The rapid growth in the use of the Internet has created new
businesses, new concepts and even new words. Amongst the new pillars
of the information age is the ever-increasing number of
cybercafés, which have sprung up around the country. Most
offer a combination of a cosy café environment, food, drinks
and Internet access, charging by the hour to users who (they hope)
drop in on a regular basis.
Until more public spaces such as town halls, libraries and community
centres are wired up, using a cybercafé is one of the few ways
that someone without Internet access can get on-line. But what can
they offer to the wider community?
Jo Patterson, at Manchester's Cyberia
Internet Café, works with a variety of community groups, and
sees it as an important part of encouraging wider use of information
technology. "We are used by a local women's group to provide an
introduction to the Internet. Many of the women in the group have
very specific interests, or run their own businesses, so they can
quickly see the benefits the 'net can offer. We also provide
discounted rates for unemployed people and other groups and liaise
with the council as part of their initiatives."
"We work with local schools and find lots of A-level and GCSE
students coming in - either because they prefer the atmosphere of the
café, or because we've got faster access than their school. We
provide training services to a variety of clients, and have worked
with several groups of unemployed people to develop their computer
skills."
Cybercafés provide access to the World Wide Web, but also
offer e-mail accounts and other services. Manchester Cyberia provides
a venue for corporate events, for example, which is a major source of
income. The need for diversity is echoed by Nikki Bayley at
Brighton's Cybar Restaurant and Café.
"Most Cybercafé operators have
recognised that Internet access alone is not commercially viable,"
she explains. "It needs to be combined with a café or
restaurant, as well as other services. We have a high quality
restaurant - voted the best in Brighton in 1996 - which is a key part
of our business and also provide a user-friendly venue for corporate
clients and services such as video-conferencing. "
"We support several community initiatives, including hosting regular
meetings by local arts and community groups. We provide support and
training to local organisations, such as Age Concern, and are looking
at ways that local schools can use our video-conferencing facilities.
We firmly believe that the technology offers something for everybody
and are keen to support any initiative which raises awareness of the
potential benefits of IT can."
Typical users of cybercafés appear to be 15 - 35 year old men,
although a concerted effort is being made to attract women users and
encourage people of all ages to give it a try. Working with local
community groups could be seen as a useful marketing strategy - most
cybercafés are concentrating on getting first-time users
through their doors and making sure they want to come back for more,
so this is an ideal means of recruiting the kinds of people they
don't normally reach.
Until wider public access to the
internet becomes available cybercafés will remain a key
ingredient in encouraging a wider understanding of the benefits
offered by IT. They are now beginning to appear in towns across the
UK and Internet access is becoming an extension of the leisure
industry in terms of bars and clubs. With increased familiarity will
come a demand for greater Internet access from all parts of the
community.
Using your local cybercafé is agreat way to get a taste of
what the Internet can offer and community groups should be talking to
local owners about how they can help each other.
www.partnerships.org.uk/articles/cafes1.html