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​​ 

​
​March 4, 2015

​
​Agenda:
​​1. The Overview - An Update from Robert
​​2. What else are we going to be authoring?
​​a. Steph - Whiteness: A microsocial analysis of Dialogue and Deliberation for
​​" " Social Transformation
​​b. Nancy - Strategic Use of Conversation??
​​c. Nancy/Linda - Next Steps
​​d. Anyone else??? Anything else from this Idea Collector’s group that Robert
​​" might mention in his Overview?
​​3. Brainstorm on how we might send out a mini-survey to DandDTrans participants
​​asking them just 3 questions:
​​" 1. How has DandDTrans influenced the work they already do?
​​2. Have they initiated any new work projects as a direct result of
​​DandDTrans?
​​3. Would they like to continue connecting with others in some sort of
​​ongoing way moving forward such as "trusted sharing" or perhaps
​​periodic virtual dialogues on a variety of subjects? Or....???? (We
​​have the opportunity to list some things that any of us might
​​wish to pursue post DandDTrans to see/assess interest.)
​​4. A Possible Codigital Survey to assess for Convergence around Project Ideas
​​5.? Network Nation work?
​​- Ben R
​​ 
​
​Notes:  
​​ 
​​Robert's Overview:  Good feedback has been shared.  Chris has done some very useful work.  Ben has shared thoughts through Linda [Actually, I sent an email to everyone!  Ben]  that he has incorporated.  Conversations with Nancy related to the world of development of the field has been lifted and is in this.  Tom also gave some comments and has been in touch with Linda with her comments.  Has adoped about 85% of the suggestions.  His intention is that it is intended for a broad audience...not just for the participants that attended our DandDTrans.  
​​ 
​​The overview covers the DandDTrans from 12/15 - 1/31/15.  The goal was to harvest.  To point to the success that came to an invite to which there was a substantial response   - not necessarily with amount people, but with depth.  He wanted to highlight the building of relationships.  He wanted to speak about the uplift about the experience and the tools that we explored together.  To highlight that more people excited about doing things...especially about pieces that might get added.   
​​ 
​​The fact that there are so many relationships that have formed he has beefed up due to Ben's encouragement.  Things keep getting yeasted in terms of new projects, etc....things that are emerging yet.  He is trying to motivate the reader to get to the highlights in the HackPad.  The next group that might arise might benefit from what this group did.   And there may be a way to measure what we were intending to do  - especially what Ben and Linda were trying to do early on in their writing.  This whole effort came a whole long way toward accomplishing what they had in mind.  
​​ 
​​Ben R:  Will be interested to see the next revision.  Wants to see how the pieces that haven't been submitted will get put in.  
​​ 
​​Robert:  Yes...will be doing this and then will go through an additional edit.  
​​ 
​​Ben R:  Suggested Tom Atlee as an editor
​​ 
​​Robert:  Doesn't think that Tom is the right person as he is more of a content person.  
​​ 
  • ​​Ben: well, we can ask Tom if he wants to do this, and  I think it's good to have someone who was involved if possible, but it seems like it should be up to Robert
​​ 
​​Steph:  Sorry she was so late in getting her feedback in to Robert.  Very helpful to hear from Robert on this call.  Feels competing purposes in the document  - one of them about establishing the credibility of the field to demonstrate to the field that we are credible.  The other one was more of a marketing/pr approach like we are selling ourselves.   They are complimentary but different.  Having them mixed in was confusing and interesting.   She doesn't have an objection to serving these purposes, just wasn't expecting it.  She thinks there are places where we could be more critical and take further action.  
​​ 
  • ​​Robert:  Doesn't know what her examples are for making it more critical, but is open to them.  The important point from his standpoint is that he doesn't want to market something that isn't real.  He feels that everything in the report is true.  We succeeded in meeting our intentions.  there is a substantial basis that if you are going to speak to people out there that what we did...we tested the online technology...if learning was a goal...there was success in that...if working in teams ....we can say that is still emerging.  There is nothing in terms of marketing that wasn't true.  
​​ 
  • ​​Right towards the end there was something (page 10)..."happily no one ever set such an unrealistic goal for DandDTrans"... that this could have generated a way to elevate a broad new awareness of what must be done.  In the original set of objectives there was a reference to something that wasn't accomplished.  To elicit inspiring prospects, etc...this was an ambitious goal, but there wasn't a team and structure to bring that goal to reality.  The kind of planning that needs to go into an effort like this is a lot (like a wedding).  This just didn't happen in terms of trying to have this last objective come into being.  
​​ 
​​Linda: spoke with Nancy about the order of releasing this document. Maybe not ready to send it out to "the entire field" i.e. the lists we used for the invite. Just share with the participants? Nancy has been working on strategic next steps. We don't have info from ppts in DandDTrans that I want, about projects they've been inspired to take on. Take one week to go through this.
​​ 
  • ​​Nancy: not pushing to hold things back. But concerned about how the discussions of the report then flow into next steps. If there's no discussion that is forward looking, the response might be negative. "Did they really do anything?" Want something that's not just a list of suggestions, but what relationship they have to the larger crises in the world.
​​ 
​​Chris:  Wonders if it has to be an either/or decision.  couldn't we just talk about what's coming.  Go ahead and get the survey done from the participants.  It might generate more energy if we get it out with some mention of Next Steps that is coming.   Not sure where specific questions fit in.  
​​ 
​​Nancy:  LIkes Chris's ideas.  
​​ 
​​Robert:  Happy to add a description to add an agreed upon set as you define as next steps.  That is the case that one of the things that is converging in actual fact is what is happening in this very group working together...it is a byproduct of something that is completing.  We can add that.  We know that it is emerging as part of DandDTrans.  Goes back to his comments around sharing what he never put out on the early listserve.  It talks about what it really takes to get things done.  If you are going to go forward you need to understand together what it will take to pull off what it is you want to pull off...what is the authority structure, how will you measure your progess with the goals you have., etc.  Sees this as a sequel, not a continuation of what we have done.  
​​ 
​​Nancy:  Makes sense to her.  Her concern would be satisfied if she felt Robert mentions the Next Steps coming down as it relates to what the DandDTrans people are doing.  
​​ 
​​Ben:  Doesn't feel that we would get a lot from a survey to the DandDTrans.   Probably not going to get a lot of response...we already asked this question.  Isn't clear that there is a lot more we are going to get from a survey.  We only have one next shot that we might catalyze...is there any kind of invitation that we want to make...iimportant that it be attached to what goes out.   That is tied into the codigital method/process.  
​​ 
​​Nancy:  We don't want to be inviting people into some process unless we have thought through what we might do with it.  
​​ 
​​Ben:  Why not just get the survey out before we let the report out (if people are really attached to the idea of the survey). 
​​ 
​​Robert:  Felt like yes, that is why we didn't do the survey.  Why not just interview the most active people in the conference.  But, it doesn't make sense to hold up the report for a survey.  It is more efficient to just interview people.  
​​ 
​​Steph:   Important to get the report out sooner than later.  Likes Chris's idea the both/and idea...send it out that hints at next steps...and then send it out again with next steps.  It seems like the outcome we want is that people keep talking about this thing so that if we were to do with something similar in the future, that people will keep remembering this thing in their consciousness...Sees the things we are putting out there are turns in the conversation.  How do we make them interesting so that they continue to participate.  We could create our own creative tension...we could simulate the conversation that we are having so that our conversation is fresh. 
​​ 
​​Robert:  Liked what Steph said.  Has been writing a piece that would introduce his overview and it was close to what Steph said.  What we have done was to kickstart...the marriage with tools to this community and the way in which it leverages the capacity of people.   Here we are again (online with each other).   Look at what has happened in this harvest team alone.  We want people to remember that this DandDTrans experience is that it kickstarted what is still to come.  
​​ 
​​Ben:  It segues from what Steph as well.  Robert also reflected on also what I heard from Linda...that reason that there wasn't more convergence was that the process wasn't set up for that.  From his point of view the process was set up for it to occur  - especially through Open Space.  Maybe it is true that we needed more process for convergence, but he feels that that isn't what happened...the community doesn't know how to get to convergence, whether it is due to money, or to work at the scale involved, etc.  So, he likes the idea of giving people a field within which people might converge which is why he likes Codigital.  It is a collective process that allows people to rank ideas and help people build on other's ideas.   What are you excited to do with others in response to Tom's question.   It wouldn't have to be limited to just the participants in DandDTrans.   In terms ofhow to follow-through with any proposals, the person proposing an idea would have to take responsibility.  He is inspired to try it out.  He would love to see some sort of invitation that we put out...what is going on with convergence.  
​​ 
​​Nancy:  Do we want to add to the report an invitation for action. If this is the case, wants to put in the mix the other possibilities she has been working on.  She is happy to do this via email.  
​​ 
​​Robert:  Likes what Ben said.  Very important to think through who will coordinate things.  If this is to go forward and someone is going to spend the time to set it up in Codigital, someone will have to be ready for things to move forward swimmingly.  
​​ 
​​Ben:  If you are going to submit an idea, then yo need to coordinate your interest.  Each person then will be responsible for follow-up.  We could make it easy to do the coordination by setting up HackPad for that to happen.  
​​ 
​​Robert:  Is this a new HackPad or part of DandDTrans?   
​​ 
​​Ben:  Hasn't figured that all out yet. 
​​ 
​​Robert:  Probably best to have new HackPads set up.  There well may be something to converge around and that they might see things like this emerge.  
​​ 
​​Steph:  Does Codigital have a price tag. 
​​ 
​​Ben:  It is a free model (up to 250 participants for up to a month). 
