Archive for the ‘Community Engagement’ Category

You gotta get out of this place

August 27th, 2010

We’ve all heard stories from people who say their parents encouraged them to leave rural South Dakota.  But yesterday, I heard a story from a gentleman whose response is worth remembering.

The story began like most with a mother telling her son “You’ve got to get out of here so that you don’t have to pitch ’sh^#’ anymore.” 

The son listened, leaving the farm in northern South Dakota for a life in the health care field. But years later the son returned to share some wisdom with his mother saying, “You know mom, I’ve learned it’s the same old ‘sh^#’ no matter where you live.  Some of it just smells worse.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Launching a book read on Hollowing out the Middle

The above story was only one of many shared by participants at yesterday’s launch event for a “book read” of Hollowing out the Middle.  Led by Dr. Gary Aguiar and Dr. Merideth Redlin from South Dakota State University, the event brought together residents from Howard and surrounding communities who are concerned about youth outmigration.  Structured as discussion, much of the conversation focused on the impact parents, educators, and community members have on the youth outmigration. 

In a short interview following the discussion, I asked Dr. Aguiar why SDSU was helping to organize “book reads” in rural communities across South Dakota.  You can hear his answer to this and other questions in the video below.  I’ll just highlight, however, that the events lead up to a symposium with one of the book’s authors, Patrick Carr, in Brookings on Oct. 5-6.

 

What’s next?

There was a lot of good conversation at the event, but what impressed me most was the desire of the participants to continue to learn about the issue.  At one point, a participant from a neighboring community asked “How can I get a discussion like this started in my town?”  Dr. Aguiar said he would try to help any communities who are interested, but it probably wouldn’t be until later this fall or winter.

An alternative would be to grab a few friends, copies of the book, and then announce a time and place for a book discussion. It doesn’t have to be a big group.  Just try to keep the conversation and ideas churning.

I’d also recommend attending the symposium at SDSU on Oct. 5-6.  The best place for ideas and action to originate is from within our local communities, but our individual efforts can be amplified if we network across communities. And it will be a great opportunity to hear from the book’s author as well.

If you have any other thoughts and ideas on how we can deepen the conversion on brain drain, feel free to post a comment or drop me a line.  I’d love nothing more than to eliminate the phrase, “you gotta get out of this place” from our rural vocabulary.

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What’s going on in Hoffman, MN?

August 23rd, 2010

Thanks to a comment left on a blog post by Sheri Booms Holms, from the West Central Initiative Foundation, I learned about the community development efforts of Hoffman MN. Sheri lifted up Hoffman as a community that has “harnessed their can do spirit” in the face of decades of decline.  A couple years ago, most of Hoffman’s main street stood empty.  Enter Muriel Krusemark, who returned to town after years of managing a deli elsewhere.  She accepted the part-time job as  part-time coordinator for the Hoffman Economic Development Administration (HEDA), and that’s when all the fun seems to have started. 

Since Sheri left her comment, I’ve been scouring the Internet for information about what’s going on in Hoffman.  For a small town of 672, there’s a lot out there.  Perhaps the most informative sources are two short YouTube videos that capture Muriel’s presentation at this year’s Symposium on Small Towns at the University of Minnesota - Morris.  I’ve embedded both videos below.  (Note: unfortunately, the first part of Muriel’s presentation is missing.) 

(source:  “Muriel’s Hoffman presentation at the Symposium on Small Towns - part 2,” hoffeditor, YouTube, June 10, 2010)

 

(source: “Muriel’s Hoffman presentation at the Symposium on Small Towns - Part 2,” hoffeditor, YouTube, June 10, 2010)

 

In addition to the videos above and the links at the end of this post, I’ve also been talking to people about Hoffman, including Muriel, who I met at the Midwest Rural Assembly.  I’d like to lift out a bit of what I see happening in Hoffman.

