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For event details see: http://seattleneighbors.eventbrite.com For post event SEATTLE exchange, join: http://www.facebook.com/groups/seattleneighbors/ For national exchange, join Locals Online: http://e-democracy.org/locals We plan to share some video from the event.
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Neighbors Online: Community Engagement Online for All Seattle Workshop
Connecting Neighbors, Building Communities, and Raising Voices since 1994
Workshop Outline – 4:30 – 6:30WelcomeOverview and Seattle Neighbors
Online Surf Introductions - Seattle Share-a-thonNumbers – Who’s Missing Intro
Micro Break (if time)
In-Depth: Outreach, Inclusion, and Engagement in St. Paul and Minneapolis
Closing Questions, Discussion, Connections
Welcome
Thank You
Why?
Connecting Neighbors is GoodSocial connections, family-friendlySafety and crime preventionMutual benefit , sharing stuffGreater voices and civic engagementSocial capital generatorOpenness and inclusion (if done
right)= Stronger communities
Resources: Block Activities, Block Connectors, Locals Online, Soul of the Community
Online Neighbor Connecting
Two-way online “groups” at core
Connecting at two primary levels:
Block-level, neighborhood crime watch ▪ Very Private, Covering ~100 households,
typically resident-only, often “cc:” e-mail chains
Neighborhood/Community-wide ▪ Public , Semi-Public (request to join), or
Private - Covering hundreds to thousands of households
Big Numbers 27% of adult Net users (22%
overall) use
“digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.”
Source: Neighbors Online study from PewInternet.org, 2010
Numbers – “Joiners”“Joiners” – 10.5% of adult Net
users members of neighborhood e-mail lists, forums, or social network site groups
Includes 7% on e-lists/forums or ~10 million folks across ~20,000 to 40,000 online spaces – DC, Seattle, Mpls, etc. have deep history
Source: Neighbors Online study from PewInternet.org, 2010
Seattle Surf
PlaceblogsSeattle must have the most placeblogs
per capita!
Editor in center with “news” models vs. groups
Web ForumsWest Seattle
Blog’s Forums Most successful
media-sponsored local online forums
in the world??
Local web-based “forums” in U.S. rare, popular in UK
E-mail Lists YahooGroups
mostly, “forum host” is crucial
Few are “public” - hard to “see” the awesomeness your area is missing
Talk2 Seattle.Gov Dozens! Mostly
nhood assoc work??? Can’t tell how active
From our directory: Admiral - 123
members Alki Beach- 185 Ballard - 110 Beacon Hill Hillman City - 192 Georgetown - 557 Greenwood - 420 Montlake - 946 North Ravenna Squire Park - 330 South Park- 759
E-mail ListsMoms/Parents E-
Lists Seattle has a massive
network ~20
MUST live in a certain area
Biggest – Ballard 1705, N Beacon 1876, Madrona 2785, Magnolia 903 … Seattle “Dads” 1
Facebook GroupsHillman
Brighton moved from YahooGroups
Host likes pictures in Member Directory
Few FB Groups for Seattle Nhoods?
Example Topics This Week in
Seattle Missing bike Chickens Gunshots Free stuff City council Folk club Food forest Strawberry
plants Nhood meeting
Free trees School walk “foro de discusión”
– Seeking Spanish-speaking folks
Voter registration Nickelsville Bikes for books Suicide prevention Spanish lesson guy Neighbor needed
for school project
EveryBlockGreen Lake
blog moved to EveryBlock
Everyblock serves ~20 major cities, started as local data to map site, added community
NextDoorPrivate residents-
only “social network for your neighborhood”
Venture funded, partnering with some governments
Mostly small groups, but can cover thousands of residents (no access for local business, community orgs, elected officials by design)
Twitter Hashtag
#bainbridge
Very social
“Organic”
Tags launchedduring crisises
Who’s Here
Introductions break the virtual
ice.
IntroductionsEveryone
Name Neighborhood/
Place Top question?