​​ 
​​Linda:  How do you find people on codigital.
​​ 
​​Ben:  So people have to contact the people proposing the ideas they put out.  We could promote the top 10 ranked ideas.   It is at least worth giving people something to do.  
​​ 
​​Linda:  Suggested that Steph's report a long with the other pieces that are still in process will go out separately as appendices.  
​​ 
​​Robert:  Will make mention of these next peices.  Will send to us all his introduction...may help us think through.  
​​ 
​​Linda:  What is the best forward, Robert.  
​​ 
​​Chris:  With deadlines. 
​​ 
​​Robert:  Would like to have the titles of what everyone is working on.  Has taken notes from this conversation that will go into his covernote.  This report is already longer than he ever expected it to be.  There is an opportunity to get it out soon.  He needs to get the editing piece out.  If the organizations (NCDD, Art of Hosting, Open Space, Tom Atlees list serve) can get them out to their listserve...then lets get them out next week.   Would like our input.  
​​ 
​​Linda:  Should we put out a short survey for putting together the next steps.  
​​ 
​​Chris:  Said he would help. 
​​ 
​​Ben:  What are we deciding?  That Robert will put out his introduction for feedback.  
​​ 
​​Robert:  There will be references to the various written things that have been produced or are in process.  Stronger for each piece to go out on its own.  It would be an appendix.  So he will highlight it in his report so people will know it is coming.  It will help people know it is going to come out.  
​​ 
​​Steph:  Can each of the pieces be put on the HackPad so people can get to it at any time.  Offered to help Robert with comments she has made.  
​​ 
​​Bruce:  Is interested in a collation of pieces...would be happy to put the whole thing online...he could put it on Network Nation or link to HackPad...he has plenty of online space.  
​​ 
​​Linda:  Called for another meeting to talk about codigital. 
​​ 
​​Chris: we need to agree how to write the coming attractions piece. maybe on HackPad then Robert decides what to actually include. The piece could include Bruce's links even if not populated yet. pre-ready for the finished thing.
​​ 
​​Robert:  If the effort is going to go into getting these pieces out...his piece will create a space for the recipients.  He'd like to create that sort of energetic sense...like a coming attraction (something like what Chris said).  
​​ 
​​Ben: Getting his own clarity around this...wanted to do codigital in conjunction with the overview itself, but if that isn't going to happen, let's wait and see what happens when that and other pieces go out to listservs, i.e. is there some energy generated by them.
​​ 
​​Robert:  Wants to have a conversation around convergence and what it might take to support it and foster it.  It would be a good dialogue.  Has strong views as does Ben.  
​​ 
​​Ben:  Wants his offering to be part of what is Robert might write about...
​​ 
​​Robert:  Will reference what it is that Ben wants to write about.  
​​ 
​​Linda:  We ended up saying that Robert will continue to weave in everyone's comments and will seek an outside editor before sending out to the various listserves we will place it on.  We decided that for now we will wait on the codigital idea until we see what the response is to the report  - though after hours, some of us did decide to try and have a dialogue about the convergence/divergence issue that continues to possibly divide us in terms of our assumption set.  Robert, and Ben, and I are trying to come together around whether or not to have a conversation about this issue which might bring greater clarity to Robert's report.   Thanks to all of you for hanging in there during this harvesting process.  We're close to moving towards closure.  
​​ 
​​We need to have Steph's report to have gathered feedback before launching it.  Nancy needs to get to Robert her titles for the reports she is working on.  I (Linda) need to decide how to proceed in getting information from DandDTrans participants for the Next Steps piece.  It is all unfolding as it should. 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 
​​ 

​
​Idea Collectors Meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015 

​​4:00-5:30pm EST*        (2p MST, 1p PST, –5 UTC)
​​ 
​
​Agenda
  • ​​4:00        Check-ins and Meeting Goals/Purposes                                         Linda
  • ​​4:15    Key Themes - The Collective Harvest of D & D Trans                         Robert
  • ​​5:05        Document Components, Completion Steps and Timeline                        Nancy 
  • ​​5:15        Next steps and Check-out                                                         Linda         
​​ 
​​ 
​​ Notes:  
​​ 
​​ Robert:  An indigenous tradition called the rule of 6.  This is a tool to use when we are trying to see what is emerging.  To hone in on what is important without trying to single out anything.  Asked us all to write down up to six overarching themes that we think we have seen through the eyes of others or our own eyes that keep repeating itself from the DandDTrans process.  Not necessarily just on Tom's question or on the technology.  What comes up if we ask what we see up to six thems.  We are trying to come up with the creative sense of the whole.  We are trying to see together, which will be the process we do today.  
​​ 
​​ We took 5 minutes for individual work on our 6 themes.  
​​ 
​​ Chris:  
​​ 1.  Examples of practical things that work. Start with something not in the bulls eye  of where we are aiming like exploring how food security might to begin discussions around environmental issues.  
