The idea of an International Association for Community Networking was
launched at a conference in Taos, New Mexico, in May 1996 following
several months of discussions among people involved in local
networks.
Below is the message sent to the communet mailing list from the
conference, and a follow up message from Laura Breeden reporting on
formation of the steering group. The International Association never
took hold, but the idea led to formation of a US Association and to
Communities
Online, and later
Partnerships
Online in the UK.
A NEW INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY NETWORKING
Community Networking 1996 Taos
Tuesday May 14 1996
A group of 20 community networking practitioners today spent six
hours
fleshing out ideas for a new organisation to promote and support the
use
of new media for community networking.
They had spent the past several months both online and offline
discussing
the possibility of a new association. Included in that process was a
day
long discussion at the Morino Institute at Reston, Virginia in late
March.
Today the group split into teams to assess issues in three key areas
and
agree on first action points to put to the larger conference.
ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We agreed that:
* An community networking organisation will be created
* Any individual can be a member - initial membership fee $50
* The organisation should be international and diverse in its make
up
* Ultimately a core staff of three to five would be employed to
drive
the work of a distributed organisation
* We would create an oversight Board and actively promote member
involvement
* The organisation should be funded by a mix of members' fees,
grants
and sales of services
* The organisation would be developed in phases
* The first phase will be to hire someone to create a business
plan.
The business plan would provide the organisational design, the
more
detailed products and services and basis for funding presentation
POTENTIAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Some basic premises were that it should have an international
constituency; that it would support both start up and established
community networking efforts; and it would offer both free and fee
based
products and services. For example:
* "How to" guidelines for community networking
* Talent inventory: speakers, consultants
* CD-ROMS: samplers of model community networks, useful shareware,
and
community invented applications.
* Annotated directory of community networking initiatives,
indexed
geographically and by application.
* International conference/regional workshops
* Presentation materials
* Customisable, interactive, international course on community
networking with a mentoring component
* Point to best practice/life long learning example
* Cultural exchange/sister city programmes and "how to"
* "What's new" mechanism/newsletter, etc.
* Specialised/fee based products services: facilitating social
processes online, special applications, video conferencing, legal
services
Products and services for further discussion
* Certification of community networks
* Group purchasing
* International telecommunications policy
CAMPAIGN
The organisation might promote the products and services through
a
campaign with three elements:
A clearing house on the Web, of:
* Articles, opinion pieces
* Case studies
* A statement of principles
* A match-making system
* Signposts to other resources
* Listings of community networking initiatives
A community regeneration network
* Content about the policies and practices of community renewal
and
the development of sustainable communities
* Enabling practitioners and activists o share ideas and
experience
nationally and internationally
A Community Networking start up kit
* The start up process - building partnerships
* Technical applications
* Courses on community networking
* Workshops and seminars
* Consulting support
These elements of the campaign would be targeted at audiences on
different levels:
* Government and foundations
* Local organisations
* Citizens
Some of the campaign elements would be passive = presentation of
material
= but the main thrust would be active promotion.
The campaign might start simultaneously in several countries, and
have a
different emphasis in each to suit local circumstances.
Steve Snow, Charlotte's Web
David Wilcox, Partnerships for Tomorrow
Here is Laura's follow up message after the conference.
From: LLBreeden@aol.com
Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 15:56:41 -0400
To: cnet-international@civic.net
Cc: LLBreeden@aol.com
Subject: Re: Report from Taos
Sender: cnet-international-approval@civic.net
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: cnet-international@civic.net
Everyone,
Taos is very remote, and beautiful in a way that is both powerful and
simple.
Several cultures come together there: indigenous North American,
Hispanic,
and Anglo. I think the special environment facilitated our
discussions and
our progress. Many thanks to Patrick and the team at La Plaza for
a
wonderful job.
I was "elected" to the Steering Committee. (I think Lisa and I use
quotes
because all who were nominated are serving.) The group includes:
Madeline Gonzalez (US)
Giovanni Morchio (Chile)
David Wilcox (England)
Michael Gillespie (Canada)
Rosy Simas (US and Native American)
Bill Watson (US and Native American)
Doug Schuler (US)
Tony Colleraine (Mexico)
Laura Breeden (US)
I may have missed someone because I didn't get a business card with
his/her
name on it. Please excuse me if so! Patrick has the official list and
can
make corrections.
A couple of people were nominated who were not present. I will
contact them
to see if they are interested in serving and have the time to do
so.
We will be seeking input most actively from all potential members of
the
IACN.
Issues that we agreed were top priorities, in addition to those
described in
the notes of the May 14 meeting and previously posted to this list,
include
whether the US needs a separate national organization before joining
the
IACN, and establishing the mission and values of the IACN.
