Community Networking Pages

The Basics
Of Building
A Community Network

The following links are to pages, images and/or documents to help communities get a grasp of what is involved in creating and sustaining an electronically based Community Network.

Technical Issuess, Public Access & Community Learning/Technology Centers

Public Access is a cornerstone of most of the Community Networking planning proposals.

Here is an image of what public access can look like, along with descriptions of security, maintenance, equipment and other concerns.

This is a Sample Memorandum of Agreement between the Community Networking Project and a Hosting Site. You will want to have one of these for each site where you have equipment.

Many sites also expressed the desire to have learning centers. This graphic depicts a scalable learning center and details the range of equipment communities should consider having. still to come: sample learning center MOU, anticipated costs.

You will want to do a technical assessment of your community. This guide will help you see what you have and what you need.

Information about wireless options will go here.

About Volunteers and Volunteering

Many people in rural communities believe they have few resources or little expertise available to them. This annotated volunteer list is designed to show the wide range of possible volunteer and technical resources available to rural Texans. There are many, many hot-links to organizations and resources throughout Texas!

How do you recruit, train, support and maintain a strong volunteer structure? Here are some guidelines, suggestions, tips and a sample volunteer form.

Organizational Information

Appropriate governance is of high importance for communities. This chart is a basic schematic of a sophisticated governance structure, showing the relationships among partners, staff and volunteers. Here is another graphic that shows a "responsibility wheel" and provides a simple way of organizing and setting responsibility and tasks.

Here is a rough Timeline for completing the planning process. It is a little odd-looking because the conversion to HTML from Excel and Word isn't exactly smooth!

This Community Network Social/Community Value Chain should give you an idea of the relationship between community needs and how Community Networks provide the means to create new community value.

Take a minute and scan this brief comment on the nature of social and community value, what it means to a community and how it can help you shape the mission of your community networking project.

Here is a sample Acceptable Use Agreement for prospective Community Network users.

Here is a sample Vision and Mission Statement to help you in thinking about how to do your own!

10 Habits of Effective Collaborators. These are key elements you need to put in place, and keep in place, to have a successful Community Network.

still to come: organizational development details.

Analyzing Strengths, Weaknesses

It is important to know your strengths and weaknesses as you prepare your TIF proposal, so you can mazimize the former and minimize the latter. This SWOT Analysis template will help you do that.

And here is a SWOT Analysis Worksheet sample to help you organize your thoughts.

Organizational Information
Appropriate governance is of high importance for communities. This chart is a basic schematic of a sophisticated governance structure, showing the relationships among partners, staff and volunteers. Here is another graphic that shows a "responsibility wheel" and provides a simple way of organizing and setting responsibility and tasks. Here is a rough Timeline for completing the planning process. It is a little odd-looking because the conversion to HTML from Excel and Word isn't exactly smooth! This Community Network Social/Community Value Chain should give you an idea of the relationship between community needs and how Community Networks provide the means to create new community value. Take a minute and scan this brief comment on the nature of social and community value, what it means to a community and how it can help you shape the mission of your community networking project.
Here is a sample Acceptable Use Agreement for prospective Community Network users. Here is a sample Vision and Mission Statement to help you in thinking about how to do your own! 10 Habits of Effective Collaborators. These are key elements you need to put in place, and keep in place, to have a successful Community Network. still to come: organizational development details.

Analyzing Strengths, Weaknesses
	It is important to know your strengths and weaknesses as you prepare your TIF proposal, so you can mazimize the former and minimize the latter. This SWOT Analysis template will help you do that. And here is a SWOT Analysis Worksheet sample to help you organize your thoughts.