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Clik here to view.Community ‘Apps’
Creating a digital community can empower bottom up activities and aid accomplishments that enhance communal sustainability, the strenghtening of cultural heritage, encourage knowledge sharing across local communities, enliven (grassroots) business growth, and bridge the digital divide. But the technology build-out is just one part of a digital community game plan. To ensure a return on investment requires measurable value for the community at hand at each step of the way.
Steps to create valuable “Community Apps” which ensure community buy-in: “Community Apps” improve quality of life and citizen satisfaction. I suggest running this in 2 phases:
- As a series of mini-workshops/interventions that are carefully facilitated to gain the exact feedback required. (Asking & Listening sessions, but also Learning by Doing sessions with a selection of suggested ideas)
- Setting up a number of these “Community Apps” (a selection of those generated in the A&L sessions and the LbD sessions) as a digital framework cum “empty” platform designed in such a way to allow/invite population, modification, expansion, growth or neglect as the community feels fit. (Very similar to the framework behind FaceBook’s or Ning’s groups and events structures.)
Asking & Listening sessions/mini-workshops/interventions:
1. Evaluation of local community needs to ensure a return on investment:
- What do they want to accomplish?
- What user groups need support?
- What issues and opportunities do they want to address?
- What are the measurements of success?
2. Conduction of focus groups with local business partners:
- What do they want to accomplish?
- What issues and opportunities do they want to address?
- What are the measurements of success?
- Match needs and desires of local stakeholders with potential service outcomes.
Learning by Doing sessions/mini-workshops/interventions:
- Mini launchpad for ideas and potential startups using lean methodology
- Creation of a portfolio of solutions that complement and reinforce one another.
- Testing these ideas.
Community Apps: Portfolio of solutions of services for communities and businesses:
- Connected Communities
- Safer Communities
- Community Youth
- Community Voice
- Community Report & Emergency
- Community Health & Fitness
- Community Exchange
- Community Day-to-Day
- Community Civic
The list above needs to be (1) added to, and then expanded upon, (2) translated into “Community Apps” with active areas for contribution and growth. These are a good starting point being a summary of a generalised service for the community. You will find that there are often applications that exist already, often they are mobile apps, this is a good stepping stone from which a community can launch their own, improved and adapted versions to suit the local community at hand.
This post is a submission to be part of Team Florens where themes around the economy of cultural and environmental heritage, including, “developing and promoting cultural identity” will be debated at Florens 2012 Cultural and Environmental Heritage Week. A nine-day biennial event that explores how culture can generate economy. Join us!