Wednesday, 7 March 2007
Elvis has left the building
and Jeremy has closed the wiki-novel. I feel so sad! What a wild and interesting experiment. It has thrown up so much stuff - such a lot to think about and process. What to do now? Sit back and read it all, I guess. Find my favourite bits, look at the editing histories, find my least favourite bits, think about how the text does, and does not, resemble a print novel. Marvel at the viewing stats. Pat myself, and everyone else involved, on the back. Sigh.
Talk: Reading and Writing in the Networked Era, 13 March 2007
Shameless plug:
UK readers interested in this topic should attend Bob Stein’s talk on Reading and Writing in the Networked Era at DMU’s Institute of Creative Technologies, Leicester, next Tuesday 13 March at 5pm. http://www.ioct.dmu.ac.uk/wp/?p=32
Hope to see you there!
UK readers interested in this topic should attend Bob Stein’s talk on Reading and Writing in the Networked Era at DMU’s Institute of Creative Technologies, Leicester, next Tuesday 13 March at 5pm. http://www.ioct.dmu.ac.uk/wp/?p=32
Hope to see you there!
Friday, 2 March 2007
Time to collect the learning
What have we learned from the millionpenguins process? There have been some good suggestions in the blog comments.
Added to that, I'd love to hear what other people would say the main learning has been for them.
Added to that, I'd love to hear what other people would say the main learning has been for them.
How will creative collaboration evolve?
Newsweek asks:
As a novel, the wiki project was bound to fail right from the start because, by definition, a novel is linear, whereas the essential nature of a wiki is non-linear (you could almost say anti-linear) - it's designed to be that way.
But as an experiment, it's an enormous success. Note the stats so far - 453 pages content pages, a total of 268,200 page views, 10,005 page edits and currently 1453 registered users. With so much activity in such a short space of time, no wonder it's a crazy narrative world! In discussions between contributors the need to 'leave your ego at the door' is often mentioned, but it also helps to leave your rational mind their too, if you want to see the fun in it.
To quote the Novel itself:
As some commentators, such as Suw Charman, have said, collaborative writing projects often work better with smaller, more cohesive groups. This may well be true, but could it also be that the right kind of social creative production environment to facilitate narrative collaboration on this scale hasn't been developed yet? Not that I think a tech solution is all that's required, a non-linear reading/writing culture needs to evolve too. It's early days yet, but what a Million Penguins shows is that there's probably enough people with enough desire to create collaboratively for that to happen.
...can a few thousand literary wannabes pull together a serviceable novel? Not if Penguin UK's new "A Million Penguins" Web site, which the company claims will create the first "wiki novel," is any indication.
As a novel, the wiki project was bound to fail right from the start because, by definition, a novel is linear, whereas the essential nature of a wiki is non-linear (you could almost say anti-linear) - it's designed to be that way.
But as an experiment, it's an enormous success. Note the stats so far - 453 pages content pages, a total of 268,200 page views, 10,005 page edits and currently 1453 registered users. With so much activity in such a short space of time, no wonder it's a crazy narrative world! In discussions between contributors the need to 'leave your ego at the door' is often mentioned, but it also helps to leave your rational mind their too, if you want to see the fun in it.
To quote the Novel itself:
"So a community can write a novel?" Jim looked up with a skeptical expression.
"Yes, but only a humorous one."
"And only if they put all the new stuff at the start, and the old at the rear".
"This will ONLY work if we move it into satire and humor," George insisted with great emphasis.
As some commentators, such as Suw Charman, have said, collaborative writing projects often work better with smaller, more cohesive groups. This may well be true, but could it also be that the right kind of social creative production environment to facilitate narrative collaboration on this scale hasn't been developed yet? Not that I think a tech solution is all that's required, a non-linear reading/writing culture needs to evolve too. It's early days yet, but what a Million Penguins shows is that there's probably enough people with enough desire to create collaboratively for that to happen.
Newsweek talk about Jeremy, the editor of the wiki, as having as much control over the wiki as a DJ; I'd liken it more to someone who threw an open party while their parents were away and is getting ready to clean up before they get home.
And on the party note, the party went on a little bit too long.
But, it's the nature of the web.
Somebody down the road was having another party with better booze and everyones gone there.
That's what it feels like anyway, from the point of view of someone involved in trying to keep the crisps off the carpet and from the accountancy students from scribbling vile language on the en-suite mirror in your mothers lipstick.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17303917/site/newsweek/
And on the party note, the party went on a little bit too long.
But, it's the nature of the web.
Somebody down the road was having another party with better booze and everyones gone there.
That's what it feels like anyway, from the point of view of someone involved in trying to keep the crisps off the carpet and from the accountancy students from scribbling vile language on the en-suite mirror in your mothers lipstick.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17303917/site/newsweek/
Monday, 26 February 2007
Where will it end?
I've got to the stage when I'm beginning to see the same patterns of writing and editing, and getting that 'here we go again' feeling.
Maybe there's only so long that something like this can carry on with energy. There is a pattern of flow - maybe arising from our knowledge of the actual time-frame.
Several contributors have fallen away, although the stalwarts continue with good grace.
It's good to see the general outside interest. I like the emphasis on the fact that it's an experiment and therefore interesting in its own right.
Maybe there's only so long that something like this can carry on with energy. There is a pattern of flow - maybe arising from our knowledge of the actual time-frame.
Several contributors have fallen away, although the stalwarts continue with good grace.
It's good to see the general outside interest. I like the emphasis on the fact that it's an experiment and therefore interesting in its own right.
Thursday, 22 February 2007
Graffiti, vandals
If the banana posts were simply taken out quietly, would banana just have gone away?
Doesn't the publicity add fuel so to speak?
Why not treat banana as they might say in a Montessori school, isolate them from their peers. Sit them in the corner.
Actually the big babboobeyoobey merited that action.
I sometimes think we are all being too tender because it's some kind of social experiment.
Why not simply apply some of the methods tried and tested that work in other areas of life. A wiki isn't made of fairy dust and the people behind vandalism are simply driven by the same engine that drives the grafitti-ist and the attention seeking child.
pay them not attention until they mess with the other kids games (plant babboboey everywhere), isolate them (2 day ban, weekly ban, the naughty corner) and then tidy up the mess.
I sometimes think there's too much tippitoeing around and a big stick needs to be weilded.
I think the real test is if banana stays inside the wiki now, on the pages of create your own ending. I think it's always much more interesting what happens off the front pages anyway.
In the wiki all participants are equal but some are more equal than others.
And then there's the possibility that Banana might get so much attention she gets a film deal out of this.
hahahahhaaahha
Doesn't the publicity add fuel so to speak?
Why not treat banana as they might say in a Montessori school, isolate them from their peers. Sit them in the corner.
Actually the big babboobeyoobey merited that action.
I sometimes think we are all being too tender because it's some kind of social experiment.
Why not simply apply some of the methods tried and tested that work in other areas of life. A wiki isn't made of fairy dust and the people behind vandalism are simply driven by the same engine that drives the grafitti-ist and the attention seeking child.
pay them not attention until they mess with the other kids games (plant babboboey everywhere), isolate them (2 day ban, weekly ban, the naughty corner) and then tidy up the mess.
I sometimes think there's too much tippitoeing around and a big stick needs to be weilded.
I think the real test is if banana stays inside the wiki now, on the pages of create your own ending. I think it's always much more interesting what happens off the front pages anyway.
In the wiki all participants are equal but some are more equal than others.
And then there's the possibility that Banana might get so much attention she gets a film deal out of this.
hahahahhaaahha
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