This is extracted from a previous thread - as a basis for this further discussion:

David Braden said:

Habib said:

I'd like to suggest that we might want to consider an even more active approach. The Emerging Futures Network, as well as the Network Weavers Network (and perhaps some of our other nodes) may be interested in ACTIVELY helping people on O/Net to find opportunities to connect their work with other good stuff that is going on . . .

. . . I'd like to suggest we consider doing it as a group.

I would be interested in pursuing this idea further. In particular I want to stay in touch with David Bale and his World Wide Connectory, Brian Lewis and his whole system design work, and Christina Jordan and Life in Africa.

Sounds good, David. As bad as it might sound, I think we should start thinking in terms of specific things we can "cherry pick" from Omidyar. Things that have been successful, and can most easily be spun off or integrated into other initiatives. Our decisions can be based on a combination of what we understand the situation of Omidyar to be, what opportunities we have seen outside of Omidyar, and our own personal interests.

Perhaps we can think of it in terms of a "set of bridges" that we wish to retain on the demise of O.net. I would like to work on what I think you have described as Social Network Analysis tools (which I have not had a chance to get into yet) - do those tools have a value flow component? can we describe flows in three dimensions?

Sounds good regarding the set of bridges.

Regarding Social Network Analysis tools, I have only really learned one tool -- the Visual Network Analyzer by Valdis Krebs and June Holley. There are other tools that are even more powerful. I had started learning one named Pajek, but had not gotten very far. I believe that Pajek enables multi-dimensional analysis. In terms of describing flows, I just don't know enough to know if that would be cleanly done using existing SNA tools, or if there are other types of tools for doing that sort of thing, or if those tools are yet to be developed.

Over the next few weeks (after I finish downloading a few more things), I will be exploring Source Tree Commons and Wiser Earth and seeing how I can tie those things into what we are doing at Aboutus. If there are other sites where there is potential for "bridges across interest and expertise" I would like to look at those as well.

Greetings all ~ Is this where we will continue the EFN and related conversations? Please let me know.

Welcome Laure, I am glad to see you here. Unfortunately, this thread will only work until September 7 and so we will need to find another place. Network Weavers Network does have a Google Group that is one choice.

I think I have downloaded everything I want - and grabbed my archive but not unzipped it.

I also started re-posting some of it in a new arrangement on AboutUs. That link will take you to my profile and if you scroll down to "Current Work" you can see what I've done so far.

If anyone would be so kind as to review and provide feedback, I added a new wiki page called "questions and answers about this material". If you click on that link and post a question I will try to answer it and add links to additional material as it (hopefully) begins to makes sense to people.

I will try to check that regularly but, if I do not respond, send me a PM or an e-mail and ask me to look at it.

I am definitely interested in the bridging work.... as I am already doing this work. I will be the the non-profit boot camp in SF with lots of non-profits on Aug 18th. This would be a great time and place to be doing some of this bridge work. http://www.craigslistfoundation. org/index.php?page=Boot_Camp

which is in tune with the environmental non-profits/ sustainability node. www.uas.coop

Also with Localization Nodes http://www.relocalize.net/

Also then there is direct coorelations with the youth node onmillionvoices.net

and of course we couldn't do it with out the tech node ww.sourcetreecommons.org/treehousebuild

This is extracted from a previous thread - as a basis for this further discussion:

Habib said:

I'd like to suggest that we might want to consider an even more active approach. The Emerging Futures Network, as well as the Network Weavers Network (and perhaps some of our other nodes) may be interested in ACTIVELY helping people on O/Net to find opportunities to connect their work with other good stuff that is going on . . .

. . . I'd like to suggest we consider doing it as a group.

I would be interested in pursuing this idea further. In particular I want to stay in touch with David Bale and his World Wide Connectory, Brian Lewis and his whole system design work, and Christina Jordan and Life in Africa.

