Re: [OSList] A Virtual OST Success Story

2014-10-02 Thread Brian Burt via OSList
This is music to our ears here Ben!

We absolutely developed this platform with Open Space conversations in
mind, and this rebuilt-from-the-ground-up version is getting great
feedback.  (And even for the minor issues Ben mentions, we have related
upgrades in the pipeline for this fall.)

If anyone else see the opportunity for a virtual open space this fall
(through end of 2014), I'm happy to *comp* the use of the social webinar
platform for your use.  (Ben's services are also highly recommended- talk
to him directly about those.)

FYI, a virtual open space event scales seamlessly to 500 people.  (Whereas
virtual world cafe's, or other events with small breakouts, scale to 5000
or more.)

How else can we support your virtual open space conversations, or otherwise
support *your* mission?  Please let me know!

-Brian

p.s. There's an upcoming event called The Future of Conversation
http://maestroconference.com/futureofconversation (October 14th at a
computer or phone near you) and I hope many of you will be able to bring
your voice and contributions.  I'll send a separate note about it, but if
you're curious to see open space combined with crowdsourcing technology, or
want to think big picture about what conversations could achieve, I hope
you're able to make it.

On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 2:59 PM, Ben Roberts ben.robe...@charter.net
wrote:

 As some of you know, I've been at this for a couple of years now. Today,
 working on behalf of the Charter for Compassion International
 http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=110391qid=5124428,
 I was finally able to host a MaestroConference-based call that I felt truly
 lived up to the potential for Open Space in virtual form (in quotes since
 I know some of you purists might dispute that this really was OST!).



 Of course, it wasn't like being together in person for a day or two.
 Indeed, there was only one round of live small group conversation. But the
 combination of an online space that was opened on 9/22 using the hackpad
 platform and a 90 minute call eight days later using MaestroConference's
 newest social webinar beta really worked. Here are some highlights of the
 process (you can also view notes and more here on hackpad
 http://www.bit.ly/cfc093014):

 · We had 43 participants on the call for at least some of the 90
 minutes, mostly from the US, but also including several from overseas.

 · Six topics were initiated by participants

 · In addition to the topic breakouts, there was a meet and
 greet session for just hanging out and connecting. This also served as a
 place to welcome late-comers to the call. As a result, the latter were
 easily integrated and able to join the conversations of their choosing

 · The topic conversations lasted a little more than 40 minutes

 · We ended with a full group popcorn-style harvest and some
 announcements

 · A number of participants attended a debrief after the official
 end of the call

 · A few participants also stayed on the line overtime to
 continue their topic conversations



 MC's new social webinar worked beautifully, allowing participants to do
 the following:

 · Exercise the law of two feet (really!)

 · See who was in their breakouts (including a thumbnail and
 contact info, if provided)

 · See who was talking or had their hands up



 Using hackpad, we were able to do the following:

 · Open the marketplace in advance, in order to both save time on
 the call and allow for some online discussion to get going. Five out of the
 six topics were initiated in advance.

 · Provide an index of topics and the room numbers for each (so
 that participants could move themselves to the right room)

 · Take collaborative notes during breakouts, with a separate pad
 for each one (note that social webinar now also provides shared document
 functionality for each breakout room, if desired)

 · Continue sharing notes and reflections once the call had ended
 (this is still ongoing)

 · Make detailed introductions before, during and after the call

 · Compile a shared listing of resources

 · Make announcements and requests



 It was also possible for participants to engage fully via their phones
 only (including moving between sessions) without using either hackpad or
 social webinar. This was important, as not everyone was able to be at a
 computer, and some who were at one had trouble using the online tools.



 Not everything was perfect, of course, and there were some lessons
 learned. The biggest challenge was that, despite many emails and online
 explanations in advance, some people were confused by the three ways to
 engage (phone, hackpad and social webinar) or had trouble accessing one or
 more of these elements. The vast majority, however, were either able to use
 these tools or to have a valuable and satisfying conversation without them.



Re: [OSList] A Virtual OST Success Story

2014-10-02 Thread Brian Burt via OSList
This is music to our ears here Ben!

We absolutely developed this platform with Open Space conversations in
mind, and this rebuilt-from-the-ground-up version is getting great
feedback.  (And even for the minor issues Ben mentions, we have related
upgrades in the pipeline for this fall.)

If anyone else see the opportunity for a virtual open space this fall
(through end of 2014), I'm happy to *comp* the use of the social webinar
platform for your use.  (Ben's services are also highly recommended- talk
to him directly about those.)

