Rancid Web 2.0

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alexanderhayes

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Jun 25, 2006, 8:26:44 PM6/25/06
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http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=6615#20292

I suspect we need some free-ranging insight into what would otherwise
appear as a bunfight on bloggers, standards and aggresive posturing.

Any words of wisdom on a contentious web world wonderland would be
appreciated.

Regards,
Alexander Hayes
www.alexanderhayes.com

Leigh Blackall

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Jun 25, 2006, 9:27:39 PM6/25/06
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Don't worry about it Alex. That's just how forums like that go. Best thing to do is for everyone to go silent. That Adam Maxwell is a difficult guy to handle in forums - kinda highlights the value of Web2 doesn't it. Its much harder for one person to kill a whole conversation like he has.
 
Also, dunno why, but I was subscribed to that conversation then all of a sudden it was stopped. I wasn't receiving updates. I just thought the discussion had ended, but clearly it went on and on... some administrator must have kicked me off for not contributing. ha! Moodle.
 
Thanks for the heads up and reminder link to a very valuable discussion though. Leonard Low's initial post is great. The discussion is interesting - but Leonards post is all that one needs to read.
 

James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 25, 2006, 9:39:41 PM6/25/06
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like you leigh i thought that forum had gone quiet because i didn't get any emails - until seeing this message and going to the website - maybe it was because we had made less than enthusiastic comments about moodle????  seems a bit odd.


From: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com [mailto:teachAndL...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Leigh Blackall
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2006 11:28 AM
To: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Subject: :: TALO :: Re: Rancid Web 2.0

alexanderhayes

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Jun 25, 2006, 11:38:22 PM6/25/06
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Hey Leigh.

I'm sure the powers to be within EDNA havent knocked you off a simple
Moodle forum...rather invited you to speak critically about it
elsewhere. No one likes an agitator unless they have washing to throw
in as well.

As you often say, an open conversation allows others to objectively
co-administer or block trite as needed....maybe thats the fate of these
forums however I believe many are only entering the conversation so it
will be some time to come yet till we see them speaking out and about
in the blogsphere.

I value at least having the ability to network with those seeking ways
to building new and often controversial ways of engaging learners.

Co-incidently ..... I dont use the term 'bullshit' with anyone unless
I'm prepared to eat it.

Regards,
Alexander Hayes
www.alexanderhayes.com

botts

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Jun 25, 2006, 11:47:11 PM6/25/06
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gotta agree with leigh here

as for the disabilities bloke, despite his complaints that everyone is
single minded and rehashing old ideas, he does begin to sound like a
broken record himself after a while. peace out man.

botts

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 26, 2006, 3:23:32 AM6/26/06
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At the beginning of each month they start a new forum on the month's theme and they've been forcing people to subscribe to generate some interest. When people start complaining about getting unwanted emails in their inbox they send out a final post saying that if you want to stay subscribed you have to re-subscribed yourself, then they remove the forced subscribe.

It was nothing personal guys - you just must have missed the explanatory post - http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=6737

Personally I think what they are doing is a bit inappropriate.

Sean
-- 

Sean FitzGerald
Tel: +61 (0)2 9360 3291
Mob: +61 (0)404 130 342
Skype: seamusy
Email: se...@tig.com.au
Website: http://seanfitz.wikispaces.com/
Blog: http://elgg.net/seanfitz/weblog/
Podcast: http://castingthenetpodcast.blogspot.com/

A man is what he thinks about all day long.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 26, 2006, 3:24:59 AM6/26/06
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Leigh Blackall wrote:
> Don't worry about it Alex. That's just how forums like that go. Best
> thing to do is for everyone to go silent.
Actually I would say the opposite needs to happen - the whole community
needs to speak up.

Sean

--

Postmodernism is a change-or-be-changed world.
The word is out: Reinvent yourself for the 21st
century or die! Some would rather die than change.
-- Leonard Sweet, cultural historian

Michael Coghlan

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Jun 26, 2006, 7:20:02 AM6/26/06
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Leigh Blackall wrote:
> Don't worry about it Alex. That's just how forums like that go. Best
> thing to do is for everyone to go silent.

Then Sean wrote:

Actually I would say the opposite needs to happen - the whole community
needs to speak up.

Interesting thought Sean. The Adam guy seems to have already fled after the challenge from Alex so it may be too late. Maybe someone (?) could draft a response and we all sign it....I went back through the whole thread and couldn't see why he turned on Leonard and got all defensive. I already wrote to Leonard and told him so privately but maybe it should be public.....

- Michael

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 26, 2006, 5:35:40 PM6/26/06
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Your words are turning out to be quite prophetic, Alex - it looks like the moderators have deleted 17 posts they have deemed as outside their Code of Conduct, including yours where you mention 'bullshit'.

