Update

Right now I'm doing the legwork for a grant that will allow us to build a social networking site between different computer labs. We don't really need a grant to do this, if we don't get it we'll use the templete off Ning, but we'd prefer to get the grant and use the money towards hiring a professional web designer and publicity events for the website. I'm excited about the social network because in my work researching different CTC's it seems as though the kids want to go on social networking sites like MYSPACE but with the questionable security procedures lab administrators (very rightly so) are barring these websites. OUr website will allow children in computers labs across Miami-Dade county to connect with each other. In addition it'll be a great place for them to discuss what computer projects they're working on as well as posting them up. In the future i'd like to expand this website to include the personelle of different non-profit computer labs, as a forum where they can discuss grant strategies, volunteer recruitment etc. I'd even like to add a space where volunteers and agencies can connect (similar to volunteer.com or something). So I've got a lot of plans for our website but the most important thing now is making sure we get the buy-in from different computer labs. Because it doesn't matter how amazing I think this website is if no one uses it. If we get the grant money, then we can throw pizza parties and cute little events that will further encourage these computer labs to use our website as a resource.
Not related, but in addition, I am very excited to get Kevin as my new Vista Leader, he helped me with volunteer coordinating and it'll be fun to work with him more regularly.

Comment from Kevin Palmer on September 22, 2007 - 11:19am

The site and grant sound great! How many labs is it going to connect up to? What kind of web software are you looking at?

There are a number of VISTAs dealing with a lot of what you're talking about in terms of getting community buy-in for web networking/database sites. Here's what I'm thinking for the volunteer management group, we could develop a "how-to" on both organizing and, most importantly, implementing a plan to ensure websites/volunteer databases are used by the constituency it seeks to serve (in CTC VISTA cases it's typically low-income communities and non-profit orgs). I think it'd be incredibly useful for current and future VISTAs to have that as a quick cheat sheet on best practices for getting user/organizational buy-in from the planning stages up through launching it and beyond. What do you think? I'll ask the rest of the volunteer management crew.

Comment from Jack Waugh on October 2, 2007 - 11:30am

"Put up a social networking site" -- fascinating requirement.

I am sure that if CCTS were going to implement it, they (we) would do it in Ruby on Rails.

Comment from Morgan Sully on October 2, 2007 - 3:12pm

awesome Victoria. Did you see my comment on Kevin's Field Report?

http://ctcvista.org/node/1103#comment-584

We've been using Ning pretty successfully AND you can also get your own URL for it (to brand it as your own).