The community networker's oath

Technology can be a powerful tool for change, and growing numbers of consultants and researchers are offering studies or solutions to local communities looking for social and economic benefits. But how can groups, who may be unfamiliar with technology, be sure those intervening in their lives are thinking about long-term benefits and not just how to do the immediate job and move on?
This was one of the issues for those at last week's community networking conference in Brighton, and workshop facilitator Richard Cupidi came up with a neat way of developing guidelines. He reasoned that doctors have a duty of care to their patients, first set down in the Hippocratic Oath**. So why not create the Community Networker's Oath? Workshop participants responded to the challenge, and you can see the results on the conference wiki. Here's one example:
1. I/We shall not attempt to patent, copyright or otherwise own the knowledge gained
2. I/We will engage my ears before putting my mouth in gear
3. I/We will honestly and candidly explain my purpose before undertaking research
4. I/We will not be driven purely by academic advancement, grant funding or commercial exploitation
On the wider question that I raised earlier of whether the researchers present were going to be looking forward to new models or not, there was a great spread, with a commitment to putting papers on the conference wiki, over the next week or two, with a chance to add and comment. Pretty forward looking, I think.
More here about Community Network Analysis and ICTs: Bridging and Building Community Ties, the Brighton and Hove-based project that staged the conference, and which Richard is working on.
**Here's a translation of the original Hippocratic Oath, and a modern version.