1. GroveNet
2. http://www.grovenet.org/
3. “A community computer network serving Forest Grove, Cornelius, Banks, Gaston and western Washington county.”
4. “To provide information about Western Washington County via the Internet and to enhance and foster local community awareness and citizen participation.” http://www.grovenet.org/Grovenet/mission.html
5. Sponsor information not available
6. GroveNet is run by a Board of Directors, which consists for 12 members. Eight are elected “at large” and the other four represent the community through government representing the different city areas.
7. There is not fee to be a member of GroveNet. It offers a mailing list and a website. These services do not appear to cost anything to members.
8. The network provides local information about the different towns/cities having to do with GroveNet. For example, the Forest Grove website provides information about local schools/universities, theater, movies, the local hospital, links to different blogs or sites [such as the Advanced Rutabaga Studies Institute], and information about local sites and transportation. There is also a kids page that provides links to different web pages directed toward children’s learning. However, some of these links no longer exist or work.
9. GroveNet does give a sense of some of the unique things it has to offer. For example, where else would one find the Advanced Rutabaga Studies Institute? I learned that they declared 2010 as the International Year of the Rutabaga. This is possibly one of the most obscure things I’ve ever seen online. http://www.rutastudies.org/ There are also many links to pages about schools in the area, which define Forest Grove as a unique place.
10. I don’t find this network to be particularly interesting. It seems to be pretty generic. It also is not up to date. It appears that it has not been used much since 1999.
11. This information collected by: Kate Dekker
1. Napels Free-Net
2. http://www.naples.net/
3. This network is “Collier County’s community based, volunteer organization providing free public access to the Internet and World Wide Web.”
4. The mission: “Naples and Collier County as an electronically connected community with full access to the resources available through the world wide web.”
5. The Naples Free-Net takes donations from individuals and corporate sponsors in order to pay for and run the network.
6. Naples Free-Net is run by volunteers.
7. Naples Free-Net offers computer education, teaching residents how to use the internet. These courses are free. They also provide free access to the Internet. The volunteers give technical support. Access is provided through local phones. They also provide current local information through web resources. They help organizations to create websites. They also provide forums for users.
8. The network provides a community calendar, access to a job center, links to hundreds of organizations and clubs/groups and local areas. It also provides pages with how-to articles and information about the entire community.
9. I feel this network conveys a sense of place in some way. It has many links that are specific to residents of this area. For example, the Community page: http://home.naples.net/community/ . This has a community calendar and tells of the services that the Naples Free-Net offers to its members and residents of the community.
10. I find the Swap Shop to be interesting. This shows what local residents are selling or looking to buy. It’s kind of like a mini Craig’s List. It can be found here: http://aps.naples.net/community/swapshop/
11. This information collected by: Kate Dekker