My name is Joe Lennon.  Currently I devide my professional time between
being a Network Administrator/Computer Technician for a local community
college and being a pastor.  Online community is relevant to both
occupations.  Further I have a personal passion for online community, I
don't know where that comes from, it may be that I am just wired that
way.

   Currently,  I am a host for the Electric People Conference at
Electric Minds.  A task I have loved for over two years.  I am grateful
to be invited to this gathering.  I am delighted to see so many of my
friends and acquaintances here in addition to those who will become new
friends.  Glad to be here, let's get started.

Hi y'all (That's Texas talk - I am spending a lot of time in Dallas)

I''m Pat Chappell - I've known Nancy for years -since way back when we were
both in commercial broadcasting.  For the past several years I've had the
privilege of working with Nancy on some project through Full Circle
Associates.  With her help I am making the transition from beingt someone's
drudge (i.e. working for someone else) to having the opportunity to pick and
choose who I work with (i.e.a consultant). I am a marketing/communications
expert and I specialize in strategic planning, campaign development and
project management.  Right now I am dividing my time between Seattle, Dallas
and DC, but it's mostly in Dallas while I get a project off the ground.

I am interesting in gettting grounded in all aspects of internet use since I
see it becoming a most useful - and pervasive - tool.

I look forward to getting to know all of you better.

PS - if Nancy is a chocoholic, I'm a dog-oholoic.  Not only do I have my own
(who is in Seattle and I miss her) but I am "god-mother" to 3 others dogs- 1
in Seattle and 2 in Annapolis - and I'm working on what to do in Dallas....

I am the founder of a corporate communications (for want of a better
word) company located in a small village called Lubenham in the UK.
Since 1984 when I set up Mass Mitec (see www.massmitec.co.uk), I have
been constantly challenged by the opportunities which the converging
technologies are creating, and my burning desire is to help individuals
and companies fulfill their potential through the innovative use of
technology.
I am also lead partner in a project called ComKnet (Community Commerce
and Knowledge Network see www.harborough.org.uk) and a fellow member
(with Nancy and a few others) of the Knowledge Ecology Network.
I am keen to learn and share with others

Hi Nancy, all,

I have just joined the group and have been browsing the posts
online.

I am immediately interested in this post by: KC Burgess Yakemovic


> Hi!  I'm curious as to the definition of online facilitation.  Not that
> there necessarily _is_ a definition yet... :-)

I started a mailing list in 1993 which is still going, Psyber-L
which is still going, now more private than it was originally.

http://www.psybernet.co.nz/psyber-l.htm

I used to think of myself as the "facilitator" and a few years
ago dropped the title.  It implied (to my New Zealand English
ear) that I would help people along, help the process etc.  Now I
think more as Host.  I help create a space, keep it convivial,
purposeful even, safe if I can, but I donn intervene in the
content beyond contributing.

I could imagine "facilitation" online, and then I would bring in
more of a "guide" role, more of a leader.  I might even suggest
someone considers an alternative communication style etc.

This might sound like too fine a tuning of the definition, but it
has made it much easier for me.

Looking ahead i see there is more on this topic so will read on!

KC Burgess Yakemovic continues:

> As for me, I've been on the internet since 1986.  I've done real
> work with geographical dispersed teams (software development
> projects) using the net.  I've also participated in a number of
> experiments and experiences with creating both work teams
> and communities on the net.

> For a while I was moderator for a couple of mailing lists, one
> for a particular personality type and one for people interested
> in the human issues associated with computer supported
> communication.  Moderation is not exactly facilitation... but
> perhaps was a toe in the water.

I wonder if you are making a distinction along the lines that I
am here KC? ( KC do I have that right?)

Moderation was the term used in Fidonet when I started and that
led me to use the word facilitator, as moderation (here in NZ)
sounds like someone who dampens down things.

Now i think of it as someone who reads the posts before they are
distributed.

Definitions interest me, more so the *role* or actual way of
being behind the description... I am writing a document on that
... more on that soon.


My intro:

I heard about this list from Dan Randow, a friend and colleague.
He has subbed to this group.  I am a psychotherapist and have a
full time practice in Christchurch NZ.

I recently updated my CV...

http://www.psybernet.co.nz/cvwl.htm

Looking forward to being here!


