Book details of 'New Community Networks: Wired for Change'

Title	New Community Networks: Wired for Change
Author(s)	Douglas Schuler, Tom Stone
ISBN	0201595532
Language	English
Published	April 1996
Publisher	Addison-Wesley Pub Co

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Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
This wise and informative book explains how grassroots networks can be implemented at little cost in a socially directed way. As a founding member of the Seattle Community Network--one of the first and most innovative free networking projects in the world--Schuler provides great practical advice with a refreshing dose of social conscience. (Note that this is actually a paperback edition of this volume -- Amazon.com)
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
Schuler's overview of community networks, "freenets" (the "Free-Net" spelling is a registered service mark), and information systems has very good coverage of press and media effects and activities, but is less insightful in other areas. The chapters are primarily anecdotal reports of varied projects conducted on local nets. There is some analysis included, but overall it is lacking in depth. There is some mention of negative impacts but little critiquing, and no discussion at all of such topics as the "hidden" types of censorship behind Internet filtering software and Usenet newsgroup selection. The material is not technically challenging. There is, however, a different type of jargon used in the book, and one which can be even less penetrable to the reader. Terms such as "third place" start to occur early in the book with definitions, if there are any, only given later. The lack of entries in the index doesn't help. Nor do the definitions, which don't provide much enlightenment regarding the meanings of the terms in the context of the book, or the significance of the foregoing discussions. This volume does have one overwhelming advantage when placed against the piles of "cyberspace" books currently flooding the market: a thorough grounding in reality. Although I am very critical of its weak areas, all of the content comes from real systems in real settings. While those setting out to implement a community network may find that the books paints the world through a slightly rose coloured monitor, it does, nonetheless, show what can and is being done. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996
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