FYI, a virtual open space event scales seamlessly to 500 people.  (Whereas
virtual world cafe's, or other events with small breakouts, scale to 5000
or more.)

How else can we support your virtual open space conversations, or otherwise
support *your* mission?  Please let me know!

-Brian

p.s. There's an upcoming event called The Future of Conversation
http://maestroconference.com/futureofconversation (October 14th at a
computer or phone near you) and I hope many of you will be able to bring
your voice and contributions.  I'll send a separate note about it, but if
you're curious to see open space combined with crowdsourcing technology, or
want to think big picture about what conversations could achieve, I hope
you're able to make it.

On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 2:59 PM, Ben Roberts ben.robe...@charter.net
wrote:

 As some of you know, I've been at this for a couple of years now. Today,
 working on behalf of the Charter for Compassion International
 http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=110391qid=5124428,
 I was finally able to host a MaestroConference-based call that I felt truly
 lived up to the potential for Open Space in virtual form (in quotes since
 I know some of you purists might dispute that this really was OST!).



 Of course, it wasn't like being together in person for a day or two.
 Indeed, there was only one round of live small group conversation. But the
 combination of an online space that was opened on 9/22 using the hackpad
 platform and a 90 minute call eight days later using MaestroConference's
 newest social webinar beta really worked. Here are some highlights of the
 process (you can also view notes and more here on hackpad
 http://www.bit.ly/cfc093014):

 · We had 43 participants on the call for at least some of the 90
 minutes, mostly from the US, but also including several from overseas.

 · Six topics were initiated by participants

 · In addition to the topic breakouts, there was a meet and
 greet session for just hanging out and connecting. This also served as a
 place to welcome late-comers to the call. As a result, the latter were
 easily integrated and able to join the conversations of their choosing

 · The topic conversations lasted a little more than 40 minutes

 · We ended with a full group popcorn-style harvest and some
 announcements

 · A number of participants attended a debrief after the official
 end of the call

 · A few participants also stayed on the line overtime to
 continue their topic conversations



 MC's new social webinar worked beautifully, allowing participants to do
 the following:

 · Exercise the law of two feet (really!)

 · See who was in their breakouts (including a thumbnail and
 contact info, if provided)

 · See who was talking or had their hands up



 Using hackpad, we were able to do the following:

 · Open the marketplace in advance, in order to both save time on
 the call and allow for some online discussion to get going. Five out of the
 six topics were initiated in advance.

 · Provide an index of topics and the room numbers for each (so
 that participants could move themselves to the right room)

 · Take collaborative notes during breakouts, with a separate pad
 for each one (note that social webinar now also provides shared document
 functionality for each breakout room, if desired)

 · Continue sharing notes and reflections once the call had ended
 (this is still ongoing)

 · Make detailed introductions before, during and after the call

 · Compile a shared listing of resources

 · Make announcements and requests



 It was also possible for participants to engage fully via their phones
 only (including moving between sessions) without using either hackpad or
 social webinar. This was important, as not everyone was able to be at a
 computer, and some who were at one had trouble using the online tools.



 Not everything was perfect, of course, and there were some lessons
 learned. The biggest challenge was that, despite many emails and online
 explanations in advance, some people were confused by the three ways to
 engage (phone, hackpad and social webinar) or had trouble accessing one or
 more of these elements. The vast majority, however, were either able to use
 these tools or to have a valuable and satisfying conversation without them.



Re: [OSList] A Virtual OST Success Story

2014-10-02 Thread Brian Burt via OSList
This is music to our ears here Ben!

We absolutely developed this platform with Open Space conversations in
mind, and this rebuilt-from-the-ground-up version is getting great
feedback.  (And even for the minor issues Ben mentions, we have related
upgrades in the pipeline for this fall.)

If anyone else see the opportunity for a virtual open space this fall
(through end of 2014), I'm happy to *comp* the use of the social webinar
platform for your use.  (Ben's services are also highly recommended- talk
to him directly about those.)

FYI, a virtual open space event scales seamlessly to 500 people.  (Whereas
virtual world cafe's, or other events with small breakouts, scale to 5000
or more.)

How else can we support your virtual open space conversations, or otherwise
support *your* mission?  Please let me know!

