Hi Wendy, I'll speak from my experience, but I look forward to sharing what arises from the collective wisdom at the June workshop related to your questions.
As for web-based tools, I have grown fond of Basecamp, which includes easy email routing and file-sharing along with weblog-type posting and commenting on which anyone in the group can post messages. It's not free but it's cheap and it's ad-free. I have used it with "Initiative" groups that come out of an OST, but I've not yet used it as a follow-up tool offered to the whole group (which requires the step of enrolling everyone who wants access to the basecamp site). I also pay close attention to Michael Herman and others with lots of OST-online-collaboration experience when they post to the OSLIST about it. I say "offered to" because I do not believe in a single-method approach to follow up. I see it as the OST sponsoring team and facilitator's responsibility to provide a book of proceedings with contact information to each participnt in whatever form he/she prefers - hard copy, email, or web-based. So as for the digital divide, I always remember that whether and how any work is carried forward is up to each participant ~ the sponsoring team takes leadership for follow-up SUPPORT in an open invitational and inclusive way. My way of doing action planning results in "initiative groups" which each have a "champion" or co-champions. I invite the champions to convene follow-up work in whatever way they choose. If they meet in cafes and communicate by phone or in person, beautiful. In my vision of an ongoing OST learning (& action) community, when the time for the next OST meeting approaches, the sponsoring team, in its invitational role, invites everyone who participated in the last event to share any progress in initiative work by funneling reports & updates to the primary web-based collaboration site, and inviting everyone to go and have a look prior to the next OST meeting so that the shared knowledge-base expands and deepens and the work in the face-2-face OST can kick-in in a higher gear. I am sure that this process of knowledge-transfer prior to an OST can be done in many elegant self-organizing ways and that a sponsoring team can become skilled at facilitating this in a way that reaches as many and as diverse a community as possible. The more I explore these ideas the more I see the value of conscious facilitation of the formation and evolution of sponsoring teams. Through their leadership, things can really get cooking and stay cooking. Chris -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu]On Behalf Of Wendy Farmer-O'Neil Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 3:51 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: Immigration OST Chris wrote: >They take leadership in opening space through community OST meetings, with well-crafted action-planning components, and also in ensuring that ongoing web-based collaboration tools are in place and maintained. The sponsoring teams also take leadership in keeping the invitation flowing, or you might say "sustaining diversity."< Chris, Could you talk a bit more about the web-based collaboration tools you are using? How are you addressing digital divide/access issues? I am doing work in my community fostering ongoing OS-based dialogue circles dealing with sustainability, social justice, community economic development, grassroots action, etc. I have found that there is a sector of the group with passion for these issues who are intentional non-internet/non-technology users. Have you encountered this? If yes, what strategies are working for you in keeping these folks in the flow? Thanks, Wendy -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Chris Weaver Sent: May 18, 2006 12:32 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: Immigration OST * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
