Session Reports
Presenters:
Reported by Amy Hubert
Also as Reported by Marcel Allbritton
Recognition for Sponsors [see sponsor list]
Recognition for conference coordinators
Carson National forest fire. 7500 acres, 35 homes burned, 2000 people displaced.
Monday morning La plaza put up a fire page with live updates.
Hondo fire unified diverse groups in this emergency.
La Plaza was a vital resource. This is were community networks make a difference.
Networks need to address community needs and respond to the people using them.
Community networks as public service.
Global community and paradigm shift.
Community networks are not an end in themselves. They are a process to create real solutions to real problems. We need to give up our egos and collaborate with each other.
Building community networks is big undertaking.
What is a community network?
A community network serves the communities communication needs.
You will learn how to create a community network in your community here at the conference.
Market driven information that is relevant to the community. You will be ready when the true media conversion takes place. This is the new paradigm. immunity networks are in a great position to be ready to be responsive community information integrators. We need to go beyond being just a community bulletin boards.
The HTML department is more like a newsroom, an interactive process with full community participation. This includes libraries to become a relevant source of information. We become influential in-depth information providers that the large news media can not do at this level.
This conference is a tool box to create the new paradigm of community networks. It is here that we will create the future of community networking.
The prayer flags at the Lama Foundation did not get touched by the fire, while everything else burned. This is a retreat center north of town. This is a symbol of hope for me.
We are working on creating an international community networking organization.
Award given symbolically to all those in the audience who have worked so hard on community networking. This is given to Laura Breeden from NTIA grants. Laura in now working in the private sector. This is a picture of Taos Mountain a symbol of strength and perseverance for us all.
Laura is stunned. She talks a little bit about her time in Washington, and gives recognition to Steve Cisler. Laura left the commerce department in January.
Steve Cisler - Apple Library of Tomorrow
Spreading the keynote is a sign of working together. "It's the last mile" That's the first mile. We need to be thinking that we are hooking up the first mile. We will connect to CNN, Smithsonian, Disney at some point but really we are here to connect ourselves up. Community networks are there to index the community that is going to be connected. We will need to talk also about hardware. This may be business planning. Both nonprofit and business are using the same tools. This is very diverse conference: tribal leaders, those from all over the world, INS managers, librarians, business people, Indian nations in north America. We hope that police will come in the future as well as other groups.
Steve talks at length about the history of one of the worst range wars in our history. This was a battle over who will control the land and the government. Now we are looking at battle over who will have control on the internet. Regulations are an issue now. NII ban proposed to the Federal. T1 and ethernet in schools. We can revolutionize how some sites connect to each other and the net. Farmers and schools with be able to move on to the next school the next stage of technology especially those that are already connected. Wireless is also an option. FCC is requesting comments for the next five days.
Social capital, James Jacobs, article "Strange Disappearance of Civic America". Associations make the social capital. Community networks are social capital. Decline in civic participation is due to TV because it is a time thief. There is no time to work in the library or historical society. Steve means for the technology to augment the face to face meetings. Large foundations will be giving support, they want to understand how they can make an impact on the internet. The techs and the foundation people traded ideas. We have a lot of work to do.
Conclude: People who distrust technology. Steve is concerned with the people who are distruful of technology. Plain living conference is a group printing their magazine by hand lettering. There where religious Mennonites and other religious people and antitechnologists. There were Luddites interested in community revival. They think that technology is in the way of communities are in the way of community. Some of their points are seem subtle to us over technology. Amish use the telephones at the end of the driveway. They are concerned with how intrusive the technology is. I told some of my Amish friends that I know people on line for hours. My Amish friends told me although he loved his horses that he was not willing to live in the stable.
Steve learned about listening from this Luddite conference. Speak only when your words are superior to silence.
Frank Odaz - Big Sky Telegraph
Best learning's from a decade of experience. 1970 he read Future Shock, about portable computers that we could work anywhere in the world. He gave a short work history. He had to go back to get education on computers. The little read electronic school house David Hues became his mentor. He created Big Sky Telegraph in Montana.
For Overcoming our historical powerlessness mindset. There exist tools that bring satisfaction to learn and make friends with out limitations.
I have become relationship rich. This has come through networking. American question: "ME" or "US"??
He spent his adolescence in the 60's in the Bay Area.
Many of us are competitors rather then collaborators. Top-Down Builder VS bottom up users. Make Dust or Eat Dust!! Community network is are already happening. They are being created by citizens rather then those with lots of money. Working groups vs resident communities, passive opportunity vs social facilitation? How to get people acitvely involve.
You can't give what you don't own: experience counts Groupwork skill for a distributed knowledge economy. Social Plug ins, make good things happen.
We need social software that bring people to gather in an electronic format. As people become empowered people become aware of their own potential. Teaching enpowerment brings happiness.
Caring and Connectivity go together. Connecting the hearts is the point to do useful things. How can we solve real problems! There's a lot of horible violence that is preventable. We are not yet matching the needs with excess resources. Who is taking responsibility for meeting these needs. One on one is the opportunity. Through email. One on one is he secret giving of ourselves. It is very personal. It means being a participant. Make sure learning needs are met! Familial model is important. Our extended family should be viewed in the same way. This is possible to extend this intimate communication to anyone anywhere on the planet. It is up to us.
Reading , writing, arithmetic, research, relationships are the new "R's" of internet literacy.
Bill Gates wrote a book there are three emerging industries. Entertainment, social services, education: community networks fun learning in a social context. The interconnections in the brain allow ideas to flow. If your connections in a community are weak we won't know the talents our neighbors have. As the connections become stronger the visions can be stronger. Ideas are real and can be world changing. Building Brand Shared Vision. Teaching Imagineering. We need to feel visions.
Where we have yet to go:
conferencing is affective public problem solving
I can learn it earn, online
Will we all find a niche
Electronic democracy in empowering - people need to have the skills.
"Inner" net. Local issues.
Web browsing Vs Interacting with people. Web conferencing is evolving so people can interact with each other. Preliterate passive video culture Vs proactive literacy how can I start a discussion? Personal web pages are hot individual community networks are coming We're all Ignorant, only on different topics. Butcher, baker , candle stick maker: can't make it alone. From each according to their ability. Anyone can get a footing on the intellectual highground. mining Human Resources Character and characters.
The level of innovation is increasing wildly. Infoscout - bring the globes wisdom home. Reference cybrarian meeting specific infoneeds. We are leaning how to work well together on line. A time dollar economy: create for community service they provide. Citizens mini grants. Electronic submission of minigrants.
Grand collaborations. Our three day community opportunity. Top down supporting bottom up autonomous community networks. Authenticity will show itself like a beacon commercial success equals empowering people. There are win wins available. Constant training of our leadership is needed to avoid their blocking progress!!
foundations, corporations, nonprofits, govt. citizens working together. Conveners creating shared learning adventure inclusive of citizens. Scouts, and storytellers and designers.
What is a comity network? Best practices models, training, evaluative metics. What are effective awareness raising experiences.
Collaborative plan. International association of community networking. $50.00 membership to belong to international assoc. We are creating a well organized clearing house, vigorously maintained. Talent inventory of the people here, speakers bureau. Prove comnets work. Create self directed on line training of the best of the best. CDROM products. Policy representation.
As we learn to empower ourselves with collaborative skills, may we thus empower others.