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<P>I understood, Harrison, that you were talking about our individual delete buttons. I thought I was in an open space and that I was free to freely associate your words with my thoughts and move on to new thoughts. That's how I came to pose the question: would it be possible to put a delete function into the archives so individuals are free to delete their posts. It was a suggestion. It was not a criticism of what is already being done. It was not done with a sense of urgency or command. I was thinking out loud.</P>
<P>There seems to be some unspoken rank and privilege in this putatively open space, an assumption that whereas if this were a physical open space in a conference center, I could butterfly my thoughts hither and thither. . . but here it feels like only long time members are free to freely speak their thoughts.<BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>>From: Harrison Owen <hhowen@comcast.net>
<DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: OSLIST <OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
<DIV></DIV>>To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: Re: Open Space / Open List / The Public Domain
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2004 17:47:20 -0500
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Just for the record -- I was talking about your own, personal DELETE BUTTON.
<DIV></DIV>>What you choose to do with that is what you choose to do. On the other hand,
<DIV></DIV>>if you choose to "unsubscribe" -- I call that exercising the two feet (Law
<DIV></DIV>>or not).
<DIV></DIV>> ho
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Harrison Owen
<DIV></DIV>>7808 River Falls Drive
<DIV></DIV>>Potomac, Maryland 20845
<DIV></DIV>>Phone 301-365-2093
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
<DIV></DIV>>Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
<DIV></DIV>>Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
<DIV></DIV>>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
<DIV></DIV>>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit:
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<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>-----Original Message-----
<DIV></DIV>>From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Seamus
<DIV></DIV>>Mcinerney
<DIV></DIV>>Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 3:35 PM
<DIV></DIV>>To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: Re: Open Space / Open List / The Public Domain
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>I am not sure that [delete] is the same as the law of two feet. Deleting a
<DIV></DIV>>message erases it from the record, creating the impression that it never
<DIV></DIV>>happened but does not mean that the absence of learning or contribution is
<DIV></DIV>>occuring. A session participant cannot request his or her contributions to
<DIV></DIV>>be excluded from the session record because they don't want it to be
<DIV></DIV>>available to all.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Another issue will be the replies that contain the initial message. Are
<DIV></DIV>>they also to be deleted because they contain something that someone does
<DIV></DIV>>not wish to be archived? Does the whole conversation have to disappear to
<DIV></DIV>>eliminate references to some contribution or other? That feels like space
<DIV></DIV>>closing to me.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>There is a difference between saying things that we later regret, saying
<DIV></DIV>>things that we intend for a limited audiance and saying things for the
<DIV></DIV>>whole world to hear, I know. In the heat of the conversation I'm not sure
<DIV></DIV>>any of us is realy clear as to who we intend our words for. It reminds us
<DIV></DIV>>to be careful. I am also reminded of the injunction to be harmless in
<DIV></DIV>>thought, word and deed. I am one of those who belive that our very
<DIV></DIV>>thoughts have an energy that adds, for better or worse, to the global mind
<DIV></DIV>>of humanity and that deletion or limitation of access makes no difference
<DIV></DIV>>in the great scheme of things.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Really hard choices are given to really good people. Well done one and all.
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>>Shay
<DIV></DIV>>
<DIV></DIV>> > I think of my online list serv communications on a par with verbal
<DIV></DIV>> > communication. Things I post online are akin, in my thinking, to things I
<DIV></DIV>> > say with my voice in face to face conversations. I do not control my
<DIV></DIV>> > words
<DIV></DIV>> > once they are verbalized and I do not control my thoughts/ideas once they
<DIV></DIV>> > are posted. We can come up with many structures to attempt to control
<DIV></DIV>> > how
<DIV></DIV>> > our ideas/words/thoughts are interpreted by another. . . but no matter
<DIV></DIV>> > what
<DIV></DIV>> > structures we adopt, the mercurial quicksilver reality of ideas will
<DIV></DIV>> > remain
<DIV></DIV>> > ephemeral. Even if we privatize the archives of this list, something I do
<DIV></DIV>> > not think we should do, we will not control the combustion of thinking or
<DIV></DIV>> > the context of another person's use of our ideas. I don't quite think of
<DIV></DIV>> > open space as a technology. . . I think of it as an explanation for how
<DIV></DIV>> > things actually work, as opposed to the illusion that form and structure
<DIV></DIV>> > could control the nature of reality. If open space is a good explanation
<DIV></DIV>> > of
<DIV></DIV>> > how things work then efforts to privatize thinking is, in the very big
<DIV></DIV>> > picture, and in my humble opinion(IMHO), absolutely futile.
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> > Given my beliefs about the nature of reality and the relativity of time
<DIV></DIV>> > and
<DIV></DIV>> > space, I don't think it matters if the archives for this list are open or
<DIV></DIV>> > closed BUT I have a suggestion. Would it be possible to give people the
<DIV></DIV>> > ability to delete their posts? A delete function might give people a
<DIV></DIV>> > different sense of safety on this list. . . and such a function would be,
<DIV></DIV>> > IMHO, akin to the law of two feet.
<DIV></DIV>> >
<DIV></DIV>> > _________________________________________________________________
<DIV></DIV>> > FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar - get it now!
<DIV></DIV>> > http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/
<DIV></DIV>> >
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