 

8  ”bright spots” from Hoffman, MN

1) Asking “what can I do to help?” When Muriel first accepted her part-time job as economic development coordinator, she went around to businesses and asked “What can we do to make your business better?” In one situation, the business owner replied that he needed more space. Although she couldn’t finance a new building, Muriel helped connect him with a resource provider who verified that an expansion made financial sense. As a result, he moved into a larger space. Today his business is thriving.

2) Supporting entrepreneurs. Retail is tough in any small town. To address this issue, Hoffman created what might be termed a “business incubator.” Called The Galleria, the community purchased two vacant buildings on Main Street, and created attractive retail space from which multiple retail businesses could sell their products. Not only is the space affordable, but it addresses the issue of staffing; products from businesses are always for sale, even if the business owner is not always present. The Galleria is now privately owned and does not offer any formal businesses assistance training. But from the people I talked to, it sounds like Muriel is filling that void with advice she’s picked up over the years. Currently, there are twenty-two businesses operating out of this space.

3) Listening to the public. With assistance from a college intern, Muriel created a survey, asking the residents what issues needed to be addressed. High on the lists were increased healthcare offerings and a hardware store.

4) Improving health care.  When the community survey shows residents wanted more health care services in Hoffman, Muriel helped secure a grant to develop the Healthcare Mall. It replaced two more empty buildings on Main Street and has helped bring four medical professionals to Hoffman.  Now the elderly don’t have to drive elsewhere to receive medical care.

5) Building local economy.  Both the Galleria and the Healthcare Mall were public projects that help keep dollars in the community.  But an equally impressive effort has been the establishment of the Hoffman Farmer’s Market.  The market resulted from a rumor that went around town two year ago.  Since everyone was so excited about the rumor, Muriel decided she’d better create the market.  Listening to Muriel talk, I think it’s become more than a farmers market; it’s become a third place where residents come together to build relationships.

6) Creating amenities that attract people.  Hoffman is not located in a region noted for its outdoor amenities.  But in order to make the community more attractive to young families, they have taken steps to improve their recreational facilities.  For instance, they created an ice skating rink so that kids had something to do in the winter.  But when they noticed it was going unused, the community didn’t give up and call the project a waste.  Instead they discovered that children weren’t using it because they didn’t have skates. They addressed the issue by seeking a donation that helped purchase skates for children in need. 

7) Improving the housing stock.  It’s often easy to think that developing new housing should be a private sector project.  In Hoffman, the city took responsibility and helped create a new housing development, selling the lots for one dollar.  Even though the new houses that fill the development today are mostly from people within the community, I’m sure the development played a significant role in attracting the fourteen new families that have moved to Hoffman in recent months by opening up some of the older (and more affordable) housing stock.

8) Being transparent.  “Transparency” is a big word in the world of social media marketing.  Because word travels fast with social media, businesses have to be more open and honest with their customers than ever before.  (Just ask BP what happens when you don’t.)  I was very impressed to find many video clips of HEDA’s meeting being shared on Youtube.  Muriel tells me that most residents don’t access the videos online, but posting them as a part of the public record helps instill confidence and reduce false rumors. 

There’s a lot of good stuff going on in Hoffman.  What impresses me most is that there appears to be an understanding that there’s no quick fix to their problems.  The future will be tied to consistently developing lots of little projects that make sense in their community.  And with Muriel leading the charge, I’m sure Hoffman will have a bright future.

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Is Your Community Hard to Leave?

July 23rd, 2010

The phrase, “Money can’t buy happiness,” may have just taken on a whole new meaning.  According to a 2007 study done by Nattavudh Powdthavee at the University of London, when a person has less social interaction with neighbors and family members, it takes a much higher income to make him or her as happy as another person who interacts more often.  Powdthavee says in her paper, “There is substantial evidence that social relationships promote happiness for the individual.”  ”This paper explores…the satisfaction with life gained by an increase in the frequency of interaction with friends, relatives, and neighbors.”  

Powdthavee used completed British Household Panel Surveys from 10,000 randomly selected people for this research.  She found the satisfaction level of the average person who is more socially active was equal to the satisfaction level of making an extra £85,000 ($127,500) a year for someone who didn’t interact with friends or family often.  But, “Actual changes in income,” she clarifies, “buy very little happiness.”