Walter



__________________________________________________________________
Walter Logeman  walter@...  http://www.psybernet.co.nz

Hi everyone, my name is Barbara Steinberg, and I was also delighted to
receive an invitation from Nancy to join this list.

I started in this field four years ago with my first community, a mailing
list called Socks, short for Web Sociology. I have also created another
community out of a web-cast radio station called Radio Free Monterey. In
addition, I also have the pleasure of being a free-lance writer for the
trAce Online Writers Community, which is run by Sue Thomas.

I am in the process of trying to express my artistic ideas in a business
plan and make that transition so I can continue to live this life, this
wonderful, superb, enlightening life of being involved in online
communities. There is a new challenge every day, and I look forward to
listening and learning from the wisdom of others.

My work can be seen at www.barbarasdreams.com/work

Barbara

(Nancy, is this how I do this? )

Hi,

I'm Keen Harrison and I'm a geneticist in New Jersey (currently) and first
came to know Nancy through her work in an education program with the March of
Dimes.  'Then met her online when she organized an internet conference center
for reviewing a genetics teaching curriculum and slide set.  We've lobbed
emails back and forth about kids, art, education, philosophy, men, etc.  We
may have even said something about genetics.

I'm not all that swift regarding the world of virtual reality.  Given my
druthers, I'd have more of the real stuff, but, sadly, that  isn't always
possible.  This makes for a pretty good second option, professionally.  The
funding source for our regional human genetics network has evaporated, so it
may be that the only way we can continue our communication and networking
will be to meet at a scheduled time online.

My second  agenda in working on the 'net is to get everyone thinking that we
can't POSSIBLY bomb or shoot someone for a political/economic  reason if we
have made friends on the internet with them or their countrymen.

Keen Harrison

(Nancy, is this how I do this? )

Hi,

I'm Keen Harrison and I'm a geneticist in New Jersey (currently) and first
came to know Nancy through her work in an education program with the March of
Dimes.  'Then met her online when she organized an internet conference center
for reviewing a genetics teaching curriculum and slide set.  We've lobbed
emails back and forth about kids, art, education, philosophy, men, etc.  We
may have even said something about genetics.

I'm not all that swift regarding the world of virtual reality.  Given my
druthers, I'd have more of the real stuff, but, sadly, that  isn't always
possible.  This makes for a pretty good second option, professionally.  The
funding source for our regional human genetics network has evaporated, so it
may be that the only way we can continue our communication and networking
will be to meet at a scheduled time online.

My second  agenda in working on the 'net is to get everyone thinking that we
can't POSSIBLY bomb or shoot someone for a political/economic  reason if we
have made friends on the internet with them or their countrymen.

Keen Harrison

HI!  In real life, my name is Carol Tucker.  I am currently working for
a small, community based back in Howard County, MD - that's about 40
miles nw of DC.  Formerly the Director of Credit Admin, I moved into an
assistant position to the COO and am trying to implement KMS.

I wandered into an online community looking for information about risk
management, ended up in knowledge ecology and getting a crash course on
conference ediquette and the needs of good online facilitation to weld
together the disparate personalities into an effective community.
Nancy is also a participant in a couple of the conferences that I hang
my hat in, and a fellow chocoholic....

A question about your definition, Nancy.

Nancy White wrote:
>
>  Online Facilitation:
>  The process of assisting groups and individuals in  online communications
>  and interactions. To make online communications clearer and easier to
>  understand. To make online conversation and work spaces conducive to
>  successful human communications connections. To help people achieve their
>  interaction goals online.

Are there human connections outside of communications? Many would argue
that communication defines how we view ourselves as beings.

One way to characterize something is to describe what it is _not_.
Perhaps a more interesting way to think about online facilitation is to
intertwine goals with process, building some model of facilitation that
works in various general situations, or in reaching particular goals
defined as the desired outcomes of the process to be facilitated.

Sometimes facilitation's (and the facilitator's) goal can be quite
different than what the participants in the process may perceive to be
their own goals. An experienced facilitator, expert also in the
situation or problem faced by a group, can lead the group and its
members, collectively and individually, to ways of thinking and
interacting and problem solving that are very different from what these
folks planned on learning! In these circumstances, the facilitator's
challenge is maintaining the group's and its members' authenticity while
providing tools for and new ways of thinking about their problem or
goal. The facilitator must keep on the right side of the fine line
between leading and truly facilitating. The "truth" has to be the
group's but it can incorporate and move beyond the facilitator's own
truth.

