Application for DCN Resources for local non profit groups
"Sponsored-Projects Program"

Do you need DCN's help to get your group launched on a useful project that uses Internet technologies (such as email and the web) to serve Davis and the surrounding area in ways that advance DCN's own goals?

• Simple Site, Mailman List and Calendar offerings are free and do not involve a dcn Internet account but do require access to the Internet by some means.
• Dial-up accounts can be made available without charge for up to 6 or 9 months
• A shell account can be made available without charge for an indefinite length of time

Please read: More information about DCN's sponsored project program

The Application procedure:

1. You need to submit the form below with your best assessment of your needs.
2. The DCN Resource Allocation Committee (RAC) Chair will respond by email.
3. You will then need to present your proposal at an RAC monthly meeting (first Wednesday evenings) where details are worked out and guidance given to those applicants who are not yet very familiar with the technologies.
   
4. The RAC typically makes its decisions after applicants have left the meeting. The results are emailed within 24 hours.
   
   

APPLICATION FORM

Please see the help section at the end of the page for explanations of the various resources available.

Resources Requested (Required)

Please Note RE Political Projects: The RAC can provide a DCN Web Calendar to a political group but not other free resources. Such groups requiring a Mailman List can apply for a List at $5 per month at http://www.dcn.org/dcn/access/services/network.html#lists

Dialup Account  Shell Account  Simple Web Site  Mailman List  Calendar  NonProfit Dialup

Your e-mail address (Required)

Basic Information

Name of your "not-for-profit" organization (Required)

Brief explanation of your organization (Required)

Brief explanation of your plans and goals for the resources you are requesting (Required)

Resources Requested

How many DCN dial-up accounts?

How many DCN nonprofit dialup accounts?

How many DCN shell accounts?

How many MB total space in the dialup or shell account (10 MB is the default per account)?

How many DCN SimpleSites?

How many Mailman (e-mail) lists? (Required)

How many DCN calendars?

Will you need Web Team assistance?

Yes  No

What sort of training might DCN provide for you and/or members of your group or organization?

Contact Information

Your Name (Required)

Official street mailing address and/or phone number for the group (Required)

Your relationship to the group (Required)

Are you an adult of 18 or older? (Required)

Yes  No

Other / Comments / Questions

Definitions & Explanations

What Is A Dial-up Account?

The RAC authorizes the use of free dial-up accounts for limited periods of time only. A dialup account inolves an arrangement made with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that allows you to use a modem and certain software/applications on your computer to access the Internet (for email and web browsing etc.). The ISP will provide you with the telephone number that your modem must dial in order to make the Internet connection. Your computer's connecting software/application will need the ISP's Internet address with certain other information entered in the appropriate places with your log-in/username. In addition the ISP will assign a password (of your choice) to your account and may assist you in setting up your system.
Normally you pay a monthly fee to the ISP for this dial-up connection service but DCN's RAC projects are allowed to use the service without charge for a limited period.

What Is Shell Account?

This is an arrangement made with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for a certain amount of space on the ISP's web server to be set aside for your use for receiving e-mail and/or as a web site. The RAC can authorize a shell account for use as an email-only account or as a regular shell with email and web-files storage. The ISP will assign a log-in/username and a password (of your choice) to the account. In order to use this space you do need to have a dial-up account (with that ISP or another) as described above. In order to use the shell for a web site you also need to have software/applications such as Fetch and Telnet installed on your computer so that you can access the shell space and upload your web files.

What Is A NonProfit Dial-up Account?

The NonProfit Dialup is not a free resource. It is a discounted Lurker account available only to nonprofit groups who apply to DCN's Resource Allocation Committee.

Check the most current information about the Nonprofit option for nonprofit groups

Applicants are required to have a Davis or Yolo County residence or business address for their DCN subscriber's billing address.

The discounted Lurker account subscription available to eligible nonprofit applicants includes:

a) One additional email address (providing total of two addresses)

b) Five additional MB of storage (providing a total of 10 MB)

c) Additional prime time hours to bring the monthly maximum to 30 hours.

What Is A DCN "Simple Web Site"?

This is an option originally made available as of late 2002. The current version is Simple Sites v. 2.0. Access to the Internet via a business or home computer is necessary. This option is for groups wishing to build a web page without needing to know about HTML coding or learning how to upload files to a Web server. This option provides a group with a free, "Simple Web Site" account that has a <http://groups.dcn.org/yourgroupname> web address, a user ID and a password. Information is entered into the Web Site template by a DCN Webpage interface. In the Simple Sites 2.0 option a WYSIWYG editor is available to those using recent versions of Mozilla Firefox (Windows and Mac) or Internet Explorer (Windows.) See documentation at http://groups.dcn.org/mpdocs

What Is A Mailman Mailing List?

