Communications Geography Spring 2001

Department of Geography and Meteorology, Valparaiso University
Communication and Geography,
GEO/COM 490X
Final Project Information

The final project for this class will be to build a web site for Project Neighbors. There are four major goals for this project. 1) build a web site for Project Neighbors; 2) build the web site in a way that builds community (within our class, within the community organization, and between the two groups); 3) learn about some of the challenges involved in community networking and non-profit web development; 4) teach community members about building a web site. The most important goal of this project will be to use technology to build community within Valparaiso. That means, that we will need to figure out how we can turn the process of building a web site into an opportunity for building community. Unlike a traditional class assignment, this one will have real world results. In the upcoming weeks we will be doing more reading and studying about how people are seeking to use electronic communications technologies to benefit their communities. This project will give you a chance to put the knowledge you gain in this course to practical use.

In the business world, web site production is something that is undertaken by individuals alone in their offices. In the non-profit world, often the common task of building a web site can be something that builds community. We've got nine people which means that we can do more than build a web site that simply publicizes the organization. One person could create a web site to do that in a matter of hours. Because we have nine people, we can do much more than that. I don't want to necessarily lay out the project ahead of time. Rather I want it to grow out of collaboration between you and the organization.

One of the tricky things about this project will be communication with the organization. We will need to figure out ways for them to communicate to us and for us to communicate with them. This project will require that you relate to the Project Neighbors representatives in a professional manner.

One exercise we will engage in is some brainstorming about the site itself. We may focus our brainstorming on figuring out possible components of the web site, characteristics of its design and functionality, and the process we use to build it. After we complete this exercise we can share the results with Project Neighbors and find out what kinds of information and features they would like to have on their web site. From there we can formulate a list of tasks to be completed and make assignments. We will likely do the actual construction of the site in one or two sessions in which we work with volunteers from the organization. The ultimate process we use will be up to you and will be negotiated with the organization.