Webheads: Chaos Navigation

Chaos Navigation

Vance responds to Susanne
October 9, 2001

Susanne,

I really like the way you characterize our class: "I feel that every technical challenge is a hurdle I must see to overcome or to leave alone. The inspiration to invite for and willingness to support chaos navigation is an extra plus for the Webhead community that I really appreciate."

Your viewpoint is the same as mine, and I too am constantly challenged and stimulated by Webheads as we engage in CHAOS NAVIGATION. It's probably the aspect of the class that keeps me coming back week after week. You never know what will happen but it's never the same and it's always interesting.

However, we are sometimes criticised for going beyond people's capabilities. It has been suggested that some students have stopped participating in our class because it is technically too challenging. Some people might like to be able to predict that the class will always be in one location and will always do more or less the same thing.

On the other hand, some people are attracted to what we do and the way we do it. The Internet is not a stable place, and adaptation is constantly necessary to remain successful.

I know we'll never be able to please everyone (though we will try!) but I'm curious, what do other Webheads think about the way we conduct the class?

We have three modes of communication: web pages, this mailing list, and our weekly online chats

Webpages - after 3 years we have an impressive site that shows a lot about our personalities and interests, but I wouldn't say that Webheads are now working to add to their web pages
This mailing list - We have gone from about 3 emails a day a year ago to about 5 or 6 a week, with most of these being from me
Our weekly chats - these continue to be 'where the action is' with Webheads, the truly dynamic part of the course, but participated in by relatively a small core of Webhead members

So, what is your opinion? Do you have any suggestions for improving service of any of these three organs of communication for the benefit of the Webheads community?

Hope to hear from you,

Vance

Juani responds
October 9, 2001

Hi Vance:

I think that the way you coordinate the group is ok.The thing is that I myself haven't had the time and the computer to access to Sunday meetings.I'll try next time.I'm using my roommate's pc and during the week I can use the Macs at school.

I'm doing very well ,with a lot of work but already settled .It was difficult at the begining but things have gone better now. Worried about the latest events but glad to be here.

My regards from Rifle High School, Colorado

Juana Barrientos

Susanne wrote this
October 13, 2001

You posed recently some interesting questions concerning the future of efiwebheads. As I have only participated for some months, I cannot compare to earlier days where so many weekly emails were exchanged on this list. But I can assure you that I do feel very inspired to write and read in this open-ended community. I do feel that i have already learnt so much about different cultural everyday practices, life positions and personalities. We might use the construction inter-locality here; we are having long distances in topography but are creating a room for closer relations to develop, that is a local ffeling of virtual presence. I do feel it is a kid of priviledge, leading me to think and to write fluently to some people that like to engage in some kind of dialogue.

I can say for myself that the experiments are one more reason for me to stay connected. And, to have more than one channel open at at time, allows for direct online help and guidance which is so useful. I wonder, however, if wa may spilt up the class hours so that first hour or so was held in multiple experimental modes, and then agree upon chhosing just one for the sewcaon half of the class hour where a more focused discuaaion may take place, maybe evennow and then moderated by one of us who liked to present a subject prepared and announced some days earlier to the group? It might be something specific about your own country, or travelling, or your favorite movies, whatever?

For sure, I would not like the very casual style to disappear but rahter to let our habits turn towards a more focused and maybe easier to follow way of getting the dialogye activated. Some of us, and I am one myself, are hardcore onliners used to join any kind of conversation but I guess that some newcomers may need a kind of towholder ?

In case you like to try out this model of double strategy, the meeting place for the second hour might stay the same for a longer period of sessions, unless firewall or censored restrictions block the global accesibility, I find tapped IN to ebe the most reasonable bid so far. Using the same environment may create a more natural routine and take away the constraints of tech-experimentations- but of course also the fun of it! Maybe I am biased here because I am a regular tapped In member and volunteer helpdesk, and because my home connection and elderly mac computer does not allow me to use most of the other tools, neither the palace, of the voice chats.

What do YOU think? This may be one interesting discussion subject for tomorrow Sunday - I sure hope to be able to get online as muy server has had serious trouble lately. But also use this mailing list for any kind of comment , shorter or longer related to these important Webhead future questions put by Vance some days ago in the mail :re:Chaos navigation

This was discussed at our usual Sunday noon GMT online class, October 14, 2001

Use your browser's BACK button to return to a previous page

For comments, suggestions, or further information on this page, contact Vance Stevens, page webmaster.

Last updated: October 19, 2001, in Hot Metal Pro 6.0