So, my 2 question to the group after reading this report, Who is responsible for solving the Digitial Divide? And does anyone know of any program that is truly closing the gap that can effect usage nationwide?
On another list I started a discussion that began with the old joke about the Warden who had agreed to take off his badge to find out how his good friend Joe came home with so many fish. On the lake, after Joe reached into his fishing bag and pulled out a dynamite stick, the Warden gasped and screamed: "JOE - You can't DYNAMITE the fish!" Calmly, Joe responded, "Warden, are we out here to fish or we out here to F.... around?"
Next I reminded the readers about lessons learned from Lance Armstrong, cancer research, wrist bands, and participation in world class events viewed by millions. Next came reminders about how Howard Dean, with novel use of the Net, collected millions on line; how www.moveon.org raised more millions through sophisticated data collection and brilliant e-mail; and, finally, the lessons learned from Michael Moore and www.MeetUp.com.
Do any of them have a more urgent message than affordable access to the Internet? Is checking the benchmarks to increased Internet access more difficult than checking the progress of cancer research? a political movement?
If your answer to those questions is "no", then perhaps you can explain why we don't have a Bill Clinton? or a Martina Navritolova? or a Nelson Mandela? or an Opra Winfrey? Who is our Big Name Publicist helping us to making our pitch?
Where is *our* wristband? What event could we partner with which will generate millions of eyeballs? How much of our resources should be toward advancing our public relations and fund raising outreach as vs. how much toward technical accomplishment -- for which there is, deservedly, loud applause --- But why only from the choir?????
If we really and truly want to increase -- factors of 500 or 5,000 -- those who have affordable access to the Net, where is our Lance Armstrong? our Tour d'France? our fund raising mechanisms? our Access Honor Badge? our dynamite stick?
John Hibbs http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs
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