I think we have a classical example developing here of the tension that exists between traditional, hierarchical ways of running things, and the tools that support those social forms, and the new non-hierarchical, community-based way of running things, and the tools that support that.

You are right about the advantage of open conversations on the open web. I suspect many statements made by some people on the forum would have been ripped to shreds by the blogosphere if they weren't hiding behind the walled garden.

And if what I suspect has happened is true, then so much for transparency - moderators have unilaterally deleted the posts without explanation or warning, although they have posted a very low-key reminder
of the Code of Conduct after the fact, without comment, at the end of this Newsflash.

By deleting them we can't even debate their merit. However I do have copies of all the deleted posts - I received them as emails, although I notice in their Code of Conduct I that can't re-post them without the written permission of the author.

I'm no happy about this and have a lot more to say, but I will reserve putting my thoughts on the forum until I'm clear about what's actually happened.

I've posted this - http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=7069 :
What's happened to the missing posts?
by Sean FitzGerald - Tuesday, 27 June 2006, 07:04 AM

Unfortunately I've been too busy to contribute my thoughts to the drama that has been unfolding here over the last week or so, but I've kept one eye on what's been happening and I've been busting for the chance to have my say.

I've just spent several hours going through the posts in my inbox, putting drafting some of my thoughts about what's been happening including many issues I think this discussion has raised.

Imagine my surprise when I went to start posting responses to the forum only to find that many of the posts are missing.

I count 17 posts that are missing, including ones by Adam Maxwell, Leonard Low, Alex Hayes, Chris Harvey and James Neil.

Before I say anything else I'd like to know what's happened. Does anybody know?

Sean

As you can see, none of my posts have been deleted (yet!) so this isn't about me being upset about being censored myself - it's about the principle.

This is all about power people, and the abuse of it. Things are really going to get interesting now!

Sean

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 26, 2006, 5:43:26 PM6/26/06
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Sean wrote:
Actually I would say the opposite needs to happen - the whole community
needs to speak up.
Then Michael Coghlan wrote:
Interesting thought Sean. The Adam guy seems to have already fled after the challenge from Alex so it may be too late. Maybe someone (?) could draft a response and we all sign it....I went back through the whole thread and couldn't see why he turned on Leonard and got all defensive. I already wrote to Leonard and told him so privately but maybe it should be public.....

Unfortunately I think it's a bit late for that now. This discussion has just entered a whole new level.

If what I think has happened is true, then that forum is only a community in name.

James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 26, 2006, 11:44:04 PM6/26/06
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reminds of Milan Kundera's "The Book of Laughter & Forgotten"
 
On invading Czech, the Russians rewrote Czech history, including airbrushing certain individuals from photographs.  But in one particular picture they left a key politician standing on the balcony, with a hat on his head, waving to a crowd, with another hat in his hand - the hat of the airbrushed person.
 
The lesson is, airbrush as much as you like in public and personal life, but the truth will always leak through.


From: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com [mailto:teachAndL...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Sean FitzGerald
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 7:43 AM

To: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Subject: :: TALO :: Re: Rancid Web 2.0

alexanderhayes

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Jun 27, 2006, 2:51:37 AM6/27/06
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Ok.

This is how it's occured for me.

I logged into EDNA groups by way of the the web2.0 June discussion to
find a senior poster ( a seasoned and articulate AFLF contributor)
calling someone elses contributions b*^#@ and then to boot getting what
appeared in a textual / contextual string to be aggressive and less
than polite.

I ( me) just didnt get it.......it didnt flow or make sense even if
Adam was upset at something other than the topic area .....it was just
uncalled for and innapropriate I thought.

Anyway what has followed has been what i would think to be the turning
point in where communities of online communication go, what I call,
rancid.......... when the workings of the moderator are not apparent
nor transparent. Nothing personal.......just thats how it's become.
Moderators are only ever effective if they can draw people into a
sensible frame of reference within the online community.....spammers
have no place however memebrs are underghoing their own education and
socialistaion process....however nasty they might seem everyone just
wants to be heard, seen and included in my opinion.

I first saw the best examples of this when Anne, Sean, Leigh, Peter
Holden, Mat, Alfie and others ducked and weaved what could have been a
very messy conversation over at http://moblog.co.uk/view.php?id=86922

Nothings been deleted.....look at how the student prospered to see
adults talking and conversing.

Sure the whole idea that the distributive, networked, open web forum
idea mangles some peoples perspectives on what constitutes fair play
and what breaches what protocol however I'm of the firm opinion that
this will be a seminal moment in the workings of conversations which
emanate from the EDNA chambers.....closed no more.

Perhaps all that AFLF funding has enabled enough 'architects' to take
the networks into its truest and most resonant state of being - a
multitude of connected learning spaces, a plethora of open voices, an
ever changing field of conversations which reference each other true in
their final form.