Sounds good, David. As bad as it might sound, I think we should start thinking in terms of specific things we can "cherry pick" from Omidyar. Things that have been successful, and can most easily be spun off or integrated into other initiatives. Our decisions can be based on a combination of what we understand the situation of Omidyar to be, what opportunities we have seen outside of Omidyar, and our own personal interests.

Perhaps we can think of it in terms of a "set of bridges" that we wish to retain on the demise of O.net. I would like to work on what I think you have described as Social Network Analysis tools (which I have not had a chance to get into yet) - do those tools have a value flow component? can we describe flows in three dimensions?

Sounds good regarding the set of bridges.

I'll write in more later, things have been busy lately with the green city gallery.... I am off to a photo opt. for hat right now ;) http://www.digcity.coop/greencit ygallery/

love you all and the work we aspire to do, and are doing in our individual lives!!

I have been working from a model where Network Weavers and Network Weaving is core to the work of EFN... in the formation, facilitation and support of networks of 1) place 2) passion or purpose and 3) (networks of) networks.

I view this as a viable model for assisting in the O-Net transition.

In short, anyone advancing the purpose of these networks in a stewardly manner is a network weaver and would benefit from the assistance of other network weavers. (We have much to learn from each other, and much to gain in association).

This is an affirmation of the very human and spontaneous origins of network weaving. (Not to say we cannot improve practice with attention to this field, which makes the strong case for a network weavers network and guild - which we're all fairly well committed to!)

I've enumerated three categories of network (further distinction or alternate distinction is possible). My point being that those particularly attuned to the practice of network weaving may put more or less attention to each of the three. The people on O-Net have come together especially as networks of passion/purpose and oftime for the networking of the networks.

What I have loved in the O-net space is the opportunity to meet so many networkers of networks. Cross-pollination is a very important function, and I fear that in the loss of O-net as an open space we are losing something substantial.

Facilitating ties between networks organized around place and networks organized by passion and purpose, and between networks tout court is our calling, our forte.

We need the tools and we need the environment in which to do this important work well.

What disturbs me most in the loss of the O-Net space is not as much the closing of the space but the very limited time we have in which to prepare for the transition.

Summer is short...

How may we best nurture relationships between communities and networks that emerge from this space?

How may we best support those needing help in emerging from this space? (It should not be taken as given that this is an easy task.)

Thanks David for setting up this thread. Habib, I apperciate your view here:

I think we should start thinking in terms of specific things we can "cherry pick" from Omidyar. Things that have been successful, and can most easily be spun off or integrated into other initiatives. Our decisions can be based on a combination of what we understand the situation of Omidyar to be, what opportunities we have seen outside of Omidyar, and our own personal interests.

Kachina, so glad to see where your passion and focus are leading you/us/AllofUs in terms of bridging the work:

• Non-profit Node: The non-profit boot camp in SF with lots of non-profits on Aug 18th. This would be a great time and place to be doing some of this bridge work. http://www.craigslistfoundation. org/index.php?page=Boot_Camp

which is in tune with the environmental non-profits/ sustainability node. www.uas.coop

• Localization Nodes http://www.relocalize.net/
• Youth Node http://www.onemillionvoices.net
• Tech node http://www.sourcetreecommons.org /treehousebuild

Laure is working on an International Humanity Center Node (http://www.ihcenter.org which currently works with 200+ organizations, including Evonne's Amoration)... IHC offers non-profit services to entities and nodes, so they may be one of many points that can build out a Service Node

And, it looks like I'll be going to work for/with SplashLife to build out the youth node.

There are other possible nodes that were brewing at the Blaine Conference (ie: A Coaching Node, GrandParent's Node, Speakers Node, http://www.Grassroots.org has tools towards a Service Node)

Michael,

How might network weavers (me/us/allOFus we work togetherI in the formation, facilitation and support of networks of 1) place 2) passion or purpose and 3) (networks of) networks?

What do you see as next steps?

How might others participate in these steps?

