AFCN Resources
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I. Introduction to Community Networking
A community network is a locally-based, locally-driven
communication and information system designed to enhance
community and enrich lives (from The Community Connector,
University of Michigan).
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AFCN's Working Description of Community Networking
Usual Initiators and Supporters of Community Networks
Primary Aspects of Community Networks
Community Networking's Social Goals
Community Networking's Contributions
Stories
Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat (SWOT) Analysis for
Community Networking
Historical: Community Network Lists
II. Publications
Blacksburg Electronic Village Digital Library
For more information about starting a community network,
telecommunications infrastructure planning and to develop 21st
economic development initiatives, visit the BEV Digital Library
to download papers and reports.
Books
BEV Community Network Briefing Book (free)
Cohill, Andrew M., & Kavanaugh, Andrea L. (Eds.). (2000).
Community Networks: Lessons from Blacksburg, Virginia. 2d ed.
Boston? : Artech House.
Day, Peter, & Schuler, Douglas. (Eds.). Community Practice in the
Network Society: Local Action / Global Interaction. Diac 2000
Conference Proceedings (Seattle. WA). Routledge.
Durrance, Joan C., & Pettigrew, Karen E. (2002). Online community
information: Creating a nexus at your library. Chicago: American
Library Association.
Keeble, Leigh, & Loder, Brian. (Eds). (2001). Community
Informatics: Shaping Computer-Mediated Social Networks.
Routledge.
Odasz, Frank. Good neighbor's guide to community networking.
Schuler, Douglas, & Day, Peter. (Eds.). (June 2004). Shaping the
Network Society: The New Role of Civic Society in Cyberspace.
Cambridge: MIT Press.
Schuler, Douglas. (1996). New Community Networks: Wired for
Change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Journals
Technology Review
MIT’s “magazine of innovation.”
Articles, Chapters and Papers
Alkalimat, Abdul, & Williams, Kate. (2001). Social capital and
cyberpower in the African American community: A case study of a
community technology center in the Dual City. In Leigh Keeble and
Brian Loader (eds.). Community informatics: Shaping computer
mediated social relations. London: Routledge.
http://www.communitytechnology.org/cyberpower/
Bieber, M., Civille, R., Gurstein, M., & White, N. (Nov. 2002). A
white paper exploring research trends and issues in the emerging
field of community informatics. [Prepared through the NSF-funded
project Virtual community informatics: Toward the systematic
study of technology-enabled virtual and geo-local communities]
Grabill, Jeffrey T. (2003). Community computing and citizen
productivity. Computers and Composition 20, 131-150.
Research and Evaluation Reports
III. Community Networking
Community Networking around the World
http://www.afcn.org/world.html
Community Toolkits and Community Building Resources
Asset-Based Community Development Institute
Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research
Founded by John Kretzmann and John L. McKnight
Community Building Resource Exchange
Aspen Institute Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Initiatives
for Children and Families
Creative Commons
Devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for
others to build upon and share. Provides alternative means for
protecting intellectual property.
Community Tool Box
Department of Human Development and the Schiefelbusch Institute
for Life Span Studies, University of Kansas.
Lone Eagle Consulting Website
Internet training guides, resources, and online courses for
people of all cultures and literacy levels. Most of the material
on the site is available online for free.
Online Community Toolkit
Full Circle Associates
Funding
Specific Grant Programs
US Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/AdultEd/CTC/index.html
Community Technology Centers Grants for enabling access and
training to information technology in communities.
US Department of Commerce. National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA). Technology Opportunities
Program (TOP)
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top/
A highly-competitive, merit-based grant program that brings the
benefits of digital network technologies to communities
throughout the United States.
Funding Resources
University of Michigan
http://databases.si.umich.edu/cfdocs/community/funding.cfm
Part of the Community Connector
Funding and Partnership information.
Extended database of information across the nation.
Evergreen State College
http://www.scn.org/ip/commnet/gov-resources.html
National Community Network Funding Resources
Digital Divide Network
http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/webresources/index.cf
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Funding stemming from work on overcoming the digital
divide. Private, Corporate and Government funding
resources.
Afterschool.gov
http://www.afterschool.gov/cgi-binh/home.pl
Database of resources to help parents, educators, community
organizations, etc. connect with opportunities to create healthy
communities for youth
National Center for Community Education
http://www.nccenet.org/Funding/index.cfm
Funding Resources to connect with other databases and
clearinghouses of funders and information on how to obtain
funding for educational community programs and 21st Century
Community Learning Centers.
http://lone-eagles.com/chap8.htm
Privately held site with a guide for Community Networking as a
whole (http://www.lone-eagles.com/cnguide.htm). Chapter 8
provides Grantwriting Tips and Funding Sources. The tips are
timeless, but many of the links are outdated.