I have only challenged myself. I agree with Sean......the web2.0
conversation has entered a new level. We are about to watch more than
the world cup and we will be assured this will benefit our students as
we take responsibility for the positions we take with respect to our
own online conduct......floppy names and fuzzy freebies aside.

This way of being is here to stay.

Regards,
Alexander Hayes
www.alexanderhayes.com

rgrozdanic

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Jun 27, 2006, 8:59:25 AM6/27/06
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i reckon everyone's a bit weird if you scratch deep enough.  some people are just better at pretending they're not. and when you get into overlapping grey spaces like public forums i reckon it can get difficult to work out which boundary to write from. whose responsibility is it to manage crossed wires? whose version of "appropriate" are we working to and how much does it really matter anyway - are these things flotsam and jetsam or does every interaction count as "really important"? (given leigh's recent postings about impermanence, i'd say the former)

i liked the dogbreath moblog example.  i liked the way the issue wasn't about whether the image was inappropriate but instead "why" it might or might not be and how this was left undecided even at the end of the discussion. i see better pictures of breasts in the magazines my mother buys, the posters on the wall at the doctor's surgery, K-mart...  it wasn't about the picture. on another day in another time it'd be about her jewellery, his haircut, their age, whatever.  sometimes it's just about power. or humour. or nothing at all.

i especially liked the comment from what sounded like an administrator from moblog who posted

..."If you're going to try and introduce all these fancy new book-learnt new theories to the yoof of today you really have to be prepared for them to shock and alarm you with how they use it.

To summarise then, phwoar."

the "phwoar" said it all. (still cracks me up :-))

the conversation in here on rancid 2.0 is really interesting.  talo has some of the most opinionated, trigger happy, free range people i've known in it yet i notice that it's also actually quite a refined and almost genteel place in many ways - even the way you guys are discussing the rancid 2.0 issue is measured and sensible and constructive and so on even though you feel strongly about various aspects.  my prediction would have been that there'd be people storming the bastilles, being hasty, etc. (or maybe that's just me... :-))

it's really interesting. and instructive. and supports what some of you say about the equilibrium of self organising groups. but i still wonder, why haven't we had a similar thing in talo? surely this group would attract/encourage conflict and passionate clashes etc? what's your theory?

r

Stephen Downes

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Jun 27, 2006, 9:47:15 AM6/27/06
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why haven't we had a similar thing in talo? surely this group would attract/encourage conflict and passionate clashes etc?

Give it time. ;)

I'm posting a summary of the discussion and controversy today. Have a look and comment back if so motivated:
http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=34857

Personally I think it's kind of sad that they can't get through a discussion of Web and e-learning 2.0 without auto-subscribing people and without deleting half the posts.

-- Stephen

__________________________________________________________________

Stephen Downes ~ Senior Researcher ~ Internet Logic
National Research Council Canada ~ Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
http://www.downes.ca  ~  ste...@downes.ca
__________________________________________________________________

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:34:04 AM6/27/06
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There are two issues here.

The first is the original drama caused by a certain individual hurling some pretty nasty sarcasm and personal attacks.  While there are heated debates here on TALO, and the occasional bit of sarcasm, it never descends into fully-fledged nastiness and name-calling. There remains a respect for each other's opinions.

The second issue is the upset about the way the moderator(s) handled the conflict, that is by unilaterally deleting 17 posts without warning. That would never happen here because there are multiple moderators and anyone can be moderator, and in a weird way by us all having that power we seem to become very cautious about how we use it.

I also think there would be more transparency here, with an attitude of 'consult the group first before making any major changes as moderator'.

Sean

Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us,
but to call out our courage and strength.
-- Anonymous

peter allen

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:47:14 AM6/27/06
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can I relate a story here ?:)

I  set up a  google group for my local sporting club.   - which incidently is a GREATt thing to do, -  you can practice facilitation and community building  in an environment that  doesnt  have career limitations. - its a fabulous training environment for e-learning!

Anyway,  the list is quite tolerant but a cople of guys were  posting  really off  jokes involving sheep etc.   so as moderator I temporaily  moderated their posts - ie I set it so that I  would vet the posts before being sent to the lists.

This form of censorship was deeply offensive to almost everyone in the group.  who by now had become used to the freedom of speech that they had on the mailing list. 

The moderation was switched on for 3 hours, but the furore it created  -  generated 61 posts

it seemed that heavy handed moderation was more offensive than the sheep jokes.

I have seen  on another forum where a moderator  had to deal with nasty "rancid" posts where all messages remained in context  but were "edited"  with alterations such as  [personal  comment deleted]  or  [expletive deleted] so that the gist of the debate  reamained.


botts

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Jun 27, 2006, 8:21:18 PM6/27/06
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we're all too afraid of that alex might use rude words at us if we do
anything naughty :-) :-) :-)
botts

Leigh Blackall

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Jun 27, 2006, 8:57:45 PM6/27/06
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Very interesting discussion everyone.

