Online communities

There is an interesting quote on Wikipedia’s internet entry from an american writer called N J Slibbert of the Urban Land Institute. He states that “the Internet is fast becoming a basic feature of global civilization, so that what has traditionally been called civil society is now becoming identical with information technology society as defined by Internet use.”

Interesting comment, especially given other drivers on here regarding the digital divide and the critique of Robert Putnam (which I think he has subsequently addressed) that theories about the decline of social capital failed to take account of digital communities.

The quote is orginally attributed to: Slabbert,N.J. The Technologies of Peace, Harvard International Review, June 2006 and can be found here This is actually an article about the US peace corps and its role in international security (!), and the idea that technology is civil society is not expanded.But its an interesting idea that needs exploring.

On average UK adults spend 36 minutes online each day. A quarter of UK web users are over 50. 18 to 24 year olds spend almost 38 hours each month online*. The new media world is growing rapidly and yet it’s still the most under used form of communication employed by charities.

VAMU have just set up a new free website www.volunteergenie.org.uk which gives lots of information and tips on how charities can use the power of the media to attract more volunteers. There’s a section on new media and social networking sites.

Written as Policy Officer at NCVO

I read an interesting review on pickled politics of a new book by Clay Shirky – Here comes everybody

I think that the summary of the book in the blog post, particularly the discussion about online vs offline campaigning, is really interesting, and I like that Shirky seems to address the potential negative consequenses of new technologies too.

Demos have just published Network citizens: power and responsibility at work which looks at the growing power of networks and online communities.

The report explores how the principles of social networks intersect with the interests of traditionally structured organisations and examines how organisations are responding to the increasing importance of social networks.

The organisational case studies in the book look at the challenges and opportunities that new social networking technologies offer. These organisations were faced with a range of dilemnas including questions around the right mix of online and offline networking; the tensions between managerialism and organisational ‘looseness’ and the blurring boundaries between professional and personal.

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project has released a new data memo revealing that the share of (US) adult internet users who have a profile on an online social
network site has more than quadrupled in the past four years, from 8% in 2005 to 35% now.

Overall, personal use of social networks seems to be more prevalent than professional use of networks, both in the orientation of the networks that adults choose to use as well as the reasons they give for using the applications. Most adults, like teens, are using online social networks to connect with people they already know.

When users do use social networks for professional and personal reasons, they will often maintain multiple profiles, generally on different sites.

The memo is available to download here.

I just found some info about citizen engagement that might be of interest.
Source: VolResources Newsletter

Community engagement strategies
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Urban Forum, along with NAVCA and the Improvement and Development Agency for local government, has published ‘Developing Your Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy: A Practical Guide For LSPs’, providing “essential information that local authorities and LSP partners need to develop a joined-up approach to community engagement”. Can be (pdf, 730KB) Downloaded from urban forum website".

More info at volresource.org

It definately seems that stuff like mobile broadband is really proving to add more and more to the social media networks

Readers of this thread may be interested in a research project being run by my organisation,Networked Neighbourhoods, into the impacts of citizen-led online neighbourhood networks on neighbourhoods and the implications for public service providers. We'll be publishing in the Autumn. An overview of the study is on our microsite on Capital Ambition's website.

Hi Hugh Thanks for letting us know about this project. Have you also had a look at our participation driver and the one on community responsibility? How do you think they might play out with citizen-led online networks going on?