Technology Funding for Nonprofits
http://www.hswsolutions.com/resources/funding.shtml
More basic resources for funders of technology by nonprofits
Examples of Community Networking
Blacksburg Electronic Village
As an outreach project of Virginia Tech, the Blacksburg
Electronic Village serves the local community.
CATNeT (Coalition to Access Technology and Networking in Toledo)
a community-based coalition of organizations, institutions and
individuals’ concerned with bridging the “Digital Divide”
CATNeT demonstrates the ability to respond to the needs of underrepresented groups by establishing and supporting thirty plus
community-based computer centers in locations of prime
accessibility to low-income citizenry. Many of CATNeT’s labs are
located in Section 8 low-income housing complexes and most are
located in community centers within low-income neighborhoods. To
its credit, CATNeT also supports a number of computer labs in
subsidized housing complexes, handicap accessible facilities,
senior centers, and community centers. CATNeT offers
communication links to the entire organization, providing
hardware/software and technical support, and computer training
sessions within the individual labs.
CN Application Areas (info about and examples)
Activism
Activist Network (http://www.activist.ca)
Canadian site serving as a repository for activist-related
events, activities, and organizations. Updated constantly based
on user submissions.
Alliance for Democracy (http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org)
Organization seeking to create a network of locally-based
community groups, devoted to promoting the “populist voice” in
the wake of increasing corporatizaion.
Campus Activism (http://www.campusactivism.org)
Database for students interested in starting campus
organizations, and links to other groups and national chapters.
Features a number of tools and resources for assisting people
wishing to bring people together.
Seattle Community Network (http://www.scn.org)
Features resources on a variety of topics reaching beyond
activism, including civic engagement, arts, technology, and
health. It also contains a number of notable documents, such as
Anita Freeman’s Effective Activism on the Internet
(http://www.scn.org/~alf1701/), as well as housing Seattle’s
Community Networking Movement (http://www.scn.org/comnet).
Community Resource Center provides technical assistance, training and
consulting services to individuals, nonprofit organizations and
community-based coalitions throughout Colorado and the country.
Community Development Society is a non profit organization engaged in
building the capacity of communities while serving as an advocate for
healthy communities and their importance to society. CDS members
represent a variety of fields: education, health care, social services,
government, utilities, economic development practitioners and citizen
groups.
USDA Rural Development is an organization committed to helping improve
the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. This funding
agency supports projects that seek to provide essential public
facilities and services as water and sewer systems, housing, health
clinics, emergency service facilities and electric and telephone
service. They also offer technical assistance and information to help
agricultural and other cooperatives get started and improve the
effectiveness of their member services. And we provide technical
assistance to help communities undertake community empowerment
programs.
The Community Activism Project is a website that chronicles the
community activism project funded by the Louise W. and Edmund J. Kahn
Liberal Arts Institute in Massachusetts.
Sustainable Communities Network
is a website providing comprehensive
information about community activism.
Corporation for National and Community Service
provides opportunities
for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities
and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn
and Serve America. Members and volunteers serve with national and
community nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, schools, and
local agencies to help meet community needs in education, the
environment, public safety, homeland security, and other critical. It
is part of USA Freedom Corps.
Community Service Society is a New York Based non profit organization
engaged in research that helps shape public policies concerning
poverty. The organization also advocates for low-income New Yorkers at
all levels of government. It also provides direct services and
technical assistance to individuals and organizations.
Women in Community Service is engaged in reducing the number of women
and youth living in poverty by promoting self-reliance and economic
independence.
Rotary International Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and
professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages
high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and
peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more
than 31,000 Rotary clubs located in 166 countries.
One Star Foundation is a Texas based non profit organization that
strives to spread a new culture of volunteerism and for managing
national service programs and other initiatives important in the state
Texas.
Volunteer Match is a website that provides individuals facilities to
register themselves for volunteer action by matching needs to
interests.
America’s Promise is engaged in mobilizing people to build the
character and competence of the nation’s youth through innovative
education and community programs.
Visions in Action is an international organization that provides
volunteering opportunities in different parts of the world.
America’s Second Harvest is an American organization working for
eradicating hunger in American Communities.
The Center for Community Services provides students, staff, faculty,
alumni and community partners with a central place for posting and
receiving information, resources and referrals for community service
and service-learning opportunities. The Center is part of Northeastern
University.
Children’s Defense Funds is an advocacy non profit organization engaged
in providing a strong, effective voice for all the children of America
who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. The organization
focuses on the needs of poor and minority children and those with
disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and
encourages preventive investment before they get sick or into trouble,
drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown.
