Building the SteemTowns - Part 1 - Selecting the locations
The idea of SteemTowns seems to be of interest.
Certainly it has piqued my interest even more since I wrote the first post about the idea.
The chance to complete this circle in my life has really grabbed me.
So how do we take it forward?
It will need some planning, it will need some thought, it will need some participation...
I really would love to hear from anyone who would like to come onboard with this dream of mine.
Wouldn't it be so cool if we could simultaneously launch SteemTowns on every continent?
Anyone got any contacts in Antarctica 😊
Part 1 : Selecting the locations
The first step will be to come up with some criteria for selecting the pilot SteemTowns.
The concept could work for any size of town - from SteemVillage to SteemCity. But I think it will work best, at least initially, in small to medium size towns.
These would be my starter criteria for choosing the ideal pilot SteemTowns :
Towns with a population of between 2,000 and 50,000.
Towns where there is no strong existing local town website or social network.
Towns that are perhaps 'struggling' economically.
Towns that have some identifiable lead organisation that could champion the SteemTown project.
Towns that are open to trying new ideas.
These criteria are not at all fixed in stone. They are my first thoughts that I am sure will evolve as the project progresses. I have expanded upon each of these criteria below. I welcome comments on these.
One factor that will inevitably override all others will be enthusiasm. If some individual or organisation in a town pops up who is keen and enthusiastic about the idea of SteemTown, and if they look like they would be in a position to drive it forward, that may well override any deficiencies on the other criteria.
SteemTowns will definitely need champions to succeed.
Population
The target population of between 2,000 and 50,000 is somewhat arbitrary. I am sure a town bigger or smaller might well succeed as a SteemTown. I think below around 2,000 people it might be difficult to get sufficient critical mass of users to work well. Towns much bigger than 50,000 are more likely to have active existing online networks. If they don't, SteemTown might be what they are looking for.
Local website
This would not be a deciding factor. But the idea of being a SteemTown might meet resistance if there is any sort of strong existing local website or network. An existing website would likely see SteemTown as a competitor. I would not count Facebook etc in this category only independent / local websites.
Economic situation
Many, many small towns in Britain, particularly in rural areas, are struggling economically. Local shops are closing, jobs are hard to find, young people are moving away. I am sure this is not unique to the UK.
While the financial reward aspect of steemit should not be main focus of the SteemTown pitch, it certainly will play an important role. The opportunity of generating and injecting some cash into the local economy will certainly be attractive for most small towns.
Lead organisation
Establishing a SteemTown will be a whole lot easier if there is an established local organisation or network championing the project. A SteemTown certainly could not be 'parachuted' into a town without local support - it needs to be invited.
The lead organisation I think will best be independent of existing municipal structures. A local council will likely have too much regulatory and procedural baggage to be adaptable enough to champion a SteemTown project. This may not always be the case - some small towns do have very forward thinking local councils.
The ideal organisation to lead on a SteemTown project would probably be something like a local Chamber of Trade. It will have an existing network of member businesses. It will likely be on the lookout for projects to promote the town. And it shouldn't be too tied down with existing bureaucratic or administrative structures.
But there may well be other suitable organisations.
New ideas
There are many schemes and projects that towns get involved in to help promote their local economies. These include loyalty card schemes, online promotional systems like Totally Locally and local currencies like the Totnes Pound.
Involvement in projects like these are a good indicator that a town is willing to try new ideas. SteemTown could be the next idea for those towns.
This is the first step in the exploration and expansion of the SteemTowns idea.
I would very much like to hear your comments on these selection criteria and on the SteemTown concept as a whole.
If anyone is interested in helping to take this project forward do let me know in the comments below.
Part 2 of my planning for this project will be on 'Preparing the Pitch'. What we would put to any interested towns to encourage them to sign up to be a pilot SteemTown.
Thank you.
[Title graphic and map by Pennsif // meeting image from pixabay - Creative Commons CC0]]
If you found this post useful or interesting please do upvote, resteem and follow. Thank you.
You might also be interested in some of my other recent posts :
Love this idea and I think a town in Central WI would be a great candidate!
Glad you like the idea. What sort of size is the town in WI you have in mind?
What I've written above is obviously from a UK centric viewpoint. I would welcome comments from other parts of the world in case I am way too far off the mark for other countries.
Well it depends on the town - we have Stevens Point which is 26-27 thousand or Wausau around 39 thousand, both of which are almost dead center in the state and have been growing recently (travel points to Chicago). Or more rural areas like Waupaca that could do with some help (like 6000-7000 population I think). Not sure, just tossing stuff out there (mainly because I'd like to see a SteemTown around where I live haha!)
Do towns like Waupaca and Stevens Point have an organisation such as a Chamber of Trade who might be open to SteemTown ideas?
Not 100% sure but I did a quick check on the website for Stevens Point - here is the section on community development (http://stevenspoint.com/index.aspx?nid=197) and this is info on the city council (http://stevenspoint.com/index.aspx?NID=81). I'm just starting to wade into the world of community involvement so I don't have any information yet
Thanks for the extra info. Stevens Point could well be a likely candidate.
Like the groups on facebook for Jefff Berwick...which is great for expats or want to be's someday, same for homesteaders or other interest groups...great post...
Melissa
I've heard of Jeff Berwick - didn't know he was running groups on Facebook though. Will have to take a look.
yes they are based in different areas in the world ...expats..pretty cool, Sorry took me so long to reply ...i was out with the hurricane!
Cheers
This is great!! i certainly think places that are working towards their own currency (like the brixton pound) will have a great appreciation for new value being pumped into their economies that is not controlled by government entities. I know many other places have similar initiative as well!
also would be interesting to see what local activist / social enterprise groups would do if approached with this new value transfer possiblitiy!
I dont have that many resources to support this with my man power at the moment with me supporting promo steem, however, I will certainly follow this story, input and upvote! best of luck!
Hi @starkerz, thank you for your support (and upvote & resteem) on this.
Any comments, thoughts or ideas you can throw into the pool will be welcome.
I will continue expanding my ideas for the project in another two or three posts. Hopefully they will pick up a few more people interested in getting involved in the project. If you hear of anyone who might be interested do point them my way.
I am sure there are many existing local activist type groups that we could link in with to build this. Do you know of any local currency projects (like the Brixton Pound) that have joined steemit yet? I do think they would be a natural fit.
no but i know a permaculture group in cyprus who may be interested in this type of idea.. maybe @patrickm
Thanks @starkerz, I will check out @patrickm.
Resteemed your article. This article was resteemed because you are part of the New Steemians project. You can learn more about it here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@gaman/new-steemians-project-launch
dont know if you are familiar with him, but i believe anansiakpan has a steemit like town that he started in nigeria. i think this is a really interesting idea and id like to talk more about integrating tinyhome communities or communal towns with steemit towns.