I wrote this up on the plane back to Atlanta, thinking back on last night's meeting. Each night's conversation was valuable in a different way. The first meeting's discussion was fairly technical, theoretical, and to some extent academic. The second was more practical.
It was a small and down-to-earth group, and that worked well because it allowed us to focus the conversation on what was most important to them. They had questions about how the service would work, what it could do for their communications needs, and how their community's needs could be met. They wanted to know what parts of the city the network is being deployed in, whether it will be supported in lower-income areas, how reliable it'll be for everyday and indoor use, and how fast and fancy a computer you'll need to get on it. The idea of Wi-Fi phones found a lot of interest, as did the potential applications to make city services run more efficiently. People seemed to see value and opportunity in having a city-wide Wi-Fi network, but some were also concerned that without enough outreach and training many who could benefit it may not even know enough about it to use it. One resident asked how he could help support the effort.
In being a part of these conversations with communities, we're reminded of the differing role technology plays in everyone's lives. To that point, one thing we heard last night is that not everyone uses the internet to get their information yet. One resident rightly pointed out that we and Google should have paper handouts with us for people to take with them in addition to putting all of the information online. It's something we'll do for subsequent forums, and it's a small illustration of how important it is to have real, in-the-flesh conversations with the people who you're aiming to serve as much as you can.
Jean Ellingsen, a EarthLink customer going back several years who came to the forum last night after reading about it in the local paper, had the following good advice for us: "There's information overload all around us. I need to know only the down and dirty. How do I make it [Wi-Fi experience] safer and more productive? Just make sure you get in touch with us mere mortals, not geeks." In speaking to a broad audience, we need to speak regular language and avoid the abbreviations and geeky jargon that creep into our vocabularies. I heard a similar message at BrainJams in New Orleans back in May. You shouldn't have to have a deep technical vocabulary to know how to make sure your computer is secure, pay your water bill, read the news, or connect with your friends and relatives online.
