Halfway round the globe, another
e-community

Blacksburg electronic community

What can one expect from a 200-year-old town in this century? All wired up, of course! For the western Virginian state in the United States, Blacksburg is a small college town where the web community here is a fine example of a successful electronic community.

BEV short for Blacksburg Electronic Village became one of the oldest Internet-based community networks in the country when it embarked on a joint R& D programme with Virginia Tech University and local phone company Bell Atlantic in 1993.

The concept was simple. Link the roughly 39,000 citizens via a network of computers with high-speed connections to reach out to the local and global community.

Similar to the e-community of USJ Subang Jaya, the residents of BEV also have the usual if not comprehensive channels of communication. The common ways of correspondence are through e-mails, listservs - an Internet mailing service similar to newsgroups - that send messages directly to your inbox, feedback forms to their state and federal government, an electronic forum and subscription to other mutual interest mailing lists.

The virtual community of Blacksburg also has access to a wide range of online resources including links to libraries, museums, schools, sports clubs, and government websites.

E-commerce in this small quiet town is both vibrant and extensive as about 70% of all its businesses from animal care to landscaping to wedding services are connected to the World Wide Web.

Even religion has gone into cyberspace. Those who have been too busy to go to church can still keep up with church activities through newsletters posted on church websites. And for those who are new to the place, they can easily choose the church nearest to their location for their spiritual well-being.

BEV also has its own blood donation programme which is supported jointly by Radford University, Virginia Tech, Appalachian Regional Blood Services and the Montgomery County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Interested donors can view online a blood donation schedule that is listed according to date, time and location.

There are also links to support groups to help anyone in a crisis including literature on health issues.

By the summer of 1997, more than 60% of Blacksburg's 36,000 citizens were using the Internet on a regular basis. More than 250 local businesses advertise online, or about 70% of all businesses in the Blacksburg area.

By Hooi You Ching