<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">Hi All,<div><br></div><div>Wow- today's been quite an active day on this list!</div><div><br></div><div>I've been thinking about something for a while, and here's why I'm writing... I believe that we can tap the collective intelligence of the OS community in a new way, so I'm looking for a few collaborators to achieve something a little ambitious: the co-creation of a community knowledge repository. But not a dry one; one that's fun, social, and useful. One that can help us tap into our rich discussion archives effectively.</div>
<div><br></div><div>To keep this email short, more details are at the very bottom. Here's the invitation:</div><div><ul><li>please drop me a note if you'd like to collaborate with me on this; it is a work in progress</li>
<li>you can read more details at the bottom and respond with questions/suggestions to me or the whole group</li><li>Harrison gave me permission to seed the knowledge repository with insights from <i>OST: A User's Guide</i>. The knowledge repository can contain recommendations from all of us-- from how we each prepare for events to our individual techniques for holding space effectively. If you tend to be an "early adopter" you can jump right in to test it out or to add your own techniques & recommendations: <a href="http://barkbest.com/157" target="_blank">http://barkbest.com/157</a><br>
</li><li>you can watch a 3-min overview video of the knowledge repository tool (I am the software developer) here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn0pZhgFVDk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn0pZhgFVDk</a></li>
</ul></div><div>So this is a starting point. There's a lot of learning ahead for me and perhaps many of us in order to make this truly align with the needs of the community.</div><div><br></div><div>I know this project can be amazing if it helps us to <b>build and strengthen relationships within the community</b> and if it enables us to <b>share ideas among the members of our wonderful community in new ways</b>. Would anyone like to explore this path with me? More specifics are below!</div>
<div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Lucas Cioffi</div><div>Co-Founder, Bark!Best</div><div>NCDD Board Member 2010-13</div><div>Charlottesville, VA</div><div>917-528-1831</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><b>DETAILS:</b></div>
<div><br></div><div><b>What kind of knowledge repository are you proposing?</b><br></div><div>This would be a knowledge repository that would store short questions and short answers (not discussion-- that's what the OS List is for). It is a place for group brainstorming to create lists of helpful answers from a diverse group of peers. If a topic deserves more discussion, anyone can schedule a video chat around it-- similar to a breakout session in Open Space. The knowledge repository would be easily searchable. It would allow people to ask new questions and to receive answers quickly.</div>
<div><br></div><div><div><b>What is an example question in the knowledge repository?</b></div><div>"What are some of the best items to confirm with the managers of the venue?" Chapter 2 of the OST User's Guide has three answers: flexible food schedule, off-limits areas, and the tape test. The community probably has dozens of helpful answers to this question, and Bark!Best can help us gather many them. Here's that example question in the knowledge repository: <span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(160,163,165);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:20px;text-align:right"><a href="http://www.barkbest.com/s/pcLgt" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0,136,204);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">http://barkbest.com/s/pcLgt</a></span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:20px;text-align:right"> </span></div>
</div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>Is this supposed to replace the OS discussion list?</b></div><div>This knowledge repository and the discussion list will complement each other. They make each other stronger.</div><div>
<br></div>
<div><b>How does this work with the OS discussion list?</b></div><div>A few ways:</div><div><b>1. </b>The knowledge repository can be a user-friendly way for people to connect to discussion list archives; when someone posts an answer to a question in the knowledge repository, they can link to the exact right place in the archives to provide more context for their answer. The OS discussion list archives are hard to search. For example, you can try searching the archives <a href="http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/" target="_blank">here</a>; it's not so easy to find exactly what one needs. As a result of these archives being hard to search, there is so much great content and so many insights from previous discussions that are going largely unused. If a few people step forward, we can sift through the archives to plug them into the knowledge repository so that they get recycled into our present-day thinking.</div>
<div><b>2. </b>Anyone can use the knowledge repository to schedule a video chat to take the conversation deeper and share this video chat invitation through the discussion list.</div><div><b>3. </b>A single weekly summary of all activity in the knowledge repository can be sent out to the discussion list.</div>
<div><b>4.</b> The knowledge repository will create new insights that will spark new discussions on the OS List.</div>
<div><br></div><div><b>What are next steps?</b></div><div>I think I've found a decent way to start this journey, and I know that the process will continue to improve with your input. Harrison granted me permission to seed this space with quotes from the OST User's Guide. I put in one chapter's worth of insights so far. I'm looking for the community's advice and some collaborators to help me figure out the path forward.<br>
</div><div><div><br></div><div><b>Can someone use the knowledge repository to learn everything they need to know about facilitating an Open Space event?</b></div><div>Just as one cannot simply follow a checklist to learn how to fall in love, one cannot use the knowledge repository to learn everything they need to know to become an OS facilitator. However, the knowledge repository will make it possible for any member of the OS community to search for existing recommendations, to ask new questions, and to receive new answers quickly. When you're planning your next event, it's a great way to double-check yourself using the collective wisdom of the community. In your practice of OS, when you discover a new insight that's not yet in the knowledge repository, you can add it so others can benefit!</div>
<div><br></div><div><b>How much will this cost?</b></div><div>This is a free service for the OS community. Given what I might learn from the OS community, I hope to build a business around this tool and sell my services to other communities. Ya' gotta start somewhere, so I'm starting in one of the communities that I belong to.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>What values are you designing into the tool?</b></div><div>Emergence-- anyone can ask a question or make a recommendation.</div><div>Privacy-- you can remain anonymous if you choose, however most people will probably not be anonymous</div>
<div>Community-- it's easy for people to connect over shared interests using video chat; the purpose is to build new relationships as we share knowledge</div><div>Relationships-- helping people connect by text and live video around shared challenges and interests</div>
<div>Transparency-- the data is open</div><div>Efficiency-- creating a way to organize the insights of many in a streamlined fashion</div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>