My friend Carmen Pirie from Halifax has posted a lovely story on his weblog<http://pirie.typepad.com/1/2008/10/using-ning-for-open-space-harvest.html> about how he used social networking tools to harvest from a large Open Space"
I spent most of this past week in Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland, joining with > Ella McQuinn in facilitating the Gros Morne Institute's International > Summit on Sustainable Tourism <http://www.gmistgatherings.com/home/>. The > conference covered four focus areas of sustainable tourism using the same > half-day design for each segment: 1.5 hrs of Keynote and Panel followed by 2 > hrs of Open Space. The final half-day session saw the group of just over > 100 delegates converging on action items and next steps. > Several weeks ago I started a private Ning <http://www.ning.com> site for > the gathering with an invitation to join sent out to all registered > delegates. Forum discussions were started surrounding the four broad focus > areas of the conference and a pre-conference profile questionnaire allowed > delegates to get to know one another prior to showing up. Additionally, one > of the conference organizers started to blog actively and many delegates > chose to upload various travel photos – such is the nature of the > sustainable tourism crowd, I've learned. All of this activity – with 70% of > conference attendees active on the Ning in forums, discussions, and leaving > notes for each other – occurred before the conference ever started. > One of the challenges as Open Space scales is how to harvest learning from > the individual sessions in a way that informs the whole, without resorting > to time-consuming verbal harvests by session hosts. To address this > challenge, first we had session hosts complete written harvests that were > typed by volunteering students and enlarged to 11x17 output, then placed > around the room. Then each host took the time, during meals, breaks, etc., > to record a brief (2-5min) video synopsis of the conversation using my Flip > Video camera and a mini tripod. These videos were uploaded to the Ning > during the evenings and conference delegates could review the videos the > next morning. > Now that the conference is over, delegates can use the Ning to further > their discussions and initiatives – while automatically informing the > community of their efforts and allowing the conversation to grow. All > keynote speeches, panel discussions, and Open Space break out session videos > are available for ongoing review and reference on the Ning – along with the > PowerPoint slides and other supporting material from the conference. (At > least they will be available once I get it all uploaded.) > > All of this to say, I simply find Ning to be exceptionally useful for this > sort of thing. Conferences are supposed to be about connecting, learning > from each other, and then – with any luck – collectively moving some > initiatives forward. And if that's what you're after with the conference > you're organizing, it seems to me that the little bit of time and energy > needed to invest in a Ning site is incredibly well spent. > -- CHRIS CORRIGAN Facilitation - Training - Process Design Open Space Technology Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd. http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist