Local Digital Social Networks

Adoption-First Approach . There is no need to reinvent everything. For most sectors of digital infrastructure, solutions exist. In many cases, they will be imperfect and insufficient. They might have technology but no clear governance and a weak funding model. Federating existing successful systems and targeting demand and usage rather than innovat... See more

Jerry ended up buying 6 ads he could use any time in the next 6 months. And for this privilege, he paid me $500.

Instead of firing off salvos on social media, find a local problem you’d like to work with other people to help solve. Like most communities, we need trails cleared, litter picked up, funds raised for cheerleading teams and brass bands and animal shelters. In my community, we have programs where residents help elderly neighbors get to medical appoi... See more

civic renewal will hinge in the end on whether a critical mass of citizens come to recognize that they can best serve their own interests by associating with others to realize shared goals.

The constitutional right of the people to communicate with one another, in public squares and in a free press, was formerly understood as a ‘bulwark of liberty’ — that is, as the necessary means through which a people preserved themselves as a self-governing political community.

UW Madison professor of journalism, Sue Robinson, recently publishedHow Journalists Engage: A Theory of Trust Building, Identities, and Care . In it, she names the new roles and skill sets that those working in journalism need to invest in so that information can be used and trusted. They include:

• Relationship Builder


• Community Collaborator


• Community

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