Node/Theme/Team/Network/Thread categories

Global Coordination Platform Development
#1

Tonight we had a great meeting of the Circular Fashion & Textiles group here in Berlin, and there was a clear need for a method of discussion to work out whom to contact for help/participation, and to work out which person should be contacting them.

Rather than using email, I suggested an internal forum category, which seemed to suit everyone.

I didn’t feel like it made sense for them to share the Berlin-internal subcategory, as it will largely be a different set of people posting about different things. Similarly, I felt that for the development of OSCE Fashion & Textiles challenges and international discussion, it made sense to have an international category.

So I’ve now created two new categories, ‘Fashion & Textiles’, (under Global OSCEdays Teams & Organization, but coloured blue) and ‘Fashion & Textiles - internal’ for the Fashion_Textile Group (Sophia is the admin in charge of adding new users to this group)

So I kind of inadvertently created subcategories for particular themes which have Node Connectors. Does that work? I can move things around if not. I think we discussed it already but I don’t remember what we concluded.

Note that I’m not calling Fashion & Textiles a ‘Node’ as we have sometimes called it - I can’t let this bastardization of language go on any further :confounded: - the individual people interested in the topic are Nodes, the main organizers and connectors of the topic are Node Connectors, and the topic itself… well, if we continue from nodes and node connectors, it’s a Network.
The Fashion & Textiles Network. The Documentation Network. The Business Models Network.
But maybe ‘network’ is a bit awkward. Would Theme, Team, Topic or Thread be better?

@Lars2i @unteem @TechnicalNature @Alice_audrey @sharmarval

#2

Sounds good.

Em, what about:

‘Fashion and Textiles Bloc’ or ‘Fashion and Textiles Circle’ or ‘…Camp’ or ‘…Band’.

#3

Hi,

i would strongly vote against both.

I forsee a lot of problems that might come from that and – as I was not at the meeting – don’t understand the need for it!

###A public category “fashion & textiles” ?
What exactly is supposed to happen here? This category will produce a lot of confusion! What if you have a challenge related to fashion? Wouldn’t it be tempting to post it there? It breaks the system of “Posting your challenges in your city category”. It is a competition of categories – city or node – and a competition of tags and categories “textile” tag or category.

As I understood the role of the node connectors it is to keep an overview about the network in the category system that is in place, not to build a new system. They will follow the tag (!) “textiles”, ping people and get pinged by people, answer to them, connect them, publish news for them in a topic/their topic, and ressources. They go to the people, the people don’t go to them.

People can go to them, because there is a topic pinned about the Node Connectors and what they do and provide. But not a category!

I transferred all international node connecting to the global “Community Building” category and pinned it there. I think, that makes sense, that is where it belongs. It is community building! They can use “[TEXTILES]” in their topic titles to allow a faster overview.

###An internal “Fashion & Textiles” category
Again: What exactly is supposed to happen here? If it is for node connecting – I don’t get, why a internal/hidden category is needed? Isn’t this the whole different direction from being transparent, connecting people? So I would strongly vote against giving “Node Connectors” a hidden category! Its absurd. (It might be useful for a short time but in the long run it will produce only trouble and confusion, I am pretty sure.)

So is the hidden category is for the Fashion & Textiles challenge in Berlin then? This could make sense. But would bring up the question: Do we want to start an internal category for every challenge then? The answer is probably: no!

If Frans and Sophia need to do some Sponsorship Stuff that should not be published online they could use the internal Berlin category. I really think, internal categories should only be for sponsor-stuff. That’s it! But the more I think about it: Probably we should not have any hidden categories!

Yes, I can think of some cases where a hidden category is needed also on an international level. But not just for node connectors. Basically for everyone. For every little sub-community a hidden category could be useful at some point. But is the OSCEdays forum the place to provide this?

If you ask me, no! The web is full of tools to use for that. Go to Loomio for example. Or set up a Mailinglist.

Thinking about it for a while. We should probably cut down hidden categories at all! Not allow it. It is the beginning of the end – of Closeness. There will never be clear boarders. If we have to discuss something in private in whatever constallation, lets go some place else. – We have our Loomio for example.

No hidden categories allowed!

SO TO SUMMARIZE:

  • Delete “Fashion & Textile” category
  • Delete all hidden categories

_
Update: Maybe i will write a bit more about how i see the work of the node connectors. Will try to find some time tomorrow.

#4

hi, had a chance with @cameralibre and i think i convinced him with the public “fashion & textiles” category. I am going to change it back now.

To take back the internal categories we have more time. What you think about it?

@cameralibre and i thought, it is good, to not allow hidden categories and suggest good places to people to have hidden discussions like Loomio or Mailinglists for example - not facebook, cause you can’t search old threads etc.

#5

yes, I agree - but make sure that @sophia and @frans know what’s going on! I feel bad for shunting them around the place and creating one space, then taking it away…

#6

I talked to Sophia. She was convinced by the “Hidden Category” problem, not fully with the other thing i guess. But she understood the problem and that the way to have a single category “textiles & fashion” does not work - with the rest and in general - because of the “creativity & categories” problem i described in the long comment at the bottom of this thread.

If you have a challenge where you use a 3d-printer to use recyclable materials like textiles and create cool looking recyclable clothes … where does this challenge go? to “3d printing”, “textiles” “materials”, “textiles”, “fashion”, “recycling” … discourse allows only one category.

The solution we have is not super perfect - from our current perspective - but the best we have. And new ideas are very welcome. From everyone.