Telecottage Handbook- How to Establish and Run a

CHAPTER
4
Local partnerships for e-community
4.1 Local interests
Interest and motivation – People and groups are motivated by the interests
arising from their values and needs. To better understand who will help and
why, or conversely why some might want to cause harm or hinder efforts, it is
imperative for telecottage developers to become acquainted with and thoroughly
consider the interests of those potentially affected by the planned
project. The developer has a very important role and responsibility to adequately
communicate what the telecottage is all about, and further must be
cognisant of local politics. The telecottage will have an effect on the development
and use of local resources for the community and its members, and
for accessing external resources.It is important to not have any illusions – this
is an intervention into local social and economic relations, into an established
system of local interests. There is the possibility of being caught in the crossfire
of local politics, and possibly even becoming a factor within the local
political terrain. Thus, developers must be highly attentive to existing relationships
and possible conflicts of interest surrounding the telecottage.
Social roles in small communities – At the level of basic social groups, or
more precisely in terms of social roles played, the following are the main constituents
of a local community:
• Ordinary members of the community (with no formal community role) can
be considered as users and consumers of the telecottage’s services, and
can be grouped as target audiences, depending on their needs and living
conditions.
• Sometimes smaller ethnic groups are present within the community as a
subculture, with their own specific requirements, problems, and economic,
social, and cultural characteristics. Such dynamics can significantly
affect community life in both positive and (unfortunately) negative ways.
• Local entrepreneurs and managers of companies have a specific role in the
community. As key actors in the local economy, local services, commerce
and market, they bring livelihood and income to the members of the
community. Dependent on local resources, they also are subject to local
social and economic conditions.
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