Think Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other Internet-based social networking sites can't get people in West Michigan to take action offline in the real world? Think again.
Watch for a riot of colors on Calder Plaza in Grand Rapids at 4 p.m. Friday. If Google Fiber for Grand Rapids Flash Mob's effort is successful, thousands of Grand Rapidians decked out in bright blues, greens, reds, and yellows (Google colors) will gather to show their passion and support for the city as one of the testing grounds for Google's uber-high speed broadband networks.
And citizens of Holland are trying to mobilize on Saturday to persuade Google to select their community, albeit on a smaller scale. "I'd definitely say that we are a little late in the game," says Mark Pyk, 26, a Holland resident who is using his blog, West Michigan Business Blog, as a way to garner support for the project. "But we are now getting some good support from the Holland BPW (Board of Public Works), and we've got some things going." Pyk and others are organizing a FiberTown Fest Nomination Party from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at New Holland Brewing Company at 66 E. 8th Street.
But win, lose or draw in the competition for the Google broadband project , metro Grand Rapids still comes away with something valuable, says Peter Brand, spokesperson and a main organizer of Google Fiber for Grand Rapids.
Thrown together in only a couple of weeks, the Google fiber effort in Grand Rapids shows how quickly a small group of individuals can use social media to mobilize thousands of people to respond constructively to a situation, Brand says. Friday's turnout will indicate how many people heed a call to action beyond a simple click of a mouse, he says, but it appears "we've just created a new model (of communication) that can be implemented for any cause."
And Brand and his colleagues have an additional call to action: party hearty. "We are in communication with all the (downtown) bars and restaurants so they can benefit from this as well," Brand says. The group hopes people don't just "come down and show support for Google project, then just hop in their cars and drive back to the suburbs. We want to keep it downtown and have people enjoy it."
Fierce Competition
Several hundred municipalities across the nation are vying for the Google broadband project, which plans to deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. Google says it will install fiber optics-to-the-home network on its own dime in one or more select communities and offer the service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people. Interested municipalities have until March 26 to provide Google with information about their communities, which Google will use to determine where to build its network. The Internet giant is expected to select the community by the end of the year.
Some cities are definitely ahead of others in the race. If fans on Facebook count as a metric for community support, Google Fiber for GR's Facebook fan page boasts more than 28,000 fans as of Monday and may very well be the largest of its kind in the country. Holland had about 1,088 fans on its Take Me to FiberTown page. By contrast, Facebook fan pages for Huntsville, Ala. Columbia, Mo., and Sarasota, Fla. had 6,600, 5,500, and 4,750 fans, respectively. The buzz is making headlines in a multitude of media, including creative business magazine, Fast Company (which, by the way, mentions Grand Rapids).
All is not chatter and static. The local Facebook group, started and supported by Nick Kuzmin and Aaron Brander of Mindscape at Hanon-McKendry along with other admins and supporters, is really getting people involved. Fans are uploading videos, radio broadcasts and links to websites, all in the spirit of sharing their passion to show Google that GR is the perfect place for its experiment.
"Articles have been written about how challenging it is to take social media and encourage people to be active offline," says Brand, 40, co-founder of Mindscape and a lifelong Grand Rapids resident. "Some say that people hide behind their computers, that people say they're going to do something and then don't get out and take action.
"I think there's a way through engagement and through providing information to people to get them motivated and inspired to get out into the real world and actually show their support for something. I believe that is what we're going to show on Friday."
Pyk hopes the Saturday FiberTown Fest event he is helping to organize with his neighbor, Tom Pietri, will start to turn the tide Holland's way. Pietri designed a poster that exclaims "Help Pull Holland Into the Lead!" and the men are banking on attendees to do just that by nominating Holland on laptops provided at the fest.
"My doctor told me I needed more fiber, this seems like a nicer way to get it!"
