Some background on my Drupal comment ... In my experience, the best information systems "mirror" the socio-tech systems they are intended to serve. When the architectures are in conflict the information system is a constant source of frustration (and error) for the people forced to use it. It is possible to pull back from a full "mirror" to provide a minimal architecture that people can deploy as they see fit. The information system doesn't encourage any specific kind of deployment.
Against this consider three OST support/extensions system tools: Blog; Wiki; and Drupal Organic Groups. Blogs are easy to understand, but everything hangs off the initial post; the system provides no direct support for any structuring of the information. Wikis do support structuring, but are significantly less easy (familiar) for many. Further, the crowd approach to structuring depends on a relatively high level of activity. I would be concerned that a lightly used Wiki might imply a structure that the crowd would not, in fact, support, but became the default through limited use. Drupal and Organic Groups pose a different challenge. Within an Organic Group participants can be free to add any kind of content, from simple web pages to faqs to "books" (a Drupal "book" is really a wiki, but with a table of contents). The Group has available to it a full range of web based information container tools. The boundaries can be made as open or closed as one might want. But this is going to be a universe that many will find strange and not all that natural. However, with experience, it can become a natural home for Group discussions and contributions. The Drupal answer has the virtue that it can provide a good "mirror" to the emergent social organization of an Open Space. The cost is a somewhat higher learning curve. Depending on the tech-comfort of the participants it could be an effective support/extension environment. It's an opportunity that appeals to me. I would be happy to explore it further if there is interest. Bob Fabian * * ========================================================== 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