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CHAPTER SEVEN: THE COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE
Introduction
7.1 The following chapter explores the community's perceptions of the pilot website and draws on semi-structured interviews carried out with both users and non-users of the site.
Users' views
7.2 This section looks at users' views of the pilot website. Interviews were conducted with 15 individuals from various communities within the Stirling area and looked at their level of participation and reasons for using the pilot website, as well as their opinions of the site and its potential impact. Users were asked for their thoughts about whether the pilot project should be continued.
Usage
7.3 The level of usage of the site varied among the individuals interviewed. Some had only looked at the site a few times whereas others had become regular users and were active in posting messages and stimulating discussion within the (small) 'online community'. Many people had heard about the site through word-of-mouth or as a result of their existing involvement in the community (several interviewees were members of CCs in the pilot areas), although one user indicated that they had found the pilot website via a link from another local website (in Cambusbarron).
7.4 Users were particularly interested in topics such as local environment / amenities issues (such as footpaths and bus services), a consultation by Scottish Natural Heritage and a major debate around housing stock transfer. Others simply wanted to access the CC meeting minutes, or to keep up-to-date with local issues. Councillors used the site to help them with their work and to inform the local community of their activities and local issues / events.
Involvement
7.5 None of the members of the public interviewed were involved in setting the aims and objectives for the pilot project, although several of the community councillors indicated that they were consulted. Among both community councillors and the public, there were mixed feelings around whether the site reflected their needs. Some indicated that, as a 'live feed' of information, it represented a useful, more effective (than community council meetings) way of keeping up with local issues. Others felt the website could be improved in terms of both content (making sure it was regularly updated) and functionality (for example improving the appearance of the site and incorporating additional features they required, such as the ability for CCs to communicate with each other).
Representativeness
7.6 The interviewees thought that most people using the website were from the local communities for each CC involved, although the lack of registration/identification process meant that it was not possible to verify this. On one particular CC site, contributors from outside of the area had been attracted to post comments about a specific issue (the transfer of housing stock) and it was felt this experience had been negative for some of the people involved, as the comments became increasingly political and in some cases, personal. Several commented that a registration or verification/editing process was required to overcome this problem (a modification process was subsequently set in place).
7.7 While the interviewees indicated that many participants were 'the usual suspects', i.e. people who were already involved in community (council) activities, it does appear that the e-Community Council attracted some new participants to local democracy. For example, schoolchildren used the site to post their comments regarding a local cybercafé and it was felt that the consultation posted by the Scottish National Heritage had attracted feedback 'from the ground' which wouldn't normally have been received. However, when asked who had not been involved or who had not been interested in the website, several of those interviewed indicated that a large proportion of their local community had not participated. Some also highlighted young people as a particular target group within the community who had not been users of site.
Involvement and influence
7.8 A few of the users had lost interest over time as they felt that the site did not refer to issues of interest to them or was not updated regularly enough. Several maintained their level of participation in the site though and said that it was a good way of communicating within the community and keeping people up-to-date. Most felt that they were involved to the extent they wanted to be.
7.9 Although many of those interviewed felt that little had changed so far as a result of the pilot site, some examples of specific issues which had been raised and even resolved as a result of their mention or discussion through the e-Community Council were given. These were mainly issues of local relevance, such as grass-cutting and safety issues in a local play park. Most interviewees did not feel that they had gained any skills as a result of taking part in the pilot although one or two individuals did suggest that they were more willing, or more able, to take part in the community, or had gained some additional IT skills.
7.10 Most users indicated that the pilot project had not had any impact on their level of confidence in local administrations and few indicated that it would make them more likely to get involved in the community (although many already participated in the community either through a CC, or some other activity).
Suggestions for improvement
7.11 Suggestions for improving the website often related to the design/layout. Many felt that it was hard to navigate the site and find the information they required and that it was not appealing to the eye. The need for marketing to raise awareness of the site was emphasized and the importance of making sure the content is kept up to date, with topics of interest. There was a concern that the security of the site (to prevent inappropriate comments) needed to be improved. Some of those interviewed felt that there may be barriers to participation in the project for those without access to IT or without IT skills.
Non-users views
7.12 This section looks at the views of people living in the pilot areas who did not use the website.
7.13 The 15 non-users interviewed did not access the pilot website because they did not like the medium of a website for communicating with their CC (one preferred to use an alternative method of communication after using computers all day at work; another was not very confident in using IT), because they were too busy or because they did not feel there would be topics of interest for them on the site. Their preferred method of communication with the CC was through attendance at meetings, followed by feedback from the CC in person, via phone or e-mail, through letters/consultations in the newspaper.
7.14 There was a concern that a website might actually exclude certain people from participating at this time of 'transition' where not all members of the community have IT skills. The importance of providing training was emphasised.
7.15 The interviewees indicated that they might be motivated to use the site if prompted by an issue they felt strongly about, or if they thought the site would include items that interested them. Promotion of the website, for example through newspaper advertisements or by providing training sessions, was felt to be one way of encouraging people to use it. It was suggested that people would be encouraged to use the site if they could see what the benefit would be to them - by marketing the website 'on the back of' an issue that could be changed as a result of community input, rather than marketing the site as an entity in itself. If the site was used as a vehicle to follow up issues that had been discussed at CC meetings, it was considered that this would also motivate people to check it. The importance of encouraging people to use the site regularly, to ensure it was kept up-to-date with interesting topics and comments, was emphasized in order to sustain interest over time.
7.16 One of the interviewees was a former councillor and all those interviewed were involved in the community in some way. They had previously been motivated to participate in their CC or to attend CC meetings because they had wanted to 'have their say' or to make a change to issues they were concerned about - such as street-lighting. The former community councillor felt that if you wanted to get things done in a rural area you had to 'do your bit' in order to 'plug the gaps'. Another interviewee felt that the site might make them more likely to get involved - they may be encouraged to attend a CC meeting as a result of seeing an issue highlighted on the site. All non-users felt that the site could help to bring about change by ensuring people were better-informed of community issues.
Overall views on rollout
7.17 Most users of the website felt that the pilot should be rolled out, although several highlighted improvements which would be required before this could happen, such as improving the design and layout and ensuring all potential users had access to the internet. The non-users emphasised the importance of face-to-face contact in order to build up relationships between the CCs and their community but also felt that the website might be applicable to other areas and bring benefits which meant that it would be worthwhile rolling it out.
Summary
7.18 The pilot project was in general well received by those who used it and improved communication between the CCs and their wider local communities. Areas for improvement and attention were highlighted, such as the need for better security for the site, for a strong marketing and promotional campaign to attract a representative group of users and where possible, for visual and functional enhancements. Concerns regarding the accessibility of this medium for those without IT skills or access to computers were highlighted and the importance of overcoming these barriers was emphasised.
7.19 Although in its early days, the website has already been used as a vehicle to raise and in some cases instigate action on local issues and thus has the potential to continue to do so in the future. While it is clear that a website cannot be the only method of communication used by a CC, the views of the community suggest that it is an effective tool to use in addition to the more traditional methods and that people would support a further rollout of the project. The challenge the CCs now face is the need to ensure access for all and to generate, then sustain the community's interest through maintaining an informative, up-to-date and interesting website.
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