Social Networking

Mon Mar 30 12:02:01 PDT 2009

A few more musings about Twitter, Facebook, and the like.

Like some of you who have shared here, I haven't caught the Twitter-bug yet,
but know colleagues and friends who appreciate the medium-for entertainment,
marketing, networking, etc.  Of course, I'm typically, though not always, a
late adopter of new technology-curious but not enough to spend much time
exploring new tech applications until they become blatantly useful or
requisite for the work/play at hand-and even then, I'm rarely invested
enough in the mediums to optimize their usefulness, as anyone who has
visited my blog will no doubt note [sheepish grin].  Having a college-age
sibling eighteen years my junior inspired early adoption of instant
messaging and Facebook-mostly as a way to get to know her in her preferred
communication modes (although we did have to adopt a few of my own
old-fashioned communication norms-no divided attention-i.e. no communicating
with me while doing other things-like instant messaging two other friends
while checking email while talking on the phone while writing a term paper
while instant messaging me [grin]).  These relatively superficial points of
contact cumulatively create enough comfort and currency between us-by
currency, I mean knowing enough about each other's current experience of
existence to care to connect with each other-to inspire more meaningful
connections in phone calls and face-to-face interactions.  

Though definitely no substitute, these virtual exchanges support a more
meaningful visceral relationship with my sister and many other colleagues,
friends, and family who've decided to connect in this way too.  I still
consider my participation there a social networking experiment, but one that
I have found to be quite useful for keeping in touch with various friends
and family all over the world and from different time periods in my life.
Actually, because of my global upbringing, it's the first time ever that all
of my contacts can show up in one place aside from a battered address book
[grin]. 

On another level, I sometimes wonder if Twitter tweets (and Facebook status
updates to some extent) aren't somehow the collective chatter of the "monkey
mind" of consciousness. all the individual internal chatter-or at least some
of it-made visible to a broader collective-and like individuals chasing
these psychological monkeys, so do crowds. just wondering.  I say this not
to dismiss the value of the content shared there.  There are some real
insightful gems and pointers within the virtual chatter.  Some people
probably benefit from putting their thoughts "out there," whether sublime or
inane, and others benefit from following these thoughts.  Like all forms of
communication, I imagine some people use Twitter and Facebook, and all the
myriad forms of social networking to contribute to the collective meaning of
existence.  Others I imagine are merely there to "twitillate" and be
"twitillated" as yet another meaningless distraction.  Somehow, following
"friends" on Twitter or Facebook seems like a step up the evolutionary
ladder of distraction from following "Friends" on TV.  Plus, as someone who
likes her quiet, I appreciate that there's a quieter way for folks who want
to be in constant contact to do so-people who chatter away on the
cell-phones in public challenge my compassion:-).

Thanks for opening space for me to wonder aloud. I appreciate learning here
with you:-).

Warmly,

Karen

Karen Sella 

Coaching:  www.luminacoaching.com

Consulting:  www.integralventures.com

Blog: www.lumina.typepad.com

Phone: 1.206.780.2998

Skype: karensella

lumina fr. L. light, air, opening... 

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From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael
Herman
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 8:55 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Social Networking

some thoughts on what's been said so far.  full disclosure, i don't tweet.
but i might be just on the edge of my tweet seat. 

i love what ralph says about not wanting to skip along your surface.  it
seems that twitter is more likely to produce statements than questions, and
not a great deal of depth.  but i think we've all seen proceedings documents
where good conversations didn't produce the most impressive write-ups, or
any at all.  

thinking about the larger conversation that twitter is part of, we know that
the conversation on this oslist is different, and deeper, for the annual
osonos travels of a small slice of us.  and that those gatherings are
possible likely only because we keep the flame alive here online.  

twitter and facebook seem more like an extension of watching, a way to be
all in the same place, a way to notice and relish that we are all at the
same party, share many of the same people and interests, but don't
necessarily have an intimate dialogue every time we have an event.  in the
physical world of relationships, we go to a lot of meetings because being
there is important, being present, witnessing, listening, and then there are
relatively few moments when we step up and volunteer for something, or have
an intimate, deeply meaningful side conversation, or ask for help in a
crisis.  twitter and facebook are a way to "show up", a first step, in some
sort of larger world that's emerging.

