i've just finished mark frauenfelder's book "rule the web", which is a great read for hints and tips and tricks on maximizing your life with the net.
it was doubly-cool for me because i am a huge believer in the potential of cyber-spiritual and online interactions. i don't think the web has yet come into it's own, and i certainly don't think that the spiritual dimension of the web has been clearly articulated or participated in to even a 1/10 of it's potential.
in fact, the new westwinds' test site for the launch of our ann arbor campus is a beginner's foray into the realm of cyber-spirituality [www.echomediatest.com/WWAA], as is the open-source e-learning causemology site that we've been toodling [www.causemology.com].
echo media and jason archer have really been working hard to help us realize a vision here, but - to be perfectly honest - all these projects due is whet my appetite for more.
with the right budget we could create the right kinds of experiences.
prayground was great, but it's never scratched the itch for me
write here and now is pretty cool, but it barely gets past the surface
we've got to dig deeper and try harder to create unique moments of transcendence
- which we can! -
i think sony's "flow" is perhaps a good paradigm for what a prayer site might feel like
i think the personal fitness video games are good examples of how a site on spiritual disciplines might work well
an rpg could easily be tweaked into a virtual pilgrimmage
but enough with the christian facebook clones, already
you know?
let's go past the venues of online dating and romance
past the - other alternative - venues of christian violence or halo clones
and try to create something peculiar
something new
wherein the user feels pulled beyond reality
without being virtually compelled to act against their real morality
i could go on,
but it would only get weirder
my story with the web 2.0 is definately not finished
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
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If there is one thing I have learned with creating social spaces online it is this: building online community is tough work!
ReplyDeleteIt can be easy to put together a social site like I have done many times but you need a team to support it. In the real world people spend time where other people are. The same thing applies online, if the site doesn’t have much activity then it doesn’t succeed. There is a tipping point that the site need to get to and after thing things really take off. Until that point the community needs to be nurtured... almost spoon fed. This is why many smaller sites work really well when they are producing content (blogs, podcast, streaming) but can not make the switch over to a community site.
Online networking is still and new venue in the history of human interaction and it will take a while to become adopted by those that are “digital immigrants”. The percentages of people that actively participate in these kinds of networks are small but can add up to a big number when spread over the globe. There real question that we need to work on is how to make the geographic community more connected using the internet.
I love the stuff that Westwinds has done so far and feel privileged to work with you guys on these new ideas! Keep up the great work, and if you need anything just let me know!