What is the Metronauts Google Group for?

[Mark Kuznicki]

Today we launched the new group blog at http://metronauts.ca/, and I'm
really happy with the result. Now it is up to the contributors and the
community to bring the space to life with high quality content and
conversation. See the announcement post for more:
http://metronauts.ca/2008/08/18/announcing-the-new-metronautsca/

We also launched a variety of other web tools, including a Facebook
fan page, a Twitter account, a Flickr photo pool, a YouTube channel an
email newsletter. The main focus will remain on http://metronauts.ca/
however and the rest is intended to support the success of the main
site and its purpose of raising the public discourse around
sustainable transportation.

So what is the role of this Google Group, if any? Unlike the main
blog site, anyone can join this group and start a new discussion
thread at any time. Google Groups act like other email-based
discussion lists, where members can engage each other in discussions
and followers can get email notifications of the recent entries.

I don't think we want to or need to compete with the wonderful Urban
Toronto forum or the Transit Toronto forum, where some of the most
informed and passionate enthusiasts and advocates spend their quality
time online.

So what value does a Google Group or other email discussion list
provide?

I think this can be a place for Metronauts blog contributors to
organize themselves around future posts, for readers and community
members to talk about where to take the community next, about
organizing the next event, about possible guerilla advocacy projects
or anything else that doesn't meet the threshold of a blog post.

What do you think? Does a Google Group add value, or is it just a
distraction and one too many channels?

[Vasta]

I think the Google Group is definitely a valuable tool. I'd love for
the community to recommend topics for posts that they'd like to see,
and perhaps even try and contribute interesting links and content that
can then be repurposed as posts. Just throwing that out there.

[Cameron]

I like the idea of having both. That way discussions on the google
group can be consolidated through a smaller network of individuals on
the blog site based upon the ideas expressed in the google community
forum.

Cameron

On Aug 18, 7:21 pm, Mark Kuznicki <mark.kuzni...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Today we launched the new group blog athttp://metronauts.ca/, and I'm

> really happy with the result. Now it is up to the contributors and the
> community to bring the space to life with high quality content and
> conversation.  See the announcement post for more:http://metronauts.ca/2008/08/18/announcing-the-new-metronautsca/
>
> We also launched a variety of other web tools, including a Facebook
> fan page, a Twitter account, a Flickr photo pool, a YouTube channel an

> email newsletter.  The main focus will remain onhttp://metronauts.ca/

[kate]

As a n00b, they are both new to me. I generally like google (I use
gmail, reader, documents) but I wouldn't know whether one was more
beneficial than the other. I'm a bit hesitant because in terms of
communication, I might not know which forum (skype, basecamp,
metronauts blog, regular email or google group) to select.

[Mark Kuznicki]

Cam, Thanks for joining the group!

From our launch day, I received 6 new account registrations for new
contributors. I'm not sure how many of these will actually turn into
writers, or how many will become regular, but at any scale managing a
closed discussion group becomes a lot of admin overhead for me.

I'd like to point people to a place where we can have our discussions,
about what's important, who to reach out to, promotion ideas,
partnership opportunities with established advocacy groups, that sort
of thing.

Mark

[Mark Kuznicki]

I agree, I'd like to reduce complexity, not add to it. Moving the
community discussions here seems to make the most sense.

[Alan Smith]

Mark,

Definately a good idea to make it open. I agree with the Move, and
should hamek it happen.

[Karen Smith]

I agree with the 'make it open' comments.

Karen