--Mary Ellis, Google Fiber for GR Facebook Fan
Google's fiber-optic network offers enormous possibilities. For example, doctors thousands of miles apart could discuss a patient's condition as streaming 3-D medical imaging is broadcast over the web. Downloading a high-definition, full-length feature film would take less than five minutes. And collaborating with classmates around the world while watching a live 3-D video of a university lecture would enrich the ways in which we learn.
But not just any community will do. Google wants a community in which the fiber optic network will have a significant impact on the residents. Grand Rapids says it fits the bill, considering the way Michigan has been so hard hit by the economy the past few years. And Google fiber will provide the city with a competitive advantage over other communities around the U.S.
To complete the company's Request for Information, Google Fiber for Grand Rapids is collaborating with other local groups, city leaders, movers and shakers, and social networking gurus to collect demographics and other information about GR. Google wants to know who owns and controls utility poles, what construction methods are used, and about any regulatory issues, among other things.
"That tells me that Google wants to make sure that there is no bureaucracy or red tape to cut through once they begin the experiment," Brand says. "So I believe that it's critical that we show them we have everyone on board, from business leaders to elected officials, including the governor."
"In the past, cities grew because of their access to passes and trade routes, sheltered harbors, and access to natural resources. Future growth depends on access to fast, reliable data transfer. We need this!" --Alex Vandertol, Google Fiber for GR Facebook Fan
Brand and others believe Grand Rapids is the perfect Petri dish for the experiment. As West Michigan continues to shift from a manufacturing-based economy to one of technology, health sciences, filmmaking, and alternative energy, Google fiber will help stimulate growth in these industries, support the higher education needed to develop a highly skilled workforce, and provide a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining talent.
Brand says that Google wants to make a quick and efficient implementation in the chosen city and that another thing in Grand Rapids' favor is the city's existing fiber network that has never been run to residents' homes.
Community support is another criterion Google is considering. If the passion and enthusiasm expressed on Google Fiber for GR's fan page is any indication, Grand Rapids has support in spades.
"That's why we've been working so hard to get all of the leaders of the community on video and signing letters of support for this," says Brand. "It is amazing the progress that we've made and the high volume of the videos and letters that we've had in the short time that the fan page has been up."
"Google Fiber would be a total game changer not only for Grand Rapids but for the Michigan Film Incentive!" --John Pelligrini, Google Fiber for GR Facebook Fan
Beyond the obvious benefits, an affordable fiber-optic network would help bridge the digital divide much faster than existing broadband.
A 2007 study by the Brookings Institution and MIT estimated that a one-digit increase in U.S. per-capita broadband penetration--the number of people who have high-speed Internet--equates to an additional 300,000 jobs. If our broadband penetration were as high as a country like Denmark's, we could expect approximately 3.7 million additional U.S. jobs.
Since 2001, according to the International Telecommunications Union, the United States has fallen from fifth to 22nd place in the world in broadband adoption. Countries in Asia and Europe have greater broadband penetration, and enjoy faster speeds at lower prices.
Indeed, as Grand Rapids works to complete the RFI, we're learning much about the probable costs and work of installing fiber, just how badly residents, businesses and those lacking basic access want it, and how ready we are to take Internet access to the next level.
Meanwhile, Brand encourages people to join the fan page and tell Google how they feel about Google fiber coming to Grand Rapids and what benefits they would realize.
"We want Google to understand the passion and the love that the people of GR have for this city," he says. "If Google sees that and understands that they will significantly help us grow in the right direction, given the economic woes that we've had, I don't see how they cannot choose us."
Nominate Grand Rapids or Holland for the Google project here.
Victoria Mullen is (in alphabetical order) an actress, artist, attorney, photographer, and writer based in Grand Rapids. She is originally from Milwaukee, Wis. Matthew Gryczan is the managing editor of Rapid Growth.
Photos:
Peter Brand, spokesperson and a main organizer of Google Fiber for Grand Rapids (3)
Photographs by Brian Kelly -All Rights Reserved