The Online neighbourhood networks conference was the launch event for the Online neighbourhood networks research by the Networked Neighbourhood Group. The research can be downloaded at http://networkedneighbourhoods.com/?page_id=409

1. Twitter:
Hashtag: #ONNC10
@NetwkdNeighds

3. London’s Digital
Neighbourhoods

4. Neighbourhood websites
• have been established and are run by local
residents
• most of the content relates to local issues or
interests
• are open to discussion and contributions from
anyone living in the area or with an interest in
the area.

5. Scale of London ecosystem
• Citizen-led sites - >160
• Twitter - >180 neighbourhood-based
• Resident Associations / Friends of groups –
1,320 (est.)
• Commercial local sites

6. User scale
3,500 / 17,000 members
15,000 members
400 visitors a day
2,500 a day

7. New groups
Only 13% involved in formal local
decision making bodies

8. CivilSocialNetwork

9. LocalDiscussionSite

10. Placeblog

12. Study focus
• Social capital and cohesion
• Supportive and negative online behaviour
• Empowerment, civic involvement and co-
production
• Relations with councils
• Implications for councils

13. Neighbourliness and belonging
• Has participation on the site
strengthened sense of
belonging to the
neighbourhood?
• Are neighbours more likely to
lend things or exchange
favours as a result of
participating on the site?
69%
44%
‘I can't walk down the
road these days without
bumping into 1 or 2
people I've met directly or
indirectly through the
forum.’

15. ‘Have made lots of
new friends for social
meet ups. I knew
none of the
neighbours before I
joined the site.’
‘Met the HOL crew through
the drinks. Met N and A
through it too -
and got an action group
together as a result.ʼ
Asked somebody to seeʻ
work done in their house by a
workman
recommended on the forum.ʼ

16. BC EDF HOL All
Lurkers 10% 15% 18% 14%
Contributors 45% 55% 60% 54%
More likely to see someone you recognise
in the neighbourhood as a direct
consequence of using the website?

17. Information sharing
• People are helpful if someone
asks for advice
• Useful information gets
shared efficiently
• Feel much more informed
about neighbourhood
• 92%
• 92%
• 95%

19. ‘yes, there's the
occasional idiot, but
they are normally
shot down by the
majority.’

20. People showʻ
support for one
another - 79ʼ
per cent of
respondents
agree

21. Pulling Together

24. Findings




?
• Information sharing
• Neighbourly relations
• Collective efficacy
• Belonging and attachment
• Social Inclusion and diversity

25. Feelings of Influence
As a result of using the local
website:
•a little or much more able to
influence decisions in area
68%

26. Influence

27. Influence through information
‘I just had interesting meeting with new officer in charge of one of
the local safer neighbourhood teams. In order to get up to speed
on what the crime and anti-social behaviour issues are he said
that he simply read through the entire correspondence on our
local web site. He now knows where the hot spots are, speeding
traffic issues, mugging etc etc. ‘He uses the postings and info on
the site as part of his evidence gathering for getting resource to
be allocated to an issue or area. ‘His previous area he was
posted to he said, had no local community web site and he was
so glad that there was one in his new location as it made their job
so much easier.’
Herne Hill Forum
Queenie, Have you reported
this to police? I can't find any
trace of it on our crime system.
If you haven't reported it
please call 0300 123 1212 and
they will arrange for officers to
attend and report it.’

30. “Interactive surgery”*?
*Cllr Alan Stanton commenting on Harringay Online in a BBC article, “The rise of citizen-run websites”, June 2010

32. East Dulwich councillor - can we help?
Posted by James Barber 02 September, 2009 10:05
Hi,
My name is James Barber and I am one of the three East Dulwich ward
councillors. My two colleagues are cllrs Rosie Shimell and Jonathan Mitchell.
We're Liberal Democrats and part of Southwark Liberal Democrats.
If you have any issues or concerns related to East Dulwich or Southwark
Council then please let me or one of my colleagues know. I guarantee we
will listen and answer all ideas and issues raised and hopefully help you
solve them. Normally I will look in two or three times a week to see any new
postings. Alternatively you can email me directly on
james.barber@southwark.gov.uk.
I look forward to hearing from you, James Barber

34. ‘Citizens will still use these networks to
talk about you, whether you add your
voice to the conversation or not... It is
becoming increasingly clear that if
councils don’t use these tools, the
citizens will do it for them, and bypass
the council entirely.' (Gibson 2010)

36. Link to video clip of Cllr James Barber.
Full version viewable at
www.networkedneighbourhoods.com

37. Sharing council news and information
(…and correcting misinformation)

38. Delivering Services?

39. Engagement

41. Link to video clip of Liz Dart, Head of
Neighbourhoods & Communities sat
London Borough of Lewisham.
Full version viewable at
www.networkedneighbourhoods.com