The Carter Center is engaged in partnership with Emory University, is
engaged in advocating human rights and the alleviation of human
suffering. The organization is engaged in resolving conflicts,
enhancing freedom and democracy and improving the community’s health.
Development Gateway Foundation is an enabler of development. This
organization improves people’s lives in developing countries by
building partnerships and information systems that provide access to
knowledge for development.
National Community Building Network is engaged in networking other
organizations for collaborative ventures.
The Feminist Majority Foundation is a cutting edge organization
dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence.
The organization utilizes research and action to empower women
economically, socially and politically.
Some Inspiring Examples of Community Activism Projects –Articles in PDF
Alliance for Sustainable Communities, Annapolis, Md.; An alliance of
citizens, government officials, businesses, educators, and civic
organizations conducted public summit meetings and sponsored
improvements in the Annapolis area.
Chattanooga Visioning, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Community leaders organized
a highly participatory visioning process to plan the future for their
economically and environmentally depressed mid-sized city, a number of
initiatives followed.
Families First!, Oklahoma City, Okla.; A regional visioning process
resulted in a program to encourage citizen participation in community
development and revitalization, based on clusters of neighborhoods.
Nos Quedamos, Melrose Commons, South Bronx, New York. Residents
organized a highly participatory process to develop a sustainable
renewal plan for their community, which replaced a city urban renewal
plan that threatened the neighborhood.
Citizen Initiatives, Sitka, Alaska; Sitka residents from all sectors
developed a plan for an environmentally sustainable economy, based on
forest management and value-added wood products.
Vision for a Greater New Haven, New Haven, Conn.; A citizen's
coalition, led by local religious groups, organized an ongoing
community-wide visioning process. A number of significant initiatives
are already underway.
Arts
Rockefeller Foundation's Partnerships Affirming Community
Transformation (PACT)
"PACT supports US-based community cultural development projectsprojects undertaken by artists and other cultural professionals
in collaboration with other community members to express
identity, concerns and aspirations through the arts and media,
building cultural capacity, and contributing to social change."
Large grants available. Rockefeller Foundation has also
published two books on global cultural development that are
available at no charge (their publications “Globalization (Job #
4320)” and “Creative Community (Job #3186)”)
http://www.rockfound.org/ (search for PACT)
PACT
Creativity & Culture
The Rockefeller Foundation
420 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Tel: (212) 852-8286
E-mail: pact@rockfound.org
Community Arts Partnership Institute
"The CAPInstitute is comprised of six cluster partnerships, each
originating with an arts college or university. Each arts school
works in reciprocal relationships with two to ten community-based
organizations in CAP programs."
http://www.capinstitute.org/
Community Arts Network
The Community Arts Network (CAN) promotes information exchange,
research and critical dialogue within the field of communitybased arts.
http://www.communityarts.net/
Culturelink, the Network of Networks for Research and Cooperation
in Cultural Development
Established by UNESCO and the Council of Europe in 1989. Has
links to various national cultural development agencies and a
variety of materials to support cultural development.
http://www.culturelink.org/
Democracy and Civic Engagement
Democracies Online Newswire
Communities of the Future (http://www.communitiesofthefuture.org)
and The Global Rural Network Project (http://www.grnp.org)
Two affiliated groups seeking to promote “capacities for
transformation” at the local level, seeking to bridge established
networks with new-technology tools, in order to better share
information with other organizations.
Imagine Chicago (http://imaginechicago.org)
Non-profit group seeking to provide support and resources for
individualized, imaginative urban development. Employs a
dialogue-heavy, network-based model in order to encourage and
strengthen creative, grassroots ideas.
Knowledge Democracy Center (http://www.knowledgedemocracy.org)
Organization utilizing digital tools to help community
organizations “focus” their missions and programs. They teach a
model known as “Direct-Consensus Democracy” (DCD) to aid groups
in the decision-making process.
League of Independent Voters (http://www.indyvoter.org)
Brand-new group seeking to improve voter education and grassroots
engagement in youth culture. Many features are still in
development, but there are a number of creative methods for
drawing “kids” into democratic activities.
The Pomegranate Center (http://www.pomegranate.org)
One of the more unique civic engagement/community interaction
groups. They seek to create dialogue and raise awareness of
public issues through the construction of public spaces.
Minnesota E-Democracy
Minnesota E-Democracy (read our full About section) is
a non-profit, non-partisan citizen-based project, whose
mission is to improve participation in democracy in
Minnesota through the use of information networks.
Minnesota E-Democracy hosts quality online public
spaces for citizen interaction on public issues.
Economic Development
Community Economic Development Center website publishes resource
materials for the use of citizens and their communities. This institute
is part of the Simon Fraser University, Canada.
