Re: [-empyre-] Netbehaviour

[Helen Varley Jamieson <helen@creative-catalyst.com>]

marc, you don't need to take sole responsibility for kicking that 
individual off the netbehaviour list. i was one of many who 
complained about him, both on and off list, & i wasn't the only one 
who was relieved when he was gone. even filtering his posts straight 
into the trash was annoying bcos at the time i was on a very dodgy 
dialup, & then there were everyone else's reactionary responses ...

i'm all for open & unmoderated lists but i also get pissed off when 
individuals abuse that openness, especially when it becomes very 
petty/nasty/excessive. the difficulty is where to draw the line (if 
at all) & which response to choose. i could have unsubscribed from 
netbehaviour (something i still occasionally consider) but so far i'm 
glad i haven't. if many people responded by unsubscribing, what kind 
of a list are you left with & what is its purpose?

so far, netbehaviour is a pretty interesting experiment in human 
behaviour, & there's good info & projects coming thru amongst all the 
fluff. it will be interesting to see what happens if/when the 
controversial voting system is exercisede ...

h : )

> I find this question above, that Andreas asked - regarding my own 
> personal experience at the moment is very poignant - 
> Furtherfield.org - recently set up a list called 
> www.netbehaviour.org a little while back.
>
> We wanted to break down the over-seriousness that many lists have 
> been reverting to. Sure intellectual debate is fine, but such a 
> singular way of being is so dry and can just kill those fertile 
> creative juices. Ok - yes, academic lists are cool - but what about 
> the artists, they don't wanna be typing lengthy dissertations every 
> time they post a message to a list - many do, but some also wish to 
> be part of something that communicates in way that lets one relax a 
> little and not feel self-conscious about what one is saying all of 
> the time.
>
> I certainly learned my lesson in respect of control and all - when I 
> bumped someone off the netbehaviour list for posting hundreds of 
> (what i thought) was non-sensical and dreary self referential emails 
> about one;s persons personal life continuously. I felt that it was 
> distracting and killing the soul of the list - so I kicked that 
> individual out. The list members complained (a lot) and they had 
> good reason to...
>
> The consensus was that - 'for a small network of socially and 
> culturally engaged people to, be able to discover a real sense of 
> list-authenticity - things just have to be a little more relaxed and 
> less worried. Less fear about whether the list is doing things right 
> all of the time. So I was asked literally to stop fathering the list 
> as though I owned it, cuz I didn't - it was their list, and mine, 
> our list.
>
> So control was offered over the list members to make decisions 
> collaboratively in future, some people disagreed but it was 
> democratically decided on....and more people wanted to take control 
> of the list than just a small minority of people who wish to have 
> their mission statements acted out by others.
>
> Control is not in mine or furtherfield's little slippery paws 
> anymore) - the moderation has evolved into a collaborative 
> occasion(s), where there is a voting system that decides what goes 
> down at the little' list of evolutionary behaviour.
>
> On netbehaviour - the performers are taking over - yet in a way that 
> is collaboratively decided. For instance we have set up list 
> residencies so net creatives who have list noise, that they wish to 
> declare, share & debate. They can ask the list members publicly, to 
> have their work/ideas seen for 2 weeks as a list residency.
>
> So far we have had Brad Brace, who showed some excellent work. We 
> have archived the whole list-behaviour between list members and brad 
> brace, and much critical and playful discussion was had by many on 
> the list.
>
> We now have Mez who is taking part in the list residency, and mez is 
> piling and kinds of fantastical symbols, sigils and poetic noise 
> that moves beyond academic reasonings alone, for it is performance - 
> it is behaviour.
>
> I feel that many (official) lists have missed out on a lot of 
> creativity, by not encouraging list exploration - or not trying to 
> change their own intentions to adapt to the very urgent and 
> contemporary needs of list users. Lists should be alive, sinful, 
> critical, breathing, breathing, breathing...
>
> NetBehaviour List Residencies:
> - an ongoing in-house project built by users of this list.
>
> An networked artist/curator/writer residency lasting for 2 weeks 
> where a practitioner's work is seen, as part of the list experience, 
> adding an authentic sense of stuff to the list that does not 
> necessarily rely just on debate alone, but also on behaviour. A 
> grass roots form of intellectual behaviour that is creative just by 
> being what it is...net.behaviour.
>
> marc garrett
> http://www.furtherfield.org

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helen varley jamieson: creative catalyst
helen@creative-catalyst.com
http://www.creative-catalyst.com
http://www.avatarbodycollision.org
http://www.writerfind.com/hjamieson.htm
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