It's been difficult for me to feel free and clear on this subject since the announced closing of the O-net space. I feel we are in a forced position and need to put a good face on the transition, but the arbitrary timeline is quite antithetical to planning and nurturing for communities.

The old saw is to sketch out an expected time-line for your technical planning and then double it. As we are more attentive to the social dimensions of this we recognize that takes a lot more time to get right too.

I had planned on working with Kachina and others on more formal sketch of establishing guilds/networks, but we dont really have a lot of time for that here.

(So) I am with those who are calling for (keeping or establishing) an extended "temporary" ground from which we might facilitate the launch of new, but hopefully connected initiatives.

This is my attempt to deal with what we have arbitrarily been dealt.

I am strongly of the belief that planning and community building be allowed to take the time it needs for each community/network.

It looks like there will be some o.net like options regardless of what the Board decides. It will be interesting to see what develops.

Steve--

This discussion reinforces my belief that what has and continues to happen within our O-net community is much more dynamic than most realize.

Thank you, Julie for the head's up on this!

Kachina Katrina Zavalney said:

I am definitely interested in the bridging work.... as I am already doing this work. I will be the the non-profit boot camp in SF with lots of non-profits on Aug 18th. This would be a great time and place to be doing some of this bridge work. http://www.craigslistfoundation. org/index.php?page=Boot_Camp

which is in tune with the environmental non-profits/ sustainability node. www.uas.coop

Also with Localization Nodes http://www.relocalize.net/

Also then there is direct coorelations with the youth node onmillionvoices.net

and of course we couldn't do it with out the tech node ww.sourcetreecommons.org/treehousebuild

That's just wonderful, Kachina Katrina. Somehow, I thought we could count on you :-)

I'm thinking that we should start to each identify a list of the areas that we will be focusing on over the next few months related to the O-Net transition. It is ideal if we can have some overlaps.

For example, I also do work in the environmental/sustainability and localization sectors. So, I could partner with Kachina Katrina on those sectors. On the other hand, my relationships with the youth sector are more complicated. It would be best for me to find people that can do network weaving in that sector in partnership with Daniel Bassill and the other Youth Networkers in our group. That way, I can focus on other things.

Another MAJOR area of focus for me is networking for sustainable development and microcredit in Africa. I am getting contact after contact in this sphere, and just had a 3 hour meeting on the subject today. LOTS going on. So, I would like to focus on helping to "outplace" O-Netters involved with Africa, helping to maintain and build our networks etc.

What about other folks in this discussion? Evonne is a natural for the arts etc...

Michael Maranda said:

I have been working from a model where Network Weavers and Network Weaving is core to the work of EFN... in the formation, facilitation and support of networks of 1) place 2) passion or purpose and 3) (networks of) networks.

I view this as a viable model for assisting in the O-Net transition.

In short, anyone advancing the purpose of these networks in a stewardly manner is a network weaver and would benefit from the assistance of other network weavers. (We have much to learn from each other, and much to gain in association).

This is an affirmation of the very human and spontaneous origins of network weaving. (Not to say we cannot improve practice with attention to this field, which makes the strong case for a network weavers network and guild - which we're all fairly well committed to!)

I've enumerated three categories of network (further distinction or alternate distinction is possible). My point being that those particularly attuned to the practice of network weaving may put more or less attention to each of the three. The people on O-Net have come together especially as networks of passion/purpose and oftime for the networking of the networks.

What I have loved in the O-net space is the opportunity to meet so many networkers of networks. Cross-pollination is a very important function, and I fear that in the loss of O-net as an open space we are losing something substantial.

Facilitating ties between networks organized around place and networks organized by passion and purpose, and between networks tout court is our calling, our forte.

We need the tools and we need the environment in which to do this important work well.

What disturbs me most in the loss of the O-Net space is not as much the closing of the space but the very limited time we have in which to prepare for the transition.

Summer is short...

