Neighborhoods On-line

On-line Communications: The Basics

Chat rooms offer space to have live online, typed conversations at scheduled times so interested neighbors can attend.

Bulletin boards are like chat rooms, except the conversations are not live. Neighbors post initial messages and responses can be typed weeks or months later.

Groups, like at Yahoo!, provide services (i.e. email, polls, chat rooms and posting pictures and documents) to people with similar interests.

Online community news services give neighborhoods the opportunity to share events, stories, and concerns without having to manage a website.

Blogs allow people to use text, pictures & links to discuss a topic, like a neighborhood.

Websites are available in different forms. Using services like Neighborhood Link requires only basic computer knowledge to manage. They provide a neighborhood with space in exchange for allowing advertising on the site. Creating your own website requires specialized knowledge and a server, but neighborhoods have recruited volunteers for both. You could also use your communications budget to set up a content management system, a user friendly method to maintain your website. Up-to-date, living websites keep the visitors coming back.

Spotlight: www.sunnysideneighborhood.com

Sunnyside Neighborhood Association is one of many local neighborhoods that have a website. SNA has done a great job of balancing a professional look with a user-friendly way to update content. Currently they use an open source, PHP based, content management system, (www.mamboserver.com). Open-source software is free. PHP supports interactive, dynamic websites and allows updates to be done at any computer. SNA kept costs down by using volunteers to set up the website, and they receive donated server space. When recruiting volunteers, they look for people with web design and information management experience. Recruiting enough qualified volunteers is probably the most difficult, most important part of operating and maintaining the website. The SNA website includes some basics of what people want to know about their neighborhood. They include what’s going on in the events calendar, what the neighborhood is like with pictures, what they’ve been up to in archived minutes and newsletters, and contact information so people can get involved. Sunnyside has managed to present an image of their neighborhood in their own space and in a straightforward manner. For more information, email Sunnyside’s Website Committee at website [at] sunnysideneighborhood [dot] com.

Basic Website Construction Step-by-Step

Step 1: Find the Right Tools & Experts

Open source web design software can help lower neighborhood costs.
Solicit web designer volunteers (who might have the specialize software).
Whether you find paid or volunteer professionals, content management systems can make future updates easier.

Step 2: Solicit Server/Website

Host When your website is constructed, someone must host your website so others can view it. Often this is an organization, but computer savvy neighbors may have their own server.
Some businesses offer free servers, but they are ad based and can be unreliable.