[Forum] In dialogue, there's how much and then there's how many

[Ed Sedarbaum]

I feel a bit of an outsider, not being an actual artist, so I hesitate to offer opinions. I also hesitate because I find it hard to stay abreast of each and every e-mail, and I don't want to make a fool of myself by saying something that overlooks someone else's contribution.

That said, I'd like to make an observation:

The quality of the discussion going on here -- especially the discussion about how to manage the discussions technically -- has been top notch. But in evaluating the extent to which a dialogue reflects the thoughts and wishes of the community, it's probably wise to take notice of how many individual correspondents there are, not just how much correspondence goes back and forth or how intelligent it is.

It's  probably appropriate that the conversation about how to stage these dialogues be conducted among those who are (1) savvy about bulletin boarding, etc., and/or (2)  willing to do the work, and/or (3) interested in having the conversation. Which may mean that a wide-open public e-mail dialogue may not be necessary, or may even be hampering. It could even be that a 30- or 60-minute conversation in person among the people involved would be more efficient. I'm not one of those people, though, so it's  not up to me to say.

On the other hand, if it happens that community feedback is necessary (and it may not be, for this purpose, but it surely is for others), for my money there's nothing like getting as many people as possible into a room with the lure of donuts and the chance to be heard. Some of the great things about in-person conversation when trying to arrive at a community consensus are that (1) in-person conversation doesn't leave out the technically challenged or technologically disinterested, (2) it provides the opportunity to notice when people are misunderstanding one another and to clear up those misunderstandings instantly, (3) it lays us open  to surprising elements being introduced that we can follow up right on the spot, (4) it lays us open to social connections arising, and (5) for me, anyway, it helps me remember  which one is Jason and which one is Joshua (smiling emoticon here).

Thus ends the contribution from one of the more old-fashioned  among us.

Ed
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