Powdthavee goes on to say both a higher income and solid social relationships take a large investment and certain people will place a priority on either money or friendship based upon which one they feel with have a larger impact on their happiness. 

So, what does this mean for small rural communities? 

To me it firstly says that vibrant small towns have a opportunity to gain an advantage over suburbia and large, urban apartment buildings:  we know and interact with our neighbors.  Powdthavee’s study found that happiness took a significant jump when people started talking with their neighbors at least once a week.

Secondly, our communities often have civic or volunteer groups that are always willing to add another member to their board or committee.  Powdthavee also found many other studies have shown that people who socialize often with those outside of their household are the happiest; they have chosen to invest in social capital. 

Lastly, a most importantly to me, this study points out the downfall that occurs in many communities:  If a person cannot connect to his/her neighbors, become part of a group in the community or have family close by, it takes a very large sum of money (found to be a sum up to 9x a person’s annual income in the Powdthavee study) in perceived happiness to keep them in that community.  If they have no one to connect to it is very easy for them to be lured away by a job with more money or the idea of a more welcoming community. 

As we have mentioned before in this blog, connecting new comers to your community is vital.  And I will admit this is probably one of the hardest things for a community to do.  Is your community doing something to welcome and connect new residents?  If so, please share.

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Rural Learning Center launches Engage:SD

July 19th, 2010

When I talk to people about rural communities developing a social media strategy, I often have Miller, SD’s Facebook Page in mind.  Over 1100 people have “liked” their page, and people comment on it regularly.

Although one might not notice, the page is administered by the On Hand Development Corporation. It’s a great example of how a rural, nonprofit organization can use a social media platform, like Facebook, to engage people and create a sense of community.   

We’ve enjoyed spreading the news on ReImagine Rural about how Miller and other rural communities (like Ord, NE, and Clinton County, OH) are using social media.  It’s been a good first step in building awareness about how rural organizations and communities are taking advantage of social media. 

But we’ve also been looking for an opportunity to do more.  Today, the Rural Learning Center is excited to announce Engage:SD.

 

What is Engage:SD?

Engage:SD is a “capacity building” project intended to help South Dakota nonprofits learn how to use social media effectively. Thanks to support from the South Dakota Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Enhancement Project, the program is free to all South Dakota nonprofit organizations. 

Here’s how it will work.

First, nonprofit employees, board members, and volunteers are invited to participate in a series of 8 free webinars (view the list of webinars here.)  Intended as an introduction to social media, participants will learn how to engage their constituents with social media. 

Second, participants will learn the skills necessary to operate specific social media tools like  Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Wordpress, and Delicious at a one-day, “hand-on” workshop.  To make travel easier, we’re offering one workshop in eastern South Dakota, and the other in western South Dakota. Dates and locations are still pending.  Participation in the webinars is not required, but it is encouraged.

And finally, we’re offering an opportunity for five nonprofits in the state to receive in-depth technical assistance in developing a customized social media strategy that works for them.  In addition, these five organizations will receive $2500 grants to develop branding materials with branding extraordinaire Bobbie Gaukel of One8y Creative.  Selections of these organizations will be competitive, and nonprofits will be required to provide a $500 match to be eligible. 

 

Stay connected and learn more

People seeking to learn more are encouraged to check out the details at www.EngageSD.com.  The webinar series will begin July 27, and online registration is required. 

If you’ve got questions, Lindsey and Mike are responding to messages sent to engagesd@rurallearningcenter.org, as well as sharing resources on their Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/engagesd.

It should be a lot of fun, and we’re hoping you will participate.

 

Note:  A special thanks is due the South Dakota Community Foundation and the “South Dakota Nonprofit Enhancement Project” for making Engage:SD possible.

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Another learning opportunity from Minnesota

June 28th, 2010

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across the Southwest Initiative Foundation’s Blog.  I was familiar with the SWIF’s good work via their website as well as other sources.  But this was the first time I’d connected with their blog.  I was excited to see it because it gives me a reason to check back on their efforts more often.