The Center for Community Economic Development is housed within the
University of Wisconsin-Extension campus. This center is engaged in
creating harnessing and applying and transferring multidisciplinary
knowledge to help people understand community change and identify
opportunities that can lead to economic development of a community.
Mountain Association for Economic Community Development is a community
organization engaged in working with people of Kentucky and the Central
Appalachian region in a bid to explore various economic opportunities
through the balanced use of natural resources available within the
region.
The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC)
provides technical assistance to non-profit community development
organizations.
This organization helps non-profits to help develop
the neighborhoods and promote community development by providing
technical assistance, advice and access to seed money to help its nonprofit partners to initiate various projects.
Cullman Economic Development Agency is an organization engaged in
providing and assisting with expansions of existing industry and
recruiting new industry seeking to relocate or open a new facility
within the state of Alabama in an effort to create new economic
opportunities in local communities.
Community Economic Development Fund is part of the CEDF Foundation. The
organization is engaged in providing assistance to community-based
economic development projects, providing business counseling to small
businesses and entrepreneurs which increases their ability to operate
their businesses, and providing access to financing for micro loans to
small business borrowers.
Center for Community Enterprise promotes training programs, technical
assistance, and is engaged in publishing and networking, and
articulating various public policy issues that seek to foster creative,
inclusive, and sustain community economies in Canada.
Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) is a
nonprofit organization consisting of community development
corporations, individuals and other organizations focusing on promoting
and expanding community-based housing and economic development programs
across Michigan.
Center for Urban Affairs Community and Economic Development Program is
a center located at Michigan State University. This center is engaged
in creating, disseminating and applying knowledge to implement
development programs aimed at distressed urban and regional
communities.
Urban and Rural Community Economic Development program is an economic
development initiative supported by the Department of Health and Human
Services, United states Government.
This development initiative are
aimed at funding projects that improve the quality of the economic and
social environment of TANF recipients, low-income residents including
displaced workers, at-risk teenagers, custodial and non-custodial
parents (particularly those of children receiving TANF assistance),
individuals residing in public housing, individuals who are homeless,
and individuals with developmental disabilities (adopted from the CED
website).
National Association for County Community and Economic Development is a
national nonprofit organization of county government agencies that
administer community development, economic development, and affordable
housing programs.
National Association of Development Organizations is a non-profit
organization provides training, information and representation for
regional development organizations in small metropolitan and rural
America. The organization advocates a regional approach to community,
economic and rural development and provides a network for its members
to share ideas and innovations and resources.
The University of Illinois Community and Economic Development is part
of UI’s Human and community development program. This organization is
engaged in providing practical, research-based information and programs
to help individuals, families, organizations, businesses, farms, and
rural and urban communities throughout Illinois.
Education
The George Lucas Education Foundation is engaged in documenting and
disseminating models of the most innovative practices in K-12 schools.
CAPA Community Educational Fund promotes Leadership Education, Civic
Development, and Cultural Diversity and Understanding in the SanFrancisco Bay.
National Community Education Association provides leadership to those
who build learning communities in response to individual and community
needs. This organization educates its members with national and
regional training conferences and workshops support networking and
information and referral services in the area of community education.
National Center for Community Education is a non-profit organization
engaged in promoting community and educational change emphasizing
community schools by providing state-of-the-art leadership development,
training and technical assistance.
3M Community fund is a website that provides comprehensive information
about possible opportunities to secure donations for community
education.
MySchoolOnline provides easy-to-use website-building tools and webhosting services to educators. WebCreate a product that was designed
exclusively for teachers, schools, and other education-related
organizations
Voices is a clearinghouse and a service organization for students
interested in volunteer projects and programs. As a clearinghouse, we
provide students and student organizations access to information on
agencies within the San Antonio area in need of volunteers in
particular areas such as community education.
Example Project
The Brookline Adult & Community Education is one of the oldest noncredit, public education programs in the state of Massachusetts. It is
now the largest public program in the state, with close to 1,800
courses and over 20,000 enrollments yearly. Today, BA&CE is the hub of
an educational network serving residents from more than 50 neighboring
communities in the greater Boston area and beyond. This is a selfsupporting program of the public school, and is funded entirely from
course fees.
Health
American Public Health Association (http://www.apha.org)
Umbrella organization for public/community health professionals.
Many features are subscription-based, but they still offer a wide
array of links to organized (topic-specific) resource lists.
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
(http://www.aapcho.org)
Well-organized/maintained site devoted to Asian/Pacific Islanderspecific health issues. Serves as a good model for presenting and
organizing resources/tools.
Cross Cultural Health Care Association (http://www.xculture.org)
Seattle organization focused on community health workshops, as
well as research devoted to broad cultural and policy issues
related to health care.
