Technological Capacity and Awareness in our Region was "Broad but Thin:"

As we went throughout the region making presentations and holding training sessions at a variety of institutions and agencies, it became clear that people had a wide range of knowledge, skills, and "comfort" with information technology. Everyone seemed to have a basic awareness of the "Web," but the awareness was "broad but thin." This seemed to be particularly true of those in upper management. It was challenging to be in training sessions with elected officials, for instance, where we had to spend a significant amount of time demonstrating the relationship between the mouse and what happens on the screen.

A Full-Time Technical Manager is Necessary:

In our original proposal, we only made provisions for a part-time technical manager. This did not prove to be enough support for our networks. We found ourselves having to learn on the fly, and while we realize that this is the position that everyone finds themselves in with rapidly changing technologies, a full-time technical manager with expertise in web technology would have allowed us to "push the envelope" to a greater extent.

Priorities Must be Set Based Upon Willing Partners:

Because of the vast amount of exciting work to be done, we found that it was simply impossible to achieve everything that we set out to do. What we discovered as we began implementation of our networks was that there were a number of partners who were willing, able, and excited to become a part of this initiative. It was in these directions that we focused much of our attention and energy. For instance, our initial goals included work with the South Metropolitan Regional Higher Education Consortium and with Argonne National Laboratories, but we determined that in terms of our capacity, we would be better able to pursue these partnerships sometime in the future

Combining Telephony and Computer-Based Technologies was Important:

Our model of combining computer and telephone technologies met the needs of many in our region, and was a significant way of addressing the accessibility issue. We found that people with limited access developed a positive technological orientation by interacting with technologies that are within their grasp, and which offer true value in terms of information and connectivity.

Reach for the Stars, but be Proud of All Positive Steps Forward:

We believe that it is good to have ambitious, innovative, and challenging goals and objectives, but it is important to understand that progress can be slow at times, therefore it is easy to become discouraged. Acknowledging all successes, small and large, is important for morale.

Volunteers are Critical to Long-Term Success of Community Networks:

This is a lesson that we are just beginning to do something about. We realize that a volunteer network will be essential for our future, and are researching how other community networks use volunteers, and are developing a model that we believe will work for our region.