Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
March 30, 2007

The Characteristics of High-Performance Personal Networks
Well the website's a bit wonky right now - it's a combination of some less than perfect code and getting slammed by search engines (if you get 1000 hits a day, 999 of them will be search engine hits - that's a real challenge for anyone writing software). (Or maybe it's a DOS - I 'killall' but then all the httpd threads start right up again... sigh). Ross Dawson attempts to identify what makes personal networks work well, and hits on a number of things familiar to readers of these pages - things like diversity and dynamism. The article also describes "six key behaviors that create energizing relationships" - things like "have and communicate a compelling vision", "seek and acknowledge quality contributions", "give genuine attention to people." Well - ok. But, it seems to me, if you do these things in order to create or cultivate a personal network, they will be hollow and strained. Rather, these activities are ends in themselves - and a personal network is just one of the things that grows out of them. No? Ross Dawson, Trends in the Living Networks March 30, 2007 [Link] [Tags: Networks, Quality] [Comment]

Obsessed with Putting Ink On Paper
OK, in the end, this has nothing to do with online learning, has nothing to do with why I clicked on it in the first place, and in the end, is an advertisement. But what really strikes me about this piece - which is about software that writes musical notation - is the way the author is concerned about the details. Now I have just spent all day writing code and looking at some editing, which means I've spent all day being really picky about semi-colons and the proper reference of pronouns. Picky stuff which (to be honest) most people don't care about. But - and this article makes the point so nicely - the beauty is in the details (same with Harold Jarche's sailboat - it wasn't the 50K, it was the zillion hours spent making sure every board was exactly right). So that's worth passing along. Now - why did I click on this in the first place? Because I thought the title was 'Obsessed with putting link on paper' and that was a notion too delicious to pass. Unattributed, Lilypond March 30, 2007 [Link] [Tags: Online Learning, Marketing] [Comment]

I Just Don'T Get It Yet - Social Networks
Dave Warlick echoes my comments on Ning, including the 'club' remark: "I'm wondering if this sort of social network 'place' is really more for kids. Children need a clubhouse, a place where they can be themselves, pretend to be somebody else, make up their own rules, and dream of other places and times. But clubhouses have walls, as does Ning! It seems to be a container and less in the spirit of small pieces loosely joined." Tony Karrer comments on Warlick's post: "any network that is a closed system needs something as a hook to achieve critical mass." Dave Warlick, 2 Cents Worth March 30, 2007 [Link] [Tags: Networks, Online Learning] [Comment]

I Just Don'T Get It Yet - Social Networks
Dave Warlick echoes my comments on Ning, including the 'club' remark: "I'm wondering if this sort of social network 'place' is really more for kids. Children need a clubhouse, a place where they can be themselves, pretend to be somebody else, make up their own rules, and dream of other places and times. But clubhouses have walls, as does Ning! It seems to be a container and less in the spirit of small pieces loosely joined." Dave Warlick, 2 Cents Worth March 30, 2007 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

I Just Don'T Get It Yet - Social Networks
Dave Warlick echoes my comments on Ning, including the 'club' remark: "I'm wondering if this sort of social network 'place' is really more for kids. Children need a clubhouse, a place where they can be themselves, pretend to be somebody else, make up their own rules, and dream of other places and times. But clubhouses have walls, as does Ning! It seems to be a container and less in the spirit of small pieces loosely joined." Dave Warlick, 2 Cents Worth March 30, 2007 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

Test
Description Author Testet, Journal March 30, 2007 [Link] [Tags: none] [Comment]

Knowledge Management: Finding Quick Wins and Long Term Value
When asked how to create knowledge management solutions for an organization, consultants may respond with "creating big central 'knowledge bases', or websites, or community of practice 'collaboration spaces'." Sound familiar? But Dave Pollard argues, correctly, that "these types of initiatives tend to produce disappointing results.. these are easy to do, and often fun, which is perhaps why they're so tempting... but I think programs that focus more on context than content, and more on connection than collection, often pay the biggest dividends." He then lists a dozen or so initiatives, half of which produce "quick wins" and half of which produce longer term value. Dave Pollard, How to Save the World March 30, 2007 [Link] [Tags: Knowledge Management] [Comment]

 

This newsletter is sent only at the request of subscribers. If you would like to unsubscribe, Click here.

Know a friend who might enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. If you received this issue from a friend and would like a free subscription of your own, you can join our mailing list. Click here to subscribe.