Regarding Sean's reply to my suggestion that the community should just go silent. I think sudden silence is actually the community speaking quite loudly. It has happened here in TALO a few times, especially when Chris has flung a bit of dung at me. I think the EDNA example clearly shows that Leonard is a good bloke and Adam is not. But if it were less clear, I would write to Leonard off list and offer words of support.

As for the rancid web2. I reckon forums (by themselves - including this list) are not web 2. I'm sitting here thinking, why is it that forums seem to attract more rancid remarks, and the blogosphere tend not to. I know there are plenty of examples of flame wars through blogs, and TALO is a forum that seem to do quite well, but there are reasons for this that relate to the observation, so I wanna say this:

In a forum the individual human identities are less obvious. Through a blog they can be very obvious. I remember when Moodle came on the scene and one of the most appreciated things about it was the fact that it added little pictures of the person posting. I think its interesting to note the apparent need for this feature. But those pictures are nothing compared to a whole blog, with flickr badge and tag clouds. So when a discussion goes on through blogs, the identity and the human element is more obvious, stronger > therefore I tend to think politeness and respect comes more naturally when conversing through blogs. In forums, the identity, history, family, colour choice, etc is not so obvious. A person's identity becomes second to the identity or template of the system. Therefore participants may become more anxious about what they are trying to say, more concerned with whether or not they are being heard for who they actually are and the historic context of where they're coming from... a recipe for rancid remarks and tensions...
--
--
Would you like to buy my book? http://www.lulu.com/leighblackall

Marg

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Jun 27, 2006, 9:53:19 PM6/27/06
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I've come into this late in the piece, but like Leigh, I've also been
reading the forum here and there, and have also been discussing this
event at length with my work colleagues.

Firstly, I'd agree with Stephen that "it's kind of sad that they can't


get through a discussion of Web and e-learning 2.0 without
auto-subscribing people and without deleting half the posts."

Moderation is a tricky thing and it always appears to me that the way
we approach it is as a process that is all or nothing, no grey areas
about it! We can only improve our moderation skills and understanding
by facing these issues, instead of sweeping them under the carpet
(effectively deleting them). As for ignoring this type of flaming
discussion, isn't that ignoring them too (again, there are various
levels to 'ignoring' something too). I also acknowledge that the EdNA
moderators have moderated for a while and have much experience in doing
so.

Sean responded to Alex in part:


"You are right about the advantage of open conversations on the open
web. I suspect many statements made by some people on the forum would
have been ripped to shreds by the blogosphere if they weren't hiding
behind the walled garden."

As well as being open, conversations (of ANY kind!) are REAL. Like
others, I use weblogs and Flickr, etc and I've blocked people, deleted
some comments or not let certain comments through. This is MY choice as
a user and it's also been a learning process for me too. I have
developed a better understanding of what I consider to be acceptable
that relates to my values relevant to certain settings. So, I'm not
gonna have a guy view my pics and comment on them if I see there are no
'real connections' between us as people (or there's that uncomfortable
feeling that he's not interested beyond leering at my photos!). The
moblog that Alex points us to is a pertinent illustration of how a
process of consideration, reflection and discussion can help us further
understand the nuances of human communication in particular settings,
especially online - thanks Alex. Otherwise, how would we teach our
students to learn and operate in a range of settings?

So, with the EdNA forums are they 'keeping it real'? I'd question that
- if there is simply a tendency to delete posts that someone deems
offensive (in terms of their Code of Conduct) then I'm not sure I'd
consider that 'dealing with it' in a way that develops the
professionality of the community itself (BTW - those of you who had
posts deleted, were you forewarned?). How do we define 'conduct' and
'comfortability'?

Perhaps we could hear from the EdNA moderators/admin people directly:
Who devised the EdNA Groups Code of Conduct? Is it a document in need
of revising? Should documents of this nature be presented as 'living
documents'? The nature, service and technical aspects of 'online-ness'
develops and evolves at such a rate that perhaps we find hard to keep
up with in terms of our social-administrative systems (look at
copyright, IP, provacy and other legal issues as a prime example). Who
determines the levels of safety, the type of content, the conduct of
the community, if not the community members themselves?

And, as Sean said, "By deleting them we can't even debate their merit.


However I do have copies of all the deleted posts - I received them as
emails, although I notice in their Code of Conduct I that can't re-post

them without the written permission of the author." ....Re-post I say!!
:oP

It is all too easy to flick the switch.

I'll finish my rant with <a
href="http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=6551">a
quote from Simon Fenton-Jones</a> on EdNA who says: "The lesson [of
exploring obstacles to social networking] is; Learning requires one to
travel (between domains)."