Diverse Voices Social Media Which
community(ies) Current online
efforts
Neighbors Online Group Members Which one Which tech
platform How long a
member Most recent
example Important or
useful example
Who’s Missing?(w/neighbor connecting online)
Numbers – Inclusion Matters
Neighborhood E-Lists/Forums – 7% Overall 15% of online households over $75K – 5
times higher! 3% of online households under $50K 3% Latino 2% Rural … 8% Blacks and Whites 9% Women, 5% Men
Of 22% of ALL adults who “talk digitally with neighbors”: Only 12% under 30K, Over 75K 39%
Source: Neighbors Online study from PewInternet.org, 2010
Forums for Today’s St. Paul
Quick History 1 – E-Democracy 1994 –
World’s first election information web site AND Minnesota Politics two-way e-list
1998 – Minneapolis and St. Paul Issues Forums – “online town hall” model
2005 – UK grant to pilot, Bristol and Oxford asked for neighbourhoods in ’07
2008 – Minneapolis neighborhoods get started Mixed classic “neighborhood e-list” with PUBLIC online
town hall with neighborhood watch, Freecycle, Craigslist (non-selling), community news and bulletin board for areas with 5,000 to 15,000 residents
Quick History 2 – E-Democracy Goal to build civic engagement and raise
diverse voices NOT being met by all volunteer start-up activity … foundation to build on
2010-11 – Ford Foundation - pilot Inclusive Social Media effort – deep engagement in Cedar Riverside, expanding to Frogtown (note 60 page evaluation)
2012-14 – Knight Foundation – scaling to 16 Neighbors Forums reflecting diversity with outreach and active forum engagement to reach ~10,000 daily participants
Seattle Racial/Ethnic Map
Series by Eric Fisher
Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, Orange is Hispanic, Yellow is Other, and each dot is 25 residents.
NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE NET (by district)seattle.gov/communitiesonline/districts.htm
From Seattle IT Indicator Project, 2009 community survey
BreakDelite Filipino Bakery
Inclusion
Connecting Neighbors Online
St. Paul’s Inclusive Community Engagement Online “Be Neighbors” initiative
Corrine Bruning, Outreach Coordinator@edemo on Twitter
2012 Outreach Team
What’s the Big Picture1.Create online spaces for
neighbors to connect with each other in the ways that they want.
2. Make sure these spaces are as representative as possible of the neighborhoods themselves.
3. Create opportunities for people who do not usually have a voice in their neighborhoods, to have a voice.
What are Neighbors Forums?“Local” online public places to: share information, events, ideas discuss neighborhood issues gather diverse people in an open place
take action and promote solutions
Our neighborhood-level Issues Forums are powered by two-way group communication
We host over 40 neighbors/community forums in 17 communities across 3 countries today
Design for “Inclusion”
Public (vs. private groups)Open access (vs. invite only)Publicly searchable archive
(vs. member only access)Local scope Encourage strong civilityMust use real names, accountability
One Forum, Many Channels
E-mail Web Facebook Twitter
Online public space in “real” community
City Hall
In-personConversations Shared on
YourNetworks
Local MediaCoverage
School, Library
Reporte
r
Com
mun
ity O
rgCity Councilor
Candidate
Local Biz
Nei
ghbo
r #1
Park Staff
Neighborhood Leader
Mayor
Forum M
anager
Neighb
or #
500
Polic
e
NEIGHBORS
NeighborsForumOnlineJoin the
Forum
New Resident
Example TopicsAction
Discussion
Announcements
Connecting for actionBeing local means we can
easily meet and act together
Community garden effort launched
“It’s cold” discussion results in winter wear drive to help recent immigrants
Sexual assault response by “Mom” and 400+ rally on a cold winter night, community brainstorming
Community garden
anyone?
Photos from Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune.
Connecting neighbors leads to dialogue and discussion Topics like:
Community news Crime and safety Crisis response Schools and
parks Service provider
recommendations – home repairs, child care, etc.
• Helping neighbors • Local history• New small
businesses• Landlord issues• Local
environment/recycling
• Questions of every kind – “What was that noise?”
Announcements - Free Flow of Information Community/cultural eventsNeighborhood meetingsLocal news, photos, videoFree stuff (selling is rare/not promoted)
Elected official updatesLost or found pets
In any languageBi-lingual announcements encouraged
How to join?Via the web:
e-democracy.org
Or beneighbors.org▪ Directory starting in Twin Cities▪ Join via Facebook Option Available
Or Paper!Via simple paper sign-up sheets
Sign up at local events, by neighbors, or when doorknocked.
Outreach In-depth
Diverse Community Outreach 2011
Pilot expansion methods across multiple neighborhood/forums
Special outreach to diverse communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul:▪ Latino▪ Native American▪ East African▪ African American▪ Hmong/SE Asian
54
Inclusive Social Media Lessons 10-11Face-to-face outreach, paper signup
sheets, and a personal approach are by far the most successful recruiting methods
Building trust is essential. Knowing that “someone like me” is on the forum makes a difference.
Personal invitations and direct support help people get started with posting.
Inclusive Social Media Lessons 10-11
Partnering with respected neighborhood event organizers creates opportunities to participate in community activities and offer people the chance to sign up for our forums.
Understanding people’s needs and helping find ways for those needs to be addressed through the forum smoothes the path for their participation and continued involvement.