We have organized into three teams to work on:
1. Organizational structure (I will facilitate)
2. Products and services of IACN (Madeline Gonzalez will
facilitate)
3. Advocacy and outreach (David Wilcox will facilitate)
We are in the process of getting organized online and will
communicate our
progress as it happens.
Please feel free to address comments or ideas to me for now and I
will pass
along to the full group.
With best wishes,
Laura
Laura, Madeline and David prepared proposals, and Laura summarised
them - below. However, it was becoming evident that creating a new
international organisation was too big a step, and that a first stage
in the process would be to develop a Web site - or a series of linked
national Web sites. See below.
US community networkers held a
telephone conference in September 1996 to consolidate discussions
started at the Taos conference of May 1996. As a result Madline
Gonzalez was appointed to lead their further development and create
the first US
Web site associated with IACN.
One of the main conclusions from the discussions, Madeline reports,
was that 'it has become evident that before thinking of starting an
international association, a more immediate need is to create
cohesive national associations. ' Details
of the US developments.
In June 1996 Laura Breeden summarised development work undertaken
by herself, Madeline Gonzalez and David Wilcox, and suggested that a
first step might be development of an IACN Web site, or linked
national sites. Since then Madeline has been discussing this work
with Doug Schuler in the US, and with David Wilcox in the UK.
Communities
Online Forum is the
first national IACN Web site to be developed.
X-Authentication-Warning: europe.std.com: daemon set sender to
cnet-international-approval using -f
From: LLBreeden@aol.com
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 16:40:15 -0400
To: cnet-international@civic.net
Subject: "Starting IACN" issues list
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Everyone,
Attached is the list of issues that Madeline Gonzalez, David Wilcox
and I put
together following the on-line discussions and the Taos meeting about
forming
an international association of community networks.
Remember that the focus was on asking the pertinent questions, not on
making
decisions or recommendations.
However, I am going to seize editorial privilege at this moment to
recommend
the following, based on my experience with the process so far.
There is a tremendous need for, and interest in, sharing information
about
community networking, at the national, continental and global
levels.
An effective way to do this, without incurring the heavy burdens of
setting
up a formal intermational association, would be to raise money to
support one
person half-time to keep the conversation going, put up a Web page,
and serve
as "information central." I can think of several people (not
including me)
who would be powerful and effective at this.
There was almost no dialog within the steering group about any of the
issues
we raised. I am not sure why but believe that this is indicative of
the
burdensome nature of trying to set up formal, international
bodies.
Therefore, I humbly recommend that we focus on keeping information
and ideas
flowing to the benefit of all. I am willing to try to raise some
money (and
have already mentioned this idea to a good contact at the US National
Science
Foundation). The goal would be simply to ensure that communication
among
groups is supported for a period of a year or so.
I recommend against a formal organization with bylaws, boards, and
the heavy
administrative burden that such an organization by nature requires.
Our
limited time, money, and energy are likely to be exhausted in such an
effort.
This is a personal opinion, not a recommendation from any committee
or group.
I welcome your comments.
Laura
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NEXT STEPS IN BUILDING INTERNATIONAL LINKS AMONG
COMMUNITY NETWORKERS
DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT June 19, 1996
This document was prepared by Madeline Gonzalez, Laura Breeden
and
David Wilcox to assist in creating an International Association
of
Community Networking (IACN). It has been edited by Laura.
It is based on a series of meetings and on-line discussions held in
the spring of
1996. The purpose of this document is to identify issues to be
addressed in
forming the IACN. The document is intended to be used as the basis of
a
consulting agreement. The consultant(s) will identify additional
issues,
define alternatives, and suggest options for moving forward.
The document is about 6 pages long. It is organized into four
sections, each of
which treats one set of issues:
A. Basic Issues and First Principles
B. Services and Products
C. Advocacy and Outreach
D. Organizational Issues
As editor, I have deliberately left out discussion of "process"
issues for the
most part. Process issues have to do with how the consultants
should
proceed, what communication tools we should use, which steps come
first,
and so forth. I recommend that we leave those decisions to the
consultants,
having ensured that they understand the principles we want to
embody.
A. BASIC ISSUES AND FIRST PRINCIPLES
In preparing this paper, we discovered that there are several basic
issues that
will need to be addressed before we decide how to implement IACN.
These
are:
1. What is community networking?
2. What is a community network? Is the distinction between 1 and
2
important?
3. What principles are associated with community networking? For
example, Doug Shuler provided a list which is appended to this
paper.
