Workgroup Notes: ATD and the Internet

TOPIC: How the Internet can help facilitators create, organize, track, and follow up on symposiums, and how the internet can support participants in getting into action and connecting locally. Also: how to leverage web 2.0 technology to help symposiums happen and get people into action.

Convened by Dave Ergo

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Have a space for blogs, etc. organized by area -- ways of connecting after symposium. People would meet face to face. Each symposium could have its own blog space, that also fits into region. Have a place for blogs for facilitators only.

Daily tips, monthly information sheets.

Develop a solid event posting site. Requests for having symposiums have automatic responses or are somehow flagged for follow up by region.

Have a place to talk about issues -- problems with composting, recycling plastic, etc. Conversation on how to stay awake.

Have a place to share other resources.

Community group coordinators -- central place to keep and maintain lists of contacts and people who want to support

Have a well documented privacy policy that is conservative (feels safer to participate).

On the website: have an easier to use master calendar of events that can be "drilled down" by country, state, county, etc. Use graphic image of maps to define regions, and show where symposiums, facilitator teams, etc. are vs. big problem with WiserEarth: can only search for events/organizations by city (too small) or state (too large); need something in between, like county sizes). Organize symposium lists by region. Regions are clearly defined, and defined by the users themselves (Centrally stored, but self-organized, not centrally managed).

Replace yahoo groups with our own (or another) listserv system.

Have a single place for all this information, systematic gathering of data. Have a place where we can put *local* resources, organizations, articles, etc (perhaps team up with WiserEarth). Anyone can post (have checks & balances for flagging inappropriate content).

Want to be able to ask for help in putting on my events using this system (I need another presenter, AV help, a venue, etc.)

Have something that automatically messages to me regarding new symposiums, events, etc. in the regions I'm interested in (could be more than one region). Allow me to identify what kinds of messages I want to be included on (e.g. tell me about events, but don't send me discussion emails, etc.)

Symposium participants: have place where I can put name of someone I meet who's interested in symposiums, and automatically notifies them when one comes up in their area. Have system automatically send emails: before event, after event, ongoing. Automatically create follow up emails, surveys, send messages to no-shows, encouraging them to sign up again, etc. Track and have automated follow up on "pathways to participation" cards. Have directions available on screen, have connection to public transit systems when possible.

Create ability for groups to cluster on the web. E.g. there's a group in SF, one in San Jose; I want to create a Peninsula group between these two cities. Needs to change dynamically as more people become involved. Not telling people what to do, but giving them clear ideas on what needs doing, and finding their passion (e.g. local pollution hotspots website -- shows actions that are needed locally). Have Ruel's "three columns exercise" on line, to help them find their passion.

Concern: there are many websites and discussion groups that don't seem to go anywhere; find out which ones are successful and imitate those, learn from the failures. See what social network technologies are out there (You Tube, Tribe, Facebook, MySpace, Second Life), which ones work. Ability to analyze activity of participants, to "map" the social network. Track facilitator/participant activities. Award them for effort, use to motivate.

Concern: email overload. I'm deleting all email but MoveOn, just too much to track. Don't add to the burden, somehow give me something different.

Have interest areas participants can sign up for (health care professionals, post-carbon efforts, etc.). Self identify and organize? Balance between WiserEarth (categories already created) vs. a completely clean slate (anarchy, ineffectiveness).

Resources: Include personal sustainability planner -- integrated with Bill Russell's website and Jon Syme's book. Include ability to post good web sites; create something like Amazon's top ten books -- "the top ten sustainability websites." Integrate with WiserEarth somehow. How use web to serve participants in getting into action. Inspiring stories link. You tube videos. Downloadable material for helping to start a local meeting, start local conversation, an outline/template for a 30 minute talk to schools, rotary clubs, business, etc.

For facilitators only: have online list of participants, including name, email, phone, confirmation status, town, ridesharing preferences. Automatic email reminders, with responses required in email (click here to verify). Easily sorted, printed, useable by facilitator. Sort by name, Print out registration list for day of event (with spaces for walk ins), print out name badges. Also: place that tracks who else is facilitating (AV, hosting, presenting). Allow me to ask all facilitators everywhere if I have a question. Indicate who is willing to travel, who is willing to host guests in their area.

Very important: Simple, make it very easy to use, zero training required. Shouldn't require yahoo account.

Include those, who by choice or circumstance, do not have email or internet access. Other countries, poorer communities, voluntary simplicity adherents. Don't necessarily expect them to find a way. Can we use cell phone technology (more ubiquitous than computers?). Related: how support facilitators with limited finances and other resources.

Have system be able to really help pull together participants after the symposium: allow them to communicate with each other, with ohters in the area, set up follow up events.

Have counters, track metrics of who's active and who isn't. So we know who's been to what part of website (but why?

Remember Van Jones' thought: we're not going to do this by clicking a mouse. Website needs to help people meet face to face, to get into action.