Introduction to "Building the Civic 'Net"

"Building the Civic 'Net" is a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Village Square blog and the Village of Rochester Hills. We are currently introducing our first group of four grantees at the Village Square blog.

"Building the Civic 'Net" awards grants to institutions, organizations and or individuals in Rochester Hills and the surrounding areas that propose a creative way to use social media to improve our shared public life. We define social media as a participatory use of the Internet through interactive forums such as a web log (blog), or online service such as twitter, facebook, youtube, flickr, etc.

These grants aim to help catalyze a larger opportunity for Northern Oakland County. With the closing of the Rochester Observer and Eccentric, we believe it is more important than ever that communities use new tools to inform themselves and one another in new ways. We call upon a wide variety of civic, cultural, and educational leaders to pioneer the use of social media to support their missions, build community, and deliver important information to their constituents. If this were to happen, this array of institutions could then form multiple inter-connected hubs online. The sum of the parts would inform, strengthen the ties that bind, and enhance the quality of life for local residents. It might also make Northern Oakland County into a vibrant hub for innovation and experimentation in the local use of social media to enhance the standard of living.

Our hope is that current and future “Building the Civic 'Net” grantees will help the communities of Northern Oakland County pursue this goal of innovation.

Participate in the Building the Civic 'Net initiative by joining our facebook group.



You can also follow us on Twitter.