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ZeeWire
Posts:2
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| 12/01/2006 4:40 PM |
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Hi everyone,
Great idea, I just heard about it in the NPR podcast. I did not have much time to check out the project, but I will certainly do so whenever I get a minute.
Since I'm a professional Design director/illustrator by trade, I might be able to help with some of graphics you may need to pull this off. I don't have much free time to my disposal, but I'll try to help in some way.
So in the meantime,(in case you don't have one already) you could start compiling a list of some of the concepts/ideas that might be in need some graphics to help readers visualize a particular concept or something.
This will help other designers in the future, to concentrate their collaborations in any of those areas that the community feels are in need.
Best of luck!
Angel |
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1ofus
Posts:103
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| 12/01/2006 4:53 PM |
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ZeeWire,
You are an Angel! I am sure you will soon hear from someone in the team with clearer ideas. Your offer is very generous and timely.
Thank you in the name of the whole community
Lilly |
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ZeeWire
Posts:2
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| 12/11/2006 1:33 AM |
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From the level of activity in this forum and the fact that my open offer and request for a compilation of concepts went basically unnoticed ( besides 1ofus reply) , it seems you have a long way ahead to get this project on their way.
The first thing a successful online community needs is involvement, but all I see here is a lot of bureaucracy and policy making instead of concentrating on the actual task of writing the book. By the looks of it, it seems that there are alot of good people here, with good intentions but all this corporate frame of mind is just getting on their way and scaring new prospects like me away.
By the length on some of the posts I've seem, you could already make a book out of the postings on this forums, if everyone concentrated their efforts there instead of here it would be another story.
May be the cause of lack of real involvement is trying to tell the community what to do, instead of letting it the community flow and evolve out of its own accord.
As a newcomer, all this makes it look that the project's goal is to see how much can you guide a community to serve a particular goal. This approach might scare more people away than attract it, as it would basically mean that you want to create a workforce instead of a open community. I guess that why I like Wikipedia's approach better, people can just go there and do whatever they want, whenever they want, about any topic they like; no restrictions, if someone does not like it, it can be discussed but that's about it.
I wish you the best with your project.
Angel
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joe_flum
Posts:151
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| 12/12/2006 2:11 PM |
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Angel,
I would agree with the majority of your comments. One of the things that I've noticed is that in this case the "academic" mindset still has a long way to go in order to understand the basic underlying difference of community versus individual production. I see it as being more about providing the right opportunities so that those key moments of inspiration can be captured and agregated upon by others. What we see now, is that a lot of people simply do not find the right outlet for their creative energies. This leads to frustration and as I noted in the tone of your post, the desire to abandon the project all together.
All I can say, is that this community is not perfect, we are all learning how to make the most of the experience. Right now though, we find ourselves in a very early stage, where certain structural factors and dynamics we unfortunately not considered (or were perhaps unknown at the time). What we are seeing now, is an honest attempt at correcting these short comings.
While in the end, it's your decision whether to continue with the project or not. I would suggest checking back whenever you have the chance. Perhaps right now, the site isn't meeting your expectations, but (assuming we work hard towards it) in the near future, I personally hope to see major changes being taken to create exactly the type of environment that you refer to in your comment about Wikipedia.
The other alternative (and the one I hope you explore), is to take an active role in helping the project get over these speed bumbs. I believe that the best type of leadership is leading through example. And one way to get the community out of the corporate, top-down mindeset, is to actually show how bottom-up works.
from one member to another, I wish you the best as well ;)
Joe |
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1ofus
Posts:103
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| 12/13/2006 5:55 AM |
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I am struck by Angel saying:
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I wish you the best with your project.
end quote
If people who join with intent to participate get the feel very quickly that this is not their project, then there is NO COMMUNITY and there is NO BOOK!
I realise also that my own enthusiasm has flagged significantly. The space feels in a limbo. Lots of ideas and offers are made, suggestions posted, alternative site with different functionality piloted, yet no real change appears here.
I see no evidence of any community managers presence. Chapters still languish in their initial order and presentation. There are but a hanful of significant contributions to the chapter content. As they stand, I am still lost as to the REAL FOCUS and FLOW of the book.
I believe that this friday meeting is critical for the future of the project.
Hence, we need to know WHEN it will HAPPEN and WHAT DECISIONS are expected to be MADE.
I am an action person. Like many here, I am also busy. While really excited about the potential, I see it ebbing away at alarming rate.
Let us show that WE REALLY ARE SMARTER than I.
Lilly
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