Having problems with message search?
Jenny,
Certainly. For most of the 90's I worked in the on-line services industry (CompuServe) mainly on message board technologies and in doing that work I had the opportunity to participate in a great many online discussions. I found them to often be quite frustrating because of repetitive/circular posts, frequent digressions and the need to devote so much time in order to keep up.
It was many years later that I realized that these problems were all caused by the time-centric nature of message boards (and e-mail, chat and even conversation) and that by constructing the interaction in an idea-centric manner where all interaction necessarily focused in toward the discussion instead of away as time-centric models do that the method produced a far more focused, rational result where the "noise" of the discussion was naturally filtered out and where no moderation is required.
Having a background in web technologies I decided to build it and make it available as a free web based tool so that individuals and groups/classes could use this method for their own purposes but where the results of their deliberations would be available to all. I built it because I learn best by analyzing opposing views and now I get to read lots of them in a very concentrated form. I would call the tool a passion; while building it my wife would call it an obsession. :)
Here is a video that describes how the tool works:
http://TruthMapping.com/about.php
An idea-centric tool like TruthMapping creates a very readable result where the noise has been hidden automatically which allows search engines to come by and index each topic and send interested persons directly to usable information. Complex time-centric discussions, on the other hand, not only require much time but in order to see their value they either have to be experienced directly or manually distilled in some way.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
jack
--
A Tool to Elevate Debate
http://truthmapping.com/about.php
Jack,Would you be willing to share a little background information on Truthmapping. This is the first I've heard of it, and seems like an intereting enterprise. I'd like to hear how you got it started and why.Best,~JennyAssistant Professor
Department of Communication, SS340
University at Albany, SUNY
Albany, NY 12222
jstromer@...
518-442-4873
http://www.albany.edu/~jstromer-----Original Message-----
From: deliberation_research@yahoogroups.com [mailto:deliberation_research@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jack Paulus
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 3:35 PM
To: deliberation_research@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [delib] Looking for orientation on RE online deliberation toolsHi Tom,--
I can speak to truthmapping.com issues as I created it. It is a private project not affiliated with any institution and has been enjoying steadily increasing usage. I am aware of it being used by teachers in academic settings with great success (so they tell me). I can answer other questions on the list or off.
take care,
jack
jack@...
On 12/14/06, Tom Murray < tmurray@...> wrote:Hello,
I am involved in some online deliberation porjects and just discovered
this group. [It has 87 members but has not been very active--is it
still alive?]
If anyone is listening, I'd appreciate any thoughts on the following:
- One of my interests is in tools that support the ethical elements of
collaboration, communication, and decision-making. I am, for
instance, inspired by Habermas' Discourse Ethics. In particular I'm
interested in tools that support the cognitive/emotional skills needed
to engage deeply in dialog and multiple perspectives. Does anyone
have pointers to like-minded projects or research?
- Is there proceedings of presentation summaries for the Online
Deliberation DIAC-2005 conference?
- I recently discovered truthmapping.com. I see a lot of graphical
mind-map/concept map/sensemaking tools out there (this is a
particularly nice one for deliberation). Do you know of documents
pointing to such tools being used successfully in authentic situations
to foster deliberation and knowledge building?
--cheers, Tom
A Tool to Elevate Debate
http://truthmapping.com/about.php
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