It’s not the flame wars. It’s because even the most rewarding discussion list, Web board, wiki, or other online community can take forever to start. Like soggy charcoal briquettes.
For decades, I’ve been part of a world-wide community of professionals/developers who got our start in the pre-Internet days, when we used CONTACT, sophisticated collaboration software for mainframes. Its developer was a brilliant programmer, who did more than provide the tool: he jump-started the community by badgering people to participate every day. (“Whether you need to or not” was his refrain.)
He built critical mass, which was easily maintained for 20 years or so until the Internet arrived to replace CONTACT.
That’s key to collaboration. It’s not always easy for people to learn and use new tools and practices; sometimes it takes implicit or explicit pressure. In the absence of cajoling and sometimes pressure, new communities can go straight from birth to ghost-town status without ever coming alive. I’ve seen it happen.
Collaboration and effective communication don’t require innovative or complex facilities. A favorite tool of mine is instant messaging (IM). While IM doesn’t always get the respect it deserves from businesses—in fact, it is frequently banned from corporate workplaces—I use it extensively for quick exchanges with collaborators, clients, partners, and friends.
IM exchanges are faster than email dialogues and less tedious than phone calls because they skip the idle overhead of Hello, How are you, What’s new, etc. before a call’s substance arises. Instant messages stand alone, “cut to the chase,” and get things done without offending or seeming brusque. And IM avoids phone tag because it senses/reveals presence, whether someone is at the computer (or, now, mobile device). So a quick “Got a minute?” message arranges an immediate or deferred call without anyone dealing with voicemail jail.
In these days of casual, virtual, ad hoc, and distributed teams, people can find themselves isolated. But accessible tools can link employees, consultants, freelancers, and others seamlessly, increasing information flow and productivity, and often improving job/work satisfaction.
Takeaway for publications managers: encourage adoption. Some people may not join in right away, but once they find they’re missing meetings, updates, and parties, they’re likely to come around.
One Trackback
[...] For a good introduction to this vital element of Web content, read Gabe Goldberg’s recent posts Why Is an Online Community Like a Barbecue? and Meetings at the Online Virtual Water [...]