Some excellent thoughts, Michael. Thanks.

How may we best nurture relationships between communities and networks that emerge from this space?

I'm not sure if this is the answer you are seeking, but I think we can best do this work by doing our best. I don't think we can expect our work to be perfect. I think we just need to "show up" and do whatever we are able to do in a timely fashion. God willing, that will be enough.

How may we best support those needing help in emerging from this space? (It should not be taken as given that this is an easy task.)

One aspect to supporting people is to leverage our own capabilities. For example, Jean is a coach as well as a network weaver. If we run into people who are having challenges with the very thought of Omidyar ending, perhaps we can ask Jean for assistance.

We can also help make connections at a regional level. There's not a whole lot of O-Netters in the Seattle area, but I may try to get in touch with them once again and see if we want to proceed in some way locally/regionally.

Also, we can help people plug into existing networks that can keep at least some of the cross-networking opportunities of Omidyar. For example, Wiser Earth and Zaadz. Possibly Social Edge as well - I'm not familiar with that site. My intention with the African networking I'm going to do is to help people to set up their organizations and efforts on Wiser Earth. I may use AboutUs as well. That way, we'll at least be able to keep in track of people.

Michael Maranda said:

It's been difficult for me to feel free and clear on this subject since the announced closing of the O-net space. I feel we are in a forced position and need to put a good face on the transition, but the arbitrary timeline is quite antithetical to planning and nurturing for communities.

The old saw is to sketch out an expected time-line for your technical planning and then double it. As we are more attentive to the social dimensions of this we recognize that takes a lot more time to get right too.

I had planned on working with Kachina and others on more formal sketch of establishing guilds/networks, but we dont really have a lot of time for that here.

(So) I am with those who are calling for (keeping or establishing) an extended "temporary" ground from which we might facilitate the launch of new, but hopefully connected initiatives.

This is my attempt to deal with what we have arbitrarily been dealt.

I am strongly of the belief that planning and community building be allowed to take the time it needs for each community/network.

I agree, Michael.

What I think we CAN do at the moment is try to keep track of as many people as possible, so that we don't lose the networks that have been woven. Some dispersal will happen, for sure. That might not all be bad. However, if we can keep in touch with the people that we need to, we'll have the opportunity to recreate community in the near future.

Habib, I'd add Facebook to you list. Sure, the network as a whole doesn't necessarily have any values-base, but it's an open platform, and people are starting to use it for values-based work.

Thanks Julie, for inviting me here. I just got home from a communications course where I learned that when others communicate with others, that's my communication. It's possible to transform a relationship between two other people, just by me giving up resisting their communication.

For example, two business partners of mine had decided a couple weeks ago (in a fight that was building for several months) never to speak to one another again. They each told me this, and all the stuff they don't like about the other. This was a recurring dialogue, I had heard all this before.

Only today, I accepted it, I gave up resisting that conversation: "I don't ever want to speak to you again". I was finally ok with someone saying that, not just between them, but between everyone in the world and me, both ways, every which way, that was all MY communication, and I stopped resisting.

Well, this afternoon, the three of us had an awesome meeting and all got clear on what we were going to do. It was fun, and we all were honest and we all felt good and we are in action on how to clean up the enormous messes we created together.

Then this evening in the course, I listened to the guy who happened to be sitting next to me, saying his girlfriend wouldn't accept his support (she's having his baby). And after listening to him and asking questions and giving up my resistance to "You don't accept my support", he RAN out of the room to go tell her what he figured out, and later they came back in together smiling.

Then I realised that I could make a difference in other people's relationships, that these relationship problems were actually MY problems, and they are happening in my world because I am resisting the communication that I see others resisting. So now I want to apply it to George Bush and Bin Laden. I think the communication I'm resisting is "What you want is not valid." I am going to stop resisting this communication, and let's see what happens :)

Imagine we could impact other people's relationships, just by who we are being.

