The experience of the Seattle Community Network is probably typical of the evolutionary stages a community network goes through. Many of the first users just used SCN for e-mail. Slowly but surely, neighborhood groups started forums and organizations started putting up Web pages and forums. In Seattle, I read recently about a project that homeless and formerly homeless women have established using SCN. They have loads of ideas for helping raise the community's consciousness about the problems of homelessness as well as increasing their knowledge and political clout to participate more effectively in the political process. I describe lots of services in my book which demonstrate important uses of community networks and other network services. These include a wide variety of health forums, including Ben Gardiner's AIDS Info BBS and Sylvia Caras's MADNESS listserv. On LibertyNet in Philadelphia, there is an unemployment project. In Seattle, there's information about ethical investing and jobs. Six neighborhoods (out of roughly 150) now have an online presence on SCN. This list is partial -- there are literally thousands of great projects going on. Although much of the evidence is anecdotal, I believe that people are beginning to feel that community networks are worthwhile and worth their support. In Tallahassee, Florida, the community network was threatened recently when it lost some critical support. As happens frequently when public libraries have been threatened with closure, users rally to their support. In the Tallahassee case, the community network users staged a "Save Our Free-Net" demonstration. It is this type of support for community networks as a new public institution -- possibly as part of a "new community" movement -- that makes me most enthusiastic and hopeful for the future.

Back to Mr. Rheingold's Neighborhood