Real communities, virtual voices

Real communities, virtual voices: ‘The People’s Times’ helps NZ’s grassroots go digital

New Zealand has always had a strong tradition of grassroots community involvement, and today there are literally thousands of active clubs, societies, associations and community groups up and down the country, catering to a vast range of interests (including knot tying, miniature bottles and Abyssinian cats...?!).

But while Kiwis have been quick to embrace the ‘digital age’ at work and at play – using the internet to communicate, organise and network more effectively – the majority of our small groups are yet to take advantage of the new opportunities, usually because of a lack of money or expertise.

It is this situation that inspired the creation of an innovative new community web service, the People’s Times. Conceived as a simple, accessible way for grassroots groups to organise themselves over the internet, the People’s Times pulls together the latest communication, networking and content-sharing tools in one user-friendly, homegrown package. And best of all, because the website is government funded it’s completely free to use.

Located at www.peoplestimes.org.nz, the People’s Times offers three purpose-built, integrated services in one place:

• People’s Times Communities – offering simple, ad-free homepages for groups with easy-to-use networking tools and online storage built in;
• People’s Times News – NZ’s first dedicated ‘citizen journalism’ platform: anyone can submit original articles and pictures or link to stories elsewhere; and
• People’s Times NoticeBoard – searchable, community-oriented free listings (also accessible directly at www.noticeboard.org.nz).
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The People’s Times is a partnership between the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and e-learning specialists Flexible Learning Network, and the project has received financial support from the Community Partnership Fund as part of the Government’s Digital Strategy.

Project Director Richard Wyles says that the site began life in time-honoured fashion – as jottings on the back of a napkin over a beer with a friend.

‘Many of us are involved in groups and clubs at the neighbourhood level – they’re a really vibrant and vital part of New Zealand society. Yet despite the internet revolutionising the way we do business and even run our social lives, many small, local groups are yet to make the leap online. We’ve all heard about the scope for ‘virtual communities’ to get together on the internet. But the web has great potential to make life easier for groups already operating in the ‘real world’ as well.’

Drawing on his experience using open-source web technologies to support communication and learning in business and education, Richard started to think about how the latest web developments could be customised to produce something simple and practical for community groups. His work with the Open Polytechnic’s e-Learning Office helped to crystallise the need for the project.

‘We were trying to think of a way to lower those barriers to getting online – to help grassroots groups to harness the new communication tools available in the digital age, without them all needing to develop the infrastructure individually. Organising virtually can reduce the administration burden for small groups, while helping to ensure their accessibility to new generations of members. That vision dovetailed very well with the principles outlined in the Digital Strategy, and it seemed like a great opportunity to get something happening.’

Project manager and News editor Rebekah Brumwell agrees.

‘Some of New Zealand’s bigger groups already have their own websites, a few of which offer their members the sorts of features we provide. But our research found that most grassroots groups can’t afford their own sites, and even if they could they wouldn’t want to have to manage something complicated. They told us that they need to be able to communicate amongst themselves, share documents and photos, post blogs, and find new ways to raise their profile that don’t cost money.

‘People’s Times Communities offers all that and more, and will work for any sort of group. It might be a tramping club wanting to organise one outing a month and post a few photos up. Or it might be a national campaigning group needing multiple discussion forums, somewhere to share paperwork privately and a platform to publish regular news articles. Or, it could be a local mothers’ support group just wanting to display information for their Mums about upcoming events.’

Rebekah believes it is this flexibility of use that sets the People’s Times apart from existing sites.

‘There are sites that are aimed at professionals working in the community and voluntary sector, and while they meet the needs of those users very well, they aren’t trying to cater for your local tennis club, for example. There are also websites that list community groups, but these are aimed at potential members rather than at the group themselves. We do offer a searchable database – anyone will be able to browse, read about and contact groups registered on People’s Times Communities. But the groups we consulted wanted to use the web primarily to manage their own activities.’

While tossing around early ideas for People’s Times Communities, Richard also became interested in the burgeoning web phenomenon dubbed ‘citizen journalism’, which is becoming increasingly popular internationally. As a result, New Zealand’s first dedicated citizen journalism platform – People’s Times News – is one of the three strands that make up the site.

‘We want to give Kiwis a space to read and write about themselves, their communities and the big issues of the day, and to pool great material from all over the internet. We also see the potential for local groups to use a platform like this to tell people about what they are doing,’ Richard explains. ‘Some websites enable their readers to comment on the news, but we will give top billing to news content produced by ‘the people, for the people’ – hence the ‘People’s Times’.

Adding the Noticeboard to the mix was a logical third step, providing for community listings such as advertising school fairs, public notices, and Lost and Found. The Noticeboard provides both individuals and groups on People’s Times Communities with another useful way of reaching their wider constituencies. Although it’s integral to the site as a whole, the Noticeboard can also be reached via its own easy-to-remember web address, www.noticeboard.org.nz .

‘We are confident all groups will find something here they can really use, and there is still scope to expand and improve the site in response to feedback from users,’ says Rebekah. ‘It’s taken a long process of development to get to where we are, and we’re very excited to see what people think.

‘You can visit the People’s Times at www.peoplestimes.org.nz . It’s easy to register, and once you’re signed up as an individual you can start submitting articles to People’s Times News, register your group on People’s Times Communities, and post notices on the People’s Times NoticeBoard.’

ENDS

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