​​ 2.  Tension between doing and being (process observation).  Some people just wanted to explore ideas rather than doing something deliberate. 
​​
​​ROBERT   CORMAN: I was in the breakout with Hina and Nancy - what they’re describing   can “lift the boat” in a fundamental way - but it’s not the same thing as the   challenge that called this call together: focusing on the most daunting   issues that activists are grappling with (in the world and with each other) -   at that level, I think that the attitude of putting aside expectations and   outcomes, but bringing our skills to bear - I think that regions can learn   from one another - and want to say that none of these issues are discrete,   and that the “leaky margins between them” are powerful places in which to   work
​​ 3. Whats in between these things between Tension and Doing....sort of like Magic in the Middle
​​ 4.  Trusting in things to emerge.  
​​ 5.  Embracing positive things, even in the face of obstacles or in the face of people who are really different.  An example would be with someone who switched political parties and all the stereotypes they left/joinde, but they are still the same person.  
​​ 6.  With pain comes opportunities not possible without it.  A general observation about society right now.  Speaks to him personally and what people seem to be saying.  
​​ 7.  Diversity was lacking in the Dialogue...not present unless it is planned for.  
​​ 8.  Quotes from John Abbe:  I can imagine sharing from my own work...We can compliment each other without trying to hard. 'JOHN ABBE: Our group transcended an apparent polarity that had emerged between dialogue and action, by seeing any action we take as a sort of statement in a dialogue with the world. And one value of these calls could be to offer a group with which to collectively reflect on what the world "says" in response to our action statements, and learn for the next round of the conversation.This is helping me transcend the polarity - I can imagine sharing from my own work and having others' perspectives contribute to my work - so we need not take action together - this group could magnify/multiply my reflection on dialogue in the world And I would also be excited about collective actions from this group - it's a "both/and"
​​ 9.  Start to see your action as dialogue...helps to resolve the being vs. doing tension. 
​​ 10. (Later) One a completely separate wake up thought on the “rules of six” is that many remarked that we did not all behave as we preached, more platform talking than listening or engaging. This feels profoundly important.
​​ 
​​ Laurie:  
​​ 1.  (I'm more an intuitive type  - sensing the people so more than 6 things).  Discerned how caring and concerned and motivated people were.  I discerned the intense goodness from these people.  We want to rally towards a common good.  
​​ 2.  A lot of intellect and heart focus.  The real power is in harnessing both of these.  This is where the magic is.  Larger the sum of the individuals and the individual aspects of intellect and heart. 
​​ 3.  Lots of stories were shared that included the feelings involved. People really understand stories.
​​ 4.  A hopefullness that everyone who participated was dealing with our collective problems...Hope a powerful aspect.  
​​ 
​​ Bruce:  see self as part of a whole:
​​ 1.  Cooperation and collaboration
​​ 2.  Part of a team part whole or spokes of a wheel.
​​ 3.  Co-creation in a conscious conversation...solutions emerge in the conversation...great co-creation during the DandDTrans each benefit from each other magic in the middle
​​ 4.  Respectful listening & conversation...don't come with a chip on your shoulder...open
​​ 5.  We don't have to / can't do it all by ourselves.  We just have to cool it and stay in harmony]
​​ 6.  Community...we are weaving something together across the planets.  
​​ 
​​ Nancy:  
​​ 1.  Fruitfullness and frustration of the hackpad.
​​ 2.  The magnified intimacy of zoom
​​ 3.  The preciousness of human connections  - even fatefulness of them.  
​​ 4.  A renewal of our own work through the connections made and amplified. 
​​ 5.  The self-desire emerging to take all of these principles on the road  - especially at strategically leveraged ways.
​​ 6.  We need to get our act together..noticing the desire for deeper dialogues across our field and the conceptual side...to get clearer on our taxonomy, etc...to know what we are really doing. 
​​ 7.  Keep evolving support systems for developing our learnings and then turning our knowledge together, building on each other's work.  The cross fertilization of work and take it across fields of practice
​​ 
​​Linda:  
  1. ​​  We took the first babysteps toward forming a community of practice focused on using our D&D skills and experience in approaching the complex, social/environmental/political issues of our times. 
​​2.   We created resources regarding other organizations, networks, materials, and efforts that go beyond our own community of practice.
​​ 
​​3.  We found other people with whom we might collaborate
​​ 
​​4. We explored virtual technologies such as zoom and maestro and hackpad for creating an emergent conference that connected people from N. America, Europe and Australia
​​ 
​​5. We helped to inspire our individual work we are doing merely be creating an emergent support network. 
​​ 
​​6.  We continue to unfold next steps.  
​​ 
​​Robert:  
​​ 
  1. ​​ Openness to learning together thr stories and resources.
