Building community information systems: the Connected Kids case

New technologies make it feasible and, in many cases, practical for individuals, groups, and organizations to collaborate in the development of joint information systems. Users find collaborative information systems attractive because they make it possible to find information from diverse sources easily and efficiently. Such systems also make good sense for information providers because they can attract and serve a larger audience than a solitary effort might otherwise command, making it possible to pool resources to achieve certain economies of scale and technology expense. Conceived as both a digital government project and a community information system, Connected Kids helped bridge one city's digital divide by providing new information technologies to youth organizations.