Institute for Urban Family Health
(http://www.institute2000.org/index)
Utilizes the family practice model in an effort to create greater
systems of health care in urban communities. Focused largely on
professional training, albeit shaped by interaction with
individual community members.
National Association of Community Health Centers
(http://www.nachc.com)
Organization seeking to provide online tools and connections for
people working for minority/migrant/community health groups.
National Center for Cultural Competence
(http://gucchd.georgetown.edu//nccc/)
Research organization out of Georgetown devoted to creating
culturally specific and viable health information with additional
features on issues of mental health. The site contains a variety
of tools for outreach, research guidelines, and measures for
self-assessment.
Public Health InfoLinks (via the Rollins School of Public Health)
(http://www.sph.emory.edu/PHIL)
National directory of tools, researchers, resources, and
organizations for public health
professionals, organizations, and community members.
WebMD
http://webMD.com
The Message Boards section includes Q&A forums for each disease
or condition; these boards are hosted by PhDs, MDs or other
specialists.
There are also separate support group boards for
each disease or condition.
Health information from the United States National Library of
Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hinfo.html
Includes links to the following:
MEDLINEplus
Find answers to your health questions (MEDLINEplus en
español)
MEDLINE/PubMed
References and abstracts from 4600 biomedical journals
ClinicalTrials.gov
Provides information for patients about clinical
research studies
DIRLINE
Directory of health organizations
LOCATORplus
Catalog of books, journals, and audiovisuals in the
NLM collections
NIHSeniorHealth
Health information for older adults
NLM Gateway
A single Web interface that searches multiple NLM
retrieval systems
PubMed Central
A digital archive of life sciences journal literature
TOXNET
Databases on toxicology, environmental health, and
hazardous chemicals
Tox Town
An interactive guide to commonly encountered toxic
substances, your health, and the environment.
Healthfinder
healthfinder® is an award-winning Federal Web site for consumers,
developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
together with other Federal agencies. Since 1997, healthfinder®
has been recognized as a key resource for finding the best
government and nonprofit health and human services information on
the Internet. healthfinder® links to carefully selected
information and Web sites from over 1,700 health-related
organizations.
http://www.healthfinder.gov/
Mayo Clinic Health Info
A very usable site from the world famous Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
IV. Training and Tech Support
Training Material
AFCN training documents
http://www.afcn.org/resources/train/
Technology Assistance for Non-Profits
CompuMentor
Nonprofit organization specializing in technology assistance for
community-based organizations and schools.
TechSoup
Offers nonprofits a one-stop resource for technology needs by
providing free information, resources, and support.
WebJunction
An online community where library staff meet to share ideas,
solve problems, take online courses - and have fun.
The CharityAdvantage Computer Program
http://www.charityadvantage.com/techadvantage.htm
Assists non-profits with technology through Computer Donations
and a Computer Purchase Assistance Program.
Per Scholas
http://www.perscholas.org/
Nonprofit organization founded by a consortium of foundations and
corporations whose mission is to bring computers to technologydeprived children and families at the lowest possible cost, to
train disadvantaged community residents to become computer
technicians and to provide environmentally responsible recycling
of end-of-life computer equipment.
TechFoundation
http://www.techfoundation.org
Cambridge-based, nonprofit organization that delivers technology,
expertise and capital to help nonprofit organizations serve
humanity. TechFoundation envisions a world where nonprofit
organizations can access the same resources to serve humanity
that businesses use to create wealth.
Community Technology Centers Network
http://www.ctcnet.org/
National, non-profit membership organization of more than one
thousand community technology centers.
Software
Open Source
Collaborative Groupware Software
List of collaboration software (maintained by Grant Bowman)
phpGroupWare (AFCN members can receive a phpGroupWare account as
a member benefit)
Multi-user groupware suite written in PHP. Provides a Web-based
calendar, todo-list, addressbook, email, news headlines, and a
file manager. The calendar supports repeating events. The email
system supports inline graphics and file attachments.
For a discussion of the licenses noted below, see:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html
Database Servers
The servers mentioned below are active projects that are
continually being improved with new features, better stability,
and faster processing. In large part they are relatively
interchangeable in usability, however, they do have
idiosyncrasies that may make one database slightly better than
another for a particular application.
MySQL. http://www.mysql.com
A fast database server that is oriented towards website backends.
MySQL is open source software under the GP L(General Public
License).
PostgreSQL. http://www.postgresql.org
A more general purpose database server that has more complex
features. PostgreSQL is open source software under the BSD
License.
Web Servers
A robust, flexible web server is a very powerful tool with which
to offer resources to members of a community. While the number of
web servers is overwhelming, a sampling of standard and
interesting web servers will be offered.
