Community Tapestry

Doug Schuler says it is easier to understand how the complex world of new technology can serve the common good by seeing where it intersects with existing citizen projects. In addition to community networks, he sees an emerging "tapestry" of projects in our communities which point toward positive democratic use of communication technology. Among the pieces in the tapestry, which could exist in any community, he points to:

• University collaboration. Universities, as leaders in new technology applications, are logical community partners. The University of Washington's "Trust in Government" project, for example, showcases a number of student projects dealing with how to eliminate cynicism and create a deeper sense of trust — as well as linking to other national and local projects which relate in some way. University students nationwide have created some of the most interesting on-line projects.
  
  
• Community activism. A number of activist projects are using computer technology, but they're just the tip of the Space Needle compared to what could be done to marshal the brain power and computer savvy of this region. For example, activist Anthony Williams catalyzed creation of Project Compute, one of several community-based efforts to educate low-income residents about computers and networking. Another, the Homeless Women's Network, aims to "empowerÉ women and youth to overcome the limitations of homelessness and poverty."
  
  
• Government programs. In addition to the Seattle Public Library's public information available through access terminals at all its branches and on-line from anywhere in the world, the city runs a Public Access Network, or PAN, which has extensive information on city agencies and city issues. King County also has a user-oriented web site with everything from transit maps to information on how the county is dealing with the Y2K problem (which is predicted to shut down many computer-operated systems on January 1, 2000).
  
  
• Community research. Neighborhoods and community groups can use electronic networks to gather and disseminate information on issues of importance to them. For example, Sustainable Seattle is a group of volunteers who developed a set of quality-of-life indicators (ranging from wild salmon population to air quality to child birth rates to voting rates) pointing toward the city's "sustainability" over time. They measure and publish information on those indicators.
  
  
• Alternative media. Now everybody can publish, without the costly expenses of printing and distribution. The web serves as a nexus for all sorts of media you don't find in a newsstand — as well as those you do. Among Seattle publications on the web: Real Change, the newspaper for, about, and by Seattle's homeless community; Washington Free Press, and Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures.
  
  
• Public advisory boards. Seattle recently created a Citizens' Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). The board's roles include giving advice on public access channels of cable television, the city government's cable channel, citizen access to city government and electronic services, and citizen "technology literacy." Some city funding is available for these projects.
  
  
• Internet cafes and public technology centers. While many schools and libraries open their doors and computers to citizens, it's easier to approach computers over a cup of coffee at an Internet cafŽ. There, friendly staff offer help with learning to use computers to get on the Internet. A monthly fee gives you an e-mail address, a web page, disk space, and access to the Internet. There are now a number of them around the Puget Sound area, ranging from Whidbey Island's Cybercafe to Seattle's Speakeasy CafŽ. (The Speakeasy recently announced pending closure for reasons unrelated to its Internet activism.)