[Advisors] RE: FW: [ciresearchers] The Facebook Community Commons
L. Fernando Baron
lfbaron at uw.edu
Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:09:45 -0700
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In rural towns in Colombia some people and some social organizations use it
to report on local news. Sometimes FB helps them to avoid armed groups
control and surveillance, sometimes it helps them to reconstruct the social
fabric that violence of armed groups have broken.
Fernando
L. Fernando Baron P.
Ph.D. Candidate Information Science
iSchool
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
From: ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net
[mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net] On Behalf Of Wallace
Chigona
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:53 PM
To: michael gurstein; advisors@tc.ca; ciresearchers@vancouvercommunity.net;
cracin-canada@vancouvercommunity.net
Cc: 'Anita'
Subject: Re: FW: [ciresearchers] The Facebook Community Commons
I agree there are lots of interesting uses of facebook: I know a facebook
group which people use to [re-]post job adverts in Malawi; another group is
used to share recipes.
>>> "michael gurstein" <gurstein@gmail.com> 2012/07/17 06:25 PM >>>
Very interesting Don... I wasn't aware of this phenom but I'll check to see
if it is happening in rural Canada as well...
However, I did come across something very similar in rural India (can't now
put my finger on the name, but it was being cited as a major driver for
local connectivity/telecentres especially providing a means for
inter-communal trade in things like bicycles etc.
M
-----Original Message-----
From: ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net
[mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net] On Behalf Of Don Cameron
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 11:14 PM
To: ciresearchers@vancouvercommunity.net
Subject: [ciresearchers] The Facebook Community Commons
There?s a quiet revolution happening on Facebook that?s really helping to
bring back the concept of ?marketplace commons? to rural communities
otherwise adversely impacted by the overwhelmingly one-sided and increasing
trade deficit of online connectivity.
I discovered it quite by accident when looking at ways to either donate or
convert into cash a few unwanted items. Accepting that most people and
charities were unlikely to travel hundreds of kilometres to a rural district
to pick up an old stove or unwanted power tool (making eBay a less than
viable option), and being unwilling to go to the time and effort of
advertising and preparing a local garage sale (that would only be raided
anyway at 6:00 am by local second-hand vendors), I asked a few locals what
other options were available.
Everyone I spoke with told me the same thing ? ?sell them locally on
Facebook" (as IT manager with our largest employer I was a little
embarrassed I hadn?t thought of this myself).
So lo and behold... a search of Facebook ?Buy Swap and Sell? just in our
little community alone returns half-a-dozen matches; the largest a
ferociously active forum/page with more than 5,000 local subscribers
(amazing of itself given our entire district population is less than
18,000), where people trade, donate, swap and sell dozens and sometimes
hundreds of items per day. Items ranging from the cheapest of toys and
clothing to cars, farm pumps, boats, tractors and everything in between at
prices well below what we would pay elsewhere.
Yet what?s truly inspirational is the depth of membership diversity in age,
health, wealth and other areas, and the fact the site is only open to local
residents yet contains nearly half our entire district population, the
unpaid volunteerism and teamwork inherent in moderation, and the degrees of
charity openly displayed to less fortunate people. In other words; a virtual
community marketplace where local people interact and help each other in
exactly the same way we do in our physical community (and the complete
opposite of every other online resource trying in one manner or another to
convert people into consumers and spend money outside our community).
A search of similar Facebook "Buy Swap and Sell" pages shows they exist
right across regional Australia, and to a lesser degree, right across the
globe.
I?m wondering, is anyone researching the phenomenon?