4. What is the mission of the IACN? The mission should express the
core
purposes of the organization.
5. What operating principles for IACN are implied by the principles
and
definitions established above? For example, it should practice
diversity, it
should be affordable, etc.
6. Who are the audience for IACN services? They could include
organizers
of community networks, users of community networks, policy
makers,
funding agencies, etc.
Throughout this paper you will find that these issues are referred to
many
times. This points to their importance.
We also recognize the need to address the issue of whether countries
should
establish national organizations before affiliating with IACN, and
whether
multiple organizations from a single country could be included in
IACN's
membership. These questions are treated in the "Organizational
Issues"
section.
B. PROPOSED SERVICES AND PRODUCTS
Prepared by Madeline Gonzalez
If one of our intended audiences is groups in communities who want to
start
community networking projects, some immediate SERVICES that
would be
useful are:
Referral Service: to recommend Consultants, Technology
Specialists, Internet
service providers, etc. (perhaps by way of "Directories"
as described below
under Products).
Consultants: to talk and meet with these groups, get a feel for
what their
community is about and what their community would like to
accomplish through community networking, plan from the onset how
the
activities will be funded, describe what other communities have
done and are
doing, what kinds of services and content have tended to be most
popular,
etc., and propose solutions fitted to that particular group's
needs.
Technology Specialists: people who are experts on technology, and
are
available for answering questions about what kind of platform,
which kind of
computer, which operating system, what kind of modems, what kind
of connection, which specific applications, etc., are best for
the
given community group's needs.
For both groups starting to create these kinds of community
networking projects, and groups thinking about funding these
kinds of
projects, one very useful SERVICE would be:
Evaluation of Community Networking: working with other groups to
objectively evaluate and document the impact these projects are
having in
their communities, what efficiencies are being had, what
specific issues they
are helping address, etc. This would help groups better phrase
and evaluate
their funding options, and would help funders know what to look
for and
promote in their applicants.
PRODUCTS that would be very useful would be:
Print/on-line "How-To" manuals, with very specific suggested
"guidelines" on process, suggestions on what kinds of
services/content could
be offered, what kinds of funding options there are, specific
details on how
these projects have enriched & benefited communities, what
specific issues
these kinds of projects have helped other communities address,
etc.
Directories or databases of consultants and Internet service
providers.
"Tools for Towns": some very easy to use collection of
software tools that
address the most common needs communities have when
creating presences
on the World Wide Web, for instance. Initially, this could
be some set of
tools available for downloading from the IACN Web site,
later this could be
perhaps better "packaged" and distributed through other means in
addition to
the Web (e.g., diskette).
Phase 1 could simply be a collection of separate tools -- e.g.
a community
calendar, discussion
mechanisms, information-uploading-and-posting
mechanisms, etc. Phase 2 could actually be a more cohesive package,
built
upon the collection of separate tools, perhaps available as
various
combinations of these tools, that perhaps incorporated and
promoted some of
IACN's mission and values.
For example: if we believe that a core value is strengthening
the local
community, then the role of "matchmaker" is one that the "Tools"
could
facilitate in general, and specifically through services such as
a ride-share
bulletin board, volunteer needs/volunteers
available, nonprofits' expertise
needs/volunteer experts available, a barter system, etc. Another
example: if
we believe that diversity in community participation is crucial,
then the
"checklist" we provide as part of the "Tools" could include an
item
specifically devoted to this -- to the benefits of inclusivity,
to some resources
(books, periodicals, organizations) available, etc.
ISSUES - How much to do internally, how much to "contract
out"? Should
our role be one of pointing people towards others who can
actually help
them, or should we ourselves be providing some of the
help? Should we
consider charging for some services, while maintaining
others free, or maybe
just free to members? If so, which services to charge for?
Internally, what should the process be for providing services
and creating
products? Should we see ourselves working as a "collection of
consultants"
when it comes to providing services or products?
Perhaps viewing ourselves
as a "Co-op" might be helpful? Or what other kind of model would
work?
SECTION C. ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH ISSUES
Prepared by David Wilcox
This draft discusses the following Advocacy and Outreach issues and
presents
a series of questions about each for the consultants to IACN:
WHO? -Audiences
WHY? - Key messages
WHAT? - Identity and style
WHEN? - Timetable
WHERE? - National to international links
HOW? - Methods
Throughout there are internal and external communication issues.
Internal
issues are identified with an (I), and external ones with an (E).
WHO? - Audiences
(I) In the short term, what are the key audiences within the
community
networking movement IACN needs to address in order to build its
constituency of support?
