Full Circle Associates

Old-fashioned hospitality finds a place on the Internet -- Newsday.com

Ha, I guess I am old-fashioned and frankly, happy with that. I have no intentions of imposing my sense of hospitality on others, but it is a small breath of fresh air to read about hospitality online in the press. More often we read of slash, flame and burn! Here is the opener to the article by Patricia Kitchen (who has just started to blog herself!)

Funny that on all those listings of must-have career skills, I've never seen mention of one of the most basic. That's because being a good host is associated more with taking coats and topping off drinks at dinner parties than with playing a role in the workplace.

Yet, look at all the new career-related occasions for people to play that role: hosting online chats or communities, cable television talk shows or podcasts; conducting classes on the Internet; and of course the more traditional ones of hosting company events or professional association conferences - in person.

Terms like "facilitate" or "moderate" have been used for such functions, but as the Web continues to empower and inform, today's clients, audiences and online communities can well afford to expect to be treated more like guests than passive receivers. In fact, for many of us, hosting is becoming "a survival skill," says Nancy White, founder of Full Circle Associates in Seattle, a communications and strategy firm with a special interest in collaboration and online community.

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