(Hello to many familiar folks. Those who remember me from other venues
will doubtless recall that I am rarely at a loss for words. :) )

--
Lorraine P. King
Telephone: (604) 936-6150
Cellular:  (604) 723-6051
ICQ#11591526

Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee,
and just as hard to sleep after - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Hello everybody *shaking hands*

Nancy, thank you for starting this list! Let's hope this community
provides us the opportunity to learn from and with each other. I work
as a lecturer/consultant within Knowledge Centre CIBIT in the
Netherlands. At CIBIT we already gained some knowledge and experience
on facilitating online groups within our educational programs and
client projects. I am currently developing a course on facilitating
online groups and I am very interested to share experiences on what
works and what doesn't work when facilitating these groups.

Has anyone read the report from Arthur Andersen's Next Generation
Research Group on online communities (http://www.ngrg.com/olcreport.htm
)? I've read the article ((http://www.ngrg.com/kmreview.pdf)and it
looks interesting.

Hope to see you all soon!



Bart

p.s. Nancy, if you like chocalate, read 'Chocolat: a novell' from
Joanne Harris. I'm currently reading it and it is delicious ;-)

Hello!  My name is Al and I am a producer for collegeclub.com
-specifically, my focus is in developing the communication tools of our
site: Chat, Clubs, Message Boards, Web Page Builder, our Games Channel, the
Calendar and I also produce/executive produce off-site live webcasted
events.  Additionally, I have a hell of a good time doing it...as much as
anyone working 70-90hrs/week can have.  =)

Nancy, I checked out the Full Circle Associates.  Kudos to you for going out
on your own.

I have been very involved with the development of our online community and
also in the study of overall community structure.  I currently work with 36
"hosts" who are all college students, create content for the site but more
important open up venues for people to communicate with one another and make
connections.

I'm looking forward to seeing just how obnoxious these ads for Sports
Illustrated at the bottom can actually get!  =)  haha...

I also look forward to some good discussions.

Cheers,

-al

Allen Smith
Producer
www.collegeclub.com     U S A
the world's largest online college community
619.718.6800

Hi. I'm Terri Kelly and I 'm setting up the knowledge base and facilitating
the online community for tripwiresecurity.com. I have been online in one
forum or another since the mid-80s, including The WELL. I currently
moderate three mailing lists and an online social community of local
philanthropists. I'm glad to get in on the beginning of this new forum, as
I just signed up for GNA-VC last night. Great timing!

Hello,

My name is Bill Harris.  I am an internal quality consultant at HP, where I
set up and manage quality systems, lead process improvement and
organizational change efforts, do and consult on problem solving using
systems thinking and system dynamics, and coach and consult on improved
communications.  Along the way, I facilitate meetings of various sorts and
in various ways.

My current organization sits in the Bay Area, even though I live and work
near Seattle.  Thus most of the meetings I've attended or facilitated
recently have involved on-line work, often using a combination of NetMeeting
and phone calls, although I've facilitated meetings using live video, and
I've been part of some great, productive, globe-spanning meetings where the
only contact was through email.

While I am currently internal to HP, I can hear the siren's song beckoning
me to become independent (and the sound of waves crashing on the rocks :-).
I'll be interested in learning from everyone's experiences and sharing a bit
of mine along the way.

Bill
--
Bill Harris                                 Year 2000 Program Office
mailto: bill_harris@...          Hewlett-Packard Company
phone: (425) 335-2200                       M/S 330C
fax: (425) 335-2483                         8600 Soper Hill Road
home: harris6@...                   Everett, WA 98205-1298

Hello everyone. Nancy thanks for the invite. I'm hailing in from Bedford
Stuyvesant Brooklyn. I will pause and put up my bio and org site. I am looking
forward in meeting everyone and hope to learn and share more on group
facilitation:
--------------------
SUMMARY OF MY PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE:

I have worked in the online communications field for over 12 years and have
provided online communication technical assistance and services to community
based organizations. I continue to specialize in developing and managing
computer conferencing
networks and electronic clearinghouses for all kinds of working-groups, virtual
teams, committees, and educational institutions through a new organization
called the National Electronic Clearinghouse Center (NECC) -
http://www.neccenter.org . My current
focus is on setting up and providing technical assistance for web-based computer
conferencing networks, for coalitions, advocacy  groups, professional
associations, and institutions; and developing electronic clearinghouses, online
conferencing events
(conferences, workshops, seminars), and distant learning programs.

