Blacksburg Electronic Village
Encyclopedia
The Blacksburg Electronic Village or BEV was conceived as a project of Virginia Tech
in 1991 and officially born in 1993. The goal of the project was to develop an online community linking the entire town. Extensive outside research had been done by sociologists
and computer scientist
s on this project. It has been noted as one of the most important assets that Blacksburg
has besides Virginia Tech itself.
In 1995, around 30,000 out of the 70,000 residents had access to the Internet
. Two-thirds of users used the university's web server
s. That means that approximately 42.86% of the town's population was on the World Wide Web
. The BEV was so thoroughly integrated in the Blacksburg community, that in 1998, the town was chosen by Guinness World Records
as the "Most Wired Community." If it were not for the BEV, it would be doubtful that the town could have achieved such a record.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
in 1991 and officially born in 1993. The goal of the project was to develop an online community linking the entire town. Extensive outside research had been done by sociologists
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
s on this project. It has been noted as one of the most important assets that Blacksburg
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
has besides Virginia Tech itself.
In 1995, around 30,000 out of the 70,000 residents had access to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Two-thirds of users used the university's web server
Web server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
s. That means that approximately 42.86% of the town's population was on the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
. The BEV was so thoroughly integrated in the Blacksburg community, that in 1998, the town was chosen by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the "Most Wired Community." If it were not for the BEV, it would be doubtful that the town could have achieved such a record.