Great story David. I'm not sure how my "not resisting" affects anyone else's resistance (or maybe I don't yet understand) but I will keep an eye out for it.

But, I was thinking this morning about source tree commons - and all the different things we would like to see happen - and I come back to:

reality is the cumulative result of all of our choices

all of our having the double meaning of every choice each of us makes and every choice all of us make.

All of us can choose a reality of open source software. Each of us knows geeks that need work and people and organizations that need software upgrades. I need the local portals for local organizing - the transition from O.net is all about what the planetary mind will look like - David Bale needs a robust platform for the World Wide Connectory (including the local organizing portion) -

Anyway, one of the things we can do as network weavers is to get every geek we know over to Source Tree and every one we know who is looking to buy software to demand open source solutions. If the software is free there is more money to pay individual geeks to customize it - and that is a feed back loop that gets us all better and cheaper software - more geek employed - better communications -

Ok I'm rambling now - who was that at the Chicago '06 conference with the "I'm Organic" stuff? How about "I'm Open Source"?

ted ernst said:

Habib, I'd add Facebook to you list. Sure, the network as a whole doesn't necessarily have any values-base, but it's an open platform, and people are starting to use it for values-based work.

Ted, can you point us to an example at facebook that you like. And, perhaps do so in a way that establishes a link from the EFN or NWN About Us "home" page?

She requests modeling for all of us to see how to begin transitioning from O.net to About Us to links at Face Book)

Then link it back to this discussion thread.

And, then perhaps a few of us can model what Ted points us to and develop some new transitions pages at FaceBook.

She smiles...

David Braden said:

Anyway, one of the things we can do as network weavers is to get every geek we know over to Source Tree and every one we know who is looking to buy software to demand open source solutions. If the software is free there is more money to pay individual geeks to customize it - and that is a feed back loop that gets us all better and cheaper software - more geek employed - better communications -

And, we need funders who are willing to back open source development experiements so that social entrapenuers can easily open up an open source platform.

One of my friends has been working closely with the Source Tree folks but she is unable to purchase what she needs in a 6 month time frame. So she is developing a platform that will allow interconnection with opensource tools.

It would be fantastic if a donor like Pierre Omidyar would consider backing some experiements that brought together the Open Source Identity folks and the Open Source Flow Currencies/Reputation folks in a way that would excellerate development across platforms.

Not just funds for meet-ups but funds for collaborative development of applied technology.

If I had one wish for the development of open source technology at this time -- or an outcome of the O.net transition -- it would be the collaborative developent of such networks and tools that could bring a multi-demensional social platform, open source widget world into existance based on supporting more and more good things towards a better world.

To me, the establishment of the Network Weavers Guild, working with multiple "movement" nodes (call it whatever you like -- I call it Emerging Futures because the name predicts the result) can accomplish this.

Julie Caldwell said:

ted ernst said:

Habib, I'd add Facebook to you list. Sure, the network as a whole doesn't necessarily have any values-base, but it's an open platform, and people are starting to use it for values-based work.

Ted, can you point us to an example at facebook that you like. And, perhaps do so in a way that establishes a link from the EFN or NWN About Us "home" page?

She requests modeling for all of us to see how to begin transitioning from O.net to About Us to links at Face Book)

Then link it back to this discussion thread.

And, then perhaps a few of us can model what Ted points us to and develop some new transitions pages at FaceBook.

She smiles...

Julie, here's a link to my profile. I'm not sure if you're going to be able to see the cool features without signing up yourself and becoming my "friend", but let's try anyway: http://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=655547656

I will set up an EFN group, and a NWN group and report back here.

Okay, here's the EFN group: http://www.facebook.com/group.ph p?gid=3313514684

I'll make a NWN group next.

Habib, thank you for the invitation. I am of course greatly concerned about the transition here...for network weavers and others. And I am happy to work with people who are looking to discover the solution that will work for them. As will not surprise you surely, those that already exist in multiple spaces can release their activity here with much greater ease than those that are only here. That is the nature of strength in networks.