  1. ​​The community is growing and gaining a sense of itself
  1. ​​The need for systemic change  - people seeing things as whole systems rather than issue by issue.
  1. ​​  People are deeply ready to grow the field
  1. ​​  Technology is a possible game changer.
  1. ​​ The sense of people willing to work regionally as well as beyond their region.  
​​ 
​​Ben Roberts: 
  1. ​​ D&D has something very special to offer to systemic transformation, including in virtual form
  1. ​​More powerful to work in service to what is working out in the world rather than pulling energy into our domain.  from our own community.
  1. ​​An often told story of fragmentation that came out and lack of coordination and a strong desire for convergence.... [note: Ben doesn't believe this story personally, but is noticing it. And in fact, he is working with Rosa Zubizarreta on a blog that offers a different perspective, based on the supersaturated solutions framing]
  1. ​​A wish for action and a conversational form that doesn't visibly support action it will be subject to criticism (or will not be appealing to a large cohort of people)
  1. ​​ We may not be ready (within the D&D field or the wider world of agents of systemic change) to take action that directly challenges business as usual
  1. ​​There is an enormous number of things in motion, including alliances, coalitions,   gatherings and initiatives...much more than any of us can know
  1. ​​$, Trust, and governance structures related to our engagements need to be addressed skillfully, and if not, the very things we hope to shift in the wider world are likely to show up within us individually and in our small groups.
​​ 
​
​What is missing?:  
​​ 
  1. ​​ Tom Atlee's Open Space report on the Strategic Use of Conversation.  
  1. ​​Superordinant Goals
  1. ​​Super-Saturated Solutions
  1. ​​Interconnected Dialogue Circles
  1. ​​Media more to promote dialogue 
  1. ​​Steph's micro community focus
​​ 
​​The internal Journey that we might all take to move this whole thing forward.  
​​ 
​​ The Weaving Process:  We are trying to extract from this the overarching themes.  Let's see if we can find the low-hanging ones...
​​ 
​​ Several of us have said a deep caring, a goodness, a desire for co-creation around opportunities that are emerging, a trusting of things to emerge and a hopefullness that is underlying their capacity to engage.  No one can do this by themselves.  The process of working collaboratively is of great importance.  
​​ 
​​ There is a desire to be support of what is already in motion.  
​​ 
​​ A desire to support the virtual technologies to help us engage in the world.  
​​ 
​​ A call for the community to keep working at weaving possibilities.  A notion that we are all spokes on a team, going in the same direction, though not on the same bicycle.  This process helped us connect with others.  People are inspired to get back to their own work in new ways.  A shared shoulder  - pushing on the same direction.  We are beginning to learn more about our own potential in D&D.  
​​ 
​​ There needs to be some Dialogue and some movement towards collaborative action.  
​​ 
​​ A sense of how we humans have reached this point from an evolutionary point of view.  
​​ 
​​ Dealing with our frustration...tension, respectful listening, fruitfullness vs. frustration.  We are frustrated...also the transpolitical issues.  
​​ 
​​ Solutions has two meanings:  A chemical process...related to a super saturated to this work that D&D can bring.  
​​ 
​
​ Moving into Next Steps conversation:  
​​ 
​​ Robert reviewed his conversation with ​@Sandy Heierbacher​.  What was attempted, the timeline, what kinds of calls and processes were used, what was the level of participation, what were the outcomes, how well did it work?   We probably want to include this in anything that we might produce. 
​​ 
​​ Given that so many people are working on a variety of pieces.  In this team alone there is a desire for some dimension that might lead to the creation of a strong introduction that doesn't exceed maybe from 5 to 8 pages (shorter, fine) that alludes to what follows which we might put in addenda, or sections, or appendices.  This way there will be an overview with a table of contents.   Fewer words, images, and something that is alive, upspirited of what has occurred.  
​​ 
​​ Chris:  What structs me is what is missing...we've done this, what does it allow us to do that we couldn't do before?  There is the whole tapestry that is remarkable at a meta level, what this program now affords.  The broader context that would help us see how we are all in this together and how D&D can be a player in a different way.  There is anxiety and fear out there in society in general, which is why tom's question all atracted us.  
​​ 
​​ Ben:  To build on what Chris said....The experiential elements of this...the struggle the frustration...this thing happened and now we are talking about, but the highest value was just being in it.  Some of the outcomes we'll never know...but the experiential aspects should be addressed.  Might be hard for us in the middle of it how to write this up.  There are now 17 Harvest Pads, which is remarkable...the levels of engagement were very high (especially for an ongoing virtual process)...to get this sized group to think together was quite remarkable.  This might tranlate to the systemic level...this desire for action, emergence, and connection.  Consensus culture is ignoring it.  Somehow our report needs to capture this aspect.  
