Randall Pinkett

Abstract

One of the challenges associated with community networks which has received considerable attention recently, is the provision and maintenance of community content, or the availability of material that is relevant and interesting to a specific target audience (e.g., low-income residents) to encourage and motivate the use of technology (Lazarus & Mora, 2000). In their recent report, Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Americans, Lazarus and Mora (2000) of the Children’s Partnership identified the following content-related barriers for the residents of low-income and underserved communities (among others): 1) a lack of local information or information about their communities ,and 2) a lack of cultural diversity or Internet content generated by ethnic communities themselves or organized around their unique cultural interests and practices. They also presented the following recommendations (among others): 1) build new online community resources, 2) build community information portals or "one-stop, interactive online center[s]", and 3) enlist local talent in building these resources. It is clear from their findings that there are very few examples of web resources that adequately address the content needs of low-income and underserved communities, particularly given the many challenges associated with maintaining quality content services.