digital inclusion

There are a variety of listserves available to help digital inclusion practitioners converse. What does not exist is a location for sharing documents and materials. Seems like a simple issue but when one gets into the details, complications arise.

Overview of what is needed - an online location for SBA (Sustainable Broadband Adoption) projects, PCC (Public Computer Center) projects and other digital inclusion projects to share program management, training, outreach and research documents and resources.

Existing compilations of resources:

• DigitalLiteracy.gov (A positive - the resources include descriptions. A negative - resources must be uploaded by NTIA.)
• CTN Bay Area's Resources (A positive - pulls from Delicious account added to by multiple agencies with resources tagged by industry practitioners). A negative - must have access to the account to add resources.)
• CBAIS Wiki (A positive - Anyone can request access to add resources. A negative - the more resources added, the more chaotic the site becomes.)
• Did I miss others?

The details:

• Must be managed but not centrally controlled. This means members must be able to upload their own resources but trained individuals review tagging to ensure tags are correct.
• Needs to be membership based so that uploaded resources and comments come from a known source.
• Needs to include a rating and commenting system so that the most useful resources are easily found. 
• Needs to be super cheap to maintain.
• Recommend tagging resources with the taxonomy used by CTN Bay Area. It was created by digital inclusion practitioners. 

I expect this post will be continually revised as the conversation continues.

When I was the Executive Director of the Ohio Community Computing Network (2000-2006), I was often questioned about the future usefullness of our services. The argument was that soon computers would be so cheap everyone would have one so why was a public computer center necessary? Our response focused upon the importance of training in a community setting and the fact that computer ownership will always be out of reach for some.

Fast forward to today. The necessity for community based technology training has not changed much. Yes, computers are cheap.

Yes, more people have them in their homes. Why then, in 2010, were only 67% of whites and 56% of African-Americans broadband users? Because a computer is cheap does not assume ease of use, affordability of broadband or even availability of broadband.

On Sunday I head to Cleveland for the Community Broadband Adoption Impact & Sustainability (CBAIS) Conference. I've been helping OneCommunity organize the conference. Sustainable Broadband Adoption and Public Computing Center projects funded by the Broadband Technology Oppportuniites Program will gather to discuss how we are reducing the barriers to broadband use and all the issues that accompany those attempts.

I'll be live blogging as often as I can during the conference. The frequency of the live blogging will be a clear indication of the logistical and organizational responsibilties I am or am not able to delegate. :-)

My mother asked me to teach her how to use Facebook. My family has been encouraging her to get on Facebook for the past year. My mom is a social person. We know she'll love it. Will it confuse her sometimes? Certainly. Will she make mistakes? Certainly. Should those things keep her from using it? Certainly not. The value it will bring to her life is most definitely worth any struggles. Facebook will help her feel connected to her family members that are spread throughout the country. Facebook will be an important social outlet for her.

We all struggle with technology. For various reasons we choose to continue using it, having determined it has enough value to warrant dealing with the frustrations.

The world we live in is very much digital. We go online to pay bills, research purchases, find jobs, pay taxes, and connect to each other. Many of us (myself included) get frustrated when a task I expected to accomplish online is not possible.

What of those in our society unfamiliar with accomplishing tasks online? What of those who do not know how to complete an online job application? What of those who must use a public access computer to check their email? How are their lives impacted by lack of access to technology and/or lack of digital skills?

The digital divide is not just about individual access. Its also about businesses.  A small business that has a computer but does not understand what tools are available or how to use them, is considerably slowed down.

OneWebDay is September 22. OneWebDay provides an opportunity for communities to celebrate the power of Web for positive change. This year, OneWebDay focuses on the importance of access to fast, affordable, open Internet for all people, otherwise known as digital inclusion. OneWebDay activities are taking place all over the world.

For OneWebDay Columbus we have planned a mix of activities around both learning and giving. Focused on the idea of digital inclusion, we've recruited volunteers to teach workshops and accept technology donations. Workshops include: Intro to Ubuntu (an open source operating system), Free/low cost online applications for small businesses and Legalities of open source software.

OneWebDay Columbus is very much a community effort. Its completely supported by volunteers and small business donations. EdgeCase is covering the cost of food. FreeGeek is providing the space. ShinyDoor is coordinating the day. Assist Data Recovery will be cleaning all donated hard drives. Possitivity Green will be recycling all donated equipment that cannot be refubished. All the workshops will be taught by volunteers.

I love Columbus. I want my city to thrive. I know that for any location to thrive, we need to support each other - to teach each other, to encourage each other. Technology is an integrated, important piece of our lives - personally and professionally. For each of us to thrive, we need technology support. Gathering to teach each other and build computers for others not only spreads knowledge and resources, it also builds community.

Join us. September 22. 4:00-9:00 at FreeGeek Columbus located in the basement of Summit United Methodist Church at 82 East Sixteenth Avenue.

Bring computer equipment to donate/recycle. And attend a class. Give. And learn.

Thanks to .ORG, the Public Interest Registry, I attended the Webby's June 9 and 10. They were a sponsor of this year's Webby's and I am an Advisory Council Member for .ORG. It was, of course, very inspiring to see all the amazing videos and websites. The hosts were fabulous (Judah Friedlander and Seth Meyes). The June 9 After Party was interactive. It included Rhoda Grossman drawing digitally (yep, that's my digital caricature on the left) and Adobe's Digital PhotoBooth (pic on the right). I got to get all dressed up two days in a row and hang out with people I like and admire. Not a bad gig.

There was a definite feel to the event of young, hip, creative, nontraditional. I wouldn't go so far as to say anti-corporate because some of the winners were coprorations. It was more a vibe of "we do things our way". No shortage of creativity as evidenced by the pix that came out of the Digital PhotoBooth. What struck me as a bit disturbing was the apparant need to be "elite". On one hand the attendees want to show that anyone with a computer, creativity and some luck can make a huge splash online. At the same time, there appeared to be a 'cool kids only hang out with cool kids' kind of syndrome being developed.

The International Summit for Community Wireless Networks ended with a passionate speech from Harold Feld of the Media Access Project. Harold believes now is the time for real systemic global change. The right people at the right time. First time Harold spoke at an International Summit on Community Wifi, he focused on why the conference attendees should care about what happens in DC. The second time Harold spoke he focused on reclaiming the idea that public policy is about bringing the best in human nature forward. The term Policy Hacker was coined by one of the attendees last year, a superb term for those working toward community focused tech policy.

Harold got us started thinking about the strength of the community with the statement: The difference between a movement and a mob is coordination and intent. Individuals come together to learn from each other, to make their own projects better. They quickly determine that what they do is part of a larger movement.