Harringay Online is a

hyperlocal Hyperlocal is information oriented around a well-defined community with its primary focus directed toward the concerns of the population in that community. The term can be used as a noun in isolation or as a modifier of some other term (e.g. new ...

social network based in the neighbourhood of

Harringay Harringay (pronounced ) is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett' ...

, north London.

History

Started on 1 July 2007, Harringay Online was one of the first neighbourhood websites to be set up using

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

technology.
/ref> It was established with the stated aim of strengthening the community in the neighbourhood of

in the north

London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation o ...

. The site aims to achieve a blend of web-based and real world neighbourhood interactions.
/ref> Harringay Online explains its aims as achieving four main outcomes: * Building a sense of place in a neighbourhood – an understanding and appreciation of the neighbourhood to encourage a feeling of belonging and regarding a place as home. * Building social capital in the neighbourhood – building networks, norms and trust that enable people to act together more effectively to pursue shared objectives – simply put building community spirit or neighbourliness. * Empowering local people to take action to shape their neighbourhood – working to improve local people's ability to influence local decisions and affect local circumstances. * Engaging people in local democratic processes. The site's main structure is: * Main Page - summarising and linking to all content. * Forum - for discussions on local and sometimes non-local issues. * Gallery - pictures & videos including an extensive series of film footage and photos on Harringay's history. * Local Information - a wide range of local links and information including weekly updates. * Events - calendar of local events. * Local History - a well-established local history resources including thoroughly researched articles in the History Group, an extensive gallery of images and posts on history in the forum * Special Interest groups, including Gardening and a very authoritative The site is a well used local site and receives between 1500 and 3000 unique users per day. An email update is circulated weekly to all members. Harringay Online is regularly referenced around the world as an exemplary, community-led, hyperlocal website, being referred to recently b
Urban Initiatives
as "the gold standard for community websites". It has been recognised by two national awards and was awarded a Judge's Special Commendation by the Prime Minister in the UK's 200
Catalyst Awards
In June 2009 it was highly commended in th

In 2010 it was a focus for the UK-based study on local websites
the ''Online Neighbourhood Networks Study''
With a stated target population of 22,500, by 2018, it had signed over 12,500 members.

References & notes

{{reflist ;General * Referenced i
''Joining the Conversation: a guide to neighbourhood media'', a paper jointly published
by the

Young Foundation The Young Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental think tank based in London that specialises in social innovation to tackle structural inequality. It is named after Michael Young, the British sociologist and social activist who created ...

IDeA In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of bei ...

and the Local Government Association. * Section on Harringay Online i
Promising Practices In Online Engagement
by

Public Agenda Public Agenda is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and public engagement organization dedicated to strengthening democracy and expanding opportunity for all Americans. Over the years, it has focused on many issues of concern to the publ ...

. * Referenced i
''Making The Connection'' report
from the

Carnegie Trust The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent, endowed charitable trust based in Scotland that operates throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Originally established with an endowment from Andrew Carnegie in his birthplace of Dunfermline, ...

* I
''Local by Social publication''
by

Harringay Online in the ''Online Neighbourhood Networks Study''

Harringay Online on BBC London News

Harringay Online on BBC Technology
* In The Guardia
Social media can help riot-hit communities recover
* Referenced in the Sydney Morning Heral

* Referenced i
The Connected Community:Local Governments as Partners in Citizen Engagement and Community Building, Arizona State University (pp 80-85

Harringay Online on the European Union's best practice website

Harringay Online used by Smithsonian as an archive resource

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

* Referenced in

NESTA Nesta (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is an innovation foundation based in the UK. The organisation acts through a combination of programmes, investment, policy and research, and the formation of part ...

's report on UK Hyperlocal medi
Here and Now

External links

Harringay Online

Harringay Online at National Council of Archives

Harringay Online
on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

British social networking websites Technology in society Local mass media in England Media and communications in the London Borough of Haringey Hyperlocal media English websites Social networks for social change Harringay 2007 establishments in England