Project Open

BY Petalumans and FOR Petalumans that Use ICT To Share Information ABOUT Petaluma

In spite of the rain last Saturday, a wonderful experience in neighborhood empowerment took place with about 100 residents who live in the LaTercera Park area. They had an opportunity to engage the mayor, members of the City Council, and the Parks & Recreation Commission, as well as members of the Petaluma Police and Fire Departments in a Q&A session dealing with concerns about vandalism and graffiti. (Additional details may be found on blogs featured on http://www.Petaluma360.com)

On Sunday, the day was sunny and bright, and my thoughts about the previous day were clearer and brighter, as well. Here are the conclusions I reached as a result of participating in this Neighborhood Action Group (NAG) meeting:

• All a neighborhood needs to get an initiative started is a “sparkplug” who commits the time, effort, and energy necessary to ignite interest in a local need or concern. The neighborhood cylinders gradually become interested and begin to get the engine up and running. In due time, this warmed up neighborhood engine increases its power and starts the journey toward the desired goals and objective, developed by the neighbors.

• After the initial get-together, follow-up is a necessary ingredient to sustain the effort. This can be accomplished by holding additional face-to-face meetings and the creation of an “over the back fence” conversation board … an exclusive electronic conference board for the neighborhood that is available 24/7.

• As Neighborhood Action Group (NAG) participants make head way, they become empowered to continue their journey with a greater degree of confidence and strength. They soon realize that what they learned from their experience might be of value to other neighborhood groups in the larger community regardless of the cause, need or concern, so they seek ways to share their new found wisdom and knowledge.

As these community-wide networks of local NAGs expands and grows, there is a need for a more sophisticated system of transmitting information, announcements, and dialogues. One solution might be the design and creation of a community website, independent of any political, commercial, or special-interest advocacy group.

Over the past twelve years, such an all-volunteer, community-driven group of citizens have incubated, designed, implemented and evaluated information and communication projects for every sector of the Greater Petaluma community. During this same period of time, 1995-2006, the Pew Research Center sponsored surveys have reported that the percentage of U.S. adults online has increased from approximately 15% to over 70%. These Internet use statistics include those who have ever used a computer at home, work, school to connect to a search engine, bulletin boards, or information services.

Obviously, we are in a state of change with respect to how Americans are sharing information through the use of computer technology and telecommunications. Perhaps the time has come for a new grass-roots, all-volunteer pilot project is needed in order to make greater use of ICT to connect citizens within a community.

Project OPEN – Our Petaluma Electronic Network – will be an independent Weblog designed BY Petalumans and will share information ABOUT Petaluma, FOR the benefit of all Petaluma who have access to our online community.

For this local endeavor to be successful, it will need citizen-reporters to share their stories about Our Petaluma, a community second to none in spirit and getting things done because its citizens truly believe that the greatest resource of any community is the collective wisdom, knowledge and creativity of its citizens. This moderated Weblog co-op is designed to make it easy for Petalumans to reach out to our growing “town” and strengthen our sense of community before we become just one more urbanized city along the Highway 101 corridor. If you are interested in participating in this new electronic collaboratory, and are willing to open the door to …

• Your thoughts
• Your heart
• Your mind

… and share them in order that all our friends and families may live, work, play and learn in a concerned and safe community that looks out for each other regardless of race, creed, or ethic origin…

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