​​ 
​​ Robert:  There is a residual presence of record of significance that is now residant in the Hackpad that has a historical value as well as a strategic potential that can be a tool for relating and communicating.  It can be presented as a thoughtful act.  We had 10 different 'acts' during the month and a half.  A rich stepping into a frontier.  This needs to be part of the larger story.  
​​ 
​​ Ben:  Can we talk about it as a fractal of the whole world out there?  
​​ 
​​ Robert:  It is a distinctive fractal because of our makeup of our D&D community.  That is an important piece of this.  Has thought about this and has written this up.  
​​ 
​​ Bruce:  (Had to leave meeting.)
​​ 
​​ Laurie:  I'm always intersted in choices...that was what drew me to the process.  I wanted to participate in this because I was hoping at the end that there would be a list of things that we could do in my life or in my sphere of influence (practical things) that I can take away.  that is why I continue to be here.  I don't want people to tell me what to do, but would like to have a list of ideas of what to do.  
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​​ Robert:  Let's try to complete our process in 10 days.  We need a specific timeline that we might email to everyone.  
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​​ Nancy:  Willing to take our notes from today and put the whole structure for some sort of piece that could be sent out to all of us.  This could help us then put what we have harvested into these areas.  
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​​ Ben:  Here is what we did...I could probably do that best.  there isn't a way to know exactly who and how many people actually participated.  He feels it is roughly about 50 or 60 people.  We need who attended World Cafe and Openspace and Dialogues.  136 registered  - about half of them participated and about half of them with some frequency...around 30.  He could come up with the number of people on the maestro calls.  the Bohm calls are pretty easy.  We know that 20 people provided intros on HackPad.  
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​​ Chris:  There is a powerful influence on me from this event on other work I do.  I can write about this.  I also have a framework that could be useful down the road.  I would imagine we can use the themes we came up with and use this to populate all of our harvesting.  
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​​HACKSTOCK!
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​​In addition to the option of ​+quote harvesting on your own​, the "Idea Collectors" team, led by Linda Ellinor, Nancy Glock-Grueneich, and Robert Corman, is using the Network Nation platform to conduct a systematic effort to read through all the hackpads over the course of February focusing first on a process of inventory, ordering, and analysis, and then on synthesis and publication. You can also start on your own as part of the general quote harvesting process, and join this team later, if you wish. 
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​​The team is hosting a call via Zoom on Saturday, Feb 7th, at 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern for all who wish to learn more about this initiative. 
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  • ​​ 
  • ​​Or join by phone:   
  • ​​ 
  • ​​    +1 (415) 762-9988 or +1 (646) 568-7788 US Toll
  • ​​    Meeting ID: 757 327 401 
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  • ​​If you miss the call, please contact Linda Ellinor at 707 217 6675.
​​Robert appreciates the process of harvesting, and how stretched we all are in other endeavors. Appreciation. Over past eight weeks we've been able to begin our own process to make sense of it all. In this call we are seeking a fuller understanding of what we see. That means:
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​​With articulation, we could each say what is important to us in this DandD process. We go with what it important to us as we hunt through the hackpads for meaning. Now I am asking you to expand the container of your own life wherever you are and just look at the screen in front of you you see parts of the whole, fractals, to gain a "collective sense of things". Step away from the very personal to see the whole. I want to use the "Rule of Six" (from the Iroquois and other Indian peoples) to home in on what's important without singling out one thing. 
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​​For 2-3 minutes please write down up to six overarching themes you think you've seen that keep repeating themselves on any aspect whatsover on the DandD Trans process. You can see as "one of many". Two reasons for coming to up to six, shows how many there are, focused only on one you may try to champion it, but what we need now is to see the whole. After each of the six items each person items are captured we can start seeing what goes together. 
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​Idea Collectors' conversation on February 11

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​Agenda:
  1. ​​Checkins from all of us on how the process is going: Any technical difficulties or process questions? 
  1. ​​Discussions around how fast it is going? Do I need to assign more sections that no one has as of yet taken for review? 
​​3. Any updates from Bruce on Network nation? 
​​4. Any updates from Ben Roberts on HackPad changes? 
​​5. Any updates from Nancy on process design? 
​​6. Any thoughts on how we might want to begin identifying key themes emerging for convergence? (We may be premature on this one and wait until our next check in.)
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​Notes
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​​Steph, West Mass, 3 ft snow, above zero, suns out, comforatable. Enjoyed Strat Use of Conversation. NIce to notify people that we are quoting them. Curious how we are going to grow this. 
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​​JIm has a doctor's appt in a few minutes. Envious of the Texans and Arizona. I'm in the wrong place. I'm interested in the next steps. I'm holding a flag for one of the strategies. Less interested in looking at all the others. Guilty that I haven't gotten back to Ben, but my interest is less in coordinating all of the others. 
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​​Linda. Jim, lets you and I talk off line. Ben says, Jim, best place to plant that flag right now is for you to complete your own Harvest Hackpad. And where you'd like people to go next with you.
