Online House Hunter: Homes for the info-poor | Alan Cleaver | Independent Property Blogs

Online House Hunter: Homes for the info-poor | Alan Cleaver | Independent Property Blogs

WE’RE slowly drawing to the end of another year and myself and many other people are beginning to look back on the last 12 months and note the significant developments that have occurred. But don’t worry, I’m not going to depress you even more with statistics about the economy and the housing market in particular.

Rather, I was inspired by the blog of David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation who wrote: “We have now reached the point where being unable to access the internet is like having a very large door slammed and locked in your face.”. He headlines his blog, Digital Access – The Fourth Utility? He’s absolutely right of course. The internet has become as vital as electricity, gas or water. Was it really only 16 years ago that I had to phone a dial-up service in Birmingham, Oxford or London to access the net?!

David’s emphasis is on those in social housing who are excluded from Digital Britain. But it applies to anyone who does not have internet access, does not have the skills to access the net or is not motivated to join the strange virtual society Tim Berners-Lee created.......