Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Heather K on December 18, 2009 at 5:53pm

Hi Lane! Great new discussion title!
This is great how we are adding the Discussion/Forum option for the site organization. It looks super!
I hope the 6 new ning administrators you've selected will click on the "Follow" button on this discussion, to at least listen to your ideas, and share theirs.

When I peak inside some of the discussions, the ideas & dialogues are flowing even more than before!
(Some of the dialogues would make a great regional radio show. Then I could then multi-task and listen in while working in the garden!)

I have another idea for a new discussion, related to assisting folks who may be in the early stages of creating a Transition Initiative for their unique Cascadia bioregion....Once its posted, I welcome feedback & encouragement.

Permalink Reply by Heather K on December 18, 2009 at 6:03pm

Hi Lane,
Below is some info that I'm aware of on how we can use this ning.com tool for our Cascadia Group:
Some of the group administrators will already know these things, so you might want to skip the text below.

( Lane I enjoyed coaching you on the phone last week for using the ning site system, and you are welcome to call me anytime...but at some point you'll know more than I on using the system.)

Yes it is true, that to follow a discussion thread, we each have to choose to click the 'follow" button. If we post to a discussion, then the ning system automatically sets it to "follow".
(When a group or discussion gets to chatty or frequent for my email tastes, then I just sign in and click on the blue "Stop Following" choice, knowing I can always reclick to 'Follow' another time.)

To date, seven individuals, including the group creator ( Lane) and the administrators the creator trusts & selected to assist with online edits & monitoring ( ie to date: Colin F., David M., Cindi L., Tamara S., Robert S., & Heather K), have the decision-making ability to delete any comment or discussion postings that we think are not appropriate for the guidelines, agreements, visions we share.
Example, if someone started posting advertisements for an inappropriate product (spam), we could delete the post by clicking on the "X", that is to the right of the post.
( And each individual member can also do this with their own postings if they want to revise or remove it.).
This "X" is usually hidden until our mouse/curser rolls over it.

I think for many online-network groups it makes sense to just have a one or two administrators, to keep communication clarity easier. Given the differing computer skills & available time each of us has to help, I think its great you have the support of 6 of us! If anyone of us acting as online admin makes changes, I think it would be helpful for clarity to let us each know by posting on this discussion page. If the US-network admin makes changes, I hope he will at least let Lane know.

As this Transition Cascadia group is part of the larger online Ning.com Network called 'Transition United States", that Michael Brownlee has created, he has even greater online ability to make changes to the ning group site then we do.

As new Transition Initiatives get more established, I can see the benefits of them creating their own ning.com network which will give them greater capabilities online. (This is what David M did for us at Transition Whatcom). These new networks can still be linked in to the US network, or to the Washington network, or to a global ning network, etc. (Or using another network other than the ning.com).

Lane, if this post is not helpful, or has too many written words, you can either "X" it out, and/or phone me when you get stuck.

I'm so longing to get back outside even if its dark before dinner time!

Permalink Reply by lane on December 18, 2009 at 9:36pm

Heather: I truely appreciate your presence on our site. What you have to say is well thought out and comes from your heart. And why don't we establish a Heart and Soul Discussion? At the Transition Training in Victoria, I was most impressed by Sophie ____, an engineer turned psycologist and initiating member of Transition Totnes. Here is some of it: TOTNES HEART AND SOUL

I'll see if I can get some information from and from Cindi's site before I start our group. I like your interdependence feeling. It is also part of the Madrona vision.

Thank you again for all the time you are putting into this. You know, it might be good to suggest that folks in our group establish their own Ning page like Cindi's. Then they can have their own soapbox to talk from:
CINDI'S PAGE

Permalink Reply by Heather K on December 19, 2009 at 2:29am

Thanks for your kind words Lane & encouragement!
I really take the support to heart!
Sometimes I wonder if what I'm typing makes any sense when I'm tired & feeling a bit thought-disordered and crazy for sitting here instead of moving my whole body outside!
It does take me lots of time to get the wording clear & sincere.

One option on these ning sites, is that each member can start their own blog by clicking on the blue 'Blog' button, that appears on the top far right of the page...gotta scroll to the right a bit.
Then their blog or personal writings will appear on the US Transition ning site, under all the Blog link posts, and on their personal page. Then whomever wants to dialogue with them can.
I'm still learning about the advantages & disadvantages of blogging myself. ( You can view some of mine on the Whatcom Transition site)- possibly here-
http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bicycle-power-with

It makes sense for us to keep remembering we need to start the Transition work within ourselves, and with our neighbors next door & those within biking or sailing distance.