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​​Robert I appreciate--it warms my heart--to hear all the warm weather from you sun belt folks. I'm really, really busy with a lot of things and this is important to me but its slipping. As I took myself into the cards, but there were so many nuggets, so much of value, that I found myself wanting to just harvest it all. Quotes in that setting are also so contextual; they have resonance only with the others. Not the best use of my times. Yet I placed some things in the loop that worked. Network Nation held up without a hitch. Kudos for working it through. Ben, you were right, I had no idea what was in there. Themes are emerging. Two Bens show up quite a bit and converge around certain issues.
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​​Chris (limited time. Welcome.) I' in Amsterdam, sealed into a conference. I haven't done more than extract the conversations into Word and Excel. I'm imagining that I can get it into the Nation Network space. I'm just hear to listen to what you are doing. I will have time only when back in UK.
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​​Ben. Good to be here, in snowy New England--enjoying snowshoeing with the puppy. I'm happy to wait for Spring. I'm curious how we move into the next phase with all of these quotes. Expected/planned that there would be iterations of design. See what we sense into before making Bruce do more design work. Also curious how this groups intentions connect with the "spore generating" idea that Chris, Steph, and I were inspired by.
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​​Linda: Bruce would you walk us through any changes to the system. Screen sharing? Yup.
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​​AFter Bruce's demonstration:  
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​​Chris:  Brought up the fact  that the action steps isn't being reported on.  Bruce can do that down the road. 
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​​Steph:  Asked about adding (down the road) a treaded comment section.  Taking things out of context....wanted to address this concern.  Is less worried about the literal context...there is meaning  - a long tail of meaning built in  - people will orient to this in terms of the whole process.  
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​​Robert:  Wanted to clarify his point about context.  His concern is about the richness of the context.  In some places, especially if there are 2 or 3 people talking, he would rather capture what is intended by the people talking.  This would be a richer harvest.  
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​​Bruce:  Interested in what you intend by the words you use, not based on my dictionary.  "Resonant semantics": connection between people is a good basis for discernment.  Trying to encourage an environment of trust...safe to say what you want to say rather than what people want to make it.  
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​​Robert:  Liked Ben's suggestion of going to where we haven't been on the HackPad.  It allowed him to see things he hadn't seen and gave him an objective perspective.  
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​​Ben:  Most interested in what we want to do with this process...might involve software and pulling into other platforms such as co-digital, so we could start to compare items.  They would do a manual upload for us...then people could rank and tweak them.  Not sure how it would work with tags.  
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​​Bruce:  Built a polling system that could do what co-digital does.  
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​​Ben:  Need to be sure what our intentions are first.  He is interested in inviting others to play with it eventually.  Finding that the comment part is valuable.  It helps me think through what I'm doing, etc.  Wary of starting 138 conversations.  Wants to think more strategically.  Like spores.  Noticing no category for appreciation.  Lots of categories for what people didn't like.  
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​​Robert:  One of the things that is becoming clear to me is the valuable trove that exists here.  Wants to understand how others relate to quotes.   For him...if I were to come upon a byproduct of this whole enterprise, it would resemble an online tomb that would permit me to spend time on DandDTrans and importance, but a whole array of subjects.  Would I do that and how would that work.  How would I access an array of quotes with comments around them.  Eventually wants to tell a story about this whole thing.  My question is around the issue:  whether there should be a parallel effort using the tools that Bruce created, instead of pulling out quotes..harvesting a section as what it means as a whole.  Like a larger writing.  
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​​Laurie:  Spoke about a march where there was no agreement on intention, no leadership.  They still came to some sort of common ground.  Sees this group doing this as well.  Has faith that this group is going to bring forth something fruitful.  The next iteration will be easier.  
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​​Bruce:  I can lose sight of the larger vision as well...but believes in the potential use of this material.  We are doing this.  We are inventing between the HackPad and all of the other technology feels very fruitful.  We have to decide what is significant and isn't, etc.  Part of this process is a learning curve.  We are bulding raw capacity and we don't know where we are going but that it does matter.  This is why we are showing up.  Just feels like it is a juicy thing to do.  We are competent, reliable people showing up.  
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​​Also Bruce's efforts to find easy ways to track many ideas, bits of key info, etc. has potential future use and expansion as well, whatever its uses here.
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​​Ben:  If it isn't fun try doing other things.  
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​​Bruce:  It comes in cycles for me.  But, then I try again and it gets interesting again.  Creative cycles.  Some of it is pushing a rock up the mountain, but once up there it is pretty fun.  Seems to work.  
