Hmmm... I appreciate, Birgitt, that you do not like the old postings being shared "beyond this list community." You raise some important questions, about openess, understanding, sharing, heart, list and community.
The archives as they have been are 100% publicly accessible. Anyone can search them without ever saying hello here in a message. They can read everything and anything in the archives without ever reading the FAQs or other context for what they are reading. That's how it's been for years now. This new shift, which the OSI group discussed, which I took responsibility for investigating, and which the Boise State folks implemented directly, somewhat faster and more enthusiastically than I'd expected (otherwise known as "surprise!"), is not really much different from what it had been. Still I understand that this revisits old bad feelings about not knowing what you were posting into in previous years. Sorry be stirring those up now. As it now stands, the current state does allow much easier access for those who would like to learn about OST. Going back to replace the old requirement of subscribing doesn't seem likely to raise the level of community on the list. And, there is no way to know about or change the diffusion of what has years ago been made public. I don't know if there is any sort of search-and-destroy function that could eliminate your postings, but I do know that we would lose an awful lot of learning if we did that and I'm sure there's no way to scrub all our quotings of your messages in our responses. The subscribing/unsubscribing that has been required is a totally anonymous and largely technical process that I'd guess is probably a poor test of anyone's appetite, aptitude or appreciation for the spirit of community here. So willingness to pass the subscription test (different from the 'hello' or really listening test) probably doesn't provide any of us, or all of us, much protection of any kind. The old restriction seems a paper tiger that probably scares people off for all the wrong reasons. So, given that these things have already been sent around the world and publicly and anonymously accessed for many years now, AND as you seem to have some passion for the list, dear Birgitt, I'm wondering if there is some language of welcoming, description, and understanding that could be added by way of introduction to what is written here. Will you write some language that we can post on the website that describes the depth of heart and community and learning and spirit that goes on here on the list. Can you share your sense of this community in the invitation, so that we can continue to open and open and open? If you can get this started, then we can polish it up together, in community here on the list, and I will be glad to post it on teh site as invitation to the OSLIST and its archives. Thanks for bringing this, Michael Birgitt Williams wrote:
Interesting and yet it also feels to me like a violation of my own sense of community. I have posted to the list almost since the beginning. For years, my posts were very personal because I didn't understand about lists and thought the community on the list was a real community for me. And then I learned my assumptions were wrong. I never could get the 'givens' about the list clarified. And now, to know that what I had written from my heart to the list is definitely beyond the list community just doesn't feel good. I have loved this community and a real sense of community. Was the material posted from our hearts ever meant for the world? It is an interesting question. What happens when a community won't (or isn't given the opportunity to work at) sort out the 'givens' for itself so that we know what we are involved in and what we are not? What happens when someone just by a 'switch' can change the parameters. Whatever I contributed over the years was meant for this list. Birgitt -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Michael Herman Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 6:02 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Searchable OSLIST - Need Some Keywords Hello All, For some time now, a number of us have been thinking and talking about how to go about making the wealth of insight and resources buried in the OSLIST archives more available to the larger world out there. Always seemed like so much work to go searching and digesting and organizing. Until now. I have just heard from the folks at Boise State who run the listserve. They tell me that they have thrown the switch and now the wealth of our Archives can be searched by anyone interested in learning about OST, without necessarily joining the list. Simple as that. Btw, I think the credit for this brilliance goes to Garbriel Shirley, specifically, and the OSI-USA Board, generally. What we need now is a list of key words that will help the OSLIST homepage be more quickly discoverable by Google and the other search engines. Please add to this list: Open Space Technology, OSLIST, organization transformation, facilitation, open space, Many thanks, Michael P.S. I don't know what prompted all the capitals here... feels kind of like getting all dressed up! <grin> -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 300 West North Avenue #1105 Chicago IL 60610 USA (312) 280-7838 http://www.michaelherman.com - consulting & publications http://www.globalchicago.net - laboratory & playground http://www.openspaceworld.org - worldwide open space ...inviting organization into movement * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.620 / Virus Database: 399 - Release Date: 3/11/2004 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.620 / Virus Database: 399 - Release Date: 3/11/2004 * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
-- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 300 West North Avenue #1105 Chicago IL 60610 USA (312) 280-7838 http://www.michaelherman.com - consulting & publications http://www.globalchicago.net - laboratory & playground http://www.openspaceworld.org - worldwide open space ...inviting organization into movement * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