I have extensive experience in program development and management, proposal
writing and creative fundraising strategies, specializing in pilot projects and
organizational technology development. I also hold a masters degree in Community
Economic
Development (CED), and work currently as an adjunct professor at the New
Hampshire College, Graduate Community Economic Development Program. I also
manage their teacher-student conferencing network

The following is a list of some of the organizations and projects I have worked
with and am currently working with:

- The National Urban League - provided all of their initial online research and
development pilot projects for 3 years (electronic publications and 
Newsletters, State of Black America  Online Database, S.O.B.A.D.)
- The College Board, New York - hosted the conferencing network for their
National Math and guidance program, EQUITY 2000.
- Church Alive Ministries (South Bronx) - hosted the first electronic
clearinghouse for  immigration and naturalization, which was  funded by the
Community Development  Agency, New York City.
- Medical Computer Systems- Developed and hosted an international electronic
medical journal and network
- The Development Leadership Network (DLN) -  received a grant from the Ford  
Foundation to research success measures in CED. I developed a pilot project for
them hosting their national board of directors, staff, and coordinators.
- Mountain Association of Community Economic Development (MACED), currently
assisting with the development and launch of their Community By Choice Project
network.
- Asian American Business Development Institute, New Majority Business
Initiative- a coalition of Asian, Blacks, and Latino community businesses
- North American EMS Employee Organization Network (NEEON) - currently assisting
this association of unions in setting up their online network.
- Currently developing an electronic grant reporting and monitoring conferencing
system for the North Carolina Community Economic Development Initiative (NCCEDI)
grantees.
-  St. Augustine's College- Currently providing the training and conferencing
network management for their distant education certification course for CDC
executive directors across the state of North Carolina.
- I developed the specification and prototype for an electronic clearinghouse
for the National Caucus of Black State Legislators (NBCSL).

--
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sanyakhu-Sheps Amare'
Executive Director, 718 622-3923
National Electronic Clearinghouse Center
http://www.neccenter.org
               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
NHC CED Program  - http://merlin.nhc.edu

Hi!

Glad to see this getting going and suspect that it will gain momentum
as folks come out of their summer/vacation mode - which I will be going
into tomorrow for 10 days!

I will be coming back to start building 285 communities of interest in
a broad range of areas.  This is a very small Internet startup with a
persistent search engine.

Previously, I originally got into technology working on Interactive
videodisks at a law school, and then publishing software to help people
prepare for negotiations.  I have also worked on distance learning
courses using software called IntraLearn (www.intralearn1.com).  In my
previous, non-virtual world I worked as an organizer around peace,
labor, and justice issues.  I diverted to law school at one point and
practiced law for 10 years, but I can hardly remember anything of that
period. <g>

Dan Burnstein
Brookline, MA

It was a nice surprise to find this invite in my mailbox this morning and
nice to see some folks I've known in the past again. I'm a host at
Brainstorms and RealDiscussions and a past host at Electric Minds.
RealDiscussions is a new venture still in beta from Well Engaged and it's
been fascinating watching it grow from the ground up. I spend 90% of my time
online between these three places and have learned quite a lot in the last 3
years about communication and how people talk or maybe how fast they can
type. Happy to be here, thanks for the invitation, Nancy.

Tara Twain

Hi Everyone!  I'm Neil Krey, another FON (friend of Nancy).  ;-)

I am an aviation training professional.  I have been facilitating and training
others to facilitate in RL since 1983.  I have been doing it online since I
started a mailing list for aviation training professionals (CRM-DEVEL here on
eGroups) in 1996.

Like others here, I have been in the Electric Minds and Brainstorms worlds and
have learned a lot of what I know about online facilitation there.

Thanks, Nancy, for starting this list.  There will be some chocolate outside the
door for you.  And Sue - now I know why my gecko has been a little twitchy
today.  ;-)

Best,
Neil Krey

neilkrey@...
http://www.crm-devel.org/neilkrey/

neilkrey@...
http://www.crm-devel.org/
http://www.crm-devel.org/avinstr/

KC asked us "what is online facilitation." Thank you!!

Sounds like a great starting point. I'll dip my toe in an get something up
here for us to critique, reshape, refine...etc...etc...

