I’ve been thinking about an idea called Community Board Queue, or CBQ.
Community Board Queue could be helpful for laundromats, coffee shops, libraries, community centers, and just about anywhere that has a community bulletin board.
First, I’d like to encourage more places to have community boards in the first place. They’re a simple way for people to share information about local activities, personal hobbies, creative projects, community events, and other things they think their neighbors might find interesting.
But what happens when a community board becomes popular?
There’s only so much physical space available. If more people want to post flyers, cards, or artwork than the board can accommodate, some people might never get an opportunity.
That’s where Community Board Queue comes in.
How Would It Work?
Imagine that a coffee shop has a community board with room for 20 flyers.
The coffee shop could have a page on its website where people sign up to reserve space on that board for a future week or month. When someone’s scheduled display period ends, their flyer comes down and the next person’s flyer goes up.
People could see when spaces are available and join a waiting list.
Each participating location would determine its own rules, including:
- How many posting spaces are available.
- Whether reservations last a week, a month, or another period.
- How people submit or physically install their flyers.
- What kinds of material are appropriate for the board.
- How to give newcomers and repeat participants fair opportunities.
There could also be a way for people who don’t use the internet to participate.
Encouraging Community Boards Everywhere
The larger idea isn’t just about managing crowded bulletin boards. It’s about encouraging more places to make space for people to share their interests and ideas.
Maybe someone has designed a new board game. Someone else has started a neighborhood gardening project. Another person has created artwork, organized a local discussion group, or simply wants to introduce others to an interesting hobby.
A physical community board can help people discover things happening around them that they might never encounter online.
An Idea for Independent Adoption
I imagine CBQ as something individual locations could adopt voluntarily and adapt to their circumstances.
It wouldn’t need to be a centralized service or a commercial operation. A location might implement a simple reservation calendar on its existing website.
I’m introducing Community Board Queue as a new idea under JR24JENSEN, and I may develop the concept further over time.
Explore the idea: Community Board Queue in the Ideas section of JR24JENSEN.