Based on responses to a November, 1998 e-mail survey sent to the community networking listserv Communet (communet@list.uvm.edu), there was not a single outstanding feature mentioned above all others. Just this fact is significant, since if there were a single most popular feature, the other facets of community information systems would appear of diminished importance. There were some that were mentioned more often than others, and some were mentioned with more enthusiasm on the part of the staff person who reponded.
Responses were received from places close and faraway, from Kalamazoo to Alaska.
Other features mentioned in the categories of most popular or most used were:
- E-mail was on almost every list as significantly used and valued, but never as the most important. For an example of how a CN uses email, check out Seattle Community Network. SCN users receive their own email accounts, and can join SCN mailing lists on a variety of topics.
- Local conferences and community calendars were seen as the most essential for the community. One example of a local conference is Twin Cities Free-Net, which maintains an online "Neighborhood Conference Center," where community members can discuss crime prevention, parenting, and other subjects important to them. One example of a community calendar is at LibertyNet. The Philadelphia calendar lists 50 to 80 events per day!
- newsgroups
- listings of social service agencies
- weather reports
- news reports
- an easy-to-use search
- file management
- want ads
- job search
- various business sites
- home page creation
CONNECTOR