as for the young, i just facilitated an afternoon program with 120 "high
potential" high school seniors as part of a final selection process for
full-ride scholarships to two excellent universities.  it was a cafe format,
but the first session was used to write questions that these young leaders
thought they and other young people should be addressing.  then we did three
rounds in which table hosts picked the questions and raised them with
whoever rotated to their table for one session.  after the first
question-making session, the 20 tables went in 20 different directions, like
an open space with so many small stakes in the ground.  and i went around
picking up cups and the last bits of box-lunch trash in cafe-style, with a
small tray and quiet "can i take that out of your way?"

for all of the potential for doubting statement-biased broadcast-by-twitter,
these kids dug deep into the process of questionning and listening.  sitting
back and listening to the plenary ending, indistinguishable (except for the
tables and clustering) from an open space closing circle, i was impressed
again by these folks, their ownership and engagement.  my guess is that we'd
get the much the same result with almost any 100 kids, if they had the same
chance to get together and question each other deeply.  the world
continually ripening, no?

m

--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates

http://www.michaelherman.com
http://www.ronanparktrail.com
http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org
http://www.openspaceworld.org

312-280-7838 (mobile)

On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 9:21 AM, Pat Black <patoitextiles at gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for this post Ralph.  My experience with the platforms mentioned is
similar to yours.  I have a couple of additional questions though especially
reflecting on Holger's reflections people's initial reaction to cell phones.
I share your perspective that Twitter and other types of these social
networking communications are unsatisfying in building relationship with
other people.  I can see that they have some benefit as organizing tools
where people working on the same puzzle can drop in their piece for everyone
else to have instantaneously allowing the picture to emerge more quickly for
more people.  What I wonder about is whether these types of short kind of
bombish kinds of communication make it harder to communicate in silence.  I
am reflecting on the constant use of cell phones to talk, text and tweet.
The need to be hooked up to the internet through cell phones, constantly
being buzzed and directed to communications that don't seem important or
even very interesting but make us feel like we are not alone.  I wonder if
these constant superficial communications actually create a need for more
intimacy while continuing to drive us down a less intimate road?  I wonder
if even just the non stop communication makes it more difficult to be
comfort in the space of quiet, separation and self?  As I read this I read
judgement about the media which I actually don't believe I feel because I
can see where they have great possibility in particular applications but the
constantness of it is a concern for me.  When I sit at a dinner table with
people who are texting while I sit across form them I wonder.

On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 8:02 AM, Ralph Copleman <rcopleman at comcast.net>
wrote:

I signed up for a Twitter account, but apparently I have no need to tweet,
so I'm not sure why I did it.  The very sound of the word, in English
anyway,  is enough of a clue to me about the quality of the connection,
though I suppose there will always be a place in our lives for the small
comings and goings. 

Facebook.  Signed up there, too.  I check it about every second or third
day.  I keep waiting for something to happen, something worth sinking teeth
into.  Even if I say something I hope might result in richer dialogue,
little of lasting import transpires.  But I must say I like it.  It's easy,
and some folks I love whom I don't see regularly do post messages there.
Have heard from two old college chums, too, but I cannot say we are
"re-connected" in any richer sense.  Linkedin.  Plaxo.  Forget them.  All I
ever get are invitations to "connect" to people.  Nothing else.  No dialogue
at all.  None.  I suppose I could derive benefit from them if I "worked"
them, but I don't feel the need.

Live and let live is my motto, and in my case, intimacy is what I crave, not
more ways to skip along your surface.  Want me to "follow" you?  Write me
something about what's really going on with you, and ask questions.  Send it
to me.  I'll answer.  Want to follow me?  Well, ask me what you want to
know.  And I'll ask you questions, too.  I'm not sure I want to bother the
world with what I have for breakfast each day.  I understand some
fame-soaked celebrities have people who ghost-write their tweets.  

Face-to-face.  Telephone conversation.  Letters and e-mail.  Listserves.
Everything else.  In that order.  The farther I go down the list, the less I
experience any space being held by anyone, for anyone.  And here's a quote
that came to mind for me.  Seems connected to this, sort of.

".the more sensitive and profound are your answers, the more effective the
results."

-- Peter Koestenbaum

I'm off to deal with the growing backlash against the need to do a little
something about global warming.  Who ARE these people!?

Ralph Copleman

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