Evolution of the Map

I've been thinking a lot about how the map and network is going to develop and how different stakeholders will interact with it.

As we go through and add nodes and links to the map, I can't help but thinking of the different people and groups that I know of that would be really valuable in consulting with to expand the map. For example, I've worked with the director of the Office of Diversity in Medford and she is one of the most well-connected people I've ever met. Although it's not Somerville, it could be useful to have someone like that in Somerville as well to really identify some of the people and organizations that we're missing.

Another possible resource would be umbrella organizations. For example, domestic violence agencies in Boston are all connected through Jane Doe, Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. Many of the Boston organizations are associated with BARCC, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.

Tapping these large institutions to provide connections between smaller organizations could really flesh out the issues on the map a little bit and provide meaningful connections.

I've also been thinking about how different groups are going to use the map. Students will be more inclined to use the Facebook plug-in and less hesitant to set up a one-time account. Older people and organizations are probably less likely to use the Facebook application, so it's important that we tailor the user interface to really meet the needs of the people viewing the map on the web. Particularly for organizations that are seeking volunteers, we should make an effort to make it easy for them to discover those people.