| COMMUNITY CONSULTING | What KIND of Electronic Network? |
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A community network, characterized as it is by a combination of geography and inclusiveness of the people who make up the community, is a special kind of network. Essentially, some kind of appliance, most often a computer at this point but that's really secondary, connects to this network with the intent of doing something with information and ideas, whether through e-mail or web pages or streaming video. Information is the tangible content. (There also can be intangible or even "unconscious" content, such as ideas, an enhanced "sense" of community, etc. However, the person using the network is the sole determinant of whether he or she uses the network for tangible or intangible information.)
So a community network provides a mechanism for sharing; what people share and how they share it is largely up to them and the limits of the people who operate the equipment end of things to make tools available (it might be hard to stream video without enough bandwidth, for example). So some kind of access to this Internetwork is important.
Whether a particular network is connected to the Internet or other networks really becomes a function of the community's vision and capability. The Internet might not necessarily be a Holy Grail for every community. But people are able to connect to this "information grid" or "knowledge/knowing grid" and interact with it in a variety of ways of the person's choosing.
It is not primarily an electrical "grid," per se, but it could run on wires or through mechanisms that transmit electricity.
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