Ford foundation funded, 2010-2011
60 Page Report and Webinar
e-democracy.org/evaluation
56
Ford Eval: Forum Member Feedback
Members: Forum provides new information and alternative viewpoints
Elected officials pay attention to forum posts
Community organizations who actively participated found it relevant and rewarding
Range and depth of conversations dependent on forum members’ willingness to share opinions, ask questions, and seek input
Summer Outreach 2012
2012-14 – BeNeighbors.orgGoal: Recruit and engage 10,000+
Saint Paulites by 2014
Focus outreach on highly diverse, immigrant and low-income communities online
Knight Foundation funded, 625K 3 year grant (through end of 2014)
Applied Ford lessons
Summer Outreach Team 2012
The PlanUtilize grassroots community
organizing techniques to bring a diversity of neighbors onto the forums.
Bring in around 3000 new members over the summer and begin building relationships in Saint Paul communities.
Hire ~10 multi-lingual outreach team members working 15 hours a week
62
What’s the Big Picture?
1.Create online spaces for neighbors to connect with each other in the ways that they want to.
2. Make sure that these spaces are as representative as possible of the neighborhoods themselves.
3. Create opportunities for people who do not usually have a voice in their neighborhoods, to have a voice.
63
What we did...
1. Research and set goals.
64
Courtesy of University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs
65
66
What we did...
1. Research and set goals.2. Intensive recruitment and
training
67
What we did...1. Research and set goals.2. Intensive recruitment and training3. Utilized shared access tools to
manage logistics increasing mobility and capacity of team (Google Docs, etc.)
68
69
What we did...
1. Research and set goals.2. Intensive recruitment and training3. Utilized open access tools to
manage logistics increasing mobility and capacity of team
4. Lots of on the ground outreach!
On-the-ground Outreach
1-7 people at 39 different community events yielding 692 new members.
15 people attended 12 community meetings yielding 76 new members.
Staff went to 28 community locations, oftentimes libraries and recreation centers, yielding 340 new members.
We covered 10 Neighborhood Night Out locations yielding 182 new members in a single night.
And 10 staff members attended four ethnic soccer tournaments yielding 89 new members.
In the field:
72
73
74
What we did...
1. Research and set goals.2. Intensive recruitment and training3. Utilized open access tools to
manage logistics increasing mobility and capacity of team
4. Lots of on the ground outreach!5. Remembering to think long term
about empowerment and voice.
75
Some results (so far)…
1. Surname analysis shows 30%+ of targeted forums appear to be from racial/ ethnic communites.
2. We launched neighbors forums in 16 of 17 Saint Paul neighborhoods.
3. Saint Paul neighbors forums virtually doubled from 2,863 on June 4 to 5,609 on September 11, resulting in 48.96% of the the total Stp membership being new!
Twin Cities Growth 200% increase in St. Paul
(blue) memberships since Jan 1.
Mpls (red) all volunteer “organic” word of mouth growth
78
So, what’s next?
1. Build up local volunteer capacity in forum engagement developing deep relationships in community - goal:
Forums that better reflect the diversity of
neighbors in the “virtual room.”
2. Ensure partnerships to be mutually beneficial
3. Execute an intense forum engagement plan
79
How does this apply to your work?
Do you work with minority/low income/ immigrant populations?
Are you interested in building up a network that allows more neighbors to connect with each other?
Get Connected
Public outreachhttp://beneighbors.org
Webinars, training:http://e-democracy.org/learn
http://e-democracy.org/locals
81
Thank you!
We’d love to connect with you more! [email protected]
OR~ Steven Clift -
On Twitter @edemo More: e-democracy.org/contact
QuestionsDiscussionConnections
END
Additional SlidesGo in-depth if you like
Digital Inclusion Digital inclusion for community engagement
leverages other key efforts
Technology and Broadband Access
Online and Computer Skills
Engagement
Digital Literacy
Ford EvaluationAll kinds of neighbors can be connected online
60 Pages: e-democracy.org/eval
uation
Free in-depth webinar
StorySomeone needed help.
The Wheel of Cheese Frantic online forum request:
“Is anyone flying to Seattle in next 12 hours? I am stuck out of town. Can you take a wheel of cheese to the national competition? Ours went missing. Homeland Security won’t let us overnight replacement.”
Neighbor replies, “I am a former airline employee and I’ve been looking for a reason to go to Seattle. “ Cheese makes it in time.
Read more – on Powderhorn Neighbors Forum – Photo CC jojomelons via Flickr
Examples - Discussion“Community life” exchange
builds audience for inclusive civic discussions “Little Mekong” branding for Asian
business promotion on University Ave
Triple homicide - Who can we trust to keep us safe after a tragedy in East African grocery? Police? More guns? Led to off-line discussions with local teens. Vigil proposed, hundreds gather.
Also: Cats indoors or outdoors?, Airplane noise, etc.
Who participates? Everyone welcome
Residents, local workers, business owners
People who “serve” the community Local governments, non-profits, etc.