Cheers, Marg

PS. In developing my post here, I've noticed a new florish of posts on
the EdNA forum, I particularly adhere to <a
href="http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=6615">Michael
Coghlan's idea of moderating</a> such conversations too - great to see
cross-posting and hope this will 'travel' further afield!

James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 27, 2006, 9:54:15 PM6/27/06
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very insightful observation there leigh about the personalisation/identity aspects of electronic interaction - that's got me thinking
 
a not unrelated issue i think is the difference between a community-run group vs. one being run by a government

James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:01:23 PM6/27/06
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I find it interesting that there's a code of conduct for forum members, but
not as far as I can tell a code of conduct for moderators.

I've posted to EdNA the suggestion that the code of conduct is put into wiki
format. I think that's where the rubber hits the road - a government-run
forum cannot go that far into web2.0.


Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:15:58 PM6/27/06
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Great stuff from Leigh about getting a complete picture of a person from their online presence(s) and personal learning environments.

When I said "I suspect many statements made by some people on the forum would have been ripped to shreds by the blogosphere if they weren't hiding behind the walled garden", I of course meant Adam. I wonder if he would dare say the things he says on the open web.

It's a bummer that they deleted his posts. As we've discussed on TALO before, better to leave everything up and let people address it.

Its also a bummer because people don't get to see what he is really like. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that he always seems to be subtly flogging his own business (now why isn't that against the code of conduct?) but I wonder how many potential clients would employ him if they saw what sort of person he is and how he interacts with people.

By deleting his posts the moderators have enabled him to move on a create havoc somewhere else with impunity - with no-one being the wiser - instead of his reputation preceding him.

As Leigh says, without the context of his whole personality people would only get a skewed view of him (the one he chooses to publicly display).

Marg - good point about still having the right to censor what is said on our own personal spaces - it is our choice. I'd be inclined to leave even critical comments on a blog, preferring to engage the poster than delete them, but if they went too far into personal attacks or other inappropriate behaviour I'd have no hesitation in deleting them.

btw - there was no warning before they deleted the posts.

I also love this moving between domains that is occurring. We are storming the walls of the garden!

I notice though, that they still haven't turned on their RSS feed!

Sean

Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat.  
-- Malcolm Forbes (American Publisher)

James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:26:09 PM6/27/06
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Sean wrote (among other interesting things):  I also love this moving between domains that is occurring.  
 
Perhaps if the naughty posts aren't reinstated on EdNA then they can be fwded on through TALO so that they do exist in public space. 

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:38:49 PM6/27/06
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James Neill - Wilderdom wrote:
Perhaps if the naughty posts aren't reinstated on EdNA then they can be fwded on through TALO so that they do exist in public space.

But if we don't get written permission from the poster then we will be violating the Code of Conduct.

I'm sure the others will be fine with this, but who would like to ask Adam? :-)

Sean

I don't suffer from insanity, 
I enjoy every minute of it!
-- Anonymous

James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:47:04 PM6/27/06
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who would like to ask Adam? :-) 
 
what's his email? 

botts...@westnet.com.au

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Jun 27, 2006, 10:59:51 PM6/27/06
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interestingly, i blogged about exactly this a while back when one of
my regular reads dropped out of the blogosphere for an extended
period of time. if you're interested you can see the post (and some
replies) here:

http://bottsplace.blogspot.com/2006/05/oh-art-whereart-thou.html

have a great day

botts

rgrozdanic

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Jun 28, 2006, 12:59:19 AM6/28/06
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personally i think it highly ungentlemanly (or whatever the 21st century version of that word is) to post stuff like that even if you do write to the fellow and get his "permission". and if you do need to deal in specifics, why not go back to edna and talk about it there, where it happened and at least is in context both content wise and audience wise.

isn't it possible to discuss the generalities of the incident in talo without turning this into a she said/he said kind of uproar with a hero at one end? (and yeah - leonard's a wonderful, talented, experienced, well balanced, knowledgable chap - of all of us, i reckon he'd be the least concerned about much of this)

i have a HUGE aversion to publicly shaming people unless the issue is so big or murky that you'd potentially damage huge numbers of lives without exposing it. i wouldn't know adam from a broomstick but i am beginning to feel very defensive on his behalf - does he really deserve the derision that is beginning to emerge here? and if so, how will i tell the difference between you (you as in anyone) and him next time i'm online?

gah!

r

Michael Coghlan

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Jun 28, 2006, 1:13:23 AM6/28/06
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Go Rose!
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James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 28, 2006, 2:31:33 AM6/28/06
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some thoughts rose....
 
i'd be able to comment better if i knew what was posted - i don't know adam or leo from a bar of soap, so i'm just curious to find out what was so out of line that it resulted in sudden, mass deletion - from my POV they're both on equal playing fields in terms of what they have to offer as are others until proven otherwise - the evidence is now gone, so who knows whether an appropriate decision was made or not?
 
