Chris Macrae, 25-May-05 @ 10:31AM

Congratulations to Hank Kune in Netherlands

Hank Kune expressed his micronetwork project as:
* Topic(s) for conversation
- How to mobilise people to apply their knowledge/expertise in actual realworld challenges
- How to build a true network society with communities - neighbourhoods, face-to-face CoP's, virtal learning networks and so forth - as building blocks
* Issues for a micronetwork
- distributed intelligence, collaborative application: how to focus and apply networked knowledge/collaborative intelligence in concrete projects
- innovation centers and future centers: establishing and making use of innovation centers and future centers in corporate - both public administration
and business - environments

I gather that the first INternational Future Summit Center confernce has just taken place in the Netherlads around these principles. More reports welcome:

Chris Macrae, 18-Apr-04 @ 07:33AM

why do I think linkedin has great potential

Someone asked me why I make a lot of time for linkedin (usually I dont for these new virtual tools); by the way if you have a virtual tool to recommend for improving the depths of your social network, why not tell us what it is and how you use it to connect

If you go to www.linkedin.com and search chris macrae; you should see a list of 50 friends ; most of them keep their own contact list open which means if you joined my linkedin you could also see who they had linkedin, and vice versa

I find various intriguing things from this; it helps me picture a bit more about people’s deepest interests;

It provides a way to start tacitly understanding how pivotal social networks can be

At the same time, I try to choose in my linkedin people I have either met or whom I trust on a couple of matters:
1) is if someone asks to be introduced to one of that person’s linkedin they may not always do so but they wont be offended for having been asked
2) That the person is just on a junk crusade to build the largest list of network contacts (because I have been on the net for 10 years both as an individual and as a host of webs, I could have 1000 people signed up in linkedin if I asked anyone who is in my email box)

I try to make it known to people in my linkedin group that if anyone has a big mission MICRONET that they want to find a small team of like-minded people on then we are a perfect circulation list to announce that mission and get some help finding people matches

Of course like anything that competes for people’s limited time, I am not meaning to imply that linkedin is any more active supporting than any other virtual group you may feel in; at one level my linkedin list is just quite a today reminder of some people I would like to remember to email once a quarter to check on latest personal news and vice versa partly because I like to try and learn from diverse viewpoints. Perhaps I have too many big change mission projects half formed and are always looking for someone who wants to carry the torch on one of them further than my wherewithal can take; one needs a sort of right time, right place awareness list to have a chance of linking to big change happenings. Then again linkedin is part of a series of big-connections door-openers to people who love at least one aspect of humanity's causes - of which open space of Harrison Owen is the one I would recomend if you only have time to take one extra method seriously

Chris Macrae, 07-Apr-04 @ 13:51PM

mirja's micro-net - ecotourism, Estonia

Here's an extract from a recent Harrison Owen story about Mirja's MicroNet in Estonia

I have been dealing with the after effects of a cornea transplant which largely involved stumbling into things which I couldn't see, and putting endless amounts of drops and salve into an eye that had clearly seen better days. Minor inconvenience on the macro scale of world affairs,... With my eye shut down, although constantly reminding me of its presence with annoying jabs of pain, I found my world getting smaller and smaller. Space just closed down, leaving me scant room for anything I thought to be useful or fun.

One thing I could do (sort of) was read my email - perhaps most sweet was a note from a young Croatian student. Never heard of her before - I assume she is a she, name is Mirja - but what do I know? She wrotehow she and some colleagues wanted to start an eco-tourism project in Western Croatia, and could I help. I informed her that I knew absolutely nothing about Eco-Tourism, but I thought opening a little space might help. Who knows what will happen,- but I just loved how she closed her letter.

"I really do hope you understand the importance your response would have for my near, as well as for my distant future. Any feedback would be valued and would benefit our effort in ensuring a better tomorrow!"

Made my day. Opened my space!

and one of Mirja's follow ons

Dear Harrison!
I was just thinking about same topics these days. In 1099 crusaders defeated Jerusalem. The Holy Town for Muslims, Jews and Christians was in blood. But the God, whom they all share, calls for openness, love and compassion. The power of endurance of persons, organisations and govrnments lies in sustained openness. The Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and all other dictatorships close down because they were closed themselves. I am preparing a paper "What kind of Estonia we want?" My paper is about openness and learning outdoors. While writing the presentation, I realised, that openness has been highly evaluated in our culture and language. Especially important is it in springtime, when all Nature opens up. The first of April was a day, when farmers had to deliver cattle from stables. The 14th of April is a day, when the work on fields has to be started, even when the snow is on field. The first symbolic act has to be done, just to prove, that you are out and ready to get started with openness for the springtime. Next week we are celibrating this day, 14th of April as Outdoor Learning Day. The day is opened by our Minister of Education and Minister of Environment. For the period from 14th of April till 14th of October all schools, kindergardens and universities try to run as much as possible of the curriculum outdoors.

more at:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0404&L=oslist&F=&S=&P=10201

Chris Macrae, 07-Feb-04 @ 14:25PM

finding all the great networking tools

Each of the freely available networking tools has its own quirks and trust issues. The simplest is establishing hi-trust circles of friends by email- something I have been practising for 10 years, and hope I am getting near to 12th grade capability on

For me the greatest tool if you can invest the real time/place is open space, but thyat's best when you have done a preliminary virtual search for 100+ people communities and found enough people motivated to meet for real at same time and place. This brings us back to what other ways can we multiply networking through innovating virtual tools and the particular trust dynamics of each in use.

EXAMPLE: http://www.linkedin.com - I feel I am only at 1st grade use of this tool. I'm sure transparency networkers would all welcome anyone who is at a higher grade on this or other tools explaining how to practice its particular trust do's and dont's.