Going Local:
The Future of the Internet
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Contributed by
Richard Truxall,
The Library Network
Community
Information
Toolkit
www.mel.org/citoolkit
Copyright © 1999,
Library of Michigan Foundation
Re-use of these materials for non-profit training purposes is allowed without
further permission, provided this notice is prominently displayed
Going Local:
The Future of the Internet
Richard Truxall
The Library Network
The Michigan Electronic Library
rtruxall@tln.lib.mi.us
What We’ll Talk About
 Brief
Overview of the Internet
 Background on Community Networks
 Examples of Current Online
Communities
 Where/How to start your project
 Dual Roles of an Info Creator
 Next Steps to Take
Staggering Internet Statistics
 1994
- Less than One Million Users
 1998 - 50+ Million Internet users
 30 Million persons used the Internet
in the past 24 hours*
 1.5 Million Internet users in
Michigan*
 And Growing...
* from Nielsen Media Research
The Need to be Local
Global information is great,
but...
People care about their communities
Background on Community
Information Systems
 Computer
based information systems
 The goal: bring local communities and
their information together
 Initiatives worldwide - around the
corner
The First Step: Free-Nets
 FreeNet’s
- non-profit, volunteer
organizations
– Early 1990’s
– First in Cleveland, Hartland (Illinois),
Buffalo, then all over the country
– Information Services
– E-Mail / Communication Services
– Offering Free Dial-Up Access from
home
Next Step: Community Networks
 Ease
of Internet access changed the
Free-Nets to Information Based
Initiatives
 Often sponsored or non-profit, but fee
based organizations
 Libraries = Access Points
 Information Equity is always
key
The Importance of the
Online Community
 Not
everyone is 9-5
 Online Community Information is a
magnet
 Users are local residents...stakeholders
 It’s their community after all!
(and yours)
Community Information Online
For an overview of the wide range of
information being put online, see a list
compiled by The Community Connector
from the University of Michigan at:
http://www.si.umich.edu/Community/comminfo.html
Community Information Online
 Local
Government Information
City of St. Paul, Minnesota
http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/
 Health
and Human Services
Charlotte’s Web, North Carolina
http://www.charweb.org/health/
healthindex.html
The Current State of
Community Information
 Community
Networks tend to be lists
– Services provided
– Contact information
– Event calendars
 Separate,
isolated initiatives within
a community
Where to Start?
 Key
Questions:
– What is your organization’s goal?
– How can your Web presence help that
goal?
– What results/expectations do you have
about your online information?
– Who is your audience?
As a Creator, You Have
(at least) Two Hats
 Think
like an user
 Think like an insider
Thinking Like a User
Play with Web Sites, All Kinds of Web
Sites, but…
Pay Attention!
To the content
To the organization
Thinking Like a User
 Did
you find what you were looking
for?
 Did you get lost? Why? Why Not?
 What doesn’t work well?
 What does work well?
(This is the difficult question)
Sites to Explore and Question
 City
of Eugene Oregon
http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/
 St.
Paul Minnesota
http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/
 San
Francisco Bay Area Transit
Information
http://www.transitinfo.org/
Sites to Explore and Question
 Port
Macquire Historical Society and
Museum
http://www.midcoast.com.au/users/
pmmuseum/pmmuseum.html
 Antler
River Historical Society
http://www.techplus.com/melita/
arhs/home.htm
Sites to Explore and Question
 Greater
Flint Arts Council
http://gfn1.genesee.freenet.org/gfac/
 Howell
High School
http://hps.k12.mi.us/~hhs/
As You Create your site…
take time to
Think Like a (New) User
Thinking Like an Insider
 How
will your organization get info
online?
 Who is currently responsible for
publishing? Can you involve them?
 Who is ultimately responsible for
online content? (Who is the Project
Manager?)
 Organize
your organization first!
No Vacuuming!
 The
Big Flaw: Working without others
 Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate!
 Before, During and After...share with
your co-workers… get their opinions!
 Talk to the other online creators
around you
The Future of
Community Information
 Content
Integration
– Create useful links to disparate
information and organizations
 What
is best for the user?
 Keeping in touch with each other
is the starting point...
The Next Steps
 Get
E-Mail!
 Talk to your organization members
 Gather Your Content (electronic if
possible!)
 How
will you layout your
information (begin by example)
 Begin to plan your ongoing
maintenance...
Sites Worth Visiting
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The Michigan Electronic Library
http://mel.lib.mi.us/
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Genesee Free-Net, Genesee County, MI
http://genesee.freenet.org/
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La Plaza Telecommunity - Taos, NM
http://www.laplaza.org/
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Charlotte’s Web - Charlotte, NC
http://www.charweb.org/
Sites Worth Visiting
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The American Memory Project
http://www.loc.gov
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Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network,
Austin, TX
http://www.main.org/
Three-Rivers Free-Net, Pittsburgh, PA
http://trfn.pgh.pa.us/