E-mail Discussion Lists or Listservs

Neighborhood and community groups can set up an e-mail discussion list (also called a listserv) for free through the City. A discussion list is an online community of people who discuss a specific topic or topics using e-mail. List members join the discussion by subscribing (for free) to the list. Every person who subscribes to the list will receive any e-mail sent to the list. This is a great way to have community discussions or to send out broadcast messages and announcements. A discussion list is one way for community groups to manage their e-mail contacts, because it allows group members to sign up and remove themselves as they like. Each group member no longer has to maintain his or her own e-mail lists and remember when to add and subtract people.

Discussion lists can be set up in different ways depending on what your group needs. For more information about setting up a free discussion list for your group, call or email Derrick Hall at (206) 233-5061.

Free Web Hosting

The city provides free Web hosting for neighborhood groups and nonprofit organizations on the City’s Web site. If your group has created a site but needs someone to host it, the City’s Web site is a great free option. (We cannot support separate domain names or e-mail addresses for your group.) For examples of other community sites, visit the Neighborhoods on the Net page.

For information on putting your community site on to the City’s Web page, call or email Bruce Blood at (206) 386-1758.

Publicity for Your Neighborhood Web Site

If you have a neighborhood Web site and you want it added to the Neighborhoods on the Net page, call or email Robert Ching at (206) 615-0491.

Funding for Community and
Neighborhood Technology Projects

The Technology Matching Fund, modeled after the Neighborhood Matching Fund, provides money for community technology access and literacy projects on an annual basis. For more information, go to the Tech Matching Fund page on the Web.

Free City Surplus Computers

The City surpluses hundreds of computers each year. These computers, which are usually about three years old, are provided for free to Seattle based nonprofit human service agencies and schools that serve Seattle residents. If your group is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves Seattle residents, you may be eligible to receive surplus computers. For more information, call or email Charleen Perras at (206) 684-0124 or download an application from the Web.

Free Internet for Public Access Sites

If your group is providing computer access to the public, you may be eligible for free installation, modem, and Internet access from Comcast. The City of Seattle, in cooperation with Comcast, is providing a limited number of free high-speed connections to the Internet for qualified sites providing public access. This Access for All Project is part of the City’s effort to ensure citizens technology literacy and access. For more information, call or email Derrick Hall at (206) 233-5061, or read about cablemodems on the Web.

Web Resources Outside the City of Seattle

In addition to the free technology resources offered by the City of Seattle, you may want to look at information and services offered by the following organizations (none of which are affiliated with or endorsed by the City):

TechSoup (www.techsoup.org): Non-profit technology resources, including discounted software and some hardware

Idealware (http://www.idealware.org/ :Reviews of tools used by the non-profit sector and workshops.

Global Neighborhood (www.orgsites.com)

Neighborhood.com (www.neighborhood.com)

Seattle Community Network (www.scn.org)

Zoomerang: Create free online surveys (www.zoomerang.com)