Dear LO-list members
I think this may be of interest to some of you interested in Open Space
Technology and/or in virtual meetings.
Regards
Artur
-----------------
A WORLDWIDE
VIRTUAL OPEN SPACE ON VIRTUAL OPEN SPACE
What are the issues and opportunities for online gatherings in Open Space?
May 13 - June 19, 2002
www.bigmindmedia.com/vosonvos
Quick Picture
WHAT: VOSONVOS is an online conference about the issues and opportunities
for online gatherings in Open Space. This Open Space is not held in an
auditorium or a meeting center but in a "collaborative online space"
accessible anywhere in the world at any time. In some ways it's the
ultimate open space!
WHERE: ONLINE! Through an Internet connection and a web browser, people
connect to VOSONVOS at times and from places convenient to them. Once
online, they view and may contribute to a record of conversation and
activity. In consideration of those who do not yet enjoy affordable
access to the Internet and time online, there will be provisions to
participate via email. Occasional real-time chats may also be offered.
WHEN: May 13 - June 19
WHO: This OS is open to anyone across the world with Internet access.
You are invited to join hundreds, if not thousands, of your colleagues
from around the world in the first worldwide Virtual Open Space on Virtual
Open Space (VOSONVOS) from May 13 - June 19, 2002, online.
Who should attend?
We envision a fruitful collaboration between regular inhabitants of two
worlds - the strong and distributed worldwide network of Open Space
Technology facilitators who primarily lead meetings face to face, with or
without an online component; and the emerging network of online
facilitators who primarily work with online interactions, with or without
the intentional use of Open Space principles. No doubt each has much to
learn from the other. And each has much to learn about the experience of
Open Space online.
Why a worldwide Virtual Open Space on Virtual Open Space?
For many years the worldwide community of Open Space facilitators has met
face to face annually for an Open Space on Open Space (OSONOS) - in other
words, a gathering using Open Space to examine the topic of Open Space. This
will happen again this fall in Australia
(http://www.openspaceworld.org/osonos.html). Past OSonOS events have been
held in Monterey California, USA, Chicago Illinois, USA, Berlin, Germany,
Vancouver BC, and Canada
As more distributed groups turn to online interaction to join them in
common work, they seek strong, participatory techniques to guide their
processes. Open Space seems to have a natural connection to the
distributed, self-organizing potential of online interaction. It seeks to
focus attention where there is passion -- another common attribute of the
Internet. So what is the intersection?
In VOSONVOS, we extend the congenial spirit of Open Space to the online
world. What does it mean to come together using Open Space principles
online? What is the experience like for participants and facilitators?
How is it similar to face to face Open Space, and how is it different?
What must we change, as facilitators, to make the transition, and what
must we retain? How can we use online meetings in Open Space to extend or
even replace our face to face meetings? What can experienced facilitators
in Open Space learn from their experienced counterparts in online space,
and vice versa? How can we effectively manage cultural differences? How
can we "level the playing field" with participants from the Two-Thirds
World?
In keeping with these questions, our theme will be:
What are the issues and opportunities of online gatherings in Open Space?
Why virtual?
We all know that travel, while exciting, is expensive, time consuming,
risky, and tiring. VOSONVOS is an opportunity for the world wide
community of Open Space facilitators, and their online facilitator
counterparts, to come together in a fruitful exchange without the cost and
stress of travel. The dialogue of experienced practitioners limited only
by their imaginations, not by their travel budgets will enrich us all.
And we'll learn together by using the medium that is the focus of our
deliberations. Join us for an historic gathering from the comfort of your
own computer!
Why worldwide?
Open Space is increasingly a worldwide phenomenon. Books and trainings
have seeded facilitators in the East, West, North, and South.
Communities of practice have been established and are emerging all around
the globe. There is no host country for Open Space any more - it is
everywhere! New and diverse challenges are being faced in Open Space.
New and diverse languages are being spoken in Open Space. New and diverse
cultures are expressing themselves in Open Space.
And of course the Internet, and its associated technologies, is worldwide
as well. New software for online collaborative conferencing makes
practical the bringing together of people and organizations from
everywhere, all at once. We can now enter the deep and truly worldwide
conversations about facilitation and practice that we have only tasted at
past face to face gatherings.
What will a Virtual Open Space on Virtual Open Space be like? We don't
know! Join us and find out. But we can promise you this. We will engage
in meaningful conversation about the issues and opportunities which you
care passionately about. We will attract the most diverse collection of
experienced and newly learning Open Space and online facilitation
practitioners that have ever assembled, bar none. Very likely it will
also be the largest such collection. While past OSONOSes attracted from
sixty to one hundred souls, there is no limit on how many may show up for
a VOSONVOS. And of course, no issue will be denied.
How does it work?
If you don't know, that's reason enough to join in. Online collaborative
conferencing is the wave of the present. It is an increasingly widespread
medium for human interaction that moves conversation from a room to the
globe. We all need to learn better how to navigate the online
collaborative conferencing sea. Future face to face forums in Open Space
will be preceded by online conversation, accompanied by online
conversation, and followed by online conversation. And of course some
future face to face forums will be supplanted by online conversation.
This is very relevant for groups who do not have the ability or luxury to
be face to face and for people who seek to join hands across all types of
borders to work for a common cause. This is a medium for our time, and we
need to know it.
No, really, how does it work?
The VOSONVOS will be hosted by BigMindMedia using their collaborative
workspace software, BigMind Catalyst. When you register you'll receive a
web site location and a password. You will gather with other online
participants and have an opportunity to post topics for primarily
asynchronous discussion (we all don't have to be online at the same time
and you log on at your convenience). Should you convene a session in
cyberspace, you will be responsible for moderating the discussion among
participants over the period of the conference. If Internet access is
expensive in your corner of the world, you may also choose to participate
via email. New material will be emailed to you so you can read and compose
responses offline.
And, by the way, what does it cost?
You pay what you can afford, with a minimum registration of US$35. We
have deliberately set the minimum fee very low to encourage widespread
participation, and to keep money from being a reason not to play.
Contributions above the minimum of $5, $50, $500, or whatever you are
inspired to give will support an Access Fund to provide assistance where
needed. You will find all this information within the registration form
online.
OK, I'm in. How do I register?
Go to http://bigmindmedia.com/vosonvos and click "Register" to sign up.
And while you're at it, send the link to a couple folks who might be
interested, telling them where you'll be between May 13 and June 19, and
why.
It will be great to meet you at VOSONVOS!
The VOSONVOS Design Team
Jay, Gabriel, Nancy, Barbara, Toni
More on OS and Online Facilitation
What is Open Space?
Open Space Technology is one way to enable all kinds of people, in any kind
of organization, to create inspired meetings and events. In Open Space
meetings, events and organizations, participants create and manage their own
agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic
importance, such as: What is the strategy, group, organization or community
that all stakeholders can support and work together to create?
With groups of 5 to 1000 -- working in one-day workshops, three-day
conferences, or the regular weekly staff meeting -- the common result is a
powerful, effective connecting and strengthening of what's already happening
in the organization: planning and action, learning and doing, passion and
responsibility, participation and performance. Open Space has been used for
over 15 years in over 60 countries. To learn more, see www.openspaceworld.org
What is online facilitation?
Online facilitation is an evolving art and expanding opportunity to
empower groups to work across time and distance. Online work and
interactions require facilitation skills beyond those used in face-to-face
meetings. Group dynamics in the virtual environment combined with new
communication technologies create unique conditions and opportunities
calling for specific techniques and an expansion of our consciousness with
mindful facilitation.
--Artur Silva <artsilva@mail.eunet.pt>
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