-Brian

p.s. There's an upcoming event called The Future of Conversation
http://maestroconference.com/futureofconversation (October 14th at a
computer or phone near you) and I hope many of you will be able to bring
your voice and contributions.  I'll send a separate note about it, but if
you're curious to see open space combined with crowdsourcing technology, or
want to think big picture about what conversations could achieve, I hope
you're able to make it.

On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 2:59 PM, Ben Roberts ben.robe...@charter.net
wrote:

 As some of you know, I've been at this for a couple of years now. Today,
 working on behalf of the Charter for Compassion International
 http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=110391qid=5124428,
 I was finally able to host a MaestroConference-based call that I felt truly
 lived up to the potential for Open Space in virtual form (in quotes since
 I know some of you purists might dispute that this really was OST!).



 Of course, it wasn't like being together in person for a day or two.
 Indeed, there was only one round of live small group conversation. But the
 combination of an online space that was opened on 9/22 using the hackpad
 platform and a 90 minute call eight days later using MaestroConference's
 newest social webinar beta really worked. Here are some highlights of the
 process (you can also view notes and more here on hackpad
 http://www.bit.ly/cfc093014):

 · We had 43 participants on the call for at least some of the 90
 minutes, mostly from the US, but also including several from overseas.

 · Six topics were initiated by participants

 · In addition to the topic breakouts, there was a meet and
 greet session for just hanging out and connecting. This also served as a
 place to welcome late-comers to the call. As a result, the latter were
 easily integrated and able to join the conversations of their choosing

 · The topic conversations lasted a little more than 40 minutes

 · We ended with a full group popcorn-style harvest and some
 announcements

 · A number of participants attended a debrief after the official
 end of the call

 · A few participants also stayed on the line overtime to
 continue their topic conversations



 MC's new social webinar worked beautifully, allowing participants to do
 the following:

 · Exercise the law of two feet (really!)

 · See who was in their breakouts (including a thumbnail and
 contact info, if provided)

 · See who was talking or had their hands up



 Using hackpad, we were able to do the following:

 · Open the marketplace in advance, in order to both save time on
 the call and allow for some online discussion to get going. Five out of the
 six topics were initiated in advance.

 · Provide an index of topics and the room numbers for each (so
 that participants could move themselves to the right room)

 · Take collaborative notes during breakouts, with a separate pad
 for each one (note that social webinar now also provides shared document
 functionality for each breakout room, if desired)

 · Continue sharing notes and reflections once the call had ended
 (this is still ongoing)

 · Make detailed introductions before, during and after the call

 · Compile a shared listing of resources

 · Make announcements and requests



 It was also possible for participants to engage fully via their phones
 only (including moving between sessions) without using either hackpad or
 social webinar. This was important, as not everyone was able to be at a
 computer, and some who were at one had trouble using the online tools.



 Not everything was perfect, of course, and there were some lessons
 learned. The biggest challenge was that, despite many emails and online
 explanations in advance, some people were confused by the three ways to
 engage (phone, hackpad and social webinar) or had trouble accessing one or
 more of these elements. The vast majority, however, were either able to use
 these tools or to have a valuable and satisfying conversation without them.



[OSList] A Virtual OST Success Story

2014-09-30 Thread Ben Roberts via OSList
As some of you know, I've been at this for a couple of years now. Today,
working on behalf of the Charter for Compassion International
http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=
110391qid=5124428 , I was finally able to host a MaestroConference-based
call that I felt truly lived up to the potential for Open Space in virtual
form (in quotes since I know some of you purists might dispute that this
really was OST!). 

 

Of course, it wasn't like being together in person for a day or two. Indeed,
there was only one round of live small group conversation. But the
combination of an online space that was opened on 9/22 using the hackpad
platform and a 90 minute call eight days later using MaestroConference's
newest social webinar beta really worked. Here are some highlights of the
process (you can also view notes and more here on hackpad
http://www.bit.ly/cfc093014 ): 

. We had 43 participants on the call for at least some of the 90
minutes, mostly from the US, but also including several from overseas.

. Six topics were initiated by participants

. In addition to the topic breakouts, there was a meet and greet
session for just hanging out and connecting. This also served as a place to
welcome late-comers to the call. As a result, the latter were easily
integrated and able to join the conversations of their choosing

. The topic conversations lasted a little more than 40 minutes

. We ended with a full group popcorn-style harvest and some
announcements

. A number of participants attended a debrief after the official end
of the call

. A few participants also stayed on the line overtime to continue
their topic conversations

 

MC's new social webinar worked beautifully, allowing participants to do
the following:

. Exercise the law of two feet (really!)

