prefer face-to-face ... or dare I say it, are defensive about their connecting roles potentially being reduced by others. It's the control thing.
We need some new-style connectors in the mix, and that's where the new hyperlocal websites promoted by Will Perrin's Talk About Local project come in. We were fortunate in having Liz Ixer from Harringay Online at the seminar to describe their impressive volunteer-run project.
We also heard from Gary Copitch, describing the role of community reporters in People's Voice Media (PVM) in the North West. Here's my earlier interview with Gary.
There are other excellent examples of local projects around the country, promoting digital inclusion, contributing to development of their local communities ... and generally giving people a voice, access to learning and information. But not many. There are excellent UK online centres ... but many are still concentrating on basic computer and online training. It can take a brave manager to develop a wider agenda.
How can we move forward? I saw three strands emerging, besides the RSA action research project with the Knowle West Media Centre in Bristol. That will yield valuable learning, but will take a couple of years to complete.
First, Will Perrin and others are promoting a UK hyperlocal alliance for anyone interested in local sites ... a sort of community of practice.
Second, this digitalengagement network site can continue to help connect people, and host discussions.
Third, there will be opportunities for some social enterprise activity - like People's Voice Media - that could expand ... aided through connections made via Talk About Local and this network.
I floated the idea of a sort of travelling circus that could be invited in to areas to help with what the Americans call barn raising. That's when people get together to do something in a short period that a small group can't do on their own.
Recently I've been involved in an terrific collaborative social reporting initiative over the two days of the National Digital Inclusion Conference: you can see the videos on this network, many by PVM. In parallel, community social media specialists We Share Stuff ran hands-on clinics to show participants what was possible.
I also helped run a social collaboration game session at the SHINE09 unconference for social entrepreneurs, when about 40 people played through ways in which digital technology could benefit a (fictitious) area.
In other projects, with Drew Mackie, I've been involved in mapping the connections in communities and developing ways to enhance them ... there's a guide we developed here. That's just my me ... others have far more. Also at the seminar were my friends Kevin Harris and Alison Gilchrist, who have huge experience of community development and the non-digital communication ecologies of neighbourhoods.
How about combining all those elements in a proposition that could be taken to local authorities or other organisations prepared to host a digital barn-raising.
It could have some of the characteristics of well-tried community planning techniques like design charrettes.
Before the event there would be period of research to identify who would be interested, where existing connections exist, what's already happening (always far more than you think).
On the day - or days - there could be a for-real game in which people work out how to add digital to their existing mix of acivities. There would be hands-on support from folk like We Share Stuff, or the local online centre. Then we - or rather local people - could start to build their online connections, perhaps on an easy-to-set-up Ning network like this one, and also used by Harringay online. Some people could do photos, others video, blogging, commenting, telling stories. Its the sort of thing that Steve Thompson and colleagues in Teesside support so well with local communities. It's fun. The technology is not just useful ... it creates a neutral space in which people can confess ignorance, or offer a helping hand, and meet people they might not otherwise talk to.
From the digital barn-raising new (and old) enthusiasts would emerge. The site might continue... but even if it doesn't it could stand as an example of what might be possible once there was time for reflection. Nothing would have been spent on hardware of software. Anyone who wanted to could have a go.
I've just sketched out the possibilities to see if anyone else is interested. and it is just one format. There might be a free how-to kit ... and also a more substantial paid-for offering. Let's be entrepreneurial out there. (I should say that this isn't "my" idea ... co-authors Amy Sample Ward and Andy Gibson on the Social by Social handbook and SHINE09 game, and I have been thinking along these lines for a while and will talk more tomorrow).
Anyone else interested?
Comment
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Comment by Kevin Harris on May 21, 2009 at 9:56am - tim's reference to sheds outs me in mind of allotments, and maybe the analogy could be helpful. If so, what would it take to stimulate widespread provision and use of such spaces across the country?
