[Sdpg] neighborhood websites-

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

As some of you may be aware, over the years I've been involved in a couple
of local attempts, 'unsuccessful', to collectively birth the development
of portable web technes supporting local neighborhoods. Patience, laddie.
A raather interesting arrival on the scene, just gone live, is
I-Neighbors.org, a social networking site based on geography, rather than
affinity. It's the creation of a team outta MIT with support from the
National Science Foundation, among others. The design metaphor is both
adroit and, whaddayaknow, gratis.

http://www.i-neighbors.org

Unlike other websites that allow global, national, or city-wide
communication, I-Neighbors links members of a single neighborhood, defined
by the people that create them.

This service went live last week. Within a matter of days, there are
already three neighborhood websites up and running in my local zipcode.
For background on wot neighborhood websites can do for local 'hoods, check
out:

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/ineighbors.html

"Within a year the study found measurable increases in the number of local
social ties and the sense of community in two of the three areas where
I-Neighbors web sites and messaging were introduced. The changes included
the formation of new neighborhood social ties and higher levels of
community participation, both on and off the Internet."

Enjoy.

n.


	
		
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