. See who was in their breakouts (including a thumbnail and contact
info, if provided)

. See who was talking or had their hands up

 

Using hackpad, we were able to do the following:

. Open the marketplace in advance, in order to both save time on the
call and allow for some online discussion to get going. Five out of the six
topics were initiated in advance.

. Provide an index of topics and the room numbers for each (so
that participants could move themselves to the right room)

. Take collaborative notes during breakouts, with a separate pad for
each one (note that social webinar now also provides shared document
functionality for each breakout room, if desired)

. Continue sharing notes and reflections once the call had ended
(this is still ongoing)

. Make detailed introductions before, during and after the call

. Compile a shared listing of resources

. Make announcements and requests

 

It was also possible for participants to engage fully via their phones only
(including moving between sessions) without using either hackpad or social
webinar. This was important, as not everyone was able to be at a computer,
and some who were at one had trouble using the online tools.

 

Not everything was perfect, of course, and there were some lessons learned.
The biggest challenge was that, despite many emails and online explanations
in advance, some people were confused by the three ways to engage (phone,
hackpad and social webinar) or had trouble accessing one or more of these
elements. The vast majority, however, were either able to use these tools or
to have a valuable and satisfying conversation without them. 

 

I expect that there will be future iterations planned on behalf of the
Charter for Compassion, and I will promote them to this listserv now that I
feel comfortable handling larger groups! MaestroConference is also very
interested in promoting a series of large group conversations that could
change the world. Perhaps there are some folks here who might want to
collaborate with me in convening one? They plan for their platform to be
able to manage calls in this way with over a thousand people in the near
future. The thought of being able to regularly engage people at that scale
in this way is pretty exciting!

 

Peace,

Ben

 

 

Ben Roberts

The Conversation Collaborative

 http://www.conversationcollaborative.com/ www.
ConversationCollaborative.com   

(203) 426-1039

Skype: benjamin_j_roberts

G+: benroberts@gmail.com

 

tagxedo 1

 

___
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org


[OSList] A Virtual OST Success Story

2014-09-30 Thread Ben Roberts via OSList
As some of you know, I've been at this for a couple of years now. Today,
working on behalf of the Charter for Compassion International
http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=
110391qid=5124428 , I was finally able to host a MaestroConference-based
call that I felt truly lived up to the potential for Open Space in virtual
form (in quotes since I know some of you purists might dispute that this
really was OST!). 

 

Of course, it wasn't like being together in person for a day or two. Indeed,
there was only one round of live small group conversation. But the
combination of an online space that was opened on 9/22 using the hackpad
platform and a 90 minute call eight days later using MaestroConference's
newest social webinar beta really worked. Here are some highlights of the
process (you can also view notes and more here on hackpad
http://www.bit.ly/cfc093014 ): 

. We had 43 participants on the call for at least some of the 90
minutes, mostly from the US, but also including several from overseas.

. Six topics were initiated by participants

. In addition to the topic breakouts, there was a meet and greet
session for just hanging out and connecting. This also served as a place to
welcome late-comers to the call. As a result, the latter were easily
integrated and able to join the conversations of their choosing

. The topic conversations lasted a little more than 40 minutes

. We ended with a full group popcorn-style harvest and some
announcements

. A number of participants attended a debrief after the official end
of the call

. A few participants also stayed on the line overtime to continue
their topic conversations

 

MC's new social webinar worked beautifully, allowing participants to do
the following:

. Exercise the law of two feet (really!)

. See who was in their breakouts (including a thumbnail and contact
info, if provided)

. See who was talking or had their hands up

 

Using hackpad, we were able to do the following:

. Open the marketplace in advance, in order to both save time on the
call and allow for some online discussion to get going. Five out of the six
topics were initiated in advance.

. Provide an index of topics and the room numbers for each (so
that participants could move themselves to the right room)

. Take collaborative notes during breakouts, with a separate pad for
each one (note that social webinar now also provides shared document
functionality for each breakout room, if desired)

. Continue sharing notes and reflections once the call had ended
(this is still ongoing)

. Make detailed introductions before, during and after the call

. Compile a shared listing of resources

. Make announcements and requests

 

It was also possible for participants to engage fully via their phones only
(including moving between sessions) without using either hackpad or social
webinar. This was important, as not everyone was able to be at a computer,
and some who were at one had trouble using the online tools.