the 'threat' to post here or somewhere else in public space what has been deleted is really directed at the EdNA Networks forum moderators to come clean on moderation process and policy (and we are talking specifics in that forum)
 
importantly in the TALO forum, many members are moderators, so if something did get posted that others felt was inappropriate, no big deal, i'm sure there would be pretty mature discussion and other wiser moderators would fix it up :)
 
i do think a fair bit is at stake - we're talking a publically funded government run forum supposedly discussing web2.0 in education yet it doesn't seem to have either the tech-how or the people-how to satisfactorily handle tough, gusty interactions
 

From: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com [mailto:teachAndL...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of rgrozdanic
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 2:59 PM

To: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Subject: :: TALO :: Re: Rancid Web 2.0

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 28, 2006, 2:59:35 AM6/28/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Hang on Rose - I think you have the wrong end of the stick here. No one said anything about the shaming the guy.

Some people want to see the posts so they could a) retrieve the interesting discussion that was occurring and b) see what the content was that caused the moderator to delete the posts, so people can judge for themselves if that action was fair.

Without the original posts how can people know what is being talked about?

You suggest going back to the original forum, but the conversation is starting to merge between the domains, so it doesn't have to sit in any one little box.

You ask if Adam deserves the derision he is receiving here? You tell me - have you read the things he said (oh wait, no - you can't because they have been deleted!)

Even before this though he's been slinging shit at us for months.

I have no problem with criticising his behaviour. And the nastiest thing anyone has said about him as a person here on TALO is that he's not a very nice guy, and I stand by that opinion. 

What people are saying here is nothing compared to what he was saying, so it's pretty easy to tell us apart.

Sean

Mann, Robert

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Jun 28, 2006, 5:07:39 AM6/28/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com

I haven’t been buying myself as much time as I’d like of late to keep up with this sort of stuff but this has pressed my buttons…

 

As a reluctantly casual observer of these conversations I figure I can offer a completely dispassionate view.

I’ve just read the entire edna thread, this TALO thread and Stephen’s commentary.

 

What I’m left with is- I’ve missed something! The incident was something to learn from, for good or ill. I can’t determine.  I can’t form an independent opinion on the rights and wrongs of what has been deleted. However I have formed an opinion on the process of moderation which in itself is formed purely on the absence of the offending posts.

 

If what occurred was said in a classroom, we can’t erase the memory of what or how it was said from everyone in earshot.  We have to manage the fallout.  With the exception of managing defamation/slander etc* …Why should on-line be any different.

 

*Given the EdNa stuff could also go out via email, the genie is already out of the bottle as far as defamation etc goes anyway. Which provides an interesting topical parallel with the current Crikey/ Llewellan/ Rowe affidavit fiasco currently playing out in the courts- which potentially has all sorts of implications for on-line communication

 

I figure dealing with trolls is an unavoidable part of on-line communication. As a community of professionals and peers I can’t help but feel an opportunity has been missed.

 


From: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com [mailto:teachAndL...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Sean FitzGerald
Sent: Wednesday, 28 June 2006 5:00 PM
To: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Subject: :: TALO :: Re: Rancid Web 2.0

 

Hang on Rose - I think you have the wrong end of the stick here. No one said anything about the shaming the guy.

rgrozdanic wrote:

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rgrozdanic

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Jun 28, 2006, 8:03:34 AM6/28/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
i agree that there could have been better ways to manage the situation but having been in a similar situation in an earlier lifetime, i've learned that it's alot easier to have 20/20 hindsight than the wisdom of solomon at the time.  if i was the moderator of the forum in question i'd be in there having this conversation with all of you cos it's going to have to happen sooner or later anyway. but they're not and there's probably a good reason - people on holidays, people not being sure what to do, people feeling like a rabbit in front of headlights, people being required to ask the overlords for input before proceeding... who knows?  whatever the case i'm sure there's a reason and it's a shame that the timing isn't better cos in the meantime there's this runoff of emotion in forums and that can potentially become more corrosive than the original problem. IMHO! :-)

i too have been interested to notice the parallels between the crikey.com thing and this. (i subscribe to crikey which means i've got a copy of the restricted information in my in box). the thing that strikes me most about it however is how incredibly boring it is - i think 9 are going to cause way more trouble for themselves by trying to restrict it than they would if they'd just let it go - honestly, it's something i wouldn't even find remarkable in the least - "big organisation acts in less than ideal ways, displaying fairly immature and bullyish culture" - geez - someone call a journalist!...

i don't think the opportunity has been missed. i think this fallout is terrific, the conversations fascinating, the jury still out. everyone will learn something from this, including people like me who live on another continent to edna.  my main objection was that someone was threatening to repost something without the author and the moderator of the forums in question having been given enough time (in my opinion) to respond or act or whatever. it just seemed a bit unethical so i posted what i thought. cos that's what we do here.

