Replying to LO24306 --
Anne,
> My questions are around the impact of the virtual community on learning
> and leveraging knowledge. As we introduce the solution to the user group,
> how can we push the users to look beyond the "information/data" in the
> tool and begin to leverage and gain synergies from the information? We
> have provided a discussion space within the solution -- but is that
> enough? In addition, this group has never acted as a team before -- as
> they are remotely located around the country -- do you have any
> suggestions on how to encourage the team work beyond posting to the
> discussion board?
Well, I just wrote up some of my ideas on virtual communities at
http://facilitatedsystems.com/onlinefac.pdf. In particular, that essay
focuses on creating effective distributed teams.
I'd encourage you to think about it as if you were trying to create a
highly effective team in person (see Katzenbach's and Smith's _The
Wisdom of Teams_, for example). Then think about the especial
characteristics of online work and tailor your approach appropriately.
For example, I believe you get much more using multiple modes of
interaction than if you just use a single discussion space, although I
know that USENET groups and this list are both examples of
single-channel communications that work. The article has additional
suggestions.
You may also want to consult the onlinefacilitation eGroup at
http://www.egroups.com/.
> Also, on a side note, has anyone done any work on the impact of the
> graphics on web-sites in terms of content retention? Or increased use of a
> site due to visual representation of information? (i.e. a blue screen is
> more likely to be remembered than a yellow screen)
You might try http://www.webmonkey.com/ or some of the standard usability
folk. I'm not familiar with any specific material.
> annelizbeth@aol.com
> Anne Kohler
Regards,
Bill
-- Bill Harris 3217 102nd Place SE Facilitated Systems Everett, WA 98208 USA http://facilitatedsystems.com/ phone: +1 425 337-5541Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>
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