civic engagement

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[bridging the] digital divide @cctv

on February 18, 2008 · No Comments

What a transformative day – perhaps it’s the weather which is much more spring-like as opposed to the bone chilling cold of late or the dramatic transformation my own life has taken. The greatest change being my employment. I’m now working with the web communications team at Tufts University. It’s an exciting new phase in [...]

Though it does mean that my blogging will be a bit more spontaneous pending on the day. This blog is also going to transform. While it’ll continue to contain my reflections on the realm of social media and technology in society I’ve decided to include my own personal reflections on life – as I feel there will be much to digest.

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to volunteer at CCTV as they kick-ed off a digital divide project that they are implementing in associate with the City of Cambridge.

As part of the program, participants will receive a free refurbished computer (either PC or Mac) and a wireless Internet access node. During the training, participants will learn how to connect to the City’s wireless network using their wireless node, or transmitter. Through participants’ involvement in the program they will also be helping to strengthen the wireless network for their neighbors closest to them. To learn more about the City’s wireless network involved in this program, visit Cambridge Public Internet Initiative.

[Courtesy of Colin Rhinesmith. For more on the logistics and progress of this project visit Colin's blog as he's overseeing this initiative and has much to share.]

The day was full of excitement, laughter and (of course) food as participants visited us throughout the day to complete the orientation portion of the project. In total 30 participants attended. It was such a humbling reminder of the things I take for granted as well as the impact of the heighten progress of technology on those who simply want to participate, but do not have the physical means to do so.

What draws me to this particular program, in addition simply to its mission, is the amount of support integrated into the program. Prior to individuals receiving their respective computers they are required to attend a series of computer based trainings – and from there are provided with support as they get up and running. It truly is a great effort by some very passionate folks – with no doubt a life changing outcome for those involved.

hub2 to present mayor’s office with the keys to virtual boston

on December 6, 2007 · No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Eric Gordon/Project Principal 617-842-8828 Eric_Gordon@emerson.edu Hub2 To Present Mayor’s Office with the Keys to Virtual Boston At December 13 Event BOSTON, MA, NOVEMBER 29, 2007 – Hub2, a project involving the City of Boston, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Emerson College, and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Eric Gordon/Project Principal
617-842-8828
Eric_Gordon@emerson.edu

Hub2 To Present Mayor’s Office with
the Keys to Virtual Boston At December 13 Event

BOSTON, MA, NOVEMBER 29, 2007 – Hub2, a project involving the City of Boston, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Emerson College, and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, will showcase virtual models created by Boston residents to improve the city’s public spaces and present Mayor Menino’s office with the keys to the virtual city.

The event will take place on Thursday, December 13 from 12:30 to 2:00 P.M. at Emerson College in the Charles Beard Room on the second floor of 80 Boylston Street. Guests should contact Eric Gordon at Eric_Gordon@emerson.edu to attend.

The hour and a half event will include presentations from Hub2 participants at Emerson College and the Berkman Center. The Major’s Chief of Staff, Judith Kurland; the Chief Information Officer, Bill Oats; and BRA officials will also be in attendance.

In September 2007 Hub2 began hosting workshops at Emerson to foster civic engagement using the virtual world, Second Life. For three months students and residents have been creating three-dimensional immersive models of sites in the Greater Boston Area. Their work will be used by the City of Boston to assist in future development plans for the city.

A total of six projects will be on display ranging from designs of Government Center to the Rose Kennedy Greenway in downtown Boston.

About Hub 2
Hub2 was founded in 2007 by Emerson College professor, Eric Gordon, Berkman Center Fellow, Gene Koo, and Special Assistant to Boston Mayor Menino, Nigel Jacob. The organization enlists Boston residents to articulate visions of public spaces using virtual three-dimensional worlds. With partnerships and support from members of Emerson College, Harvard University, the City of Boston and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Hub2 began its work in September 2007. The project aims to help Boston residents take ownership of their public space and facilitate civic engagement with their community.

substance

on November 14, 2007 · No Comments

Is there a real point to social networking? It is a lot of fun, and it can be a useful way to establish contacts. But it’s usually a black hole of time — a lot of chat without a lot of substance. However, there’s at least one new site that’s trying to offer social networking [...]

Is there a real point to social networking? It is a lot of fun, and it can be a useful way to establish contacts. But it’s usually a black hole of time — a lot of chat without a lot of substance. However, there’s at least one new site that’s trying to offer social networking with a social conscience.

And this is what I woke up to this morning – an article from InformationWeek entitled, “Social Networking With A Point.” I couldn’t disagree more with the statement made in the opening paragraph of the article. Social networking is all about substance. It’s not merely about ones ability to connect with others, but rather the engagement that takes shape following that contact.

The site that the article was referencing is called The Point. It’s an interesting website founded on the premise that people come together to solve personal, local and national problems. Sound familiar? Perhaps that’s because it’s not the only site dedicated to reshaping the way people engage in their community and creatively tackle issues (both local and other).

A great example is the level of organizing taking place on Facebook. Granted I have my issues with Facebook from an advertising perspective, but the fact of the matter is that people are coming together to tackle a broad range of social issues. Take the situation in Burma for example and the number of groups as well as campaigns organized around that one item. In addition, “Causes” (a widget that enables users to start and/or join causes) continues to gain traction as a method for folks to raise funds and promote awareness for the cause of his or her choice. Facebook isn’t the only social networking site promoting community engagement. Ning has flourshed thanks in part to a growing desire for micro communities that seek a means of connecting with a more specific subset.

