[Advisors] Re: FW: [ciresearchers] The Facebook Community Commons
Wallace Chigona
Wallace.Chigona at uct.ac.za
Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:52:47 +0200
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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.
=20
>>> "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=20
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<DIV>I agree there are lots of interesting uses of facebook: I know a faceb=
ook group which people use to [re-]post job adverts in Malawi; another grou=
p is used to share recipes.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>>>> "michael gurstein" <gurstein@gmail.com> 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: ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.ne=
t<BR>[mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net] On Behalf Of Don C=
ameron<BR>Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 11:14 PM<BR>To: ciresearchers@vancouv=
ercommunity.net<BR>Subject: [ciresearchers] The Facebook Community Commons<=
BR><BR>There?s a quiet revolution happening on Facebook that?s really helpi=
ng to<BR>bring back the concept of ?marketplace commons? to rural communiti=
es<BR>otherwise adversely impacted by the overwhelmingly one-sided and incr=
easing<BR>trade deficit of online connectivity.<BR><BR>I discovered it quit=
e 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 unl=
ikely 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 p=
reparing a local garage sale (that would only be raided<BR>anyway at 6:00 a=
m 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 ? ?sel=
l them locally on<BR>Facebook" (as IT manager with our largest employer I w=
as a little<BR>embarrassed I hadn?t thought of this myself).<BR><BR>So lo a=
nd 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 it=
self given our entire district population is less than<BR>18,000), where pe=
ople 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 bel=
ow what we would pay elsewhere.<BR><BR>Yet what?s truly inspirational is th=
e 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 nearl=
y half our entire district population, the<BR>unpaid volunteerism and teamw=
ork inherent in moderation, and the degrees of<BR>charity openly displayed =
to less fortunate people. In other words; a virtual<BR>community marketplac=
e where local people interact and help each other in<BR>exactly the same wa=
y we do in our physical community (and the complete<BR>opposite of every ot=
her online resource trying in one manner or another to<BR>convert people in=
to consumers and spend money outside our community).<BR><BR>A search of sim=
ilar Facebook "Buy Swap and Sell" pages shows they exist<BR>right across re=
gional Australia, and to a lesser degree, right across the<BR>globe.<BR><BR=
>I?m wondering, is anyone researching the phenomenon?<BR><BR>~ Don <BR><BR>=
</DIV><BR>
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CT=20
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http://www.uct.ac.za/about/policies/emaildisclaimer/ or obtainable fr=
om=20
+27 21 650 9111. This e-mail is intended only for the person(s) to wh=
om=20
it is addressed. If the e-mail has reached you in error, please notif=
y=20
the author. If you are not the intended recipient of the e-mail you m=
ay=20
not use, disclose, copy, redirect or print the content. If this e-mai=
l=20
is not related to the business of UCT it is sent by the sender in the=
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sender's individual capacity.</font>
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