So, what about all this Facebook / MySpace / Bebo stuff. These interfaces have introduced a whole new meaning to communication. Is it changing the face of the way we interact? Will it be the demise of the local community as we know it? Will we all communicate via keyboards, mice and screens in the future?

Personally I think not. We NEED interpersonal, human interaction. A screen cannot replace the warm feelings we get from being near a person, sensing their emotions, the warmth of their smile or the anger in their voice. I can't really imagine having a hum-dinger of an argument virtually. And although I've laughed at the screen because of someone's chat entry, there's nothing compared to sharing a joke with friends, in the same space and time.

BUT how many times have you emailed a colleague sitting in the same office, rather than talk to them face to face? Have you ever sent an email or MSN rather than picking up the phone? How often do you text rather than call?

The population in rural Scotland is ageing. People doing volunteering, contributing to their communities' wellbeing, quality of life and providing essential services, are more likely to be in the older generations. Right now older people are less likely to be using ICT in their daily lives. However, as life goes on, this figure will change, with more and more people becoming IT literate.

My question for today is, How can ICT be used to help the voluntary sector do their work?

This could involve the exchange of information; making resources more efficient; and innovation in the grass roots: coming up with technology that solves problems faced by voluntary groups.

Answers could include: web conferencing, social networks, podcasting, vodcasting, eLearning, web discussion boards, online events diaries, eProcurement, the list goes on and on. My theory is that there is not necessarily a need to develop new tools for accomplishing these tasks, but that there are products already out there that are affordable, accessible and easy to use that can help groups do their work better, more efficiently and more effectively.

I am writing this blog to log my thoughts and where they take me (and you?) on a journey. This journey will explore the asset of Social Capital and how it makes or breaks today's communities. Robert Putman believes that social capital is the backbone of the community; it bonds people and bridges gaps in society towards the social networks which enrich our lives.

The beginning of human time saw original communities consist of close-knit groups of people, geographically close and pretty much all in the same boat. Today's communities have developed greatly, linking people not only geographically, but through gender, age, employment, education, fields of interest, hobbies and a myriad of other commonalities. The relatively recent rise and rise of the internet and ICT has fed this change, inspiring all kinds of new ways of coming together of like minded people, by providing a wealth of platforms and networking opportunities.

I want to look more closely at these opportunities, and how they can be used not only in our individual and personal communication channels, but how they are being adapted to stimulate wider community benefit. This is generally for three objectives: to improve communication streams and the exchange of information, to make resources stretch further by cutting down on cost, time and impact on the environment, and thirdly by stimulating best practice and innovation on the grass roots level. This type of activity happens when community groups encounter a problem and use their collective initiative to come up with a solution. Technology presents a myriad of possibilities to help this happen.