Comments on: Collaboration: more than just “serial partial attention” http://many2many.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/collaboration-more-than-partial-attention/ Ways of sharing news and views Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:34:44 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: bentrem http://many2many.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/collaboration-more-than-partial-attention/#comment-39 bentrem Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:34:44 +0000 http://many2many.wordpress.com/?p=12#comment-39 @motownmutt Greetings and salutation! The way I describe it at a high level is that right now we're "tool oriented"; we get a new technique or a new method and proceed to use that wacking everything in sight. (When I started web-logging, 1995, I had a clear purpose and aim in mind. The documents I laid out back then were very much like what someone might create with something like ClipMarks today, except better because each entry included a slab of text describing how the site related to my group's work ... rather than what's more typical today, along the line of "This is a really neat site". *grin*) Without meaning to be critical, "to find the overall driving purpose" is where I was at in 1975. The driving purpose was painfully clear to me: civic discourse that would secure the democratic nature of our community. It explicated itself in detail to me because ... well ... because I'm a technical communicator by nature. So, that's what drives me. But what motivates me viscerally is how hundreds of thousands of people on hundreds of thousands of forums and discussion sites are burning up tens of millions of hours producing far more heat than light ... if that doesn't discourage folk and dissuade them from participation I don't know what would. Also: have you looked into OpenAccess? To over-simplify: we should have full access to the products of publically funded research! cheers @motownmutt Greetings and salutation!

The way I describe it at a high level is that right now we’re “tool oriented”; we get a new technique or a new method and proceed to use that wacking everything in sight. (When I started web-logging, 1995, I had a clear purpose and aim in mind. The documents I laid out back then were very much like what someone might create with something like ClipMarks today, except better because each entry included a slab of text describing how the site related to my group’s work … rather than what’s more typical today, along the line of “This is a really neat site”. *grin*)

Without meaning to be critical, “to find the overall driving purpose” is where I was at in 1975. The driving purpose was painfully clear to me: civic discourse that would secure the democratic nature of our community. It explicated itself in detail to me because … well … because I’m a technical communicator by nature. So, that’s what drives me.

But what motivates me viscerally is how hundreds of thousands of people on hundreds of thousands of forums and discussion sites are burning up tens of millions of hours producing far more heat than light … if that doesn’t discourage folk and dissuade them from participation I don’t know what would.

Also: have you looked into OpenAccess? To over-simplify: we should have full access to the products of publically funded research!

cheers

]]> By: motownmutt http://many2many.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/collaboration-more-than-partial-attention/#comment-38 motownmutt Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:35:05 +0000 http://many2many.wordpress.com/?p=12#comment-38 Well put! I think you nailed something. There's been recent discussion of "I'd like it all to be on my blog", which I also agree with, in part. You bring up the larger point of, if it's collaboration, "the same page", is what we should all be on. And, while I may tweet like it, I'm not on crack. I think I'm struggling to find the compelling overall driving purpose that all of this fits into somehow. Thanks for bearing with me, while I figure that part out. Well put! I think you nailed something. There’s been recent discussion of “I’d like it all to be on my blog”, which I also agree with, in part. You bring up the larger point of, if it’s collaboration, “the same page”, is what we should all be on.

And, while I may tweet like it, I’m not on crack. I think I’m struggling to find the compelling overall driving purpose that all of this fits into somehow. Thanks for bearing with me, while I figure that part out.

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