Apache HTTP Server. http://httpd.apache.org
The Apache HTTP Server is the de facto free, open source web
server of the Internet. It is a robust, flexible, and featurerich solution for serving web content. One of the core strengths
of the Apache HTTP Server is its module API that allows numerous
additional functionality to be added to the web server. An
example of a useful module is the PHP module for server-side
scripting. Apache HTTP Server is under the Apache License.
Apache Tomcat Server. http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat
Tomcat is a Servlet/JSP(JavaServer Pages) container for serving
web applications/dynamic content. Java Servlets is a way to embed
Java-based applications in a web server. And JSP is a scripting
language similar to PHP. Tomcat is under the Apache License.
Zope. http://www.zope.org
Zope is a Python-based web server for web applications. Zope has
facilities for through-the-web site development which allows
collaborative site development without having to open up access
to the underlying server. Zope also has numerous plug-ins that
extend its core functionality. Plone(http://www.plone.org), one
of the more popular Zope plug-ins, facilitates collaborative
document editing. Zope is under the ZPL (Zope Public License).
Plone is under the GPL (General Public License).
Mailing Lists
Mailing lists are a convenient way to facilitate email-based
discussion among groups of people. The bare necessity needed to
participate in a mailing list is an email client and Internet
connection.
Mailman. http://www.list.org
A python-based mailing list management software that is
integrated with the web. It supports: built-in archiving,
automatic bounce processing, content filtering, digest delivery,
spam filters, among other features. Mailman is under the GPL
(General Public License).
Majordomo. http://www.greatcircle.com/majordomo
A perl-based mailing list management software. It supports:
moderated lists, email-based administration, archival and remote
retrieval of messages, digests, subscription confirmation, list
filters. It is also has support for modules like the
MajorCool(http://www.conveyanced.com/MajorCool/) module that
provides a web-based interface. Majordomo is under its own
Majordomo License.
Forums
Forums provide a different mechanism for discussion between
members of a community. It is less intrusive than mailing lists
and discussion threads can clearly be followed. However, it also
is not as immediate as a mailing list.
phpBB. http://www.phpbb.com
PHP-based bulletin board software that is very popular and
feature-rich. It has support for MySQL and PostgreSQL as its
database backend. phpBB is under the GPL(General Public License).
Imaging (system snapshot)
Norton Ghost; also see Symantec's Software Giving Program
Remote access to desk tops
pcAnywhere; also see Symantec's Software Giving Program
Viruses [Keep your virus software updated!]
Virus Information
F-Secure Security Information Center (formerly Data Fellows)
McAfee Security Virus Information
Symantec Security Response
Virus Software
eTrust EZ Antivirus (Computer Associates)
McAfee
Norton AntiVirus; also see Symantec's Software Giving Program
PC-cillin (Trend Micro)
Interface
Webmin
http://www.webmin.com/
Free web-based interface for system administration for Unix. You
can setup user accounts, Apache, DNS, file sharing and so on.
Publishing
FrontPage
http://www.rtr.com/fpsupport/index.asp
Ready-to-Run Software's UNIX support for Microsoft FrontPage 2002
Server Extensions and Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions.
Provide support services for the FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions
for UNIX and the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions for UNIX for
the Microsoft FrontPage products.
Hardware
General
Comtrol Hardware Product List
http://www.comtrol.com/products/products.asp
Wireless
Cisler, Steve. Wireless notes.
Cisler, Steve. (2001). Letter from Nebraska: Wiring the world.
First Monday, 6(5).
Engst, Adam C., & Fleishman, Glenn. (2003?). The wireless
networking starter kit.
A practical guide to wi-fi networks for windows and Macintosh.
Gast, Matthew S. (2002) 802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive
Guide Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly. (See review)
Wireless Community Networks: A Guide for Library Boards,
Educators, and Community Leaders. v.1. (Last updated April 1999)
A how-to guide from the Texas State Library
Example wireless projects:
Personal Telco Project (Portland, OR)
NYCwireless
NewburyOpen.net (Boston, MA)
Modems
Lawyer, David S. Modem HOWTO. v0.32, December 2003.
http://www.linux.com/howtos/Modem-HOWTO.shtml#toc3
Help with selecting, connecting, configuring, trouble-shooting,
and understanding analog modems for a PC. Limited coverage of
V.90 digital modems.
Modem Pool Hardware
http://www.equinox.com/
Equinox makes multi-serial port cards as well as multi-modem
cards useful in creating modem pools.
Perle modem cards
http://www.perle.com/products/prod_family/modem_cards/index.html
Perle makes multi-serial port cards as well as multi-modem cards
useful in creating modem pools.
