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Hi,

 

There's something I'm a little uncomfortable with, regarding the group project.

 

Why are we making a website?  I agree totally that publishing content online is a great thing to do, it just feels like we're going about it in the wrong way.  People don't make websites like they used to - content is distributed and interacted with online based on existing communities, just producing some html isn't really getting involved at all.

 

There are a number of problems with organisation as well, within the groups.  Okay so I know I'm in "Group 3", but i have no idea who else is in group three, or even who the people are who are posting messages (beyond their names).  It frightens me how backwards internet communication is within the education sector - and I guess this project really brings it to our full attention.  Just compare the infrastructure of any medium-to-large size internet based community (or 'scene' even...) with the WebCT platform - amazing that universities, places of research and education, are so uninvolved in what has perhaps already become the primary method of communication in the world.

 

Ideally there would be a forum, with sub-boards for each group (similar to what is on WebCT at the moment, i think).  Each person could have a profile that lists some of their skills and interests, which can be viewed by other members of the board.  There might be a poll on one thread regarding certain decisions within the project, and separate threads for each stage of the process.  There could be live chat, and instant notifications when someone adds something new to the discussion.  Thoughts and ideas would flow freely, and content would be created dynamically - truly by the group.  And this is all fairly primitive - active forums from 10 years ago could do that.  

 

Just as a side note, I found it interesting reading Espinosa's vision of a breaking down between the practitioner and the spectator - it seems that this point has been reached with the internet.  Someone might post a video on YouTube, and then people make comments on that and reply through video responses...the only evidence of your existence online is to 'create' in some way, therefore we are all creative practitioners.

 

~

 

Anyway, I'm sure we'll find a way to produce something that is assessable, I just wanted to take the opportunity to comment on something that interests and concerns me.

 

Thanks for your time,

 

 

Phil