local community - global networking

Options, options, options .....

Today I had a skype chat with Katri Sander from Communitytools - a project in development in Tallin, Estonia. She is project manager in this exciting and extraordinary endavour that means a lot to me. Communitytools is a very serious attempt to provide local communities all around the world with electronic tools for better communication and integration at a local level.

They write:

Community Tools creation was driven by the need to effectively manage communication and information flow in a local community. Even if people are willing to contribute and get involved, some really important communication issues occured. Organizing large groups of people involves fast and accurate information change. There was a lack of matching solutions for our specific needs. (http://communitytools.info/about-us/)

Beside the itch to scratch, there is also a strong resource base, because the same group is working with the Estonian contribution to the Shanghai 2010 Expo, Savecity is a really interesting contribution to the Overall Expo theme of cities and their future. The theme is "starting a community" and by that way the Estonian Contribution breaks the urban - rural barrier that we deplore so many times.

Thats why they are starting with community tips - but seek to expand it into a fully fledged piece of open source software that can run on many servers around the world. If they can raise funds, they will also most likely provide a basic service for free.

here is what they will offer to LOCAL communities:

* Website

community website for free.

* Maps

To find what's important near you.

* Groups

There can be little communities inside a bigger community.

* Gallery

Well organized and geotagged photos or other media.

* Post Office

A local messaging solution

Later on they plan for:

* Stuffarium

For borrowing and sharing stuff inside your community.

* Market and Virtual Money

Buy, trade and sell locally maybe even with a with a community currency

* Event Manager

* Accounting System

* Forum

* Radio

* Urban Planning Tool

Great stuff alltogether - but they also seek to offer "world" to the neigborhoods, villages towns and regions: virtual communities of people that share their experience and knowhow in making our communities function to their best capacities. This is where Global Villages comes in.

So I started to engage in discussions with them if it would not make sense to combine their approach with ours and establish a presence or maybe even a central hub of our emerging network there. Lets see what answer they will come up with.....