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The "Information Revolution" is inevitable. The likelihood that this will strengthen local communities is not. Online information that is valuable for local communities requires an organized local commitment. As a key part of local communities, nonprofit organizations can be leaders in the building of a community system. Nonprofit organizations will benefit directly in their individual work. An effective community information system can become an integral part of the program delivery of nonprofit organizations.
This discussion demonstrates the value of the Internet to nonprofit organizations and develops in detail a strategy for organizing content of value to nonprofit organizations. A community wide strategy - a Community Wide Education and Information System (CWEIS) - and organizational strategies for creating a local online presence are developed. Government, business, schools, libraries and other sectors are critical components of a comprehensive local system. But this document will focus upon the nonprofit sector.
Most documents about creating "home pages" on Internet deal with the instructions required to use software to prepare material, but do not help the user plan for selecting and preparing appropriate material to take advantage of the special characteristics of online communication. This document will exhaustively review the options for content. Links to sites around the world suggest working examples of what can be done. The paper concludes with a discussion of ways to assess what content would be most productive for the needs of individual organizations.
Reader notes:
This document is best read from front to back the first time, following the "[Next Page]" links at the bottom of each page. The basics of the paper may be scanned by reading only the outline sections at the top of each page and stepping through the document using the "[Next Page]" links at the top. Readers interested in an overview may also wish to concentrate on the opening and closing sections which are a more general discussion. The table of contents can be used to return to specific topics of interest.
The references to agency pages allow "live" access to World Wide Web examples of content. It is best to review the specific example, then back track (using the left arrow icon) to the document text to continue the presentation. The links to illustrations are organized on separate pages. These pages could be browsed separately, but that is not the intent.
© Copyright August 15, 1995
Michael G. Barndt, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee