I am putting together a small session for ~15 people to discuss ways to strengthen neighborhoods using the Internet when I am in Washington DC on Wednesday, May 7 from 9-11 a.m.

In addition to sharing the story about the exciting launch of the Neighborhood Issues Forum where I live – e-democracy.org/se – I’d like to discuss Vermont’s Front Porch Forum, i-Neighbors (academic project), the Facebook Neighborhoods application, Outside.In and Topix’s approach to zipcode based forums (lots of virtual ghost towns), Everyblock.Com, and DC’s exceptionally vibrant neighborhood e-mail list network (check out Cleveland Park with over 6,000 members). I am also interested in gathering ideas on block-level tools to support more secure networking among neighbors and how to extend the summer idea of National Night Out to a winter Local Night Online. We will even take a look at the sad Rotten Neighbor site.

If you would like an invite – drop me a note:

clift@publicus.net

Put “Neighborhoods Online Discussion” in the subject.

Steven Clift
E-Democracy.Org

P.S. We have a small grant to establish two neighborhood forums in high immigrant areas in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Work is getting underway. See: e-democracy.org/nf
I am interested in learning about any other examples where such an effort has attempted to build a geographically bounded space that is fully reflective an actual and highly diverse local community (v. white middle class active citizens who are the easiest to recruit).

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