How to have online discussions with other group members...
If you receive this message, it is a continuation of the email i sent
earlier. There are a couple different rules to start with, and so I
want to take some time to introduce the concept here if it is
unfamiliar.
You are now a part of a 'Group' called 'Technology + Communications'.
It's like a listserv, but is very different in important ways. Namely,
it records a conversation that might happen in a work group listserv,
but instead of doing this using emails, it actually adds content to the
website. What this means is that this conversation will be available /
accessible on our website.
We are working in what is called a 'Forum'. A 'Forum' is a list of
conversations that revolve around a given category or subject.
Scroll down and look on the left-hand side of this page for the
menu-box called 'Members'. If you do not see it, it is because you
haven't renewed your membership. If you look down on that list, you
will see 'Forums' and under it 'Create a new Forum Discussion'. If you
click on 'Forums' it will take you to a list of forums, and if you
click the 'Technology' forum, you will see this and any other
discussions that have occurred here.
If you click to 'Create a new Forum Discussion', you will be sent to a
page where you should be able to enter your own forum discussion.
What you are reading here is a 'Forum Discussion' I just started called
'How to have online discussions with other group members...'.
Because you are members of the Technology + Communications workgroup,
you will be able to see and comment on Forums that other people make
and earmark for the Technology + Communications 'Group'. To comment,
click the 'comment' button. You can comment on the post itself or on
other people's comments. In this way we can keep track of
conversations that happen in this space.
If you want to create a new 'Forum topic' (conversation) select the
'Create a new Forum Discussion' menu link, and start writing away.
Once you write the body of your forum, scroll down and you will see a
place where you can select the 'Technology + Communications' group from
a list of 'Groups'. Don't forget to select it.
So here is your homework: either...
1) comment to this forum or
2) create a new forum discussion
answering the following question:
If ROOTS came to you and asked for advise on the topic of Technology or Communications, what advise would you give?
You can also post questions about how to use this tool as a 'comment'.
This is a democracy folks. It doesn't work if you don't respond.
Thanks!
Image collaboration
A couple of rooters and i are collaborating online on a piece that will involve spoken text and a powerpoint. Google docs is working just fine for the text portion, but Google Presentation won't let me drop images into it. I'd like to find a place to simply share images that we scavenge from the web and elsewhere. So far I've looked at Picasa (requires a software download), Flickr (requires everyone to set up accounts, but seems to work) and Facebook (I don't think anyone can add images but me). Any of you out there have any thoughts on image collaboration?
Advice to ROOTS on technology
If ROOTS came to you and asked for advise on the topic of Technology or Communications, what advise would you give?
Asking me advice implies some expertise on my part. I have some ideas; but, I am really in this work group for hoped-for professional development on the subject. So being in a listening mode is where I'm at. In fact, a little bird told me that technology needs to be moving (with all of its social networking potential) towards fostering listening to its stakeholders rather than "yelling" (i.e. e-blasts). I think the current system that Ana has hatched is dynamic and amazing for this "listening" potential. But I would love to hear from folks what "listening" really could mean with this technology.
We each have own zone/space and we each have the potential to blog/forum and "pay attention" to much goings-ons among ROOTERS.
I have a couple of questions/suggestions:
1. What would it mean to feature/profile, on some rotating basis, the projects and organizations of ROOTS members somewhere on the site really explicitly? Making this work personal, vivid (with embedded images and video) and featuring exemplars of some discipline, methodology, issue or effectiveness. This featured artist/issue could then be a focal point for dialogue and wisdom sharing in exchange for being highlighted on the ROOTS site for a period of time. Choosing folks to be featured could be based on nominations or friendly competition based on proposals.
2. I wonder if a calendar of trainings and "studios" could be featured or promoted explicitly on the site. Maybe even putting into motion partnerships, training exchanges and skill sharing in regions or rhizomes. Maybe this is already possible with the "calendar" feature.
3. is there a place for sending out funding alerts to ROOTS members? Or is this taking away focus from the re-granting mission of ROOTS itself?
4. I hope the "presenting" curriculum will be available on the site: What Hope and Sage and others are developing. I wonder what other "curricula" could be made available on the site.
5. How can the site connect us to potential research; a kind of portal to important studies, essays, criticism, books, websites, etc.