I would assume we have to start with "what is facilitation." Here are
Webster's and WordNet's take:

Facilitation \Fa*cil`i*ta"tion\, n. The act of facilitating or making easy.

From Wordnet: facilitation n: act of assisting or making easier the
progress or improvement of something
"to free from difficulties or obstacles"
"to make easy or easier"

I am caught by the "to make easier". I think that is also relevant online.

So here is my straw-person --> have a go at it!

Online Facilitation:
The process of assisting groups and individuals in  online communications
and interactions. To make online communications clearer and easier to
understand. To make online conversation and work spaces conducive to
successful human communications connections. To help people achieve their
interaction goals online.

Hmmm. How would we charactarize online facilitation?

P.S. Thanks to all of you who have posted your introductions. WONDERFUL!!!

Nancy

Hello,

I'm Jon Sidoli and a friend of Nancy's from a Knowledge EEEEK!ology (emphasis
my own) group. Facilitation seems so crucial to knowledge networking, which I
believe is the most important strategy for Independent Knowledge Workers. My
nascent company Knovus Communications wishes to change the way e-lancers think
about their personal value from a knowledge viewpoint.  Yet the volunteer
aspects of online facilitation  don't seem to scale with a value producing
community of large numbers. I'm interested how this business model will be
playing out in e-commerce. Eg. Facilitation as part of Sales team, marketing,
or the brand new Facilitation Team.

I am pasting my bio for a shortcut:
Jon Sidoli
Principal , Knovus Communications. Inc.

High Tech
As an “new economy” teacher and  consultant Jon’s vision is to merge the
concepts of knowledge, creativity and continuous learning into the backbone of
an individual’s 21st century success strategy. Jon has spent the last 2 years
studying the emerging fields of Knowledge Management and Knowledge Ecology as
they apply to strategies for the Individual Knowledge Worker or “free agent”.
Prior to going independent, Jon was a founding partner and strategic
consultant for Mind2Media, an new media and e-commerce consulting company.
From 1994-1997 Jon served as Director of Creative Development for multimedia
developer Graphix Zone, Inc. where he was responsible for the creative staff
and multimedia production including, project management, product
conceptualization, and interactive design. The company’s multi-award-winning,
Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Interactive (1994) was a groundbreaking title in the
world of interactive media. Prior to this, Jon was founder and executive
producer for Digital Artists Agency, where he casted, produced and directed
digital audio services for multimedia companies. Jon’s clients have included
Yamaha Pro Audio, Mann Theaters, Sony Music Entertainment, Bob Dylan, Vin Di
Bona Productions, Warner Bros. and many more. Jon has a BA from Boston College
and an MFA from The University of California at Irvine.

High Touch
For 10 years Jon was an Adjunct Professor of Drama at Orange Coast College in
Costa Mesa, California. At Orange Coast and other colleges, including the
University of California at Irvine and Irvine Valley College, he has taught
over 300 semester hours covering a wide spectrum of dramatic arts courses. Jon
has also directed over 20 professional and academic stage productions. He is
also an accomplished actor having interpreted over 40 roles on stage. He
performed the title roles in King Lear and Macbeth which he likes to describe
as "totally immersable interactive experiences." Jon has been a playwright and
theatrical producer. His play, Incidents in the Life of a Slavegirl has been
produced for three years during Black History Month for schools and the
general public.

Hello!

I am Margaret McIntyre and a colleague of Nancy's from Knowledge Ecology
Workgroup.  I have been an online facilitator of some sort since the
early days of the Motley Fool and again the last year in KEW and am very
taken by the possibilities of creative collaboration via the Internet.

I am an independent consultant living in Atlanta who has been working
with clients collaboratively for the last twelve years as my preferred
mode of addressing their issues (drawing on the collective intelligence
of the organization).  My history is as a management consultant from
McKinsey doing strategy, operations and organizational consulting. I
enjoy interactive thinking sessions and am hoping to be able to leverage
the velocity of conversations online.  There are still so many social
practices that have to be worked out.  Clearly there is a difference if
the group knows each other and is an intact workgroup vs. fellow
cybertravelers just coming together from online interactions.

As part of my own development, I have been studying the philosophy of
language and conversational competencies and am interested in how the
principles translate to this medium, a veritable "post-modern" hotbed.

Glad to be here to explore all the many questions.  Thanks, Nancy, for
starting this up!

