Comments on: A meager start http://mikecaulfield.com/2007/08/30/a-meager-start/ edupunk, elearning, socialware, rhetoric, discourse analysis, instructional technology, keene nh, other stuff Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:57:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Mike http://mikecaulfield.com/2007/08/30/a-meager-start/#comment-186 Mike Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:30:09 +0000 http://mikecaulfield.com/2007/08/30/a-meager-start/#comment-186 You know, that's actually really helpful. I know I worry sometimes that I'm too much preacher/used car salesman. ... I mean, I get exuberant with this stuff. It scares some people. There's a very pragmatic programmer side to me -- but when I get going about Web 2.0 it's moral, political, ethical, pedagogical, technical, personal, industrial, and intellectual all rolled up in one. ... But the truth is no one ever got a good online community going by thinking it might or might not change the world. You really need to believe it can. A certain number of people have to walk away from conversations ready to march. ... The truth is (and I said this at a bloggers conference I was at) community sites most resemble trying to get people to come to your house for an after hours as the bar is closing. ... Meaning you say you're having people over, you ask someone if they want to come. They say, maybe. Who's coming? ... And you say no one. So there's your problem -- the party you are inviting people to doesn't exist until they accept it. ... In other words, you're not selling cars. Your selling junk bonds. .... The trick is to get a core group of people that power the event. People who would turn it into a bash no matter if anyone else came or not. It's better to spend a half an hour trying to convince the guy or gal that "makes" the event to come than to put your eggs in many baskets. If you get that person to really commit, you can work out from there. ... I know this whole analogy makes me sound a little like a drunk, but I'm really struck by the similarity. We started BlueHampshire by lining up 7 really great people and then making sure we talked among ourselves CONSTANTLY and PUBLICLY. And it was really humorous at first, because we were the only people on the site. Ocassionally people would send me an email, and I would say -- oh, you should completely put that as a comment on the site. So they would, and I would answer it there. ... But strange as it is, it worked.... darn, really need to fix the para CSS -- this is annoying... You know, that’s actually really helpful. I know I worry sometimes that I’m too much preacher/used car salesman.
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I mean, I get exuberant with this stuff. It scares some people. There’s a very pragmatic programmer side to me — but when I get going about Web 2.0 it’s moral, political, ethical, pedagogical, technical, personal, industrial, and intellectual all rolled up in one.
…
But the truth is no one ever got a good online community going by thinking it might or might not change the world. You really need to believe it can. A certain number of people have to walk away from conversations ready to march.
…
The truth is (and I said this at a bloggers conference I was at) community sites most resemble trying to get people to come to your house for an after hours as the bar is closing.
…
Meaning you say you’re having people over, you ask someone if they want to come. They say, maybe. Who’s coming?
…
And you say no one. So there’s your problem — the party you are inviting people to doesn’t exist until they accept it.
…
In other words, you’re not selling cars. Your selling junk bonds.
….
The trick is to get a core group of people that power the event. People who would turn it into a bash no matter if anyone else came or not. It’s better to spend a half an hour trying to convince the guy or gal that “makes” the event to come than to put your eggs in many baskets. If you get that person to really commit, you can work out from there.
…
I know this whole analogy makes me sound a little like a drunk, but I’m really struck by the similarity. We started BlueHampshire by lining up 7 really great people and then making sure we talked among ourselves CONSTANTLY and PUBLICLY. And it was really humorous at first, because we were the only people on the site. Ocassionally people would send me an email, and I would say — oh, you should completely put that as a comment on the site. So they would, and I would answer it there.
…

But strange as it is, it worked…. darn, really need to fix the para CSS — this is annoying…

]]> By: Jim http://mikecaulfield.com/2007/08/30/a-meager-start/#comment-182 Jim Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:23:31 +0000 http://mikecaulfield.com/2007/08/30/a-meager-start/#comment-182 Did somebody say my name? Amen Awesome Mike, let me know if I can help in any way! Also, I couldn't agree with you more about the sticks and flint analogy, a dynamic online community is all sell and no pre-production. You have to be a used car salesman or a preacher, and despite the good rap, I'm more of the former than the later. Go get 'em, tiger! Did somebody say my name?

Amen

Awesome Mike, let me know if I can help in any way! Also, I couldn’t agree with you more about the sticks and flint analogy, a dynamic online community is all sell and no pre-production. You have to be a used car salesman or a preacher, and despite the good rap, I’m more of the former than the later.

Go get ‘em, tiger!

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