Summary

LocalEyes is transforming communities using new technologies
by engaging people in individual & collective action.

LocalEyes enables significantly more engagement in everything that is local.

Our aim is for residents of communities to dramatically enhance the way they communicate.
The four main problems LocalEyes will tackle are;

• Presently there is little communication between the key decision makers in a community and the majority of the residents, and it is our aim to radically improve this, thus engaging & empowering individuals while improving social interaction and local democracy.
  
  
• Many people do not know enough about the people, groups and businesses in their own communities.
  
  
• Most social groups are not making the best use of the web technologies available and consequently struggle to promote their activities, engage existing members and attract new members.
  
  
• There is a lack of funds that are easily accessible for local community initiatives.

The four proposed solutions are:

• A “Community VOICE” that will facilitate collective communication and action
  - more info >>
  
  
• A “Local Search Engine” that will create a comprehensive directory of skills, products, and people’s interests, groups, businesses etc.
  
  
• “Capacity Building” where social groups will have access to the latest web technologies and will be handheld through the process of utilising them to their best effect.
  
  
• "Community Chest", to raise funds through advertising on LocalEyes & the VOICE. These funds will be put into a pot and allocated to projects that have been VOICED in the local community.

1) LocalEyes provides a convenient way for people to VOICE their opinions and coordinate collective action to create change in their community and surrounding area. It uses the technologies we are familiar with when voting on ‘Big Brother’ or for a new ‘Maria’, but applies them to topics that concern our locality (i.e. who is interested in car sharing locally?, would you buy a box of locally produced organic vegetables if the service was available?)

The VOICE acts like a conveyor belt on which any sustainable or community project can be communicated to the community. The VOICE engages local people collectively & in individually digestible way (i.e. 1 topic every 1 or 2 weeks)

Collective communication and action will be coordinated using email, text messaging and eventually interactive TV and landline phone numbers for those without an internet connection.
Example – Community VOICE
Example – Weekly Poll & Newsletter
Example – Action Points

2) LocalEyes offers a free service to anyone wishing to provide, or look for, information within any community supporting the system. Empowering individuals through use of this user-friendly online tool, the Local Search Engine, will result in greater access to:
Example – All Sections

• local skills (i.e. music teacher, baby sitter, someone to mow the lawn etc.)
• new & used products (i.e. homemade crafts, local produce or items to FreeCycle)
• meeting local people and people with similar interests
• interacting with local groups, their events and activities
• Locating Local Businesses, their events & promotions
  
• Journeys, car sharing opportunities
• Notices, important community announcements
• Jobs
• Workshops & Educational Courses
• Projects
• Topics & Issues

LocalEyes is a new kind of social networking website that encourages and facilitates local and sustainable actions that are motivated by self interest.
Example – Sustainable Actions
Example – Local Car Sharing

3). Capacity Building with social groups will be a proactive process and not just a case of making the web technologies available. A team of socially excluded individuals will be trained in all areas of online marketing & internet tools (i.e. online campaigns, events lists, latest news, photo albums, media file sharing, online newsletters, membership etc.) and will provide essential assistance to social groups that do not have the time, expertise or resources to make the step change.

Summary
This service will enable people to engage in issues like never before, as we harness the potential of new technologies within our communities. Once enough communities in any county are using this system, we will be able to start coordinating public energy on a countywide basis and beyond.

Where there is an existing web presence in the community LocalEyes can provide modules to extend the features available to the community.