A Mailman List keeps, on the DCN server, the list of email addresses for those who are subscribed to your List. A single email address is used to send messages to everyone on the List simultaneously. The addressees do not see the name of any of the other subscribers on the message they receive. A List is a very effective and efficient way of communicating with an unlimited number of members of an organization.

A very brief explanation of Mailman:
When you are notified that your list request has been approved you will be told who to contact to set up the List. When your list is created you are assigned ownership of the list and will receive an automatically-generated message giving you your administrative password, as well as directing you to the URLs needed to manage the list through your browser. Some initial assistance will be provided to set up the List to suit your group's needs but follow-up help is provided only at scheduled Mailman training sessions held about once a month. You will need to allow yourself several weeks after the List creation before putting the List into full use unless you are quite experienced at negotiating your way through software settings. However, there is an excellent Mailman List Management Guide to help you (see below). You will be using your browser to access your List management settings and will be able to make changes in the default settings or in your initial selections. The changes go into effect when you click the "Submit Your Changes" button -- nothing needs to be changed or restarted on the list server itself. Mailman allows you a good deal of control over who may and may not post to the list. Unlike other mail list managers, Mailman has a built-in archival feature that is easily activated and configured by the list manager. Mailman List Management Guide Mailman List management is not hard. Your administrator will simply need to be comfortable working with putting information into on-line forms. The alternative is a DCN Majordomo List obtained for a small monthly fee from Omsoft in Davis)

What Is A DCN Calendar?

This is a new (as of Jan 2003) opportunity for local nonprofit groups. Groups need to apply to the RAC AND attend a DCN Calendar workshop. This can happen in that order or in the reverse.
The calendar provides a place for an organization to publish its own events on a calendar of its own on the DCN server. Certain of the organization‘s events can be marked to appear on the group‘s calendar AND on a community wide calendar.The management is by web interface.

What Is Web Team Help?

This is provided in several ways. Team leaders and other project participants may contact the Web Team Chair to:
a) ask a specific question
b) arrange to attend a Web Team meeting at which they can ask their questions or talk over their needs with one or more team members.

What Sort Of Training?

DCN can arrange for group training sessions to help you and your colleagues to a) understand the technology that you are planning to use, b) create web pages.
DCN's goal is always to get you started. In this case (training) the goal is the same as for the project program overall; DCN gives you a push start and you race off on your own probably returning to DCN one way or another as you need additional help. Sometimes that help might be on the DCN Web, at other times it will have to be provided personally by a web team member or other DCN volunteer. Questions can always be addressed to the Web Team's resident expert(s) at msmosaic@dcn.davis.ca.us

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Further Information about DCN‘s Projects:

1. Eligible projects are those that:

a) Are of local/regional and beneficial character.

b) Fit DCN goals and objectives.

c) Intend to maintain the same intent and character as when first approved.

d) Involve updating and other activity during each year of hosting.

e) Are of a not for profit nature.

f) Are non–political (i.e. do not endorse a candidate for political office nor a local or national ballot issue.)

2. Sponsored projects involving dialup accounts are normally time limited because they involve administrative time that relies upon paid DCN and Omsoft people. (Direct dialup access without charge can usually be authorized for periods of up to 9 months.)

3. Projects relying on DCN volunteers can be ongoing - these normally involve only shell accounts, Simple Sites, and Mailman lists

4. Ongoing projects are not charged for their accounts so long as the basic criteria set out here are maintained by the site. While DCN is happy to provide free resources to smaller nonprofits, organizations capable of doing so are encouraged to start paying for their resources when their initial project period has ended (generally after 9-12 months)

5. DCN does not edit or censor any community content hosted on its Web site but ongoing projects with Web sites are reviewed annually to make sure that they have the same basic character as when approved and that some activity has been happening on the site. If, when a project comes up for review, some relevant change in intent or character is perceived by the RAC, the content owner will be encouraged to defend the changes.

6. If the ongoing project‘s traffic and bandwidth become an issue the project owners will be notified and some steps might need to be taken to ease the pressure. Perhaps some fee will be needed if traffic and or bandwidth usage are extreme.

7. (501(c)(3) status is not essential but groups must be clearly of a not for profit nature.

8. The RAC can provide a DCN Web Calendar to a political group but not other free resources. Such groups requiring a Mailman List can apply for a List at $5 per month at http://www.dcn.org/dcn/access/services/network.html#lists

9. Server space will be awarded in modest increments as needed but may not normally ever exceed 50MB

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Davis Community Network purposes and goals that relate to this application: (selected extracts)