Monthly Archives: February 2010

FCC: Local or community news second most common type of activity online

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The FCC recently conducted a survey called “Broadband Adoption and Use in America” that found getting local or community news was the second most common type of activity online, just behind buying a product. Using a social networking site was fourth. (See chart below.)

Of course, I’m happy to see that “local or community” news is listed second but it’s hard to believe that using a social networking site is fourth given that Facebook now has over 350 million users and is listed as the second or third most visited site on the Internet. This seems to highlight the problem with human reported surveys versus computer counted statistics.

As a measure of online activity for local and community news though, this survey may be the best data we have given the fragmentation of local publishers, which makes it difficult to measure this type of activity on a national level.

Will the eNeighbors value proposition work in your community?

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We claim that:

  • the vast majority of your community will register and use the online communication system on a regular basis.
  • you can communicate more effectively, virtually at will, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
  • your community will actually lower the cost of communication – the logical result of replacing current methods newsletter, layout, print, copy, mail

BUT, as a Board Member, your #1 concern is:  “WILL THE MAJORITY OF OUR RESIDENTS ACTUALLY READ THE INFORMATION?”

A resident in an eNeighbors community wondered the same thing and posted a news article to find out “is any body really out there?” Screenshots below:

Google Fiber for Communities

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UPDATE: In an effort to bring Google Fiber to Topeka, KS, the city’s mayor signed a proclamation that for the rest of the month, Topeka will be known as Google, KS.

Here’s your chance to get “ultra-high speed” Internet access for your community.

Google is planning to offer Internet access at speeds of over 1 gigabit per second – about 100 times faster than most Americans receive today. They are looking for interested communities that want to take part in their experiment and expect to extend the service to at least 50,000 homes and maybe as many as 500,000 homes.

To nominate your community, go here and click “Get Involved”.

An overview video is below.