Community networks : lessons from Blacksburg, Virginia / Andrew Michael Cohill, Andrea L. Kavanaugh, editors.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Welcome to Blacksburg -- Just hook people up -- The BEV is intensely personal -- We write more than ever in Blacksburg -- Storytelling -- Sense and sensibility -- Education -- Blacksburg and the Net -- A Brief History of the Blacksburg Electronic Village -- Unique features of the BEV -- Early growth of the BEV -- Later growth of the BEV -- The future of the BEV -- The Architecture of a Community Network -- Access and services -- A typical community network -- Computer on the Internet via modem -- Computer on the Internet via direct connection -- Community servers -- National service provider -- Web service company -- Summary of network services -- Network support -- User identification -- E-mail services -- Information services -- News -- Online conference and chat service -- Advanced technology -- The BEV software tools -- Service models for community networks -- Why direct connections are important -- Network administration -- Evaluating the Blacksburg Electronic Village -- The assumptions of an evaluation system -- The BEV as socially constructed technology -- The interpenetration of design and use -- A multidisciplinary approach -- A model for the evaluation of the BEV -- The importance of models in evaluation -- Models of communication behavior -- A Tetrad model of evaluation of community networks -- Research activities in the four nodes -- Design -- Access -- Critical mass -- Impacts -- The Use and Impact of the Blacksburg Electronic Village -- Profiles of users -- Use and expectations of the Internet.

If you're a community leader, planner, or teacher interested in starting a community network, you'll save yourself time, money, and headaches when you have Community Networks: Lessons from Blacksburg, Virginia, Second Edition at your side. Benefit from the experience offered in this volume, which examines the world's most successful community network from its original concept in 1991 through its management in 1999. This edition features updates on new network technologies, fiber on Main Street efforts, and the latest in local government initiatives." "Inside is the story of the ground-breaking venture that connected the citizens of Blacksburg, Virginia. You'll learn about the impact the Blacksburg Electronic Village had on the town's social, economic, technical, and educational structures, and what the key factors were in making the venture a winner - all written in clear nontechnical language by people who were instrumental in making the BEV a reality. -- Provided by publisher.

Print version record.

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