Fw: Technology Support for OS

[ralphsc]

Patrick (and others),

I once did a two-site OS, one in New York and the other in Indiana.  A
facilitator was present at each site to open, hold, and close the space,
etc.

We offered the client a range of suggestions for electronically linking
the two sites, and to my surprise, they chose a simple fax link.  People
simply faxed notes from break-out sessions back and forth for posting on
a wall at the respective sites.

On reflection, I really liked how it worked.  People could see what the
other group was doing without giving up the sense that the meeting they
were actually in was real in its own right.  They did not feel the need
to break down the intimacy of what they were experiencing just for the
sake of having a more immediate connection to the other site.  For them
it may have been the best of both worlds.  Open space in the palpable
sense plus the knowledge that others from their system were sort of
parallel and connected.

Incidentally, the speed of the internet would seem to offer little
advantage over fax in this kind of circumstance.

Offer your client some options.  See what they do.

Have fun.

Ralph Copleman