Diversity & Inclusion
COVID-19 / Technology

Tell us: Who’s building technology for the common good, and is it working?

In May 2021 — Tech for the Common Good Month of our editorial calendar — look for check-ins on early-pandemic data projects, profiles of technologists working in civic tech, stories on social entrepreneurship trends and more.

Jefferson Health workers at a COVID-19 mobile testing site in April 2020. (Photo via twitter.com/TJUHospital)

This editorial article is a part of Tech for the Common Good Month of Technical.ly's editorial calendar. This month’s theme is underwritten by Verizon 5G. This story was independently reported and not reviewed by Verizon before publication.

In Technical.ly’s past dozen years of reporting on technology communities, we’ve long noted the helpers — people using their expertise to advance some social good. And over the past year, especially, folks from all industries have stepped up to support those in need while simultaneously navigating blows to their own normal.

May’s editorial calendar theme, Tech for the Common Good, focuses on the ways local technologists are bringing the benefits of technology to more people. You can expect extra stories on community-minded tech development, digital access issues, the ethics of advanced technology and the like. Think of it as the intersection of our Software Development and Access reporting categories.

In our reporting this month, look, too, for check-ins on early-pandemic open data projects (especially those featured in Healthcare Technologies Month of April 2020), profiles of technologists working in civic tech or local government, features on companies developing products to advance a social mission, and stories on social entrepreneurship trends.

We’ll be asking: How can technologists best work alongside communities to roll out new technologies that benefit them? What policies are being discussed to increase digital access to more people? And, specifically related to last year’s many COVID-19 data and PPE pop-up projects: One year later, what did creators learn, and what would advice would they give to others looking to help in the next crisis? Did their work make a difference? And what was it like to build something out of timely necessity in extreme circumstances vs. for general use?

Some related stories we’ve published recently:

Are you an expert we should talk to, or do you know of one? Is there a report we need to read to better explain this topic? Want to write a first-person guest post about your relevant experience, or to share some relevant resources? Let us know:

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Series: Tech for the Common Good Month 2021 / Coronavirus
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