[OSList] Virtual Open Space

[Harold Shinsato]

David,

This is a bit of the frontier. I see great potential here. Meeting in 
person is best - but it is also expensive. For international peace, 
harmony, and global connection - there's a huge value in "virtual open 
space".

If you can't meet in person - the next best technology right now is 
video conferencing if you can afford it. There are cheaper alternatives 
- if your people can jump the hurdles. I find that GooglePlus "hangouts" 
are very appealing and free - at least for smaller groups. But people 
have to leap the learning curve - and simple URL links to the hangouts 
can't be sent ahead of time.

Large scale video is not something I've seen working yet. Not to say it 
hasn't worked - with enough of a budget. They even call it 
"telepresence", I've heard it can be so satisfying. But I've yet to 
experience it. Telepresence is probably best when you have split teams - 
rather than completely virtual - since the hardware and sufficient 
internet speed is not something everyone is going to have in their homes.

For the budget of most humans in the developed countries - by far the 
simplest technology is the telephone. Long distance costs can also be 
prohibitive if you're reaching out internationally - but tools like 
Skype make that a little easier if not ideal. If the participants can 
foot the bill for long distance phone calls - you can get free telephone 
conference lines - and no cost to the organizers. With a little 
investment - you can get toll free numbers in your target countries.

The Maestro teleconference system is not a free service, and it looked 
promising for "virtual open space", but I've found it quite lacking. The 
system was designed for moderated conversations controlled by the 
moderator. You can pair people up, set them up in small groups. But the 
participants can't do it. And it doesn't feel like "the law of two feet" 
to let other people move you around the break out sessions. I did not 
see self-organizing happen when people had to ask to get moved. Maestro 
does seem to work for World Cafe though.

What I've heard to be the most successful - from Christine Whitney 
Sanchez and a few other open space facilitators - is to hand out several 
teleconference phone numbers for the different break out sessions. You 
can get all these numbers for free. It takes a little time to hang up 
and dial back into other "rooms", so you may lose people from that. But 
at least it has worked for large groups.

Another place for virtual open space that seemed promising is Second 
Life. But the learning curve is big enough that much of your conference 
is likely to end up being a training session in Second Life. If everyone 
is willing to overcome that first - then it might work. You get voice as 
well as visuals - even if they are cartoons - but you see who is at your 
session. Unfortunately - finding private meeting rooms is a chore in 
Second Life if you aren't willing to invest a fair amount (though 
probably cheaper than renting a hotel ballroom!)

I think Holger Nauheimber and Juliane Neumann have been working on a 
solution for a few years now - including leading the attempt at Second 
Life - hopefully they will add something here.

     Regards,
     Harold

On 1/29/12 8:18 AM, David Osborne wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> I am wondering if others could share experiences with virtual Open 
> Space events? I have a diverse group of somewhere between 20 and 100 
> people that I would like to bring together in a virtual open space to 
> address a somewhat urgent and important issue. I have questions such as...
>
> - How can you do a virtual open space?
> - What's the same and different vs. a in-person open space?
> - What considerations are important in selecting a technology platform?
> - What are your tips and suggestions for what may work and what may 
> hinder?
>
> I'm anxious to hear about other's experiences and am appreciative of 
> your sharing.
>
> David
>
> David Osborne
> dosborne at change-fusion.com <mailto:dosborne at change-fusion.com>
> www.change-fusion.com <http://www.change-fusion.com>
>


-- 
Harold Shinsato
harold at shinsato.com <mailto:harold at shinsato.com>
http://shinsato.com
twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>
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