Of particular note, I discovered one blog post titled “Social Marketing for Business 101“ featuring Neil Linscheid, Minnesota Extension Educator extraordinaire (you may also remember Neil from my blog post referencing “the stare”).  Neil had partnered with the SWIF to deliver “Social Media 101″ training to thiry-three Luverne, MN business owners.    

We’ve been advocating for quite some time that rural community development leaders figure out how to help local businesses engage in more effective social media strategies, so it’s great to hear about these efforts in rural Minnesota. 

After reading the post, I fired off an e-mail to Neil, asking for further details.  He responded with great information, including an invitation to a second round of training in Ortonville, MN.  There’s a long shot that I will buzz over to the sessions tonight.  If I do, I will report back on the details.  

In case I don’t, however, I’d like to pass along a few thoughts for anyone looking to develop similar training in rural communities. 

1. Make sure you extend a personal invitation to businesses owners. Neil offices out of Marshall, MN. I’m sure he’s got a great network across the region, but nothing can replace the power of a personal invitation from a friend. In the case of the Luverne training, Neil credits “Tammy” the owner of the Coffey Haus, for the great turnout. (I think thirty-seven attendees in a community of 4500 is outstanding.)

2. Develop a system for ongoing support. One of the pit falls of many training programs is that they often involve a one-night session. These sessions are great at building excitement. But excitement wears away quickly when people don’t have any place to go for ongoing support. Neil is currently developing some “coaches” who will fulfill that role.

3. Highlight examples of how local businesses are effectively using social media. Before jumping into anything new like social media, people have to see themselves being able to use the technology. That’s difficult if the only examples of businesses using social media effectively are the size of the Ford Motor company. Neil explained that Tammy, from the Coffey Haus, served that role as well. Leading up to the training, they worked together to develop the Coffey Huas’ plan. (check out the Coffey Haus’ Facebook page.) I’m sure many of the attendees thought, “If Tammy can do it, so can I.”  When I shared this with Neil he responded, “It’s the truth. Before we can make lasting changes we need to believe it’s something we can accomplish.”

Neil hinted at further training opportunities, but I’m not sure if any have been officially planned yet.  If you are interested in training like this coming to your community, I’d encourage you to contact Neil.

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Archimedes, Daydreaming and You

June 18th, 2010

I have a tendency to daydream.  I will be listening to, or participating in, a conversation and before I realize that instead of listening, I’m in my own little dream world.  I try not to, but sometimes it happens.  As it turns out, my daydreaming might be a good thing.

Many people say their best thinking often comes in the shower.  Archimedes is said to have jumped out of his bath tub, running naked through the streets, yelling “Eureka!  I got it!”  While I don’t recommend running naked through the streets, I will promote taking a break to daydream, leading to your own “Eureka!” moment. 

According to various studies, we spend almost one-third of our time daydreaming.  When we give our brain a “break,” it is actually activating areas of the brain associated with complex problem solving.  Kalina Christoff, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia says, “People assumed that when your mind wandered it was empty. .. mind wandering is a much more active state than we ever imagined, much more active than during reasoning with a complex problem.”  She goes on to say that an unfocused mind connects new ideas and unexpected associations better than analytical reasoning.  

Over the last five years, two researchers at Northwestern University have used brain scanners and EEG sensors to find out what causes that “Eureka!” or “aha” moment.  They studied people who were stumped with a word problem and suddenly came up with a solution they knew to be right.  Turns out the brain sends signals from its right hemisphere, which controls associations and putting things together, a third of a second before the “aha” moment strikes.  That is immediately followed by a set of signals from the visualization part of the brain.  This second set of signals allows you to really solidify the idea in your head.

While we don’t know what kinds of topics or problems can trigger an “aha” moment, researches say a positive mood can increase the chances of coming to an insightful thinking.  As Dr. Jung-Beeman says, “How you are thinking beforehand is going to affect what you do with the problems you get.” 