Outreach essential: Diverse communities:
http://e-democracy.org/inclusion
100 members for strong opening 1050 members on largest forum today, ~25%
households
You
How different? ApproachVolunteer-driven, Non-
profit (Pictures of some of our awesome volunteer Forum Managers
and contractors )
Local scope key
“Public life” openness not “virtual gated communities”
Government can access us Unlike Facebook which is blocked by many
organizations
Open source technology, sharing We use GroupServer.org tech out of New
Zealand
Tips for organizations Post announcements and events –
reach hundreds for free
Monitor the community agenda, advocate and organize locally
Answer questions, share info
Connect people to your programs
Encourage your members/clients/etc. to join us
What results?Neighbors Forums promote: Community building Neighbors helping neighbors Sharing/reusing things very locally
Engagement with government and accountability
And much more
How different? RulesCivility matters
Real names build trust No name calling Post just 2 times a day (on most forums) spreads participation, retains audience
Facilitated by local volunteer “Forum Manager,” rules are enforced
Major contrast with often anonymous, nasty online news comments
How different? OnlineOnline advantages
24 x 7 – Anytime, anywhere convenience
Engage people unable to attend meetings, with limited mobility, two jobs, children
Less intimidating for some – open and accessible “ice breaker” into public life
Local approach coupled with in-person activities increases value and trust – Online only would be a major disadvantage
Join Us, Join Your Neighbors
Join your local Neighbors Forum today!
Every community needs a vibrant local online place that makes your part of the world a better .
The lowest cost model for effectively building real community and civic participation available today(?)
Start a forum. You can make this happen in your neighborhood. If you don’t who will?
Contact us: http://e-democracy.org/contact [email protected] @edemo - Twitter Tel/Text: +1-651-400-0880
Mostly text
Pictures too
Across 50+ forums
Follow on Facebook?Yes, we reach people “where
they are” via many channels and technologies
Our “unified” integrated public forums Facebook Page – Forum excerpts
Twitter – Topic headlines
“Blog” style Web Feed – Full-text
E-mail and web options – Most accessible, required to post
E-mail key to active “bridge building” and mobile use – old-fashioned but EFFECTIVE
Future PresentationsStat tuned for more
knowledge sharing Inclusive Social Media Lessons,
Evaluation How to Start a Forum - Detailed Forum Manager How-to Webinar
Follow our blog for updates: http://blog.e-democracy.org
Key existing resources http://e-democracy.org/if - Guidebook and
more http://e-democracy.org/webinars
Where are they?Our neighborhood-level
“Issues Forum”: 24 forums across St. Paul and Minneapolis ▪ Many new forums - join our funded start-up
campaign now 25 start-up forums in Christchurch, New
Zealand ▪ Created for post-quake recovery by two
volunteers 5 in the United Kingdom▪ Where our “neighbourhood” level work started
11 “city-wide” online town hall “Issues Forums” ▪ Extensive details: http://e-democracy.org/if ▪ City-level forums provide place for city-wide
issues and politics▪ Includes five Greater Minnesota towns
Start a new forum?Request one:
http://e-democracy.org
http://tcneighbors.org
We technically set it up
Outreach essential
10+ forums in start-up mode
Lessons/training from: http://e-democracy
.org/if
Recipe 100 start-up
members 1 local volunteer
“Forum Manager” – You?
Paper sign-ups at community events
E-mail outreach, e-letter signed by initial members
Friendly round of virtual introductions with real people using real names to build trust
Hosting a Healthy Forum Strong “critical mass” launch is key to
success Need mix of local institutions – parks,
officials, places of worship, community groups AND everyday residents
Forum Manager plays crucial role – needed to “seed” forum with announcements until community groups begin to do it themselves
~10% of households across forum area is a magic threshold for “self-generative” community life
Forum facilitation prevents difficult topics from turning into “flame wars” – one blow out can kill a forum
How to post?Post via web
Login at http://e-democracy.org
Click on desired forum New Topic :▪ “post a new topic” -
“Topics” tab ▪ Fill in text box, press “Start”▪ Add files (PDF, Word, etc.)
Existing Topic:▪ Login, read topics▪ Text box at bottom
Do you want to … Connect your neighbors and
neighborhood?
Make your community better? Improve civic engagement?
Raise diverse voices? Share local information?
Do all this cost-effectively leveraging volunteers?
If yes, here is an introduction on Neighbors Issues Forums from E-Democracy.org
How to read?Read via e-mail or web Daily e-digest option - topics with direct links
Text, files, photos, YouTube videos
How to post?Post via e-mail
“place”@forums.e-democracy.org e.g. [email protected]
Post via web Login at http://e-democracy.org Visit desired forum and post
Post/attach files easily (Photos, PDF, Word, etc.)
More Options, Start-upsDozens of companies are getting
into the neighbor connecting business
Visit the local social media directory
Join the Locals Online community of practice to join people from .org, .coms, and many independent free spirits