Thursday, September 24, 2009

surface or deep online environments.


I am interested in the discussions on groups and blogs- have listened to the last meeting. I think that George Siemen's comments around what style each environment encourages is so apt- the groups tend to short chatty pieces, while the blog both allows for and encourages longer, moire reflective work. As for where the "community" happens, I suspect that Sarah's idea that the blog groups that spring up spontaneously around a shared interest have more motivational pull and real purpose for existance than the managed ones- I guess my comment to Rachel on the hospitality blogs is to do with that. They always seem to me to be thinly disguised advertising.
Willie

10 comments:

Stephen said...

It's strange to think you and maybe others have listened in on the meeting.... I'm wondering whether it is coherent in some way or really a conversation.

Sarah's ideas about a spontaneous blogging network hadn't occurred to me. Being part of something like this takes a high degree of, what's the word, mmm, matchmaking, or is it doggedness or planning. It doesn't happen by accident, though I'm sure spontaneity is welcome. Anyway, I'm going to try a bit harder to find and connect with other local bloggers as a result.

willie campbell said...

the working at being a memebr of a group seems to me the same in real lief or in the ether. If you want to be part of a group/community you actually have to give iot something. I notice in your posts around your other community, there is a lot of giving.
I have noticed that there is a convention with serious bloggers- each paragraph will have a link to another blog!!!!!!!! I have to work on my hyperlink skills to begin doing that.

Stoneleigh31 said...

Hi Willie- that's what I was talking about in my last post the hyperlinks connecting us

great linking to Stephens point about "reciprocation" (giving).

:-)
DebraM

Sarah Stewart said...

Really enjoying the conversation, everyone. You're all right that networking and blogging takes time and effort, just like networking etc takes time and effort in real life. If you go to a conference to network, it take money, planning, confidence, friendliness and strategy. It's exactly the same online.

So where does facilitation fit into all this? In a blogging network, what can you facilitate? where and how?

Hilary said...

Time to blog is definitely an issue. It is not just writing a blog but finding where the blog relevant conversations are and how to access some of them. For example on a communal website and via the googler reader screen I have commented several times but is never appears on my screen So it is likely I am talking to myself, hence my trying this method of writing on the individual blog!

Back to Willie's comments. Not sure how I link to another blog via this screen. There are no link tools on this page. http://hilsconnectionto.blogspot.com/

Sarah Stewart said...

Here's how to make a link in the comments section (from Leigh Blackall):

To make a link in a comment, you
should type: Here's a link to my blog
post about you


Time is an issue, Hilary ...it takes time to conenct with other bloggers and find blogging networks...but really worth it in the end....here's the evidence

Sarah Stewart said...

Sorry, the text from Leigh about how to make a link in the comments section didn't come out at all - I'll post it to the email group

Stephen said...

On a slightly technical note, after the conversation over the last two weeks I've started a new folder in my RSS reader called "my blog network"... it's part of my cunning plan to engage in this blog network idea. I'm going to add some selected blogs I really want to follow and will check regularly (plus hopefully read). I'm also going to set myself a modest target for the number of comments each week. I'll keep you posted.

I'm happy to share some of the other wee tricks I use to stay on top (eg RSS, colour coding, lists, social bookmarks). Terribly organic I'd have to confess.

PS Things are not off to a good start as I try to make a post to groupings blog and it's not accessible. I'll try to contact the editor.

Emma Hogg said...

How to Create a Text Link with HTML

willie campbell said...

well this is an attempt to get this linking in comments under the belt. I gather you have to put HTML codes in and the comment from Emma Hogg links us to a tutorial that helps.
I notice that Debra
suggests that linkages are important, as does Sarah

and I can see the value of it.