InvitingFriendsAndPartners/TedsThoughts

Is anyone interested in this?

Seems to me that the problem with a wiki is keeping people interested. A wiki with a lot going on is a much more fun place to do the work than a place where it's just us, unless we're all quite motivated to make this thing happen. Michael's sCNN is a good example of high motivation and then the thing just rolls along.

In this case, our travel and lack of motivation seem to be conspiring against us.

I'd recommend that if we want to continue working on this stuff, that we do it at o.net and continually update this wiki with outputs from that work over there.

Pros of working at o.net

• Some of us are going there every day so it's easy to stay involved in the work
• Lots of people over there are getting to know us as we check in on what they're doing and are therefore much more likely to check in on what we're doing and contribute energy
• Much larger group of potential collaborators
• What better way to engage potential funders, if any are needed for whatever it is we're building, then by playing in their back yard (rather than the "just as public" wiki here that requires an invitation or for that funder to see us out)
• Much of what we're talking about isn't unique, just as eBay didn't invent auctions and sCNN didn't invent blogging about giving, neither are we exactly inventing anything, so playing in a sandbox with others thinking in the same direction has got to help all of us in that direction
• Reputation system there helps us build persistent identities that make "trustraising" easier
• What else?

all of these are more actively achieved via a weblog, i think. more readable, more readers, linking and getting known, larger group still, real credibility in blogging record rather than rep system, must be many others to link too because not unique... and then we come up higher in google, technorati, etc... --MichaelHerman

How does collaboration happen? In the comments of multiple blogs or with more than one person posting on the same blog? How do work-products get created? I'm not opposed to using blogs, just am not sure how it all works, especially without RSS for comments (thought if people use haloscan, that problem is solved). --TedErnst

i think the blog is the work product... the most recent posting(s) are the best current explanation of what's happening or possible. the current state of whatever art is in question. then also the collection of links and other resources that hang out in the sidebar and the archives are a body of stuff that are the product. if there is a specific other product, then it's worked elsewhere, perhaps with the team blog as a place for each to post progress on various parts.

Cons of working at o.net

• Some of us are not going there regularly so it'll be yet another stop on the web we have to make daily or at least regularly
• Perfectionism doesn't blend well with such a large audience, especially for those wondering about future funding opportunities
• The interface is more difficult than here in many ways (it's been called email that's not as good as email and forums that aren't as good as forums and wikis that aren't as good as wikis)
• What else?

team blogging doesn't have these limitations and obstacles. and then what we're inviting people to do [human web marketing] is read, comment, join the posting circle, make their own blog. the path to development and ownership is clear and wide open... not a membership, bounded process or group. all of which is why sCNN should really go... as soon as i can get settled again in a home place. --MichaelHerman

Interface issue is solved by the blog, but the perfectionism one isn't. That one doesn't hold much sway with me, but I know some people are concerned with that. --TedErnst

i don't know what perfection issue is. mh

What do you say?

By the way, if we wanted to keep anything private, we could make a private group over there, or an invitation-only group. I don't recommend this, but we could do it.