cheers

r

botts

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Jun 28, 2006, 8:27:54 AM6/28/06
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rgrozdanic wrote:
> ... so i posted what i thought. cos that's what we do here.

hey rose

way back in this thread you asked why this group doesn't seem to suffer
the same violent, english soccer hooligan type behaviour that most other
forums suffer from. and i think you sort of answered your own question
here. we do tend to post what we think, that is what we do here, and
its an accepted and perhaps even expected part of being of a taloist.
and so for me, the upside of this expectation is that i can say what i'm
thinking, be guided / corrected / reinformed on the subject, and then
repost my new thoughts and so on in ever diminishing circles.

i also think, while i'm at it, that this group also has a good mix of
the sorts of people that make up real world communities. we've got
evangelists and pragmatists and smart arses and lurkers and serious deep
thinkers and people without lives outside of the internet and etc etc
etc which in itself cretaes a community of strength that is not likely
to fall into these too familiar self harming behaviours that we are
seeing in other places.

botts

btw: on a completely unrelated and off topic note, is there any chance
you can email me with some sort of phonetic example of how to pronounce
your surname. i'd like to know so that i can include you as the
hero(ine) [depends on what century you were born in i think] in a rather
tongue in cheek podcast i'm developing for the edification of those who
call themselves TALO..... :-) 8-)

botts

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Jun 28, 2006, 8:34:13 AM6/28/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
hey all

saw this on boing boing and thought it was pretty cool.

have linked to it from my blog as well, but for those who don't visit
bottsplace, then you might like to check out:

http://www.bud.com/details.html

and the boing boing link here:

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/16/passively_multiplaye.html

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 28, 2006, 4:29:01 PM6/28/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Personally I don't need the benefit of hindsight to know that I would not have taken the same actions the moderator took.

And yes, they are on holidays, so I am waiting eagerly for their return so they can share their side of the story. I'm also concerned that the discussion is getting a bit lopsided.

Sean

...in the end it is beauty that is going to save the world.
-- Lyrics from "Nature Boy" by Nick Cave

Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 28, 2006, 4:41:35 PM6/28/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
botts wrote:
>
> the upside of this expectation is that i can say what i'm
> thinking, be guided / corrected / reinformed on the subject, and then
> repost my new thoughts and so on in ever diminishing circles.
>

Or ever expanding circles! :-)

Sean

--

I can be at peace with myself, and at peace with the world,
no matter what is happening or what I am experiencing.
-- Me!

Marg

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Jun 28, 2006, 7:45:25 PM6/28/06
to Teach and Learn Online
I think I agree with Sean that I'd also like to hear from the
moderators on this and feel its a tad unbalanced right now...

It's a shame that the EdNA discussion is now out of context, so I'm
thinking it might be a good plan to perhaps collate some main points
made from us all - Michael suggested this in the form of a letter I
think?

We have all put forward some constructive thoughts and ideas,
particularly on moderation, and it might help to present those clearly,
back to EdNA in some form (and so the moderators themselves don't feel
targeted with no opportunity to defend themselves either!), so we can
feedback critically and in the professional manner to which we are all
accustomed.

Thoughts? Leads? Bueller? ... :o)

Cheers, Marg

gnuc...@gmail.com

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Jun 28, 2006, 11:38:21 PM6/28/06
to Teach and Learn Online
EdNA groups provide free moodle groups, its the most significant
contribution to online learning we have ever had in the history of
online learning in Australia. Doesnt that AFLF group represent many of
the professionals in TALO?
It doesn't represent all EdNA groups.

Your all welcome to join my open EdNA group
http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=209

Don't worry its not a LMS, I modified it to be an open group calendar
and modified my blog to be my LMS. I also put training wheels on my
kids bike.

>I think sudden silence is actually the community speaking quite
>loudly. It has happened here in TALO a few times, especially when Chris has
>flung a bit of dung at me

Your so brave, I didnt fling dung at you, I told you the truth and I'm
not done with you yet. I don't think they could pay someone to run a
misinformation campaign as good as yours. I also explained moodle to
you but your marketing strategy is more important? Your no better then
that guy trying to manipulate people.

If you want to run from your problems and abandon your colleagues when
they need your help, go ahead, its not like thats something new for you.

peter allen

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Jun 29, 2006, 12:37:23 AM6/29/06
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Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 29, 2006, 12:45:41 AM6/29/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
The correct URL is:

http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=leigh+blackall&word2=gnuchris

And not that I'm taking sides on this, but frequency of references doesn't really mean anything. It could be either a good or a bad thing.

But it's still a funny thing to do Peter! :-)

Sean

peter allen wrote:

http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=leigh+blackall&word2=gnuchris

:)





Creativity is inventing, experimenting,
growing, taking risks, breaking rules,
making mistakes, and having fun.
-- Mary Lou Cook

Leigh Blackall

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Jun 29, 2006, 2:27:26 AM6/29/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Lets get Adam in TALO and see if he manages to create havoc here as well. Perhaps get him in under another name so it is a "pure" test...

