Plotting a trip through Grand Rapids first week in April, Facebook experiment?

Howdy all,

It would be great to check in when come through in early April (the 3rd or
4th potentially).

Long story short, since our Rural Voices project work on the
"online townhall" we have found that broader "community life exchange"
really works.

In some neighborhoods we have over 1,000 participants reach 25% of
households. The challenge with every space remains community outreach.
Those with active volunteers tabling the library, inviting fellow parents
at the park, etc. Do great and those without active outreach fade away.

That said, if no funding is available for inclusive outreach (we recruited
3,000 door to door and in-person in St. Paul last year bring our cities
forums to 16,000 members with funding), that does not mean we should just
give up. Volunteers are making online community groups work all over the
nation!

So, we are interested in working with one of our existing Greater MN forum
communities to experiment with and adapt our "community life first" model
via a local Facebook Group. The rules and facilitation would be the same,
but the technology is different. Facebook has a "network effect" that can
make outreach quite organic, but we'd need volunteers who want to push
inclusion or you'll end up with an online group skewed to one part of the
community with existing private life ties.

Sound interesting? Thoughts?

Want to volunteer?

Anyone know someone perfect to help lead this?

(We've found that parents of young children really really love neighbor
connecting online, so having a volunteer or two in that point in life is
key.)

Cheers,
Steven Clift
E-Democracy.org

Say, a quick question - is there an emerging Facebook Group (or page) with
emerging Grand Rapids related community exchange?

Anything within a specific area or go a town nearby?

One thing I notice are local issues being discussed semi-privately in the
cities on personal Facebook walls of elected officials as their private and
public lives sort of meld together. This feels public and open, but it is not.

I didn't get any bites on the Facebook Group suggestion - yet - and our
original volunteer here is ready to pass the baton. So this can be an
opportunity. I just don't buy the idea you have to be an urban neighborhood to
have a vital community life exchange online. As someone who grew up in Greater
Minnesota, the community spirit being generated through our BeNeighbors.org
effort reminds me of the bonds and belonging people feel in small cities and
towns.

I get it that an activist outsider destroyed this forum with his hard charging
political posts when it first launched because unlike all most all of our other
forums it created a sense of fear instead of community spirit. The forum never
recovered. It could have, but it didn't. That is a problem with democracy
online, loudest voices can drive away the middle before it gets a chance to
establish itself.

Anyway, it looks like I will be coming through the area the first week in April
and I'd be glad to share a cup of coffee and chat about broader community
building online. Someone here is the right person start something that makes a
real difference and build daily community interaction online.

Cheers,
Steve

I'll join you for coffee, Steve.

Ed Zabinski
731 NW 2nd Avenue
Grand Rapids, MN. 55744
(218) 301-4809

Sent from my mobile device

On Mar 13, 2013, at 7:15 AM, "Steven Clift" <<email obscured>> wrote:

> Say, a quick question - is there an emerging Facebook Group (or page) with
emerging Grand Rapids related community exchange?
>
> Anything within a specific area or go a town nearby?
>
> One thing I notice are local issues being discussed semi-privately in the
cities on personal Facebook walls of elected officials as their private and
public lives sort of meld together. This feels public and open, but it is not.
>
> I didn't get any bites on the Facebook Group suggestion - yet - and our
original volunteer here is ready to pass the baton. So this can be an
opportunity. I just don't buy the idea you have to be an urban neighborhood to
have a vital community life exchange online. As someone who grew up in Greater
Minnesota, the community spirit being generated through our BeNeighbors.org
effort reminds me of the bonds and belonging people feel in small cities and
towns.
>
> I get it that an activist outsider destroyed this forum with his hard
charging political posts when it first launched because unlike all most all of
our other forums it created a sense of fear instead of community spirit. The
forum never recovered. It could have, but it didn't. That is a problem with
democracy online, loudest voices can drive away the middle before it gets a
chance to establish itself.
>
> Anyway, it looks like I will be coming through the area the first week in
April and I'd be glad to share a cup of coffee and chat about broader community
building online. Someone here is the right person start something that makes a
real difference and build daily community interaction online.

Rest of post

As soon as you have a day, let us know. Will you be stopping elsewhere, such as
Walker, Cass Lake or Bemidji?
Molly

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 13, 2013, at 7:15 AM, "Steven Clift" <<email obscured>> wrote:

> Say, a quick question - is there an emerging Facebook Group (or page) with
emerging Grand Rapids related community exchange?
>
> Anything within a specific area or go a town nearby?
>
> One thing I notice are local issues being discussed semi-privately in the
cities on personal Facebook walls of elected officials as their private and
public lives sort of meld together. This feels public and open, but it is not.
>
> I didn't get any bites on the Facebook Group suggestion - yet - and our
original volunteer here is ready to pass the baton. So this can be an
opportunity. I just don't buy the idea you have to be an urban neighborhood to
have a vital community life exchange online. As someone who grew up in Greater
Minnesota, the community spirit being generated through our BeNeighbors.org
effort reminds me of the bonds and belonging people feel in small cities and
towns.
>
> I get it that an activist outsider destroyed this forum with his hard
charging political posts when it first launched because unlike all most all of
our other forums it created a sense of fear instead of community spirit. The
forum never recovered. It could have, but it didn't. That is a problem with
democracy online, loudest voices can drive away the middle before it gets a
chance to establish itself.
>
> Anyway, it looks like I will be coming through the area the first week in
April and I'd be glad to share a cup of coffee and chat about broader community
building online. Someone here is the right person start something that makes a
real difference and build daily community interaction online.

Rest of post

Awesome.

It is looking like Tuesday, April 2 ... 1 p.m. ish ... I need to confirm the
time.

I'll have my family with on our way to Grandma's cabin near S. Lake before it
goes on the market. It's spring break.

I hope to visit Cass Lake on Thursday and maybe Bemidji.

Steve

Super. I received a handful of notes of interest.

I am going to propose Brewed Awakenings at ~1:30 pm on Tuesday, April 2.

As a total experiment I am going to use a Facebook Group event for rsvps
and invite you by email to the group. Stay tuned.

Cheers,
Steve

Rest of post

Say Molly, yes I will be in Cass Lake on April 3rd.

Working on the details - but I will be doing a Neighbors Online workshop at 4
p.m. at the Tribal College and we will have a pizza party at 6 p.m. in downtown
Cass Lake.

We have a small and very appreciated Blandin grant which has supported special
extended Cass Lake Leech Lake outreach.

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