Category: community indicators

The World Cafe Community – Virtual Cafes?

There is a very interesting conversation buzzing around in various locations online about how to do World Cafes online. I am feeling tortured, because I’d like to be fully participating, but due to the “to do list” I’m watching from the side. I think there is much more here than looking at how to do World Cafe gatherings online, but in a larger sense, how do we best utilize convening methods from our F2F practices in a distributed environment – and all the juicy questions that go along with it. For me, some of the key questions include:

  • What methods can “translate” into an online space – why or why not? What do we even mean by “translate?”
  • Are we being strategic and clear about what method to use when – online or off. In other words, lets not do the “move our dysfunctional offline meetings into the online space.” The bottom line is creating interactions that matter – online or off.
  • What are the social implications?
  • What are the technical implications? Existing and potential tools (especially free or low cost tools)?

The main thread about virtual World Cafe’s is on the World Cafe’s community space here –> The World Cafe Community – Virtual Cafes?. Some other side shoots and resources:

Truly, I’d love a month to research this sort of thing and things like useful patterns and practices in online events… and so many other things. Maybe in December…. 🙂

Thinking about “Slow Community” (particularly online)

Tonight I’m sharing a few thoughts at ZAAZ about “Slow Community” and I thought I’d share the slides. They can be found here as well as embedded below. This all came out of a blog post a few months back that generated some very interesting comments.

In preparation, I pinged my Twitter network – who gave some fabulous insights and suggestions. I’ve screen captured them and put them on a a wiki page to capture further thinking — slowly.

It is kind of ironic to use the fastness of Twitter to think about slowness. 🙂

Today is Chocolate Day

Chocolate hat © Ann de Gersem, photo C. BaeleWe now divert from our normal online-blah-blah-blah and take a reverent moment to acknowledge that it is Chocolate Day! Want a little chocolate fun? Take the Is It Beer or Chocolate? quiz (I did terribly at 51%). Look at some of the interesting links from Chris Hodge. Think about the political implications of your chocolate. The health benefits.  Chocolate as art and inclusion. (Image to the right — Chocolate hat © Ann de Gersem, photo C. Baele)

And yes, even a link to a story about online communities, support and of course, chocolate. Ah, so this post isn’t so frivolous after all. 🙂

Hat tip to Chris for pointing out this critically important day to all chocoholics.

Signed

Choconancy

Rituals for Healthy Living – What are yours?

Sao Miguel Island, the AzoresMy friend and neighbor, Ashley Cooper, has created a new blog to share what she learned when she asked her network, “what rituals do you do to invite balance and well-being into your life. She was so taken by the responses, she is compiling them into a blog, Rituals for Healthy Living.

When I work with people who are using the internet for work (and play, and life) the topic of “balance” often comes up. That tension between “face to face and online life.” (I cringe when the word “real life” is applied to F2F.) I realized about a year ago that I was ignoring the invitation to balance, so I have added some rituals to my life, like dance-like exercise, walking, simple daily meditations and trying to have the machine shut off one day on the weekend. However, reading Ashley’s new blog, I can see there are wonderful inspirations. So if you are looking for an invitation to balance and well being, take a read. Here is a snippet from the blog introduction:

Rituals to Invite Balance and Well-being

By changing the way you do routine things
you allow a new person to grow inside of you.
~Paulo Coelho

This site is a compilation of rituals and stories from many different people around the world. Each post is a different person’s response to an invitation to share their rituals for healthy living, activities or behaviors they do regularly for the purpose of bringing value to their well-being. Perhaps there is a ritual in these pages that will catch your attention and find its way into your own life. To help keep this site alive, comment on what you read, share your story if you try one of the rituals, and submit new rituals.

Sitting with fire – a blog as community and reflection

Blogs are often touted as “individual voices.” Of course, blogs can be many things, including reflective community voices. Check out the blog of the Tassajara Zen Center in California, facing many dangerous fires in their area on the Central California coast. Sitting with fire.

What I noticed was their use of questions. Amazing. Short. Right to the heart. What can we learn from this blog about community?