6. As I write this stuff, I see that a lot of this potential already is on the site -- links, bibliographies etc. BUT another thought: would the use of wiki technology make sense for creating a collaborative space for certain topics, technology skills, profiles or otherwise? Blogs do a similar thing; but a wiki space would be a group collaborative space with one final draft (or on-going draft) on a subject contributed by multiple users -- potential for embedded video, layout, images and text -- "Innovations in Hip Hop Theatre movement" or "Theatre of the Oppressed after Boal." A way of engaging users to contribute what they know and what the rest us should know about a given topic, movement/trends and exemplars.
Just a first try to here. Back to listening.
Best,
Brian Francoise
410.925.1738
The Question
If ROOTS came to you and asked for advise on the topic of Technology or Communications, what advise would you give?
I would say it would be good to offer a workshop or course in the use of social networking to collaborate and communicate for ROOTS members, including GOOGLE, Facebook, Twitter and preferred artists internet video sites.
The basic how-to's in getting the most out of these sites for creating and collaborating on documents, images, video and communication.
Thanks,
Bailey
Bailey Barash
I agree with you, Bailey. I
I agree with you, Bailey. I think you could make a very good contribution to such a workshop (in terms of video), as could I, as could Stephen and Laura, as could Ana, as could a number of others who are very actively learning about social media - as could some guests we could bring.
I have wanted to do this for a long time - and was trying to do it in little pieces on the listserv when I was technology chair - but I didn't have the time to put into it that I would like. Also, there are some resources written by TechSoup and others for nonprofits in technology, and I suspect for artists in technology too - we don't have to completely reinvent the wheel here.
-katherine
oops, that was me - Kathy
oops, that was me - Kathy Mancuso - I didn't realize it would let me post or view here without being logged in. Sorry about that!
Katherine Mancuso: crusader of community art, social technology, & disability
current crusades: http://muse.dreamwidth.org : http://twitter.com/musingvirtual
Using the forum technology
Here’s my experience using the forum technology:
For me the Member box doesn’t appear unless I log in. Under Membership I see Workgroup Posts, and in the Members box I see Forums and Groups.
From Membership / Workgroup Posts I can post a comment on “Technology & Communications” or the topics “ROOTS Technology Work Group” or “How to have online discussions with other group members...” From Members / Groups I can see these same topics, but not “Technology & Communications”. From Members / Forums I also see these same subtopics plus “Forum Permissions for RSC”, or I can start a new topic under Website Ideas, or I can post a new Forum Topic.
So I suppose my advice would be for us to think about how to clarify the differences between Group, Workgroup and Forum. I think that might be a source of confusion for some. And perhaps also to make clear when you’re actually in the forum, and where in the hierarchy you are.
Chip
just to be clear...
you can view the Forums from the membership area (so that non-members can read and see what roots is up to) or from the 'Members' menu item, which is a menu item that is exclusively for ROOTS members, and gives you the ability to post to a discussion.
the difference between forums, groups, and workgroups...
excellent observations, chip!
based on your observations, i made some changes to make things easier:
0) you do need to be logged in to see the 'Members' menu item, and to post forum discussions and comments. the reason for that is that otherwise your posts and comments would be anonymous - which would not be helpful.
1) a forum is the space in which discussions happen. it is the tool we are using to create and record those discussions. forums are broken down into categories. the category that we are using to have this discussion is the 'Technology + Communications' category (i changed the name from saying just 'Technology' to now having the full name).
2) i have simplified the list of categories for forum so that the 'Workgroup' one is gone. i think it makes it clearer. each forum category can either be a workgroup like 'Development' or 'Technology + Communications' or it can be a broader area of interest for the organization like 'Honoring Boal'.
3) a 'forum topic' or 'forum discussion' is a single conversation that is started within any of the categories by someone posting something. when click to create a new discussion you will be prompted to choose a category (like a container) that the forum discussion would happen inside of.
4) the difference between a 'Group' and a forum category is simple. while a 'forum category' signifies a general heading or container to house other conversations and discussions, a 'Group' is a list of names that get an email notification when their 'Group' is selected in the process of creating a discussion.
the best way to learn this is by creating a new Forum Discussion, and seeing for yourself how it works.
the only 'Group' that will appear in the list of Groups when you post a forum discussion are the ones that you belong to. right now, most of you only belong to this groups, and so that is all that you will see. if you want to join another group, click on the 'Groups' menu item in the 'Member' menu, and you will see a list of groups that you can join. To 'Join' a group, click 'Join' next to any of those groups!
please continue to let me know when things are confusing. i want us to all feel comfortable using this tool.