Greetings,

Setting the tone, creating the norms, sculpting the culture...this is our
task in the next few weeks on click4hp...together.

Mike Nelson wrote:
>One of the most difficult problems I have in using listservs like this are
not knowing >my audience, being uncertain of the norms governing
interaction, and as a consequence >of the foregoing being afraid of making a
fool of myself.

Barbara Kass responded with humour and:
>
>I really would not worry about how people respond to you,....Netiquette
(sp?) only >requires the same courtesy you extend in three dimensional life.

I would take this one step further...

I have begun to use the internet to do my work and had no previous computer
knowledge before that. I have had fun rolling out my work on-line with some
very subtle shifts...for example setting the tone online can be very helpful
in reducing the fears people have about posting not unlike beginning a
meeting by going around the table.

As I sat for the first time (having just had computer conference facilitator
added to my job description and barely a clue..;-) I just decided to treat
it like any other meeting I had ever set up and facilitated and never looked
back. There are differences and you have to look in different places for the
cues. I continue to learn these skills with help of my mentors, Simon
Mielniczuk from the OPC and Sam Lanfranco from York University.

People seem to feel more confident to post when they are able to be in at
the beginning to set the overlying principles / norms for the list don't you
think?

I have recently had the experience of starting, with others, a very busy
discussion about the cuts to public spending and the reinventing of gov't
here in Ontario. It is peopled by every walk of life and filled with
political debate...occasional attack...info, updates and soon the capacity
to download tracking impacts tools so folks can track similar data around
the province.

Setting norms for participation has evolved over time, each norm is set as
the need arises and then I repost the list of norms to date. We set up a
sister conference to talk strategy.

It is also an online classroom for new facilitators to lurk, try, be
mentored, and learn. In fact I supervised a student in there this year. We
have about three old hands, myself, some quick learning newbies.
Participants from the main conference can post queries, alert us to
problems, and make suggestions or just come in to see why we are making
decisions and how. This keeps the detail on the how to's out of the noise of
the the main space. When I am getting ready to set a norm I post the reason
and potential response and ask for help. People jot down their reactions,
feelings, suggestions and then I incorporate and repost in the main space as
a facilitators note.

I am finding the list a little hard to work in because I have to cut and
paste between emails...the conference tends to self-organize more effectivly.

One aspect of facilitation has become for me, the art of interpreting the
silence or should I say reinterpreting...For instance the list went quiet
for a day which lead me to move through about three tests...new/therefore
unfamiliar, people didn't like my post, there is a problem with the
listserv/gateway at York University. (It was the listserv!)

No quick assumptions...continuing to develop healthy skepticism. ;-)

Cheers...Liz Rykert <[log in to unmask]>