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Grex > Coop7 > #107: Grex On-Line Monthly Meetings | |
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rcurl
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Grex On-Line Monthly Meetings
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Oct 4 19:17 UTC 1995 |
I raised this question in an active item, and it got swamped. Let's
try again:
Do you feel that you are *putting too much time into Grex*?
A lot of people do not have the time, and perhaps more the inclination, to
be "on" every day. For a lot of people that get involved in organizations,
it initially amounts to one evening a month, where they get together,
discuss the subjects that brought the group together, maybe have a
program, and some snacks.....but its one night a month; it is interesting
and fun; and some members will want to become more involved, and join a
committee, or join in some single activity between meetings - or run for
the board (which will mean two nights a month devoted to that activity).
How can Grex be structured so that people can, if they choose, also have a
satisfying experience, which will make them want to return again and
again, and perhaps become more deeply involved - by participating (logging
in) once per month, for a couple of hours?
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| 32 responses total. |
rcurl
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response 1 of 32:
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Oct 4 19:25 UTC 1995 |
Here is one possibility: hold a monthly meeting in a party channel in
which there is some business about Grex, a program, and some socializing
afterward, for perhaps two hours. This should be organized and moderated
so that it does not fall into chaos. The purpose would be to have a
"monthly meeting" that will please and satisfy users that do not have the
time, or do not want to be involved, in daily (sometimes several times a
day), high-tension, time-consuming, typical "grexing". As stated in the
heading, this would be more typical of *most* special interest
clubs/orgnizations - they don't take over your life unless that is what
you want.
Since no one reading this has probably ever previously even *contemplated*
such a thing, I imagine there will be immediate resistance, objections,
fault finding, etc. However, consider it: a user-friendly, informative,
undemanding, social, Grex interface. Sound intriguing?
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gregc
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response 2 of 32:
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Oct 4 19:29 UTC 1995 |
Hmmm, interesting point Rane. My first impression is that it's simply
not the nature of the beast. Grex isn't a stamp club. To borrow an analogy
from a recent agora item, Grex is like a nightclub for people who don't do
nightclubs. It's a social activity, like going to a bar. Alot of people,
who are into that, go to their favorite clubs/bars several times a week,
not just once a month.
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rcurl
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response 3 of 32:
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Oct 4 20:42 UTC 1995 |
That's what *one part* of Grex can be - the only part we have now. How
about some other parts? Ok, if you want analogies - a model railroading
club? ARROW? Don't be too quick saying that because there is something
that Grex *is*, it can't also do something else.
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janc
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response 4 of 32:
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Oct 4 21:16 UTC 1995 |
I'd be satisfied to find a way by which people can call in once a week and
still feel part of things.
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rcurl
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response 5 of 32:
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Oct 4 21:50 UTC 1995 |
OK - a compromise - once a week. We can try for once a month later.
Another perspective on what I'm trying to think out. In a way, within
its limits, Grex is "all things to all users". But *they* must find
what that thing is that is what they want. In a sense, we already
program the options, offering party, and Picospan (and tech uses).
Now we need an option to "participate fully" (as seen by the user)
when calling in once a week for a couple of hours. Would a Weekly
Meeting serve that function?
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janc
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response 6 of 32:
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Oct 4 22:00 UTC 1995 |
The technical problem I have with "meetings in party" is that all the
participants pretty much need to log onto Grex at the same time. That
limits us to 50 odd participants.
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gregc
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response 7 of 32:
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Oct 4 22:05 UTC 1995 |
BTW, response #2 was in response to #0. Rane beat me to #1 but I didn't
get a so-and-so "slipped in ahead" of me message. Odd.
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kerouac
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response 8 of 32:
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Oct 5 00:23 UTC 1995 |
Sometime ago, I suggested moving a board meeting on-line once in a
while. A substantial number of grexers live out of town now, witness the
new Grexohio group, and it is very easy to feel left out when there is
no way to physically participate in things like meetings and grex walks
and grex night outs. There is a distance that an out-of-town user feels
and has to deal with. It is why some choose to leave I fear. They
may feel that they are being taken less seriously because they dont live
in A2, cant go to the meetings or get involved in these things.
I think therefore that some sort of organized on-line activity would
be a good idea. Why not put some meetings on-line? I read the minutes
of these meetings and it doesnt seem as though many people attend, even
among those who do live in a2 and could. Perhaps by putting every fourth
meeting on-line, one a quarter or something, participation could be
increased.
Create a #board channel or something. Dont see what it could hurt.
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lilmo
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response 9 of 32:
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Oct 5 02:47 UTC 1995 |
So fare as I can tell, very few cf's are as active as agora, or even coop.
It seems to me that participation in any of these needn't be as often as once
a day, or even once a week, to be participating fully. I'm not sure we need
special facilities for "one-a-month"ers.
I have no objection to these in principle; indeed, if there was interest, I
would be glad to support them, I just question the need.
