[NetBehaviour] Solutionism Re: An interview with Geert Lovink

[ruth catlow]

Thanks Rob for your solutionist approach.

I knew about groupserver but not discourse.

So now in the new spirit of openness...

Another ongoing and mildly anxt-ridden backroom discussion at 
Furtherfield HQ (first think Google and then try to imagine the 
opposite) is about an approach to renewing and maintaining our 
web-infrastructure.

The website runs of Drupal - excellent FOSS community software - which 
will soon need to be upgraded.
Netbehaviour runs off Mailman - we will have to soon move or re-host the 
Netbehaviour list somewhere/somehow else, because a number of the major 
mail providers appear to be starting to refuse to service this kind of 
email discussion list (to which Michael and a number of other patient 
and diligent subscribers will testify)

Two issues
1) the cost and time associated with strategising, consulting, 
designing, planning and remunerating all involved, for their efforts 
while: future-proofing community infrastructure, caring for the 
archive/database. We have had some really very good and generous support 
from a number of people to help us understand what the process might be, 
but the work still needs doing...and all risks mitigated!

2) connected to the above - maintaining the connections we all have, 
while inviting in new and diverse (in age, background, device-loyalty, 
ethnicity) people.

We can't underestimate the scale of the work involved in bridging new 
and legacy systems.
We think we need money to do this because so many people in this network 
are already so generous with their energy.
We are leaving no stone unturned to find/earn/generate the money and 
this also takes time.
We aren't there yet.

Respect,
R




On 02/10/15 03:41, Rob Myers wrote:
> On 01/10/15 02:21 AM, ruth catlow wrote:
>> But I too have had a feeling of un-ease about a disconnect with the
>> conversations that happen here on the list. This list is one of my
>> favourite places, and yet I find it hard to advocate for it, to people
>> who are not already here. Perhaps because email has now acquired toxic
>> associations for many people because of the demands it places on
>> 'immaterial labourers'.
> They're all exploited via apps now aren't they? :-)
>
> At the risk of solutionism, modern discussion systems provide web forum
> -style interfaces to mailing lists (and vice versa).
>
> https://www.discourse.org/
>
> http://groupserver.org/
>
> - Rob.
>
> _______________________________________________
> NetBehaviour mailing list
> NetBehaviour at netbehaviour.org
> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour


-- 
Co-founder Co-director
Furtherfield

www.furtherfield.org

+44 (0) 77370 02879
Meeting calendar - http://bit.ly/1NgeLce
Bitcoin Address 197BBaXa6M9PtHhhNTQkuHh1pVJA8RrJ2i

Furtherfield is the UK's leading organisation for art shows, labs, & 
debates
around critical questions in art and technology, since 1997

Furtherfield is a Not-for-Profit Company limited by Guarantee
registered in England and Wales under the Company No.7005205.
Registered business address: Ballard Newman, Apex House, Grand Arcade, 
Tally Ho Corner, London N12 0EH.