Margaret

Hi!  I'm curious as to the definition of online facilitation.  Not that
there necessarily _is_ a definition yet... :-)

As for me, I've been on the internet since 1986.  I've done real
work with geographical dispersed teams (software development
projects) using the net.  I've also participated in a number of
experiments and experiences with creating both work teams
and communities on the net.

For a while I was moderator for a couple of mailing lists, one
for a particular personality type and one for people interested
in the human issues associated with computer supported
communication.  Moderation is not exactly facilitation... but
perhaps was a toe in the water.

Meanwhile, in the "real world" I've faciliated meetings for many
years, even before I knew that was what I was doing. :-)

I have recently been discussing the idea of online facilitation
with someone, which lead to my curiosity...

-- kcby

KC Burgess Yakemovic           Group Peformance Systems Inc.
kcby@...                         www.gpsi.com
.                                                     4776 Village North Court
.                                                     Atlanta GA 30338
.                                                     ph/fx: 770-395-0282

Hi, all -

Looks like we can rely on Nancy to bring together an interesting group :)

I started out my online facilitation career by managing a listserv for a
certain specialized medical professionals' group (of which I was a member
then)... That was early 1995ish... after that I became acquainted with
Eva Shaderowfsky, who ran a women's issues discussion on AOL and
ultimately became the forum leader of the first AOL women's forum.  I was
her second-in-command and learned a lot!!

Somewhere along the line I was a host at Electric Minds, a member of
Howard Rheingold's Brainstorms community (until I didn't visit for a
while and he apparently cleaned out the membership lists of deadwood ;),
I was Chat Coordinator for Durand Communications for a while... I was the
Village Coordinator for Aliza Sherman's Cybergrrl Village... and a few
other odd things like that, and I run a message board for Chronic Fatigue
and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome people.

My main labor of love, though, is a site Eva and I started in December
1997, a women's community on the web targeting "mature" (i.e. older than
18) women.  We were aware that the big women's sites were all targeting
18-35 y/o women, and also were aware that the older demographic was one
of the fastest growing on the web.  So we figured it was a huge untapped
market, and one we had the knowhow to put together.

It's at http://women2women.com, and really has turned out to be a great
place, and a lot of fun to do.

I was a medical person, as I noted in the first paragraph, until January
of this year, when I took the full-time freelancing leap.  I took some
courses and got an official certificate in interactive multimedia to
supplement what I already knew and give me a piece of paper for
legitimacy's sake, and I'm working at home, building websites, writing,
putting together multimedia stuff, facilitating my communities, and am as
happy as a clam ;)

Looking forward to this!

Sue Boettcher
http://women2women.com - a women's community on the web
WWCoCo New Media - http://wwcoco.com - building places for people online

Thanks to Nancy for conceiving and coordinating this discussion list.
I've known her for a couple of years now. During that time, she has been
the source of so many informative URLs and mailing lists, online
resources, and interesting contacts. Oh - and a sympathetic touchstone
on several occasions!

Out in the non-virtual world, I'm a Chartered Accountant by profession.
Over the past dozen years I have gone from the public practice of
accounting, into industry as a contractor for several accounting and
systems projects, and back again - twice. Something about a short
attention span... :)

One of my recent projects was coordinating a cross-disciplinary team
implementating a new management information system. Bridging the gap
between digital, accounting, and internal control requirements is the
easy part: far more intriguing and challenging are the user adoption
issues. Much of my job has been understanding the language of the tech
people enough to translate it for the financial types (and vice versa),
and explaining the decisions of both to the people who have to work with
the system every day. An ongoing facilitation, if you will!

Online, my goal is always subjective enrichment through encountering and
exploring diversity. I'm a sometime community-watcher. The issues around
potential commodification and "broadcastification" of the internet and
world wide web fascinate and disturb me.

Hello, I'm Paul Belserene a storyteller (not, technically speaking, a
digital one, though I use many digital and analog media) and a
participant and host in a number of online communities (virtual
assemblies): The WELL, the River, the original eMinds, and Brainstorms.

I have some experience in online facilitiation, and some strongly held
beliefs, the frequent articulation of which may be the thing that
irritates my fellow community members the most.

Hello all,

I am delighted that we now have a group for this special branch of
facilitation.  My name is Steve May and I work for the US Navy.  I am a
reviewer/auditor/investigator/facilitator, jack of all trades/master of
none.  I have been doing group facilitation for about a year (maybe a little
more) and have enjoyed it very much.