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ajax
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response 10 of 32:
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Oct 5 04:39 UTC 1995 |
Same here, fine idea, but slow conferences work fine for infrequent
non-simultaneous participation, and simultaneous participation has
the tech hurdle janc mentioned. Grex already runs close to capacity
in evenings, so I don't know how many more could get on for a real-time
meeting. Bears further thought though; it is an interesting idea.
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rcurl
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response 11 of 32:
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Oct 5 07:01 UTC 1995 |
So, which conference can you go to once a week, and find an interesting
but not overwhelming continuity of intelligent discussion occurring, on a
variety of topics, without having to read a huge mass of responses, and
yet learning pretty fully the important business of Grex?
Re #6: sounds OK to me. I doubt that 50 would join in, though it might be
hard for those interested to get in. They seem to do it on party. Since no
one previously has suggested the need for a less intense Grex environment,
there shouldn't be many joining in anyway (heh heh). Say, is that "odd" as
in 17, 19, 21, or "odd" as in Odd?
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popcorn
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response 12 of 32:
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Oct 5 10:47 UTC 1995 |
Plants. Cooking. Consumer. Kidstuff. Femme. Maybe homme.
Scruples. (What "important business of Grex"?)
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rcurl
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response 13 of 32:
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Oct 5 13:58 UTC 1995 |
You mean, there isn't any? I've been mislead. My point remains, to find a
*complete* but less hectic and intense participation in Grex, not roam a
subset of somewhat inactive cfs. The "one meeting a month" Grex (ooops...I
agreed we could start with "one meeting a week").
I'm making up my mind to do something about my own overactive
participation: I've been neglecting some other important things. But I see
no way on Grex to be a "complete" member without putting in a lot of time.
Yes, I could just limit myself to one cf - books, say, - but that
separates me from the life of Grex. If the life of Grex *must* be hectic
and overactive, then there is no other place for me on Grex. That is sad.
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ajax
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response 14 of 32:
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Oct 6 05:12 UTC 1995 |
How about starting a Rane conference, shaping it to your liking? I'd join!
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popcorn
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response 15 of 32:
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Oct 6 14:23 UTC 1995 |
I would too. But I don't think that would address Rane's concerns about
spending too much time on Grex.
I definitely see your point, Rane, about how Grex can take a huge bite
of time out of one's life, and I agree that I'd like to see a way for
people to participate fully in Grex without having to spend vast amounts of
time here.
(For what it's worth, I notice that I most often worry about the amount of
time Grex is taking from my life when co-op is particularly contentious.
There seems to be a very direct correlation there.)
The "forget" command in agora seems to help, some.
Dunno.
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mlady
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response 16 of 32:
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Oct 6 19:36 UTC 1995 |
Or you can skip the thing altogether, which I really reommend.
I'd like to be at one of these on-line meetings. All the other meetings seem
to happen when I work.
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selena
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response 17 of 32:
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Oct 7 05:16 UTC 1995 |
Skip what? Agora? Agreed there, if that's what you mean.
I'd love to see online meetings! Why don't we send a few folks
down into party, and see what the people there think?
JAn- *limited to 50 users*?
How many people attend these things IRL?
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janc
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response 18 of 32:
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Oct 9 04:56 UTC 1995 |
The 50 user limit assumes nobody else is doing anything else on Grex.
My impression was that this was meant not so much as a replacment for the
board meetings, but as a gathering for less frequent users.
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rcurl
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response 19 of 32:
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Oct 9 21:52 UTC 1995 |
Jan is correct. The objective is to have a Grex environment that is
still "Grex", with opportunities for participation in both discussions
and especially the running of Grex, with a more reasonable expediture
of time than keeping "on top" of all the threads (and guff). The
moderated on-line meeting was an approach to this that I suggested,
but others may have other suggestions *also* worth considering.
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selena
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response 20 of 32:
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Oct 10 18:24 UTC 1995 |
Still, how many people attend meetings IRL?
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srw
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response 21 of 32:
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Oct 11 04:05 UTC 1995 |
about a dozen
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selena
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response 22 of 32:
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Oct 11 04:24 UTC 1995 |
Cool, online meetings could provide at LEAST that, easily.
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sidhe
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response 23 of 32:
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Oct 11 15:59 UTC 1995 |
These would also be extremely convenient for those members who live
just far enough away to have difficulties getting to Ann Arbor.
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steve
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response 24 of 32:
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Oct 13 21:45 UTC 1995 |
THis sounds interesting, and I'm certainly willing to try it. I
have idea if it will work or not, but I'm will to take a look and see.
We can have more then 50 people "on", if folks cluster at places
that have a terminal. I daresay that a persons place that has two
phone lines at it, could accomodate 16 people, between the two
terminals hooked up to Grex. So we could definately get a
sizeable crowd there. The idea of having multiple people at a terminal
would probably even save time, if the person at the terminal was a
quick typist, and typed everything in for their group.
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