[OSList] Virtual Open Space

Julie Smith jsmith at mosquitonet.com
Sun Jan 29 09:50:37 PST 2012


Dear all ~

I've been pondering whether the sococo platform might be useful for open space online meetings.  Take a look at the short video clip "see how sococo team space works": https://www.sococo.com.

I called sococo a few months ago to see if they might be able to do a little tweaking to provide a look and feel that is more like a conference center, and it sounded like that might be possible.  That conversation fizzled, but might be worth striking up again.

The other option I've been looking at is iLinc.  I've used iLinc for smallish video conference meetings, and I've been told this platform is capable of holding multiple sessions for large groups.  I haven't done it and haven't researched it fully, but this may be another option.

All best wishes ~

Julie


On Jan 29, 2012, at 7:50 AM, Harold Shinsato wrote:

> 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
>> www.change-fusion.com
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Harold Shinsato
> harold at shinsato.com
> http://shinsato.com
> twitter: @hajush
> _______________________________________________
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20120129/17d04d6a/attachment-0008.htm>


More information about the OSList mailing list