So, you may now be thinking, what does Arcimedes have to do with rural communities?  Often I think our rural communities think too logically and are too pessimistically about their futures.  It seems like they don’t want to risk getting their collective hope up only to be let down when their dreams don’t come true.  In doing so, they deny the creative juices that work their way to the surface.  When we try too hard to fix a problem, the solution seems harder and harder to grasp. 

Maybe, instead, a community can get together and encourage all members, from the youngest to the oldest, to come up with ideas.  Ask, if we had unlimited resources and visitors and time and volunteers, what could we do?  Encourage the positive, creative thinking that comes from daydreaming about a future.  Maybe then a community can finally see what they have been missing and start working towards a new solution.

To learn more, check out this article by Newsweek magazine and this one from Psychology Today.

 

Photo Credit:  Ashley R. Good

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Think “youth engagement” before offering scholarships

June 15th, 2010

I’ve been in Tacoma, WA this weekend for my niece’s high school graduation (Congratulations Melissa!).  While waiting for the family to wake from their evening slumber yesterday, I stumbled across an article written by Jeremy Beer for Philanthropy Daily describing the success of a rural Pennsylvania community at reducing the outmigration of young people by providing scholarships to a nearby college. 

According to a 2009 article in Inside Higher Education, the two scholarship funds Beer references were established in the coal mining community of Tamaqua, PA in order to “to inspire local students both to go on to college and to stay close to home.”

Programs like this are of interest to me for a couple reasons.  First, I’d love to see rural communities everywhere develop “people attraction” strategies.  To me, people attraction strategies are about making communities places that people want to live.  This process begins with young people currently living in the community and extends out from there to adults everywhere.

Second, I wonder how it applies to the South Dakota Partnership for Teacher Education project.  Can scholarships work as an incentive for new graduates to teach in rural and Native American school districts across South Dakota?

Beer calls on leaders to extend scholarship programs like that of Tamaqua.  He writes:

Needless to say, these kinds of efforts could be taken much further. What if a local foundation decided to help pay off local students’ college loans, if they were to return to their hometown areas after graduation? Such a program would have to be designed with care, in order to avoid creating disincentives for colleges to give financial aid or to keep tuition low (in other words, if it were to have the same effect as the ridiculous federal student-loan programs, then we’re better off without it). But this could be an especially attractive option for the brightest of local kids who amass considerable debt attending liberal arts schools.” (Source:  Jeremy Beer, “Nudge them Homeward,” Philanthropy Daily, June 9, 2010)

I like the idea of extending these scholarship programs, but I’d recommend the extension be made in the opposite direction with youth engagement activities that connect young people to their community in the years before being offered scholarships.  In other words, get kids involved at an earlier age in meaningful community projects. 

As Dr. David Ivan from the Michigan State University states in a presentation at the 2009 Michigan Rural Partners Conference: 

Successful communities realize that the first step in reversing the brain-drain in small communities is to create a positive childhood memory that may serve as a consideration in future location.”  (Source: Dave Ivan, “Can Small Towns be Cool,” a presentation at the 2009 Michigan Rural Partner Conference, slide 38)  

It’s not that I think extending scholarships to more people is a bad idea.  I simply believe that communities need to build an emotional connection with young people before offering scholarships in order for the scholarships to produce the best possible effect. 

There are undoubtedly other similar scholarship programs cropping up across Rural America.  It would be interesting to learn more about their success and failures.

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4 Reasons to Interview Entrepreneurs

May 26th, 2010

Have you ever thought about conducting video interviews with entrepreneurs in your rural community and posting them to YouTube?

One organization to do just this is the Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation (PELA CFDC).  I recently stumbled across a video interview (embedded below) with the owners of the Prince Edward County Lavender Farm.  It led me to discover a series of interviews with entrepreneurs on the PELA CFDC YouTube channel. 

PELA CFDC is a community based non-profit corporation focused on encouraging entrepreneurship and economic development. 

I’m not sure what goals PELA intended for the videos, but I’d offer the following 4 reasons your rural community should strongly consider interviewing entrepreneurs and uploading them to YouTube. 