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​​Nancy:  sympathesizes with what Robert was saying and also what Ben was saying around what is fun.  What I'm drawn to doing, in sorting out from her own HackPad is a way of helping to summarize and synthesize a few themes in the HackPads and her own work before the DandDTrans.  Wants to come up with a general strategy that can help with the transformative process going out there already.  Wants to articulate this strategy in general.  Will help with what she and Tim doing together.  Hard to do synthesis and the quote process at the same time.  Wants to read through what she can in the HackPad and articulate the convergence and then to honor how both different people might have said differently the things she is saying in a different way.  She would like to see us create small dialogues and scale them up on certain themes.  Possibly in the D&D community and also cross sectors.  There are variations on this notion...but this urge to take what we have learned on the road.  I want to pick up on this pattern and this is how different people said how I'm putting together one thing.  The latter part could be quite difficult to do, but is what she wants to do.  The other things is to put together....there might be 4 or 5 things as core theses and then this could go back to key conversants for further input.  Then, we could look at creating items around polling, etc.  Then we would have well thought through items to take a poll on.  It might be a term, such as the name of our community.  Who does it include.  This is another theme that kept coming up.  These might be further dialogues or deliberative conversations.  At a heart level, is this just me and my needs and ego, or would this be a real service to the group, is a meaningful reflection back to the group.  
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​​Ben:  Wants to know how Nancy could use the quotes for her synthesize how she wants to?  Wants to know the 2nd iteration of how to use this tool.  Inclined trying to use what we have harvested to seed new conversations in other places.  
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​​Nancy:  The tags are very helpful in making sense of what is there.  So, even if I don't read all the hackpads then I'll be able to utilize this.  
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​​Ben:  Spore idea is a self-contained thing that might not even require context or reports.  
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​​Nancy:  Ben, that seems great. I think we do want to and want to encourage any and all independent uses of whatever we've done. What would be cool would be a way to have folks circle back from time to time and let us know what they've done, or might do, or are doing related to our January's conversation.
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​​Robert:  This is uncharted territory, so if Ben wants to go off in other directions, this is okay.  Lots of things can be spawned.  Likes to be clear from the get go.  Ben, Chris, and Steph are clear about their spore idea.  When I look at the purpose question, I see the opportunity to ask new questions such as "how are people standing differently than when they went in".  People got a sense of community and identify about working together.  Interested in those dynamics.  Another question.  What types of things have seeded new conversations?  When he goes through the cards, he is finding other things he feels interested in.  What is the goal we are sharing here?  It is important there to be enough of a shared focus for this group.  So, I'm interested in sharing my own view of the harvest of this material.  Perhaps we can focus a bit more on the bi-product of what we want it to include.  Wants to wait a week or have a conversation off-line to move forward with the clarity we're looking for.
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​​Bruce:  So much growth going through me that I can't contain it exactly.   Don't know where it is going.  I'd like to see a bit more profitability going forward.  I can see lots of things that might happen if it is seeded in the right direction.  What Ben is saying...I have some directions that could be fertile.  He is enjoying zoom, very potent medium.  Not feeling any need to push anything.  
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​​Nancy:  Feels confident that what Ben wants to do in terms of taking it to Trusted Sharing which is aligned with us is fine. Lots of things will spin off of this.  Would like to know what they are...would like to know where the mushrooms are landing.  That is its intention.  Ben did freeze the HackPads...so the content can't be changed.  She has already thought of some groups that might want access to it.  We aren't talking about opening up all over the world.  Those groups aligned with share purposes.   Fine.  
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​​Robert:  Ben has more access to other groups.  If you, Ben, can help us benefit from your perche that you are sitting in...observing all of these things, we can benefit from this.  The fuller picture we can all have the better.  The rest of us can talk off-line about some of the points that have been made here.  
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​​It is unfolding by our own opportunities and serendipity.  
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​​Ben:  Would like another action step.  Will be talking to the people at Trusted Sharing and we'll see where we are in the next week.  
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​​We agreed to hold our next Idea Collector's meeting on Feb. 18th at 2pm.  
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​Agenda for Idea Collectors' conversation on February 6

  • ​​Welcome and Check-in - Robert
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  • ​​Review of Agenda and Goals for the Session 
  • ​​Walk through. With the help of Ben and Bruce the NetworkNation page has been supplemented to create a tool to help us harvest the hackpads. Bruce will walk us through and then discuss what is it individuals doing the deeper dive here will actually do using this tool and working together. Then we'll look at specific tasks and timelines. 
  • ​​Overview of the Network Nation Idea Collectors' page - Bruce 
  • ​​ 
  • ​​Substantive Aspects of the Page - Nancy 
  • ​​Tasks and Timeline - Linda
  • ​​Comments, Questions and Suggestions
  • ​​Closing Thoughts
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​For more information, please email Linda Ellinor
​​NOTES
  • ​​Steph      How far can we push this edge, lean into it, use it to see and understand ourselves as actors and reactors in these times
​​​@Robert Corman​
​​Some things here that have never happened before that many have been moving forward on here. Get used to the name "Hackpad"--"it's a fine, fine name" (says Robert's son). We hope to get on the same page here.
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