While we’re talking more specifically about the social implications of social networking tools blogs should not be left out of the conversation. Bloggers are leveraging their medium beyond idle banter, but rather to promote conversations about topics of substance. And how can I talk locality of civic engagement without mentioning blogs like that published by Cambridge Community Television (CCTV), which is all about civic engagement and there are many others – check out Placeblogger for more.

If social networking is to be compared to a black hole, then that metaphor should be representative not of the lack of substance, but rather of the infinite potential of engagement, awareness and action that these tools foster.

ma civic engagement summit

on November 4, 2007 · No Comments

There’s still time to attend the first-ever Massachusetts Civic Engagement Summit scheduled for Friday, November 16th in Worcester. Check out the agenda (featuring Governor Deval Patrick) and schedule for more information or if you’re interested in registering, then kudos to you – and with a little rearranging (and luck) I’ll see you there!

There’s still time to attend the first-ever Massachusetts Civic Engagement Summit scheduled for Friday, November 16th in Worcester.

Check out the agenda (featuring Governor Deval Patrick) and schedule for more information or if you’re interested in registering, then kudos to you – and with a little rearranging (and luck) I’ll see you there!

the nonexistent web 2.0 bubble

on October 31, 2007 · No Comments

It’s all about the bubble these days – the “web 2.0 bubble” that is. Everywhere I look there’s a new article or blog post talking about the bubble and more specifically assessing when it’ll pop. The bubble has been so poorly constructed. Companies have (and continue to) exploit web 2.0 to the financial max – [...]

The bubble has been so poorly constructed. Companies have (and continue to) exploit web 2.0 to the financial max – from consultants to marketers – they’re all looking to gain. This corporate extreme offers a talking point riddled with buzzwords and advice on how to gain financially. Not too mention a tangible entity with boundaries and a “life cycle” that will mean it’s eventually end.

Please bear in mind that I’m a graduate student currently pursuing my MBA. I’m all too familiar with the bottom-line and the notion that everything pursued from a corporate standpoint should satisfy that sole goal.

But web 2.0 (social media) isn’t about the bottom-line. It’s about community engagement, human interaction and conversations. A concept that’s difficult for many to grasp, because it doesn’t seem inherent that human interaction can be synonymous with anything related to the internet and/or technology. The key is to understand that social media isn’t about the technology – though it’s the profitability of technology-based companies or those leveraging it that has become the primary focus – it’s about a means of facilitation. Technology is nothing more than the vehicle that provides additional outlets for the conversation to thrive.

So while companies attempt to cash in on the bubble that they have defined (for the purpose of it’s own creation) they’ve missed the brilliance of what the bubble cannot contain. And maybe social media will ultimately burst that bubble, because how can companies harness a human condition? In the end, such a burst may enable corporations, institutions and individuals to attain understanding of what it is that’s actually occurring – even enable them to develop an appreciation and a desire to truly become part of the conversation.

Because how can something that is symptomatic of being human – human interaction and the desire to communicate as well as engage – burst and therefore cease to exist?

so many blogs, so little time

on October 10, 2007 · No Comments

I know. There are so many quality blogs out there that it’s hard to find the time to read them all. Life does not always enable me to stay on top of my RSS feeds or to take a quest to discover undiscovered blogs. But no matter how busy my day may be, there is [...]

But no matter how busy my day may be, there is one site that I always make room for (and I suggest you do too): Global Voices.

Global Voices Online is a captivating collection of blogs that promote awareness about the state of political, human and other social affairs in countries from across the world. So grab a cup of coffee (or tea), sit back and get re-acquainted with the world – one voice at a time.

See for yourself – right now on Global Voices:

Bangladesh: Bloggers protest internet user profiling

It all started when an exclusive report from E-Bangladesh exposed a memo of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) which instructed 72 Internet Service Providers (ISP) of Bangladesh to submit their individual client details and their usage details. E-Bangladesh also revealed that raids have been carried out in innocent individual users’ houses, as a part of the ongoing illegal VOIP operators busting assignment.

Blogger flees Uganda after threats

Ugandan blogger and radio personality Dennis Matanda’s provocative opinions on African culture, Idi Amin and recolonization have been covered on Global Voices before. Dennis caused another stir last month when he posted on his blog under the title “How to Be Dead.” The post chronicled the radio show, ensuing threats and frightening act of vandalism leading up to his flight from Uganda, a decision met with a mixture of support, bemusement and skepticism by his fellow blogren.

emerson, second life & hub2

on October 8, 2007 · No Comments

A great article (which I recommend you check out) was published in this month’s edition of Emerson College Today. In the article Emerson Assistant Professor, Eric Gordon, shares his views on the potentials of Second Life (and other virtual worlds), the Hub2 initiative (in collaboration with the City of Boston) and the implications this all [...]

Excerpt from “Virtual worlds of magic and creation – Emersonians explore Second Life’s potential (by Christopher Hennessy)”:

Misconceptions abound when it comes to virtual worlds and digital media in general, Gordon points out. “Everyone thinks: ‘I don’t even have time for my first life!’ I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that,” he laughs. “It’s not that virtual worlds are about retiring from your first life. Users see Second Life and other virtual worlds as opportunities to socialize, not isolate themselves. He cites the social networking site Facebook, popular with college-aged students, as a good example of the positive power of virtual space. “It’s a social network based on real world communities and it thickens those communities.” He adds, “Because we have the Emerson island, that doesn’t mean we’re not going to have class in real life anymore; we’re using it to thicken our engagement (read more).”