research: virtually essential

This is a report from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Chimera group at the University of Essex. It tells us that online interaction is based on offline encounters, not far from organisations' geographical location.

Hardly hearth shattering, I see this as very much the first mapping execise while quite a bit of research is being conducted. So perhaps worth keeping track of the project. The project includes a toolbox for local activists.

The full report is here, below you can find a summary.

Virtually essential: why voluntary and community groups must embrace the internet
5th October 2006

People in middle of large At signIgnoring the Internet is no longer an option for voluntary and community organisations, according to a new booklet 'ICT, Social Capital and Voluntary Action' (download PDF - 1.6Mb) published today by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

It warns that failing to embrace information and communications technology (ICT) risks having their work overshadowed by those who do draw on this new source of 'social capital' - the reserve of goodwill generated when people interact. And though local ICT initiatives are taking place, the booklet says that the smaller online communities they create need ongoing technical and funding support if they are to survive.

The booklet was produced to accompany the second in a series of special seminars entitled 'Engaging Citizens', organised by the ESRC in collaboration with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). It summarises views from two experts in the field - Jayne Cravens, a leading researcher regarding 'online volunteerism', and Dr Ben Anderson, of the Institute for Socio-Technical Innovation and Research, at the University of Essex.