MultiTech modem cards
http://www.multitech.com/PRODUCTS/Families/MultiModemISI/
Mainpine
http://www.mainpine.com/
Supplier of multi-port interface cards for Fax, Voice and Data
applications.
PC Micro Solutions
http://pcmicro.com/dialoutserver/
Makes software to control and administer modem pools and includes
such features as call logging and monitoring which modems are
currently in use.
Translators
AltaVista’ Babel Fish translation tool
Spanish glossaries of computer terms:
CallSoft Glosario de términos de Internet
Ciber-Lexico Comparativo (English – Spanish)
MCI Tecnoguia (English – Spanish)
Internet
◦ Internet Safety Guidelines, used by RTPnet
◦ Librarian's Guide To Cyberspace for Parents & Kids, American
Library Association
◦ Parents Guide to the Internet, U.S. Department of Education
◦ LivingInternet.com, concise, encyclopedic guide to the Internet
and several of its component parts
• Free Internet Services
• Virus Information: F-Secure Virus Information (formerly Data
Fellows) and Symantec Antivirus Research Center
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
◦ FAQ: How can I send a fax from the Internet?
◦ Hoaxes: F-Secure Hoax Warnings Page or Symantec's Virus Hoax
Page
▪ The End of the Internet
◦ Internet FAQ Archives, Usenet Newsgroups Frequently Asked
Questions
◦ Your Internet Consultant: The FAQs of Life Online
• History
• Internet II, the future Internet
• Statistics
◦ Digital Divide Statistics, also see presentation slideshow for
"Beyond Access: Understanding the Digital Divide" by Andy
Carvin
◦ Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide
◦ Internet Domain Survey (number of hosts)
◦ Internet Society statistics
◦ Matrix Information and Directory Services (Internet Monitoring)
◦ National Public Radio Technology Survey
◦ Round Table Group Survey
• Resources
◦ Beyond Access: Understanding the Digital Divide by Andy Carvin,
Keynote Address, NYU Third Act Conference, May 19, 2000 -- full
text of speech or presentation slideshow (which includes
statistics and some history)
◦ Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine
◦ Electronic discussion groups
▪ E-Mail Lists: Liszt and Tile.Net are directories of e-mail
lists you can search or browse to find lists that you might
like to join, ONElist is an e-mail community service
▪ News Groups: Daja.com and Tile.Net are directories of news
groups you can search or browse to find groups that you might
like to join
▪ Internet FAQ Archives, Usenet Newsgroups Frequently Asked
Questions
▪ Web-Based Discussion Forums: Forum One and ThatHomeSite.com
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▪
Greeting Cards: Blue Mountain Arts
Internet Country Codes
Mapping Cyberspace Using Geographic Metaphors
News
Edupage, a free e-mail service that summarizes developments in
information technology
▪ Net Happenings, Internet community announcements
◦ Organizations
▪ Electronic Frontier Foundation
▪ Internet Archive
▪ Internet Society
◦ Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies
◦ Search or explore the World Wide Web, via RTPnet
◦
Technology and Internet sections, The Educational
CyberPlayGround
http://www.homenethelp.com/
A resource for home computer networking and internet connection
sharing.
http://reviews.cnet.com/2001-6028_7-0.html?tag=cnetfd.dir
A site that rates and lists internet access providers in you
community.
Assistive Technology
http://www.makoa.org/computers.htm
Links to resources for adaptive computer products.
http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/accessibility/technologies.h
tml
Types of assitve technology and how people use them to interact
with web pages.
http://www.saplabs.com/accessibility/aboutacess/assitivetech.htm
Explains what assistive technology is and the differences between
hardware and software solutions and gives examples of various
types of assistive technologies.
Federal Government’s Section 508 Guidelines
http://www.section508.gov/
Information about the requirements that federal agencies must
fulfill to make their electronic information accessible to
everyone, including people with disabilities. All of these
requirements can be considered when creating any sort of website,
especially a public one.
World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative
http://www.w3c.org/WAI/
In depth instructions and guidelines to consider when creating an
accessible website including primers to the whole accessibility
movement.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (at the W3C)
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/
Probably the definitive accessibility resource for developers of
web content or tools. Includes very specific guidelines and
examples at three different levels of compliance to allow
developers to design resources that are accessible by the widest
variety of people.
Bobby
http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp
Handy tool that will test your site for compliance with the
industry standard 508 and WCAG guidelines as outlined above.
Shows how to fix each problem. Excellent and reliable resource.
