Front Page
This is my experimental page for the development of a Wiki Web Log. I am interested in any comments and help in the objective of creating a Wiki based method of maintaining a simple but powerful Log system to enhance communications between members of our Wiki. I have been discussing these development in email messages with Andres and Pm and some of that might appear here as we go. Other people are welcome to comment and form a working group in this space. I will be "thinking out loud" as I bumble through this - since I am not a programer and I am looking to exploit the inherent capabilities of our Pm Wiki engine. But the best contributions will come from those that have the knowledge of programing to help implement such software development.
I am not concerned with the mechanism level - the less visible that is (to the User like me) the better. The "big idea" that has me excited is to combine, within a community both a channel for collaboration (already present) and a similar but distinct channel for communication. This serves a new structural pattern that produces synergy between recognized Personal Space (which is underdeveloped) as distinct from the Open Space (which is already well structured) where everyone is assembled for collaboration. The Personal Space is our home, our office, our projects where we work individually or in groups with visitors can incidentally contribute to our personal work. The Open Space is not only the Wiki as a whole but all the individual Wiki Topics? that are like ongoing conferences and the sub sections and groupings of topics that are like seminars with natural leaders and we are free to walk in and out of all these meeting rooms as we like (guaranteed to miss none of the action because it is constantly documented).
What goes wrong in a present Wiki structure is that a Wiki Topic? at the conference is mistaken by an individual to be a place to work on his personal project. Or participant start related but more personal conversations at the back of the room and conflict with the effort for consensus. The thing is that any incidental communication going on cannot adjourn to a Personal Space. The other important rule would be that these personal communications are never private. They can always be heard or they do not belong on the Wiki. Everything being said is taken to be relevant (the intentions of the users) to the purpose of the Wiki. It is inappropriate that any activity in the Personal Space to be private; the Wiki is Not A Private Space. Even a newbie must be able to listen in on Personal Communications? of leaders. This puts everyone on a fast learning curve.