Connecting activists in rural Scotland
by Sue Sadler, Rural Forum Scotland
Rural Forum's Action Network comprises individuals from all parts of rural
Scotland who are active in local development in a multitude of ways. What
better than an electronic network to effectively reduce the distances between
them, bringing them closer to sources of information and enable them to
exchange skills and experience!
But... what kind of kit do members need? What kind of kit does Rural Forum
need to support this? How do we ensure that empowering people through an
electronic network does not disempower people who are not linked up?
There's plenty of anecdotal evidence and limited research to suggest that
people are listening to the hype, buying the expensive bits of kit and still
failing to find the answers they are looking for. We still think there are
answers if we can get to the right questions such as:
- What are people looking for?
- What are realistic expectations of the internet?
- What are realistic expectations of any network?
- What training do people need?
- What have we missed?
Over the next six months we six months we shall be exploring the opportunities
for the Action Network, looking particularly at the ideas expressed in this
book about communities on-line.
Sue Sadler
Back to the Guide to Community Internet