Building Community Bit by Byte

By Emily Bancroft & David Keyes,
Department of Information Technology

E-mail and the Web are quickly getting spun into our lives, but what effect have they had on our communities? Have you heard that computers and the Internet isolate people from one another, or have you heard the opposite, that technology connects people to communities? Are we spending more time with our computers and or with each other? How can we utilize technology to build stronger neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations?

Over time our ability to build community and organize action may depend on how effectively we use technology, our expectations, and our decisions about appropriate use.

Recently the Department of Information Technology and the Department of Neighborhoods conducted surveys to learn more about how Seattle residents are connecting to the Internet and each other and what neighborhood organization leaders say about their use of information technology and their needs.

Seattle is a very active and wired city. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed participate in a community organization of some sort. A random telephone survey of 1,000 households showed that 74% have an e-mail address. However, we found there is a significant digital divide for low-income families, those with less education, senior citizens, African Americans, and Hispanics. The survey wasn't able to measure non-English speaking households, but we know the income and education gaps apply to many recent immigrant families.

Technology is changing the way that we think about communication and community building. A separate survey, sent to more than 300 local community groups, yielded 91 responses. What we heard is that technology is used to build and strengthen community and neighborhood groups in Seattle. E-mail and Web technology allow neighborhood leaders to communicate effectively with members, contact and mobilize large groups of people using minimal resources, organize events quickly and efficiently, increase exposure, raise the profile of a group, and bring in new members.

Many Seattle neighborhood groups use e-mail as a primary communication method. Almost all of the neighborhood leaders that responded to our survey have a personal e-mail address and 85% said they use e-mail to communicate with members. A majority feels that e-mail is very effective for that purpose.

Many groups have created Web sites but would like to use them more effectively. Almost half of the organizations surveyed currently have a Web site; an additional 24% think they will have a Web site within a year. However, there are mixed feelings about the effectiveness of their sites. Only one-quarter of those with Web sites felt that their site is effective, while more than one-third feel that their site is not very or not at all effective. Resources, skills, and cost, including those related to updating content, are the greatest barriers.

In response, the Department of Neighborhoods plans to include sessions on Web management and managing member and e-mail lists in the Neighborhood Leadership Program. The Department of Information Technology already hosts many community Web sites and lists for free and a major upgrade of list capability is planned for the summer. The challenge is to think creatively and learn together how to apply these tools to build stronger, more active communities.

For more information on the survey and the results, call David Keyes at (206) 386-9759; send e-mail to david.keyes@seattle.gov or go to www.seattle.gov/tech/indicators on the Web. For more information on setting up e-mail lists or having the City host your Web site, call Derrick Hall at 233-5061 or send e-mail to derrick.hall@seattle.gov.

This project is part of the City of Seattle Citizens Technology Literacy and Access initiative in cooperation with the volunteer Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB) and Sustainable Seattle. Additional assistance for the forum is being provided by Progress Project of the Evans School of Public Affairs and the Glaser Progress Foundation and Seattle Community Network.

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