Community Development Online will take a short break after today and resume in three weeks time on Monday 11 January 2016. I’m taking a break over a period when people are less likely to read blog posts!
This blog will accumulate into a reference resource and so you could take this opportunity to read past posts. If you do, remember comments are always welcome, especially if you can suggest future topics. It also helps to know what you find helpful.
You can explore the blog in two ways. If you look under resources in the main navigation, you will find a series of cornerstone pages. These list the blog posts in sequence, with brief introductions. You can see what sequences are about and decide whether to read more detail. These are almost up-to-date and I shall add recent posts during the break.
If you prefer a more usual blog, you can get access to it in the right hand column. You can find recent posts using the calendar or explore the categories. To help you navigate the blog, I have five main category headings:
- Mutuality – covers all aspects of collaborative working and under this heading you will find posts about community development and co-operation.
- Marketing – is about promotion of all things, commercial and non-commercial. Usually marketers blog about products and services. I have added causes to these offers. But I also consider promotion of products and services by third sector organisations (and causes by businesses!)
- Purpose – perhaps is best understood as how we deepen our understanding of what we offer and what we represent. Many organisations struggle with expressing their purpose and this category suggests approaches such as consultancy and conversation that may help.
- Technique – considers some of the technical challenges met by organisations working online.
- Miscellaneous – covers everything else that doesn’t fit the other four main categories.
So, what can you look forward to in Community Development Online, in the New Year?
On Mondays I shall continue my exploration of the circuit questionnaire. This will become a resource for people using the questionnaire. If you follow the link, you will find a summary page covering the posts so far. This sequence will continue a while longer as I’m not halfway through yet. I’ve completed the branding element of the questionnaire and I’ve made a lot of progress with Products, Services and Causes. After that I shall cover the three remaining elements, Propositions, Problems and Markets.
On Wednesdays I shall continue with the sequence about spirituality. I’m writing these posts with churches in mind but contain some themes that might be of interest to a wider audience. In the New Year, I shall start a new theme within this sequence, exploring how we perceive communities. This will be less theological and closer to my posts about community development.
On Fridays – I shall continue to offer a mixture of posts on a variety of topics. This is where I publish reviews of books and websites. It is also where I can respond to requests for posts on specific topics.
There is plenty of space for more material and as usual, time is a major constraint. If you would like to write a relevant blog post or even a sequence, let me know.
I’m going to do some work on the website over the break in preparation for some new initiatives that are in the pipeline. Keep reading and watching the website to find out more!