My sense is that the lack of participation in neighbors online
activities in rural areas for example is based on three main factors:
1. The lack of "declared" online spaces to actually join or community
blogs to follow
2. The use of Facebook in small towns where "everyone knows everybody"
creates an informal semi-public life experience (using my 86 year old
grandmother as an example)
3. In really sparsely populated spaces word gets around via the
telephone or over afternoon coffee (using my Aunt's experience when I
suggest an online group for the remote northern Minnesota township
where she lives)
That said, I doubt your survey can tell us if lower income, rural,
Latino, youth, etc. communities WOULD JOIN a forum/social
net/community blog IF one existed for their area or if they knew about
one that did. (At the end I'll ask people to share research questions
they would like to see academics, PewInternet, and other consider.)
So, are you able to point out regional difference is who is a NO or
OGP? Midwest, Southwest, New England ... etc. by census regions? I'd
be very curious if there are any major differences in take up of
specific social nets, community blog, neighborhood e-lists by region
as well. (I assume you can't be statistically valid at the
state-level?)
Cheers,
Steve
Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy
New Tel: +1.612.234.7072
activities in rural areas for example is based on three main factors:
1. The lack of "declared" online spaces to actually join or community
blogs to follow
2. The use of Facebook in small towns where "everyone knows everybody"
creates an informal semi-public life experience (using my 86 year old
grandmother as an example)
3. In really sparsely populated spaces word gets around via the
telephone or over afternoon coffee (using my Aunt's experience when I
suggest an online group for the remote northern Minnesota township
where she lives)
That said, I doubt your survey can tell us if lower income, rural,
Latino, youth, etc. communities WOULD JOIN a forum/social
net/community blog IF one existed for their area or if they knew about
one that did. (At the end I'll ask people to share research questions
they would like to see academics, PewInternet, and other consider.)
So, are you able to point out regional difference is who is a NO or
OGP? Midwest, Southwest, New England ... etc. by census regions? I'd
be very curious if there are any major differences in take up of
specific social nets, community blog, neighborhood e-lists by region
as well. (I assume you can't be statistically valid at the
state-level?)
Cheers,
Steve
Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy
New Tel: +1.612.234.7072
