Content and Practices for this list LO22171

rbacal@escape.ca
Fri, 9 Jul 1999 12:14:44 -0400

Replying to LO22169 --

On 9 Jul 99, at 16:49, Philip Pogson wrote:

> Replying to Robert Bacal and others

> I think you are correct in saying small numbers of "posters" may have a
> large influence on the list. But I do not see that as a problem. That is
> how a largely self organising system like a list works. If more people
> posted, and those posts were interesting and challenging and questioning,
> it would harder, I imagine, for a few people to take over.

I think whether it is a problem or not depends on what one wants to
achieve and what one values. What I'm trying to explain is that there are
reasons and causes WHY more people aren't posting.

Saying "IF more people....etc" is pointless without examining the whys and
where fores, yes?

> I suppose in this sense the price of a free flowing, self-organising list
> is eternal participation, to paraphrase a well known saying...
>
> So, an encouragement to get in and participate or at least ask the
> questions on our fingertips.

Exhortation doesn't generally work in these areas, either in the workplace
or on list servers because it doesn't generally address the causes of
hesitation to participate.

> This raises the point of how to facilitate a conversation with people you
> cannot see or even know if they are there. When you can eyeball people
> face-to-face, you can ask them a question directly or ask other
> participants to be attentive to those who's body language tells you they
> are on the verge of speaking.
>
> On-line facilitation is not the same in this sense, unless the moderator
> sends direct messages to people asking them to contribute.

That's true, but again there are other causes, I believe. Lists don't
function randomly but dynamically, so this message or your message has a
dynamic (perhaps small effect) on what the rest of the group does.

As does behavior in face to face meetings.

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-- 

rbacal@escape.ca

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