 

Not everything was perfect, of course, and there were some lessons learned.
The biggest challenge was that, despite many emails and online explanations
in advance, some people were confused by the three ways to engage (phone,
hackpad and social webinar) or had trouble accessing one or more of these
elements. The vast majority, however, were either able to use these tools or
to have a valuable and satisfying conversation without them. 

 

I expect that there will be future iterations planned on behalf of the
Charter for Compassion, and I will promote them to this listserv now that I
feel comfortable handling larger groups! MaestroConference is also very
interested in promoting a series of large group conversations that could
change the world. Perhaps there are some folks here who might want to
collaborate with me in convening one? They plan for their platform to be
able to manage calls in this way with over a thousand people in the near
future. The thought of being able to regularly engage people at that scale
in this way is pretty exciting!

 

Peace,

Ben

 

 

Ben Roberts

The Conversation Collaborative

 http://www.conversationcollaborative.com/ www.
ConversationCollaborative.com   

(203) 426-1039

Skype: benjamin_j_roberts

G+: benroberts@gmail.com

 

tagxedo 1

 

___
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org


[OSList] A Virtual OST Success Story

2014-09-30 Thread Ben Roberts via OSList
As some of you know, I've been at this for a couple of years now. Today,
working on behalf of the Charter for Compassion International
http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=
110391qid=5124428 , I was finally able to host a MaestroConference-based
call that I felt truly lived up to the potential for Open Space in virtual
form (in quotes since I know some of you purists might dispute that this
really was OST!). 

 

Of course, it wasn't like being together in person for a day or two. Indeed,
there was only one round of live small group conversation. But the
combination of an online space that was opened on 9/22 using the hackpad
platform and a 90 minute call eight days later using MaestroConference's
newest social webinar beta really worked. Here are some highlights of the
process (you can also view notes and more here on hackpad
http://www.bit.ly/cfc093014 ): 

. We had 43 participants on the call for at least some of the 90
minutes, mostly from the US, but also including several from overseas.

. Six topics were initiated by participants

. In addition to the topic breakouts, there was a meet and greet
session for just hanging out and connecting. This also served as a place to
welcome late-comers to the call. As a result, the latter were easily
integrated and able to join the conversations of their choosing

. The topic conversations lasted a little more than 40 minutes

. We ended with a full group popcorn-style harvest and some
announcements

. A number of participants attended a debrief after the official end
of the call

. A few participants also stayed on the line overtime to continue
their topic conversations

 

MC's new social webinar worked beautifully, allowing participants to do
the following:

. Exercise the law of two feet (really!)

. See who was in their breakouts (including a thumbnail and contact
info, if provided)

. See who was talking or had their hands up

 

Using hackpad, we were able to do the following:

. Open the marketplace in advance, in order to both save time on the
call and allow for some online discussion to get going. Five out of the six
topics were initiated in advance.

. Provide an index of topics and the room numbers for each (so
that participants could move themselves to the right room)

. Take collaborative notes during breakouts, with a separate pad for
each one (note that social webinar now also provides shared document
functionality for each breakout room, if desired)

. Continue sharing notes and reflections once the call had ended
(this is still ongoing)

. Make detailed introductions before, during and after the call

. Compile a shared listing of resources

. Make announcements and requests

 

It was also possible for participants to engage fully via their phones only
(including moving between sessions) without using either hackpad or social
webinar. This was important, as not everyone was able to be at a computer,
and some who were at one had trouble using the online tools.

 

Not everything was perfect, of course, and there were some lessons learned.
The biggest challenge was that, despite many emails and online explanations
in advance, some people were confused by the three ways to engage (phone,
hackpad and social webinar) or had trouble accessing one or more of these
elements. The vast majority, however, were either able to use these tools or
to have a valuable and satisfying conversation without them. 

 

I expect that there will be future iterations planned on behalf of the
Charter for Compassion, and I will promote them to this listserv now that I
feel comfortable handling larger groups! MaestroConference is also very
interested in promoting a series of large group conversations that could
change the world. Perhaps there are some folks here who might want to
collaborate with me in convening one? They plan for their platform to be
able to manage calls in this way with over a thousand people in the near
future. The thought of being able to regularly engage people at that scale
in this way is pretty exciting!

 

Peace,

Ben

 

 

Ben Roberts

The Conversation Collaborative

 http://www.conversationcollaborative.com/ www.
ConversationCollaborative.com   

(203) 426-1039

Skype: benjamin_j_roberts

G+: benroberts@gmail.com

 

tagxedo 1

 

___
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org
To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org