Here are the stories of some fictional users and the way they might use DissConnected.

We invite you to add a comment at the end, and especially to imagine some new fictional users of your own.

Gran Older Woman	Mr. & Mrs. B    Busy Parents	Gemma   Schoolgirl	Jen   Cafe manager	Frank   odd job man

 Thanks to Oli Sylvester-Bradley for the cartoons.

Gran

Gran is in her 70's, still healthy and able, but not as fit and active as she once was, and living on a small pension.

What she gives:  Gran loves to cook, and so is part of the DissConnected food group which she helps to organise. She regularly offers soups and sometimes portions of stews or casseroles to people as part of the FREE eXchange. So much better for them than instant supermarket meals, she thinks. She has had her kitchen checked by Health and Safety for this (a short easy visit), and also sells some food as part of the PAID eXchange, (her famous cakes, especially) to earn modest amounts of money. She sometimes does ironing for people. Mostly she deals with people she knows or friends of friends.

What she receives: She gets a weekly lift to visit her granddaughter, and weekly collections of food from each of the local farmers' markets. She feels she gets better, local food this way, and it is quite cheap.  Once she had a young woman come to help her set up her new TV and DVD player and show her how to use them.

Social: She enjoys going to the regular DissConnected social events in the Corn Hall, and contributes one of her special casseroles. She voices her opinions in the discussions of how DissConnected is run, and so feels she is more in control of her life. She also enjoys the contact with the people she gives to and receives from, as her social life is rather limited otherwise.

Mr. and Mrs. B

Mr. and Mrs. B both work full time. He is an accountant and she is a social worker. They struggle to balance work and care for their 8 year old daughter.

What they give: Both are quite capable computer users, and in the evenings spend the occasional hour putting up the regular listings for some of the farmers' market people who don't use computers. She is part of the Mediation and Conflict Resolution group, and has had a case referred to her where someone thought they had been overcharged. Her good listening skills and tact enabled her to find a solution that both parties accepted. Without her, the only solution would have been to go to court, which would have been way over the top. They have contributed some old furniture to the Goods exchange as well as their daughters clothes as she outgrows them.

What they receive: They have had occasional free meals from Gran, but more often buy from her, as they don't often have time to cook a good meal. Their daughter gets a lift to her weekly drama class. They found someone who had good recommendations on DissConnected to do house cleaning every few weeks. They have received children's clothing from the Goods exchange, but they especially love that sculpture they have had for nearly 3 months from the virtual library. Nearly time to give it on to the next person now.

Social: Through the events listings on DissConnected they have found a tango group which has become their passion. How else would they have found that, they wonder? They are active in the online discussions of community issues and governance of DissConnected.

Gemma

Gemma is a high school student with a year to go before she hopes to go on to university. She loves music and dancing, and is passionate about the environment.

What she gives: As with everyone her age, computers come naturally to her, although she has no technical expertise. She is part of the Technical Help group and is regularly on call for several people to sort out problems that are simple to her but not to them. Mostly she does this on the telephone, but sometimes goes to their homes. She helped Gran set up her DVD and new TV. She does some of this as her contribution to the FREE eXchange but also sometimes gets paid, by some businesses who would otherwise have to pay expensive professionals. She also is part of the Childcare group and has done babysitting for the B's.

What she receives: She is a regular user of the Virtual Library, getting CDs and DVDs she likes. She has convinced her parents to buy more local food, and gets some from the FREE eXchange, as part of her concern for the environment. Often she goes to parties organised through DissConnected and gets lifts to them from the Transport group, usually with a group of friends to save on fuel costs.

Social: She enjoys the young people's parties and helps organise them through DissConnected. By helping a little with the organisation of DissConnected, she feels that she is part of a new social movement that will help bring sustainable living to her community.

 

Jen

Jen runs a local café, that uses local organic ingredients as much as possible. She is known for her friendly service, delicious food, and passion for cooking: the kind of business we all love.

What she gives: Through DissConnected, Jen has attracted more customers, such as Frank who come regularly. She often has special dishes or desserts put aside for them. She provides a monthly free meal as a promotional offer to a person who is an active volunteer in DissConnected which gets publicised. She has started a takeaway service, targetted at members, and uses the transport group for deliveries.

What she gets: Through the food group of DissConnected she has found several new sources of good local ingredients and two local cooks who provide dishes for her to serve. One of them also works part-time for her in the café. She has increased the number of regular customers, so her business is now much more viable.

Social: Jen's café is a regular venue for some of the smaller DissConnected social events, where she provides the food. Through DissConnected, she has become much more a part of the community, blurring the distinction between work and play.

Frank

Frank is a musician and has had various jobs, but has no full time job at present. He owns a van and is very willing to do odd jobs and help out. The DissConnected eXchange is a lifeline for him, enabling him to earn money and make his limited money go much further.

What he gives: Frank makes good use of his van for DissConnected. He makes weekly trips to the nearby Farmers' Markets, and delivers food to other members, as well as helping people move bulky items. He does odd jobs for members, such as gardening and help with car servicing, when they come up. Some of this he does for free, to balance what he receives for free, but some is paid work. He has joined a band and plays gigs, some for free and some for pay.

What he gets: He hates to cook, and so frequently gets cooked meals from other members. He has had furniture and much else from the free goods exchange.

Social: Frank goes to a lot of the DissConnected social events, and is often one of the entertainers. He has made a lot of friends, especially musicians, through them.