Comments for Connected Communities

Comment on Is Rigorous Advocacy an Oxymoron? by Jonathan Rowson

Jonathan Rowson — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:36:03 +0000

Thanks Matt. I like the idea of a “caveat avalanche” but…(just kidding). The idea relates to a previous post on this blog concerning the prevalance of caveats: http://connectedcommunities.rsablogs.org.uk/2009/10/06/more-caveats-than-conclusions/

Comment on Is Rigorous Advocacy an Oxymoron? by Matt

Matt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:27:58 +0000

This is a fantastic post. You capture the tension we feel brilliantly.

Is it an oxymoron? Probably not, but it is definitely the cause of a caveat avalanche.

Comment on Think Tank Clash by Rory Bremner kicks off our Election 10 Literature season « Literature & Spoken Word Community | Southbank Centre

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:34:59 +0000

[...] Hopefully the first of many such events… the atmosphere was as playful as it was political – Jonathan Rowson, RSA A good night for the political left, bouncing back strongly after falling a goal behind, thanks to [...]

Comment on What’s Happening Under the Trees? by Deborah

Deborah — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:16:54 +0000

I appreciate that you replied and I understand that you need to write about what you see, but unfortunately not everyone has the benefit of working and observing New Cross over a longer period of time. I think when someone reads your piece it confirms what they negatively perceive New Cross to be and validates their assumptions. It is very far from what it is like to actually live here. It is the same assumption that makes everyone think that Notting Hill is some sort of paradise, I always tell people that they just have prettier looking crack houses there. I know I have lived and worked there for 41 years before I moved to South East London.

Comment on What’s Happening Under the Trees? by Jonathan Rowson

Jonathan Rowson — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:36:04 +0000

Thanks Deborah. I did try to guard against the idea that “The only people that live there are all down and out and looking dejected with fighter dogs” because I also referred to the more positive impressions of the area, and made clear that such images can be found across inner city areas. The depiction you allude to would be an unfair charicature of New Cross Gate, but that comment about fighter gdogs and cans of lager(back in September!) was based on a real observation and it is valid insofar as it was a personal impression of one visit, not a comment on the area as a whole. Our connected community team have collectively spent a lot of time in Telegraph Hill and the Hatcham Cross Conservation area. We totally agree that the community contains multitudes, and that is why it is so interesting as a research site. The main point of mentioning fighter dogs and cans of lager was to highlight that doing real community research forces you to work on the edge of your comfort zone, not at all to give a negative characterisation of the area or the diverse groups of people who live and work in New Cross Gate.

Comment on How many friends does one cyborg need? by Need For Speed Carbon Own The City Platinum | MelClub

Need For Speed Carbon Own The City Platinum | MelClub — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:04:40 +0000

[...] How many friends does one cyborg need? : Connected Communities [...]

Comment on What’s Happening Under the Trees? by Deborah

Deborah — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:36:04 +0000

I do resent people talking about New Cross as though the only people that live there are all down and out and looking dejected with fighter dogs. It gives such a wrong perception of this area. I actually moved from Notting Hill and purchased a house in the conservation area behind New Cross. It is quiet, peaceful, I have never had any trouble and I live there on my own. It is a very diverse area where people get on well with one another and what it really needs is a better high street. Unfortunately when Sainsburys moved in a lot of local businesses went bust. That’s happening all over London. An area that people think is better is Notting Hill, nothing could be further from the truth. Most people that live there are in social housing and cannot afford all of the shops that are along Westbourne Grove. That community was totally ruined by gentrification. It used to be a lively community, now it has totally lost it’s soul. If you look carefully you will see plenty of people walking round there with cans of lager and what you call fighter dogs. I work in mental health in that area and I know how many social problems there are there. It’s is all a matter of perception. Did you go up on Telegraph Hill or into the Hatcham Conservation area? I suggest you do, you might get a very different view of New Cross.

Comment on Are you in Control of your Life? by Jon Thorne

Jon Thorne — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:05:36 +0000

Hi Rohan … thanks for great contribution. Love it.

I would like to add from my own personal experience that increasing a sense of self reliance … tends to come from people in similar situations sharing personal experiences. For me … trying to make organisations listen to me … just makes me feel more like a victim not less.

*********

As a quick introduction … I am a dyslexic parent of 2 dyslexic children … who is lucky enough to have a fantastic wife … who I love very much.

I am determined to ensure my children do not have the same experiences as I did.

Yes .. experts are helping us … but they are also increasing our feeling of dependency on them … which in turn increases our feelings of being out of control and victims of circumstance.

We so … do not want to feel like victims!

The information that increases our sense of self reliance tends to came from people in similar situations to us. People who where prepared to share their personal experiences.

So we spend hours seeking peoples personal experiences from a diverse range of sources … on and offline … pulling fragments of information together into a form that enables us to feel more self reliant … which we call nuggets.

Each nugget is formatted in a way that clearly separates a personal experience from experts sharing what works for them.

This is a very time and energy consuming process. But well worth it.

So as I have decided to use my many years experience in enabling people to collaborate through technology to create RespectExchange.com.

Now as many people as possible can use the “nuggets” to feel more in control … more self reliant … without having to burn up lots of their time and energy.

I am happy to chat more

Comment on Can Online Markets Tackle Poverty? by It’s NOT about ‘jobs’, stupid. : Connected Communities

It’s NOT about ‘jobs’, stupid. : Connected Communities — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:20:05 +0000

[...] Communities, Digital Inclusion, inequality The RSA event advertised in our last post, Can Online Markets Tackle Poverty? was a rallying cry for Whitehall to get over their fixation with creating ‘jobs’ and [...]

Comment on Bringing the digital to life: how can new media reinvigorate the material public sphere? by Jon Thorne

Jon Thorne — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:52:50 +0000

I love this project! Well done. I just wanted to share my own work … in case it adds to your research.

I have discovered ways of building peoples sense of belonging … in communities and organisations.

Key findings …. are on http://www.respectexchange.com/connect/

Cheers Jon