September 30, 2003
Collaboration Requires Goals
A coworker asked why I think FreeLinks are a bad idea on Wikis. The following is what I created in response. Most of it is something I need to get off my chest about the nature of collaboration that I felt was important context for my thoughts on SharedLanguage. (ME)
Responding to a query from Joe about why I don't like FreeLinks: To explain that I first need to cover SharedLanguage. This is a rough draft of some stuff I've been thinking about for a while. It could be much better. I use the first three quarters to grind an axe. (MF)
There is, to me, on ongoing misconception amongst some of the collaborative scholars with whom I've interacted. It's centered around the question of whether a SharedGoal? is a prerequisite of collaborative action (SharedAction?) or a SharedGoal? might emerge from collaborative activity. (MG)
From another perspective this is a question asking whether collaboration occurs to accomplish something (a something which is a pre-existing condition of some kind), thus is emergent from known need or can happen by fiat or construction. (MH)
In my opinion, successful collaboration occurs when there is a SharedGoal? that exists and is known by at least some major portion of a group that gathers in some space to work on it (use of the term work is not meant to suggest lack of fun: people do work (spend energy) when having fun together). Effective collaboration does not emerge from people getting together to do unspecified stuff because they think it might be nice. (MI)
A SharedGoal? can be something straightforward like painting a fence, or start from an abstract (but articulated) idea such as a wish for sustainable lifestyles. (MJ)
The SharedGoal? provides focus (or gravity to use CollaborationPhysics) for a group, an answer to the questions "Why are we here?" and "What are we supposed to be doing?" The answers may be concrete or abstract, but they exist, at least in the sense that anything exists. (MK)
Abstract shared goals are hard to act upon until they have been clarified to one or more concrete goals. In some situations concrete goals may crystallize into individual goals, in other situations a concrete SharedGoal? is created ("We are going to make a low cost solar generator for homes."). (ML)
Crystallization of goals occurs through discussion, through the evolution of understanding and knowledge. Awareness of concrete goals can, in good circumstances, lead to action. SharedAction? is created out of SharedUnderstanding?. (MM)
For SharedUnderstanding? to exist amongst a group of people, they must have or develop SharedLanguage. SharedLanguage is the collection of concepts and terms used to encapsulate the information shared between members of a group. Jargon exists in many disciplines to encapsulate large concepts in shortened form to ease the flow of ideas that lead to SharedUnderstanding? and eventually SharedAction?. (MN)
A common thought (at least I've heard it a lot) about collaboration is that when people get together they may develop SharedLanguage, and thus the SharedUnderstanding? that leads to SharedAction?. That is, the simple act of getting together is the crucial catalyst. I do not think this is true: the crucial catalyst is the SharedGoal? that is brought to the space and has some existence in the minds of the participants prior to gathering. If the SharedGoal? does not exist, or is not held in common trust, then the activity in which the group engages is not collaboration but is instead a game of "who can I convince to think in tandem with me" played by whichever participants are most fluent in the fledgling language of the group. (MO)
It is possible for a group to transform from people who need to be convinced to a collaborating group. This usually happens through leadership: someone or something takes the lead and converts the participants to belief in a goal that is now a SharedGoal? and was once a (lowercase) goal brought to the group. (MP)
SharedGoals?, once they are acknowledge to exist, need to be clarified. SharedLanguage, therefore, needs to emerge. As many of the concepts under discussion are incomplete or complex, shorthand is helpful. (MQ)
This is where WikiWords come in as a helpful tool. In asynchronous modes of communication the eyebrow raise, hand waving, tone of voice or trenchant gaze that indicate an important concept are not present. Something else is needed to indicate a sense of "this is important" and perhaps more importantly "I think this might be important". For a group that has trained into the behavior WikiWords do this very well. The smashed camel case says: there's something here and it is more than a simple hypertextual link: it is a Word, a Name, a Label, an Identifier of something that matters or will matter soon. (MR)
FreeLinks and other styles of wiki linking which obscure the canonical page name muddy the conceptual waters: both the waters that contain wiki words and also the significance of WikiWords themselves. When using the WikiWords we want them to be special identifiers that have the robust sureness of reference and power that a name provides. (MS)
When we use the nicknames that FreeLinks and similar methods provide we lose the power of naming and the sureness of reference. It may be convenient to call something by another name, but then we loosen our possibilities of learning. Searches become harder, backlinks are lost, the chance for informative collisions amongst WikiWords is lessened. (MT)
[To be tuned at another time.] (MU)
Update: Eric has pointed out that I had left FreeLinks rather undefined. I've since added a page to the wiki to explain it. (N4)
Home Again Home Again
The good weather left Seattle when I did. As I flew out, the clouds were thick and low. The plane popped out into the sun in time for some nice views and pics of my weekend getaway. Paradise can be seen as the swoop of road and parking lot in the center of the bottom of the photograph. (M9)
I took many pictures of the mountain, and then the great salt lake when it showed. (MB)
So, home now. Something akin to a trip report forthcoming. (MC)
September 26, 2003
In Seattle
Yesterday I flew into Seattle to visit with my lovely and talented participant person.
