Virtually Wired

[Joe Mabel]

So has anyone from SCN contacted these guys to share experience & see if
we can help with ideas? 

On Mon, 12 May 1997, Doug Schuler wrote:

> 
> Subject: Article from page C1 of the 05/08/97 Boston Globe 
> 
> The following is the text of an article that ran on page C1 of the
> Boston Globe on 05/08/97. It has been picked up by the Associated Press
> and the New York Times for possible distribution to their syndicated
> news clients.
> _________________
> 
> HEADLINE: Cyberspot for have-nots faces pulling of the plug
> 
> BYLINE:	By Joann Muller, Globe Staff, 05/08/97 
> 
> Sometimes, a good idea just isn't good enough. 
> 
> The concept behind Virtually Wired certainly seemed praiseworthy: Open a
> nonprofit computer access center where, for a nominal fee, people who
> didn't have a computer at home or at work could venture into cyberspace
> at their own pace, with support and encouragement from a staff of
> friendly volunteers. 
> 
> But after two years of operations on a shoestring budget, Virtually Wired
> is about to be unplugged. 
> 
> The organization has lost its lease on a Downtown Crossing storefront,
> and can't afford to move to new quarters. 
> 
> ``We'll never find another rent like this,'' said Coralee Whitcomb, 46,
> a former Bentley College computer instructor who has run Virtually Wired
> since it opened in April 1995. The organization paid next to nothing for
> the 3,000-square-foot space on Temple Place because the property was
> owned by one of the founders of Virtually Wired. 
> 
> But now, the landlord, who is no longer involved with the organization,
> has filed for bankruptcy protection and the building is for sale. 
> 
> Another blow came a few weeks ago when Whitcomb discovered a
> ``bookkeeping problem'' - an inexperienced volunteer who overstated the
> amount of revenue the organization was taking in each month. 
> 
> Taken together, the two problems might leave Virtually Wired with no
> choice but to close, Whitcomb said. 
> 
> ``It doesn't take much for us to get the wind knocked out of our
> sails,'' said Whitcomb. ``We're not able to sustain many hits.'' 
> 
> Whitcomb said the center might be open at Downtown Crossing only up to
> June 1. But the self-described computer activist, whose life passion is
> to close the gap between the technology haves and have-nots, isn't
> discouraged. 
> 
> ``It doesn't mean Virtually Wired has to disintegrate and blow away,''
> she said. ``We've got some neat ideas about how to reinvent it.'' 
> 
> In fact, as news of Virtually Wired's predicament spread last week,
> several organizations stepped forward with proposals to collaborate in
> ways that would keep its spirit alive, Whitcomb said. She wouldn't say
> more about the talks, however, until details are worked out. 
> 
> Whitcomb said Virtually Wired can't survive on its own without financial
> backing from corporations or government. 
> 
> ``These places are really important if America wants to do what it says
> it wants to do, and that's to get everybody computer literate,'' she
> said. 
> 
> One competitor that has managed to thrive because of corporate and
> individual donations is the Computer Clubhouse, an offshoot of Boston's
> Computer Museum. 
> 
> Director Gail Breslow acknowledges that in the world of nonprofit
> organizations, ``money follows money,'' which is one reason the Computer
> Clubhouse has survived while Virtually Wired is struggling. 
> 
> There are now five Computer Clubhouses in operation - four in Boston and
> one in Germany - that provide creative, informal learning environments
> for urban youth. Backers include Reebok, Nynex, Microsoft, and Lotus. 
> 
> While public-access computer centers and trendy ``cybercafes'' are
> sprouting up in many communities, Virtually Wired stands out because of
> its efforts to reach disadvantaged populations, including the homeless.
> 
> While some cybercafes might charge $8 to $12 an hour to use one of their
> computers, Virtually Wired sells passes for $3 a day or $10 a month. 
> 
> Libraries are increasingly setting up computers for free public access,
> but they often limit users to one hour at a time. ``We insist that
> people stay as long as they want,'' Whitcomb said. 
> 
> While computer centers are also popping up in YMCAs and other community
> agencies, many of these are just now getting computers with Internet
> access. 
> 
> Whitcomb's center is staffed by about 70 volunteers, some of whom were
> homeless or unemployed at one time and wandered into Virtually Wired in
> hopes of learning skills that would get them back on their feet. 
> 
> Service is provided on a drop-in basis for people who are intimidated by
> the hype about the Internet, or who just want to learn about the World
> Wide Web. 
> 
> Classes are offered on topics ranging from word processing and
> spreadsheets to Web page design. One of the most popular public services
> is an Internet job-search software program designed by a volunteer
> software consultant. 
> 
> Virtually Wired also hosts children from several urban day care centers
> and summer camps to teach them about computers. 
> 
> While she fights to save these and other programs, Whitcomb is
> philosophical about Virtually Wired's mission. 
> 
> ``If it dies, it'll be because it went too slow. Not because we were
> doing the wrong things.''
> 
> 
> 
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