(E) Who is IACN addressing in the longer term? Everyone from
individuals
newly interested in communities and networking, through
experienced
networkers to policy makers? Or some main audiences within this?
WHY? - Mission and key messages
(I) Why is IACN in being? What can it offer those involved in
community
networking?
(E) Why is IACN promoting community networking - what benefits
does
networking offer to communities? What key words and phrases could
be
used in IACN statements and materials? How are these encapsulated in
a
mission statement?
WHAT? - Identity and style
(I) What is IACN for those involved? A trade association? A
campaigning
body? A provider of products and services? Is IACN the best name?
How
does it relate to other bodies in the field?
(E) What response does IACN want to its promotional work? What is
IACN
offering, and to whom?
What is IACN trying to achieve through its promotional work - how
will it
measure success?
WHEN? - Timetable
(I) What is the timetable and process for gaining commitment from
key
communjity networking interests?
(E) When does IACN go public, and in what form?
WHERE? - National to international links
(I) Where does IACN start? What is the balance between central
guidelines
and local (national) initiatives?
(E) What communication to key audiences will be initiated centrally,
and
what locally? What 'quality control' will there be to ensure
consistency - if
this is desirable?
HOW? - Methods
(I) How will IACN communicate with those within the movement to
gain
support - e.g. Web site, mailing lists, meetings? How far will these
be
nationally based?
(E) How will IACN communicate externally, and how will it deal
with
responses to its promotion? Electronically, by post, phone? Centrally
or
through countries?
D. ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
Prepared by Laura Breeden
This draft discusses the following organizational issues and presents
a series
of questions about each for the consultants to IACN:
Mission
Implications of being international
Forms of membership or association
Governance
Structure
Budget
MISSION. There is general agreement that the IACN should be
mission-
driven. The mission, or core purposes, of the organization will
determine
who affiliates with it and how it uses its budget, staff and other
resources.
-- By what process will the mission be defined?
-- Which aspects are fundamental, and cannot be negotiated?
-- Which aspects, if any, can be negotiated?
-- How will the IACN refine and review its mission as needed?
Implications of being INTERNATIONAL. International organizations
have
complex requirements for communication, governance, and other
basic
issues.
-- Should IACN, as an international group, be an association of
national
organizations, and if so, should it include multiple national
organizations
from a single country? Or should organizations at any level (local
to
international) be permitted to join? What about individuals?
-- If the latter approach is adopted, is there a risk that the US or
another
developed country will dominate the agenda of IACN?
-- Can the IACN governance structure mitigate this?
-- Will the IACN have an "official language"? An official
currency?
-- How will IACN address the different levels of development in
community
networking around the world?
FORM OF MEMBERSHIP or association. Many forms of membership or
association with IACN might be possible. These include, but aren't
limited
to, institutional membership, individual membership, voting
membership,
non-voting membership, sponsorship, etc.
-- What forms of membership are possible?
-- Which forms best meet the needs of IACN as an organization (for
stability,
revenue, consistency, and so forth)?
-- Which forms best meet the needs of affiliates or members (for
flexibility,
services, identification with IACN's mission, and so forth)?
-- How might these issues change over time? What time frame are
we
working with now, and when should we reconsider our options?
GOVERNANCE. Every organization needs a means of making decisions.
The decision-making process often includes gathering information,
requesting advice, testing several options, and choosing a single
option.
-- What forms of governance are possible for the IACN?
-- What kinds of decisions will be required in the first year of
IACN
operation?
-- What forms of governance are the best match for these kinds of
decisions?
-- What other factors should determine the governance structure, such
as the
size of IACN, the newness of IACN, or others?
-- Can some decisions be delegated?
STRUCTURE. IACN will need sufficient structure to accept funds,
make
payments, provide communications services, and perhaps other
functions.
-- What needs will IACN have in its formative year?
-- How can IACN fairly and efficiently meet those needs?
-- If there is a decision to create an office for IACN, where should
it be
located?
BUDGET. An organizational development plan is needed that
presents
possible revenue and expense scenarios for IACN, based on the
decisions that
are made about mission, membership and services.
-- Please present several budget scenarios, for years 1-3 of the
IACN.
APPENDIX
Community Networking Principles, as suggested by Doug Schuler
+ Universal access to communication infrastructure
+ Civic society and civic values (the "radical center")
+ Focus on the underserved, economically disenfranchised
+ Fundamental right to privacy
+ Opposition to media concentration
+ Support of diverse, alternative, and marginalized voices
+ Partnerships with civic organizations and instituions
+ Commitment to strong democracy
+ Freedom of speech and expression
+ Access to government information
+ Build the systems on local needs using local people and
organizations
as co-developers