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Comment by Paul Nash on May 21, 2009 at 9:37am - This sounds like just the kind of activity to which I could subscribe; ground up, community driven, coordinated, I'd give this a big yes. BUT :-) before we all get carried off on a cloud of enthusiasm let's just review the landscape. Third sector support organisations only engage with a specific group of clients. We (that's the greater We) tend to confuse "community" and "voluntary" and they're not the same thing. Community is what it says and these groups, on the whole, tend to be transitory and focussed on a specific issue or activity -not always, I know, but as a generalisation. Voluntary groups tend to work with and for a specific target group, disability, older people, mental health, hospital patients, carers - that sort of thing. So, what I'm saying is that the direction of travel has the right look and feel but I suspect that we need to be quite clear about our destination and mode of travel (apologies for the extended metaphor).
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Comment by David Wilcox on May 21, 2009 at 8:09am
- Tim - I agree absolutely about building on to existing activities. I see activity ranging from some free how-to ideas and stories that might just give extra support to local enthusiasts, through to more substantial events and projects. What the common components for sheds and barn raising/renovation :-)
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- Over at the IDeA stratregy and development blog it looks as if Ingrid Koehler, Carl Haggerty and other have some similar ideas ... great when things start to join up.
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Comment by Tim Davies on May 21, 2009 at 7:53am -
Can we build lots of digital sheds dotted across the landscape - rather than digital barns?
Outside catalysts can really work well - but only if planned with sustainability built in. Is there a model that helps build the digital thread into existing events and activities?
Perhaps looking at events and activities that happen on an quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis, and including a digital thread into those for at least two consecutive events - to support participants in that event/conference/gathering/community to discover and then deepen their use of new technologies to do whatever it is their event/conference/gathering is already doing?
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Comment by Paul Webster on May 20, 2009 at 11:05pm
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David - longer answer (still yes!)
Couple of weblinks of interest to add to the background picture.
- iT4Communities have a surplus of volunteers at the moment available to help community projects get on-line and to develop their use of digital media - http://www.it4communities.org.uk/it4c/home/index.jsp
- There is a case study on the solutions4inclusion website with more information about Knowle West Media Centre S4I
I too like the idea of hyperlocal community voices. Most people either care about their local area and local community or are unhappy about a service or facility and want to voice this and campaign for change. The printed version of my local newspaper The Chad has pages of hyperlocal reporting compiled by people who care about their community and want to celebrate what it is achieving or raise issues it faces. It's surely only a short hop to this becoming community reporting on-line building up a picture of the area I live in (Already been in touch with @tomatthechad about this possibility). I'm sure this is not the only local community newspaper like this and can see these fitting with the Hyperlocal Alliance to take community reporters into the digital media age.
The roadshows could be part of the work of Digital Mentors. They could form local partnerships between communities, local authority outreach projects and third sector local support organisations.
Third sector support orgs (like a CVS or a CAB) often know their community structure best and can tease out the community issues. Digital mentors could deliver training, workshops, surgeries all showing communities how to vocalise these issues, share the stuff they do well and train their voice towards stakeholders and local authorities for local action. Once the roadshow rolls on a network of local social enterprises could continue the good work of sustaining the partnerships - like a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) but that delivers and doesn't just talk! ;-)
I also hope to see this site continue to host these discussions although these discussions don't seem to be finding a home, making it difficult to keep track. First we had Digital Mentors, then Voicebox, now this and the Netvibes page too (although that may serve to bring discussions together).
In another post on here, Helen Milner has sketched out some 'next steps', i've had a bash at putting them into some sort of orders what would be good if we could impartially and neutrally do a skills audit on the tasks that need to be done and (in an ideal world with no funding restrictions) who would do them.
Thats the longer reply (it took up Waterloo Road, The Apprentice, You're Fired and Newsnight!!) promise the next post will be shorter.
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- Thanks Paul - that sounds as if it could release a lot of energy and expertise
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David - Short answer is yes, I am interested too. I'd like to explore how our network of 3rd sector support orgs could play a part and have some ideas about the community voice reporting.
Will add a longer reply later on
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