[OSList] Virtual Open Space

Christine Whitney Sanchez cwhitneysanchez at gmail.com
Sun Jan 29 14:15:32 PST 2012


Hi David,

As Lisa and Harold mentioned, I've experimented with a few different  
ways to conduct virtual open space events.  Although I haven't tried  
this yet, my next attempt in the land of free virtual tools, is to set  
up a Googledoc as the marketplace wall with links to Googledoc Summary  
Sheets for each session, with a variety of freeconferencecall numbers  
for the breakout spaces and use phones/Skype for the audio.

Good luck.  Would love to hear about your choices and experience.

Warm wishes from a warm Phoenix afternoon,
Christine

Christine Whitney Sanchez, Partner
Innovation Partners International
480.759.0262
www.innovationpartners.com


On Jan 29, 2012, at 9:50 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
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