Straight outta Easton - DIY digital inclusion
September 27, 2006 Posted by Woodsy in : Digital Challenge, e-democracy, Bristol, Community Media, Regeneration, e-society, Mentoring , 2 commentsIn the spring I was fortunate to meet Tim Erickson of e-democracy during his Bristol visit. One thing he said about building online communities stuck in my mind, namely the momentum has to come from the bottom up, not be imposed from outside or the top down.
This bottom up approach is happening already in Bristol, if you know where to look.
One place you could have looked was the Chelsea Inn in Easton one evening in the spring of 2002. You may have spotted 4 ageing hippies having an animated discussion over their beers. What they were plotting was an online forum for Easton and, of all the alternatives available, setting up a Yahoo Group seemed the best: so that’s what we did. It’s still going. Amazingly it’s thriving and membership is approaching 110. Indeed it’s now the second largest Bristol-based Yahoo group. Local campaigns (e.g. the planned Elizabeth Shaw chocolate factory redevelopment) have admittedly helped to swell membership, but nevertheless the forum has for 4 years provided a means of maintaining interest in or sounding off about local matters. And it has served as a way of staying in touch and advertising local events, not to mention sharing expertise and information on a wide range of subjects, including dealing with local and national government (e.g. reporting flytipping to the council or lobbying the local MP). Any problems have been few and far between: trolls are an extinct species, while the life expectancy of spammers can be measured in minutes, despite our moderator now working mostly in China.
The other local example concerns the Elizabeth Shaw chocolate factory redevelopment in Greenbank mentioned above that is currently out to public consultation. Needless to say, local residents were alarmed when plans were announced for 100+ new homes from a volume housebuilder on their doorsteps. Their reaction was twofold: firstly, to use the Easton Yahoo Group to stay in touch, circulate correspondence, plan meetings and float ideas and secondly to collate all their expertise and resources on their own website using wiki technology and webspace donated by Bristol Wireless. The resulting site is now a valuable resource for other communities facing similar unwelcome changes, while in return Greenbank residents have learnt valuable skills in editing and producing web content using wikis, with the more technically gifted willingly passing on their skills, time and expertise. While the outcome of the planning application is still undecided, the local Greenbank community has definitely achieved some ‘planning gain’.
Given that being a deprived inner city area, Easton is generally regarded as a basket case by most official criteria, it’s very encouraging to see the community taking the initiative in this way. What’s next from BS5? It definitely promises to be interesting.
European ICT Prize is launched - go for it Bristol!
September 26, 2006 Posted by Stephen Hilton in : Digital Challenge, Innovation, Europe, Awards , add a commentEuropean ICT Prize is launched. A total of EUR 700,000 to be awarded
# 50-70 Nominees for the European ICT Prize
# 20 Nominees for the European ICT Grand Prize
# 20 Winners, with Prizes of € 5,000 each
# 3 Grand Prize Winners, with Prizes of € 200,000 each
Deadline for application: 4 December 2006.
In 2006, “the European Information Society Technologies Prize” changed its name to “the European Information and Communication Technologies Prize”, or “the European ICT Prize. It is the most distinguished award for innovative products and services that represent the best of European innovation in ICT.
The Prize is open to companies or organisations which have an innovative ICT product or service with a promising market potential.
The European recognition that stands behind the nomination of Nominees and Winners contributes to facilitating access to finance, markets and partnerships, and to enhancing the visibility, credibility, and the future business prospects for the company.
For further details see: http://www.ict-prize.org/apply
Remember to let us know if you enter
Connecting Bristol Administrator
September 21, 2006 Posted by Clare in : Digital Challenge, jobs , add a commentAs the lead partners in Connecting Bristol Watershed and Bristol City Council are seeking an enthusiastic and organised self-starter to support the project team.
The post is full time and fixed-term contract until end of February 07. The salary range is £12,000 - £15,500 pro rata (dependant on experience)
View job description and download application form
Closing date for receipt of applications for this post is 1700hrs on Wednesday 5 October.
BBC Visit to Henbury School 20th Sept
September 20, 2006 Posted by David in : Digital Challenge , add a commentAs many of you know, part of the BBC’s commitment to Connecting Bristol is to try and capture the journey of our bid, in as many ways as possible. Already BBC Points West has reported on initiatives in numerous important key areas (such as Knowle West), the pictures from which will soon be avalable for you to view again via the wesbite. Later today I’ll be visiting Henbury School in the north of the city to talk to people involved in the many exciting projects going on there. The Audio from which, will soon be available via podcast/download via the website. And of course on BBC Radio Bristol/BBC Radio Glos. Please let me know if you have any stories regarding the bid, as it’s vital we don’t miss out on interesting people and places involved in the Connecting Bristol bid.
David Aston - BBC/ Connecting Bristol.