1) Entrepreneurs deserve all the attention they can get. Being an entrepreneur is no easy task, and rural communities often forget to celebrate them. This is one easy way for you to help them receive the attention they deserve.

2) Asking their stories will help connect the entrepreneur to your community. Hugh Weber does a nice job of explaining how this works in a post titled “When their story becomes your story.” Hugh tells the story of being interviewed by Mutual of Omaha last summer, and explains how he “developed a fondness” for the company as a result of sharing his story with them. I think enabling entrepreneurs to share their stories will produce similar results. (source: Hugh Weber, “When their story becomes your story: Mutual of Omaha’s AHA moment,’ We Discover Stories, April 28, 2010.)

3) It’s a great way to showcase entrepreneurship as a part of your community’s brand. Many communities try to sell this concept by telling people, “Entrepreneurs love our community because we’re a great place to do business.” I’m seldom convinced. I’d much prefer to hear stories from the entrepreneurs themselves.

4) It’s easier to accomplish than you think. PELA CFDC hired a production company for their project and the videos definitely were well done. If hiring a production company is something you can’t afford, I’d encourage you to produce the videos yourself. Purchase (or borrow) a high resolution video camera, find a computer with free or low-cost video editing software, and teach yourself to produce a video. I’ve learned how to do it myself…and if I can do it, anyone can.

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3 Reasons to include Social Media in your People Attraction strategies

May 20th, 2010

Last summer, I met an individual who had moved from California to rural South Dakota.  She was charged with setting up an office in the region for her employer, but the field of potential communities to locate was pretty open. 

So, how did she choose?  Part of the answer rested with a blog she discovered; she felt the blog helped her connect with people of similar interests and values in one community without having to move there first.  But it also provided a more authentic view of the community than possible through a traditional community-based website.  This isn’t a knock on traditional community-based websites.  It simply acknowledges that even at their best, websites only tell part of the story.  And they don’t usually help you meet people.

Is this an isolated incident or does  it happens more often than we think? I don’t have research to validate an answer, but I believe the latter is more accurate.  So until I find that research, I’d offer the following abbreviated list of reasons why I believe communities should include social media in their people attraction strategies. 

1) Markets are conversations.  I like to think of people attraction strategies as a new form of community marketing. But it’s marketing none-the-less. To be successful, we need to pay attention to marketing principles.  For several years now, I’ve been a huge fan of the Cluetrain Manifesto, which advocates that “markets are conversations.” In a nutshell this concept rests on history: markets developed as places where people came together to exchange products and ideas. Conversations (not advertising) preceded every market transaction.

For a brief time in human history, markets moved away from conversations towards one-way communications highlighted by advertising. The authors of the Cluetrain Manifesto, however, argue that the Internet facilitates virtual markets where open conversations about products emerge.

If this is true, as I believe it is, then we need to base our people attraction efforts on building open conversations about our communities. The use of Social Media is a perfect way to make this happen.

2) People look to the Internet when considering community, but they generally don’t trust traditional community based websites as much as their information from their peers.

First, we know from research conducted by the Center for Applied Rural Innovation at the University of Nebraska that people are using the Internet as a key source of information before moving to a community. (source: Rebecca Vogt, “Engaging your Community to Attract and Retain New Residents, #18 ) This research echoes research conducted by the Segmentation Company on how college-educated young adults find information about cities. (source: Segmentation Company, “Attracting College-Educated, Young Adults to Cities,” slide # 9)

Second, we know that people increasingly distrust advertisers and are turning to peer reviews. (One source suggests only 14% of people trust advertisements, while 78% trust peer recommendations - source: Socialnomics, “Social Media Revolution“).

Maybe it’s a leap to say that people don’t trust information on traditional community based websites. But I think it’s fair to say that community websites would be more effective if people perceived them less as an advertisement and more as a conversation. Social media is a step in that direction.

3) Online Social Networks help build face-to-face community.  Until a couple years ago, I thought of Facebook and MySpace users as geeks who wasted time on the computer. In my mind, spending time on a social network came at the expense of face-to-face interaction.

