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who has some bright ideas for ways geeks can do something positive in our local communities?
Well, maybe you could loan out your geek skills to organisations or go around educating those not in the know about the wonders of comps and geekery?
Nick Hodge from MSFT suggested we go out to retirement villages and teach the oldies how to get more out of the net... how to send kids photos, write down their life memories, etc. I like that one. It isn't too scary and helps capture important stories. Maybe we could even podcast their stories.
Think about ways we can use lifekludger.net as a delivery platform for geeks 4 good. To open the bidding lifekludger needs:
- geeks with management skills and drive to shape the legals and accounting
- geeks with administrative skills to co-ordinate some of the awesome ideas
- geeks with tech and maker skills to build prototypes for Uncle Dave that can set the tone for global strategies
and probably a whole bunch more.
The digital story telling idea is a great one Cameron. The tech requirements can be easily taught, loads of freebie tools, the story writing requires a little coaching/time but its not a technical barrier. People are *really* stoked when they produce something they can share about themselves or things that matter to them.
Community centres / youth centres often need tech support of one kind or another, offering to help out there would be good
Go and do guest presentations at high schools - teach the kids the stuff they really need to know but don't get taught because it's not in the curriculum or the teachers have been out of the industry too long.
Oh!! That's a good one!
I agree, as technology becomes ever-present in everyday life, those who know their way around computers and technology need to help those who do not know how to use the tools.
Seconded. From where I'm standing, the divide seems to be growing
the geeks who care meeting?
G'day Cameron. Yes.
Forgot I was still in chat mode from the other forum. Am writing something for you all now.
heh ok mate ta
I think it needs to be local to start with. To use a cricket cliche, we have to get some runs on the scoreboard before approaching companies etc for help. And yes, we should be using the Geek thing to our advantage but also to the advantage of the people we are trying to help.
I don't think that giving out mobile phones and interweb access to homeless people is the answer. I think we'd be better off helping the organisations who are helping the people who need help. Not every organisation who helps is government funded or filled with paid staff so they need some help. Sure, we could go and sit in a Salvo store for a couple of hours but that isn't geeky, is it? Anyone could do that. But can everyone work out why the cash register isn't working, why they can't access the interweb or how to have more than one computer working at a time? This of course assumes they have a computer and people who know how to drive it in the first place.
So what I am saying is that we could go around to our local charities and welfare groups and ask them if they need help with their computers, interweb, phones etc. Then when we are doing that, we can talk to them and find out what else they do and what else they need. There are so many places like this including people like Vinnies, Salvos, House With No Steps, Meals on Wheels, neighbourhood centres, retirement homes, halfway houses, etc.
To use another cliche - Geeks Without Borders!
yeah I like that idea. So we become a free tech support service for charities?
Something like that, Cameron. I understand people are not comfortable with going out onto the street and doing stuff like food vans or talking to homless people. But this way, it can help the "back office" of the groups that are giving out the help.
Yeah, that's the same thought I had too Erk... but put waaaay better
While I'm here, should there be a landing page for the GTC URL that isn't a Facebook page telling people what we do, etc. That is one of the reasons I have just joined FB.
What's the GTC url?
What's GTC?
GTC is an acronym I'm guessing for a misspelling of this project: Geeks That Care?
Ahhh... Thanks.
I got a bit confused
Erk - how would a landing page be different from the FB page?
Cam - at least with a non FB landing page you don't need to be a member of FB to read it
Everyone should be on FB by now - it's inevitable
Still, Erk has a valid point...
When I was launching GWC (and LOTU) I was intending on setting up a landing page but then I thought, well, it's just going to point to FB anyway, so what's the point? Anyone who isn't a member of FB by now isn't really a geek and therefore doesn't really fit the "Geeks Who Care" profile.
Well, I had more of your target 'help market' in mind.
Sure all geeks would/should/could have an FB account, but the non-geeks?
If only FB allowed a public, outside FB, view of that page. That would be perfect.
I should set up something like the new LOTU site for GWC?
Hey, that might work....
So the info in FB is available outside?
I thought you had to be logged into Facebook to see anything ...
I'm going to do a GWC landing page.