I feel responsible to a dozen or more groups here and to the community as a whole, so I apologize for not digging deeper into the transition for this particular group. I am happy to be a bridge between the overall transition and the transition the network weavers take on.

Like Michael, I am concerned about the time frame for the transition, and hope for some temporary or permanent archive so content is not lost. Would seem wasteful of the hundreds of hours I and others have put into this community. I would love to figure out with each group what the ideal options are. And, I think we need to face the crisis head-on and look for what is the absolute minimum we need in order to avert disaster. We need to keep connection live. We need to salvage content. What else do we absolutely need to salvage?

Here's the NWN group: http://www.facebook.com/group.ph p?gid=3424982066

ted ernst said:

Habib, I'd add Facebook to you list. Sure, the network as a whole doesn't necessarily have any values-base, but it's an open platform, and people are starting to use it for values-based work.

Sure thing, Ted. One of the benefits of a multiplatform approach is that we can benefit from multiple platforms! :-)

Facebook is very well designed, and there are an amazing range of people on it. I don't relate greatly to some of the activity there, but it's such a large system that there no doubt will be lots of stuff I can relate to as well.

In the meanwhile, anybody want to have a socially responsible food fight? ;-)

Jean ~ Nurture Girl ~ Russell said:

Habib, thank you for the invitation. I am of course greatly concerned about the transition here...for network weavers and others. And I am happy to work with people who are looking to discover the solution that will work for them. As will not surprise you surely, those that already exist in multiple spaces can release their activity here with much greater ease than those that are only here. That is the nature of strength in networks.

I feel responsible to a dozen or more groups here and to the community as a whole, so I apologize for not digging deeper into the transition for this particular group. I am happy to be a bridge between the overall transition and the transition the network weavers take on.

Great to see you here, Jean. Just want to make explicit that I don't see any problem whatsoever with the Network Weavers making our own transition. We are already there. We have an AboutUs directory, most of us are already active on multiple platforms etc. It will be extremely easy for us to make a transition.

What I have been proposing was that the Network Weavers Network could ASSIST other individuals and groups in making their transition from O-Net. We have the skills and connections to do that sort of weaving. And, in the process, we will get some practical real-world experience on how to work as a team. That will be useful whatever the Network Weavers Network/Guild ends up becoming.

Julie Caldwell said:

It would be fantastic if a donor like Pierre Omidyar would consider backing some experiements that brought together the Open Source Identity folks and the Open Source Flow Currencies/Reputation folks in a way that would excellerate development across platforms.

In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes we could make is to think that any part of what we are trying to do is contingent on funding. I would urge you to investigate what they mean at Source Tree when they talk about the "gift economy". (I don't particularly care for that term - because it ignores the get aspect - but we have to start somewhere).

We are so accustomed to thinking in terms of money that we limit our capacity to do good in the world. The idea of targeted currencies and the gift economy is that we need to measure all those things of value that people do for each other without payment - and if we do that, we will get a lot more of that value.

The way that I have expressed that in the past is: It does not take money to create value - it only takes money to exchange value - so if money is the limiting factor, lets find another medium of exchange. (The shares in a self-help corporation are an example of that).

The basis for the Source Tree system is to set up a feedback loop in which those who participate in open source development receive 1) a feeling of belonging, 2) information, technical skill, ideas (Ravi would have a better list) which they can use in outside transactions 3) a reputation in the community about their skills, reliability, etc, leading to 4) the opportunity to participate in projects that could lead to financial rewards, which produces 1) a feeling of belonging. (I'll do another slide for Connection Graphics when I get a chance.)

All of that can take place without financial resources. I believe we should be looking at a similar structure for Network Weavers. I see the COT in a different role but, I do not see the need for "money" for us to fulfill that role.

Let's think of what value we can create first - and if we are successful at that the resources - financial and otherwise - will manifest.