My interest in online facilitation, however, comes from my avocation or
"other life".  I am the moderator of a discussion list much like this one
which is a Bible Study for College Students.  We start each school year with
an attempt to get more students and make the group bigger and this is always
difficult.  I am seeking tools/information which will help me to make this
group successful enough that the students will get their friends to sign on
as well.  I want this e-mail discussion to be something that will really
help the college students in their life away from home and immersed in a
different society that what they have been used to for the past 17+ years.

Perhaps my experience with this college group and my experience as a
facilitator can also provide some help for others.  I look forward to seeing
what this onlinefacilitator discussion group generates and where we go.

Good luck Nancy!  I respect you for starting this group and will do my best
to help in whatever way I can.

Thanks,
Steven W. May
NAVSURFWARCENDIV Crane
may_s@...
(812) 854-3446

Nice letter, Nancy.

My secret agenda in working on the 'net is to get everyone thinking that we
can't POSSIBLY bomb or shoot someone for a political/economic  reason if we
have made friends on the internet with them or their countrymen.

Keen

A new list is like a big, unopened present. What's in it? Is it all
just fancy wrapping? Or is there something interesting and engaging
inside? My hope is that this list is one long present we keep giving
each other as we share our ideas, ask and give advice and learn more
about effective online facilitation.

One of the core issues for online facilitation that has emerged for me
is the connections of individuals in this strange place we call
cyberspace. How do you get to know me? How do I get to know you?

Well, to start off, I'll tell you a little about me as an invitation
for all the list members to introduce themselves. I see this a bit like
plowing the field before we prep the soil and plant the seeds.
  (and maybe this will stimulate a conversation on how to build
connections, how much to disclose to others, and when, and
how...and...and...and... ;-)

I am a communications consultant with my own company, Full Circle
Associates (yes, typically we disclose our work information first...) I
concentrate in working with non profits and high tech businesses (I
like variety) and seem to have a niche now in health related issues. I
see an emerging niche in virtual collaborations and "communities."
Typical of many consultants, I come with a varied work background, from
broadcasting, to maternal-child health, to managment. And oh, I'm a
chocoholic. (I'm known many places online as choconancy)

My interest in online facilitation stems from a passion (addiction?)
for understanding human interaction on the web, particularly in virtual
communities. I fell down this rabbit hole in 1996 and have been
wandering the warrens with awe and a deep desire to figure out how we
can apply this new opportunity for human connection to strengthening
communities of all sorts.

I would like to be part of a group of people (us?) who begin to
articulate what role facilitation plays in building productive online
connections, collaborations and even communities. I have a few specific
dreams but recognize this is NOT a solitary task, but one of a group. I
look forward to reconnecting with those on the list I know, and
connecting with those who I don't yet know. I hope you share a bit
about who you are, and what you would like to both gain and contribute
from this list.

Thanks!!!

Nancy

WELCOME!

The discipline of facilitation is old and well studied. As facilitation
moves to the online environment in a wide variety of applications,
there are old lessons to apply and new lessons to learn.

This list is a effort to bring us together to share these lessons and
experiences, share resources, build new knowledge and support each
other as online facilitators, mentors and community hosts.

The list is intended for people:
* who are online facilitators in a variety of environments (i.e.
virtual work groups, virtual communities and communities of practice)
* who wish to appy their offline facilitation skills in an online
environment,
* who are or plan to be hosts of online communities
* who are generally interested in online community social dynamics

The list is sponsored by Full Circle Associates (http://www.fullcirc.co
m) and our new site, OnlineFacilitation.com (http://www.onlinefacilitat
ion.com) which will be formally launched in the Fall of 1999.
Moderating is yours truly, Nancy White, aka choconancy. Please feel
free to email me at nancyw@... if I can be of assistance.

Please post a brief self-introduction to the list. Over time, we can go
back to our archives online at e-groups (http://www.egroups.com/list/on
linefacilitation/) to learn about our fellow members, recall old
messages and build a knowledge base.

Welcome and we look forward to your participation in this community.

A listserv to discuss the skills, techniques and issues around online facilitation in a variety of online environments and virtual communities.

Group Manager: onlinefacilitation-owner@egroups.com

To subscribe, send a message to onlinefacilitation-subscribe@egroups.com or go to the e-groups's home page at http://www.egroups.com/group/onlinefacilitation/