Tools & Technologies
Cohousing Topics
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2b. An Electronic Safety Feature
As our woodshop became equipped with a table saw, drill press, and chop saw, parents and others became concerned that our children would become fascinated and tempted to play with the power tools. An initial response was to lock the wood shop but that was considered an inconvenience by those who use the shop. So Chuck, from our Facilities team, who happens to be an electronics engineer by training, designed and built a circuit control box that could be programmed to limit access to the power tools. Another small miracle is accomplished.
Web Marketing for Cohousing: Finding Your Next Neighbors
Half Day Workshop: Fri 8:30 – 12:00
Price: $60
Learn how your group can weave every member's social network into an integrated “Web 2.0” marketing and outreach campaign that helps build support and recruit members, either for new groups or for resales in existing cohousing neighborhoods. We'll look at a variety of cohousing websites with common structural issues and do some “virtual makeovers,” showing best practices for using your cohousing.org directory entry, YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook, MeetUp, Craig's List, MySpace, online calendars, regional boards, and newspapers, making your online presence into an engaging conversation, not just a static web page. Participants who register in advance can get the group working on their sites and internet marketing strategies during the class.
PRESENTER: Raines Cohen raines-cohoUS [at] raines [dot] com
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Decision Logs
Submitted by Technology on Thu, 07/17/2008 - 08:09by Catya Belfer-Shevett
A group wrote me recently asking about the Mosaic Commons Decision Log, which is a custom tool one of our folks put together. It has some features I like - it's searchable, you can mark decisions as important/not or obsolete/not, it identifies the relevant team, etc.
For Sawyer Hill (the umbrella entity for Mosaic Commons and Camelot Cohousing), we're using a simple google document with a dated list. For its purpose, that's totally fine.
What do you use? What features about it do you like, or do you wish you had that you don't have?
Musings: Technology and Cohousing
Submitted by Chuck Durrett on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 12:26The temptation to use technology to make life more convenient, more practical, or just jazzier – whatever the cost – is always with us.
In our Nevada City cohousing community, we adopted online signups for common dinners. Previously, signups were on paper in the common house. I’d often stop by the common house at around 8 pm, when there would be three or four people hanging around near the signup book. There was considerable dialogue among us all, some of it dinner-related. “Are you coming to dinner tomorrow?” “Oh, I forgot to sign up on time.” “Don’t worry, I’m cooking and I haven’t shopped yet.”
Template Websites
Submitted by Technology on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 10:16by Catya Belfer-Shevett
Whenever I hear something three times, I take it seriously.
At this conference, the request I heard three times was for a basic website template for a new group just starting off.
I'm giving some thought to how best to do this. (Disclaimer: I'm not sure which hat I'm wearing here, my own personal website building hat, or my cohousing.org webmaster hat)
I think a basic cohousing website for a new group might include:
- What is cohousing
- Vision statement
- Information about land or land search area and status
- Upcoming events
- Contact information, email list signup.
What else would you want to see included? What do you think would be appropriate for a new group to pay for such a thing?
Wiki vs Google Docs
Submitted by Technology on Wed, 06/18/2008 - 17:01by Catya Belfer-Shevett
During my session at the conference on Building Great Websites, we talked about wikis and google documents, and the plusses and minuses of each.
My take was that Google Documents were an easier way for most folks to work on a document together, and the wikis were generally more comfortable for more technical folks. (I hear my illustrious husband, who also presented, disagrees with me on this, but it's possible that that only proves my point)
Welcome!
Submitted by catya on Tue, 06/17/2008 - 12:58Welcome to all of you new members! We're fast approaching a hundred people with logins to the site.
Let us know what you want to talk about - answer a blog post or post in a forum. In each forum section there is a "Suggest a New Topic" area for brand new ideas.
We want to hear from you!
Enjoy,
- catya
- catya's blog
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