Today I walked around while she worked. Tomorrow we will go to Paradise Inn on the mountain shown above. I'm extremely excited about this.
More photos and tales forthcoming.
September 18, 2003
Stan's Rants See the Light
My pal Stan, over the last several years, has had a tendency to go off an amusing and/or inspiring rant about the state of the universe. There's always been talk of gathering these somewhere for safe keeping and the enjoyment of others. (LX)
That day has finally come. Stan's made a blog: Burning Behind the Eight Ball in which amongst his recognizable reflections on today's mood is an entire category dedicated to rants of yore. (LY)
Some of these are absolute gems. Go check em out. (LZ)
Sig Change II
Last time I changed my email signature, I felt like it was important to note it. It had been: (LM)
then i fantasized the future i want..i wanna be walkin in a crowd smiling n luffin..waving at evryone i know..no one is faking it..no one has hatred hidden in them..evryone's honest frank cool and easy.. T (LN)
I've changed it again, this time to a KennethRexroth quote (LO)
The accepted official version of anything is most likely false . . . all authority is based on fraud (LQ)
suggested by my step-dad. (LR)
I had been complaining that although the previous signature described a vision of reality that I desperately want, it lacks the aggressive tone that's necessary to reflect where I'm at the moment. (LS)
Sure, I want everybody to be smiling and loving some day. But at the moment, things need to change, and while smiling and loving would get it over the long term, action needs to happen now and that's going to take some anger. (LT)
We have in the governments around the world a bunch of small minded liars and ideologues. They spend their time trashing opportunities for change, development and progress with their limited self interest. Read the news. (LU)
Thanks. (LV)
September 16, 2003
Free Market Banking
I just ended a phone call with a representative from a credit card company. I recently signed up for one of their cards. The usual deal: zero percent interest until some distant future, transfer your other credit card bills. (L9)
During this phone call I was asked to verify some information and activate my card. I had already activated my card. (LA)
They then offered to send me a check for $X (many many dollars) as an interest free (for the time being) loan. I declined, they pushed, I hung up. (LB)
That $X represents my existing available credit with that company. So they get you like this: (LC)
- To compete they have to have 0% interest. (LD)
- So they then hook you into taking a bunch of money that many will think is free and clear but then won't budget for repayment. (LE)
- That distant future will arrive and much of that $X will still be on the credit card, subject to interest. (LF)
- The bank finally gets to make money, when they've got you by the curlies. (LG)
Bastards. This is the glorious (and obvious) result of deregulated banking. Mmmm, thank you very very very much. (LH)
The left behind folks claim these are the ends times, Christ is coming, prepare yourself, etc. These are the ends times, but not that kind. Empire USA is in the decline, our Rome will burn and when it does I'll be dancing. (LI)
Is everywhere else in the toilet too? (LJ)
September 09, 2003
Gardening, All Day and All Night
I'll probably change my mind about this by tomorrow and this is but one performance of a piece much played, but so it goes and may as well put it down: (L2)
While watching the end of Blade Runner it occurred to me that one of the major problems with being alive is not that it ends so quickly, casting a shadow of mortality; but that, at least for me, given its length, the future always looms large as a space that must be tended. (L3)
The future is a garden for which the seeds are planted now, or yesterday. (L4)
That is a curse. Were the future to drop out of my mind or knowledge of a nigh end drop in, I'd be a different man. (L5)