IBM Accessibility Center
http://www-306.ibm.com/able/
Various links to articles and products that support web
accessibility. Includes a download for IBM Homepage Reader which
will read websites aloud for blind or low vision users. Also
includes an article on Integrating Accessibility and Usability
[http://www-306.ibm.com/able/news/integration.html
IV. Directories and Further Resources
Directories
AFCN Community Network Database
AFCN allows users and visitors of the website to search, add and
update community network or project information to the AFCN
Network Database.
[Comment: This feature should not be buried in the resources
links page. An embedded Search the AFCN database interface should
be created and put on the left-hand side frame. The current
hyperlink/location of the AFCN Network database is
http://hancock.bev.net/afcn/search.lasso]
Community Connector includes a searchable CN directory.
Comprehensive Resource Sites
Community Connector
To support community-serving organizations, academics, and
students who are using technology to enhance geographic
communities
The School of Information, University of Michigan, provides a
wealth of information about community networking. The major goals
of UM-SI Community Networking Initiative seeks to: provide an
electronic gateway to news, activities, and sustainability
resources; showcase exemplary ways community information systems
serve and engage their communities; inform and educate people
about digital community information resources and systems;
encourage innovation in community information resources and
systems; foster research, program development, and program
evaluation; involve, educate, and support graduate students and
the School of Information community. UM-SI Community Connector
also includes a searchable resource directory.
Community Networking Clearinghouse (Lone Eagle Consulting)
Borrow the best ideas and resources from hundreds of other
community networks and related organizations. Build on the best!
Includes The Good Neighbor's Guide to Community Networking, a
summative guide, and hands-on Web Tour, to the essential lessons
and concepts gleaned from the experience of the early community
networking pioneers who explored new methods of matching ‘caring
and connectivity’ to create social value for their communities.
CTCNet (Community Technology Centers’ Network)
A non-profit organization of over one thousand community
technology centers
CTCNet brings together agencies and programs that provide
opportunities whereby people of all ages who typically lack
access to computers and related technologies can learn to use
these technologies in an environment that encourages exploration
and discovery and, through this experience, develop personal
skills and self-confidence.
CTCNet offers resources to enhance each affiliated
agency/program's capacity to provide technology access and
education to its constituency and to help and nurture other like-
minded programs in its area. CTCNet will facilitate
telecommunications, print, and in-person linkages enabling
members to benefit from shared experience and expertise.
Digital Divide Network
Knowledge to help everyone succeed in the digital age
At the Digital Divide Network, we examine the digital divide from
many perspectives. The website offers a range of information;
tools and resources that help practitioners stay on top of
digital divide developments. It also serves as forum where
practitioners can share their experiences with colleagues around
the world. We look at the causes and effects of the divide from
four distinct angles: technology access, literacy and learning,
content, and economic development. In each of these areas, we pay
particular attention to the role of local individuals and
organizations when it comes to bridging the divide. In many
cases, the stories featured on DDN come directly from the people
working on the divide at the local level. These stories all
provide unique perspectives and insights on what it takes to
bridge the digital divide. Taken as a whole, the information
exchanged on DDN is laying the foundation of a knowledge network
for people and communities interested in working together to
bridge the divide.
Smart Communities
Linking local communities to the Global Information Economy
A Smart Community is a community that has made a conscious effort
to use information technology to transform life and work within
its region in significant and fundamental, rather than
incremental, ways.
The World Foundation for Smart Communities is a nonprofit
educational organization founded to promote the concept and
facilitate the implementation of "smart communities" -communities using information technology as a catalyst for
transforming life and work to meet the challenge of the new
millennium.
The goals and objectives of the World Foundation are accomplished
in part by providing a worldwide forum for corporations,
government, academe, associations and community leaders to meet
and discuss the best applications of IT in emerging smart
communities, and innovations in governance, particularly
private/public partnerships. Additionally, seminars, tutorials,
and a "boot camp" for key government and community leaders, and a
clearinghouse of smart community projects are accessible along
with reports, monographs, white papers and other articles of
interest.
Related Organizations and Sites

Alliance for Community Media (ACM)
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Athena Alliance
Center for Civic Networking
Communet, electronic discussion group
Community Development Society
Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet)
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
Organizers' Collaborative
Resources
o AOL Foundation
o
Applied Rural Telecommunications Project
o
Benton Foundation
o
Digital Divide Network
o
Economic TeleDevelopment Forum
o
Helping.org
o
Internet Public Policy Network
o
Markle Foundation
o
Neighborhoods Online
o
Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)
o
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
International Organizations
o Global Internet Community for Environment, Human
Rights, Development & Peace
o
International Institute for Communication and
Development (IICD)
o
Partnership for Information and Communication
Technologies in Africa
o
United Nations: Information and Communications
Technologies for Development
Online Discussion Forums related to Community Networking
Further Resources
Link to Yahoo categories, etc.