As I migrated into the world of social media, I began to rethink this assumption. But it wasn’t until I read Connected: The Surprising Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives that my attitude completely flipped.

In the book, the authors cite research conducted in a Toronto suburb in which some residents were given access to high speed internet and early social networking tools while other residents were not. Among its findings, the study concluded that people with access and tools were more likely to: (1) know fellow residents by name and talk to them more; (2) visit their neighbor’s homes more often; and (3) stay connected to individuals who had moved away from the community.

There’s a lot to think about in the study’s findings, but one of my take-aways is that people attraction isn’t just about getting people to move to your community. It’s also about helping them stay connected while they are a part of the community. And should someone move away, the opportunity for them to stay connected and to be an advocate for the community is strengthened through social networking tools.

 

 Photo Credit:  lumierefl - Flickr

 

 

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Rural Development Online: We’ve come a long ways

May 7th, 2010

(Note: It’s Friday, which means this post is a part of our “I Feel Fridays” project.  Our goal is to share stories from the past week that generated an emotional response.  We encourage readers to respond to the post or to share something from their lives in the past week. To learn more about “I Feel Fridays,” check out this post- and then tell us what you’re feeling.)

This week, I have no single story to share for “I Feel Fridays.”  But I do want to share several experiences that have left me feeling empowered by the realization that there is a growing online community of people committed to rural community development. That’s a new feeling for me.    

When we started ReImagine Rural back in 2008, I felt like I was on an island with a few other “social media crazies.”  I remember asking some of my fellow South Dakotan rural community development practitioners how they used social media tools.  Did they blog? What blogs did they read?  Did they like Facebook ?  etc…. 

Their response generally fit into two camps.  They either responded; “Social what?” or “I don’t have time for that stuff.”  Sort of made me feel like I was a dumb *&^%$ for “wasting” my time blogging.  

My connections this week

This week is a different story.  I’ve connected with a flurry of people with a passion for rural places, and I want share a bit about them. 

First, there was Mike Thomas who produces the Urban Workbench blog.  Mike describes Urban Workbench as the “the intersection between Urban Planning, Design and Civil Engineering.”  He lives and works in rural British Columbia, and writes a lot about community development and environmental sustainability.  One of his older posts was so inspirational that I highlighted it on Wednesday.

Next, I received an e-mail from Janet Naclia who works with ACE Communities in Alberta, Canada.  ACE stands for Active, Creative, Engaged Communities, and Janet described the organization as “a not-for-profit whose goal is to impact the quality of life in rural Alberta.”  Besides loving their name and mission, I was impressed by the host of bloggers associated with ACE who write about rural Alberta.  (You can check them out on the left column of their website.)

My next connection was with John C. Shepard who tweeted about an article I wrote titled “Got Interesting People.”  He also blogs at JC Shepard.  John’s had a gig in economic development for over 20 years, and currently works in Slayton, MN.  I’m actually surprised we haven’t connected before because Slayton is just 98 miles down the highway from Howard.    (I consider anything under 100 miles to be in the neighborhood.)           

My last connection of the week was with Dan Cowling.  To be honest I can’t remember how I stumbled across Dan.  He’s got a Twitter account and a blog titled “New FoundNation,” and I’m not sure which I discovered first.  Dan’s assembled a team of experienced community development professionals in Arkansas who are sharing their thoughts on rural issues.  I appreciate that Dan has recognized a “paradigm shift in community development.” In one of his earlier posts Dan wrote;  “One thing is clear: It’s time for us to realize that yet another industrial park may no longer be the answer to success. A better quality of place and a competitive workforce are the true engines of growth in this century.”  Couldn’t agree more. 

As I started following these people and organizations on Twitter and adding their blogs to my RSS reader, I realized how far the rural community development world has come in recognizing the value of social media.  I’m now worried that I can’t keep up with all the great content everyone is sharing.

 

Photo Credit:  Mykl Roventine - Flickr

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Posted in Community Engagement, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (10)

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