~ Don
###
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
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vlink=3Dpurple =
style=3D'margin-left:3.0pt;margin-top:3.0pt;margin-right:3.0pt;margin-bot=
tom:.75pt'><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'>In rural towns in Colombia some people and some social organizations =
use it to report on local news. Sometimes FB helps them to avoid armed =
groups control and surveillance, sometimes it helps them to reconstruct =
the social fabric that violence of armed groups have =
broken.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'>Fernando<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span =
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>L. Fernando =
Baron P.<br>Ph.D. Candidate Information Science</span><span =
style=3D'color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span =
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>iSchool</span><s=
pan style=3D'color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span =
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>University of =
Washington</span><span style=3D'color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span =
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Seattle, =
WA</span><span style=3D'color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div =
style=3D'border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in =
0in 0in'><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span>=
</b><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> =
ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net =
[mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net] <b>On Behalf Of =
</b>Wallace Chigona<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:53 =
PM<br><b>To:</b> michael gurstein; advisors@tc.ca; =
ciresearchers@vancouvercommunity.net; =
cracin-canada@vancouvercommunity.net<br><b>Cc:</b> =
'Anita'<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: FW: [ciresearchers] The Facebook =
Community Commons<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"'>I agree =
there are lots of interesting uses of facebook: I know a facebook group =
which people use to [re-]post job adverts in Malawi; another group is =
used to share recipes.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe =
UI","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;mar=
gin-left:0in'><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe =
UI","sans-serif"'><br>>>> "michael gurstein" <<a =
href=3D"mailto:gurstein@gmail.com">gurstein@gmail.com</a>> 2012/07/17 =
06:25 PM >>><br>Very interesting Don... I wasn't aware of this =
phenom but I'll check to see<br>if it is happening in rural Canada as =
well...<br><br>However, I did come across something very similar in =
rural India (can't now<br>put my finger on the name, but it was being =
cited as a major driver for<br>local connectivity/telecentres especially =
providing a means for<br>inter-communal trade in things like bicycles =
etc.<br><br>M<br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: <a =
href=3D"mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net">ciresearchers-=
owner@vancouvercommunity.net</a><br><a =
href=3D"mailto:[mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net]">[mail=
to:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net]</a> On Behalf Of Don =
Cameron<br>Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 11:14 PM<br>To: <a =
href=3D"mailto:ciresearchers@vancouvercommunity.net">ciresearchers@vancou=
vercommunity.net</a><br>Subject: [ciresearchers] The Facebook Community =
Commons<br><br>There?s a quiet revolution happening on Facebook that?s =
really helping to<br>bring back the concept of ?marketplace commons? to =
rural communities<br>otherwise adversely impacted by the overwhelmingly =
one-sided and increasing<br>trade deficit of online =
connectivity.<br><br>I discovered it quite by accident when looking at =
ways to either donate or<br>convert into cash a few unwanted items. =
Accepting that most people and<br>charities were unlikely to travel =
hundreds of kilometres to a rural district<br>to pick up an old stove or =
unwanted power tool (making eBay a less than<br>viable option), and =
being unwilling to go to the time and effort of<br>advertising and =
preparing a local garage sale (that would only be raided<br>anyway at =
6:00 am by local second-hand vendors), I asked a few locals =
what<br>other options were available.<br><br>Everyone I spoke with told =
me the same thing ? ?sell them locally on<br>Facebook" (as IT =
manager with our largest employer I was a little<br>embarrassed I hadn?t =
thought of this myself).<br><br>So lo and behold... a search of Facebook =
?Buy Swap and Sell? just in our<br>little community alone returns =
half-a-dozen matches; the largest a<br>ferociously active forum/page =
with more than 5,000 local subscribers<br>(amazing of itself given our =
entire district population is less than<br>18,000), where people trade, =
donate, swap and sell dozens and sometimes<br>hundreds of items per day. =
Items ranging from the cheapest of toys and<br>clothing to cars, farm =
pumps, boats, tractors and everything in between at<br>prices well below =
what we would pay elsewhere.<br><br>Yet what?s truly inspirational is =
the depth of membership diversity in age,<br>health, wealth and other =
areas, and the fact the site is only open to local<br>residents yet =
contains nearly half our entire district population, the<br>unpaid =
volunteerism and teamwork inherent in moderation, and the degrees =
of<br>charity openly displayed to less fortunate people. In other words; =
a virtual<br>community marketplace where local people interact and help =
each other in<br>exactly the same way we do in our physical community =
(and the complete<br>opposite of every other online resource trying in =
one manner or another to<br>convert people into consumers and spend =
money outside our community).<br><br>A search of similar Facebook =
"Buy Swap and Sell" pages shows they exist<br>right across =
regional Australia, and to a lesser degree, right across =
the<br>globe.<br><br>I?m wondering, is anyone researching the =
phenomenon?<br><br>~ Don <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe =
UI","sans-serif"'><br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;mar=
gin-left:0in'><span =
style=3D'font-family:"Monospaced","serif"'>###</span> <o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;mar=
gin-left:0in'><span =
style=3D'font-family:"Monospaced","serif"'>UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN =
</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;mar=
gin-left:0in'><span style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>This =
e-mail is subject to the UCT ICT policies and e-mail disclaimer =
published on our website at <a =
href=3D"http://www.uct.ac.za/about/policies/emaildisclaimer/">http://www.=
uct.ac.za/about/policies/emaildisclaimer/</a> or obtainable from +27 21 =
650 9111. This e-mail is intended only for the person(s) to whom it is =
addressed. If the e-mail has reached you in error, please notify the =
author. If you are not the intended recipient of the e-mail you may not =
use, disclose, copy, redirect or print the content. If this e-mail is =
not related to the business of UCT it is sent by the sender in the =
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