Chris

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Jun 29, 2006, 3:37:29 AM6/29/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
My name is Chris Harvey.

The correct url is
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=leigh
+blackall&word2=chris+harvey

James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 29, 2006, 8:27:17 AM6/29/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
Hi Chris,

Obviously plenty embedded in that post, but being a rationalist at least for
the moment I wanted to pick up one part, where you wrote: "I also explained
moodle to you [Leigh]..."

Could you explain it for me too, because here's how it currently looks from
my perspective:

I've tried running an EdNA group and abandoned it in favour of google groups
(mainly because of the lack of configurability and support offered by the
EdNA administrators)

I've installed and played with Moodle on my server and given up on it
(mainly because for each of the functions provided by Moodle I seem to be
able to find more effective, alternative open source solutions)

I'm subscribed to the Moodle discussion forums which seem to be
chock-a-block with posts about implementation problems.


I'm open to being convinced otherwise.

Sincerely,

James


James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 29, 2006, 8:38:40 AM6/29/06
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I get the feeling there's an attempt to pry open a cans of worms here - but
IMHO google fights are best used for amusement-only purposes. If we want to
use webmetrics for measures of importance or value there are much more
appropriate and accurate measures. This is rapidly becoming a big topic in
universities in Australia since institutitional funding and ultimately
individual employment and reward is increasingly being based on measurable
informational output not just in terms of volume but also popularity, such
as through Alexa, and citations rates in Google Scholar, Thomson ISI
databases, etc.


Sean FitzGerald

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Jun 29, 2006, 8:53:38 AM6/29/06
to teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
No fair Chris. You can't lay claim to every Chris Harvey on the planet - and there are oodles of them. There's only one Leigh Blackall.  :-)

Sean

Never criticise a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes.
Then you'll be a mile away from him, and you'll have his shoes!
-- Unknown

Dunbabin, Jennifer M

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Jun 29, 2006, 10:29:36 PM6/29/06
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hi everyone
a small aside, if you put the name in inverted commas "leigh blackall"
for example, the results change quite a bit :) I think without it it
searches for any instances of either leigh or blackall.
I agree with you james, it is a bit of fun - not a serious measure.
I am continually impressed with people's ingenuity - I enjoyed
googewhacking for a while too.
cheers
jen

> -----Original Message-----
> From: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com
> [mailto:teachAndL...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
> James Neill - Wilderdom
> Sent: Thursday, 29 June 2006 10:39 PM
> To: teachAndL...@googlegroups.com


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Leonard Low

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Jun 30, 2006, 2:06:42 AM6/30/06
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peter allen

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Jun 30, 2006, 2:24:06 AM6/30/06
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Call me manipulative, .... but I didnt want to see a stand up verbal fight on TALO.

I [hopefully] used the levity of googlefight to difuse the situation.

Some may want  to  comment on the veracity of google fight compared to webmetrics, but I  wasnt positing that googlefight was anything more than amusing.

Have a good weekend everyone!


James Neill - Wilderdom

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Jun 30, 2006, 3:04:15 AM6/30/06
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your intent was amusement Pete, but it quickly took off in a more combative direction than you originally intended

alexanderhayes

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Jul 1, 2006, 5:55:07 AM7/1/06
to Teach and Learn Online
A decade ago, a thorough web-wide PLE composite pulled back enough data
to determine whether a "user" fitted into zero one composite.

Here's the web two point zero equiv.

I'm awaiting someone stating on behalf of the TALO mash , " hey......
dickhead.....if your such a fancy nancy with a zillion answers to ever
one's discoveries why not bail out for good and be done with your
negative, back stabbing, lack-lustre, poor performing
lack-of-information issue ridden contributions to this and any other
online session. "

Dont think this relates to you ......the issue is apparent. We are
trying to find answers and grow knowledge.

Not lock our kids in the fear of networked learning ecologies. Nor fear
web 2. Nor turn phones off. Nor apply standards to every facile factor
in our fragile fu#@^% up lives.

Eve. Snakes.

Other biblical proportion pestilence.

Regards,

Alexander Hayes
www.alexanderhayes.com

Sean FitzGerald

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Jul 2, 2006, 7:37:29 PM7/2/06
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I just looked at this thread on the web interface (50 posts and counting!) and thought the Google ads presented were pretty telling:

Psychological Type
Interactive personality type wheel
for understanding self & others
www.thepeopleprocess.com

Leadership EQ Program
Assessment Training & Coaching
Proven behavior change results
www.eqatwork.com

Effective Communication
Try this step-by-step method
to create messages with impact.
www.dashcomm.com

Sean

I don't suffer from insanity, 
I enjoy every minute of it!
-- Anonymous
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