Comments on: Weaver St. Market Lawn: The Story So Far…. http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/ Chapel Hill and the World One Post at a Time Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:51:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brian R. http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-2205 Brian R. Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:42:26 +0000 http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/#comment-2205 I'd agree that OrangePolitics.org is a special place. It does have a unique focus put upon it by all kinds of readers. This is due in part to the quality of the content. The phenomenon that is OP couldn't have happened if Ruby exercised some sort of restrictive policy. OP's success came about from good writing, good editing, a focused area to discuss (geographic and political), good comments, a bit of money, and LOTS of hard work. It required a community to make it happen. That process is the very antithesis of a “restrictive policy”. The results prove this. Sorry I couldn't make it to the bloggers meetup. I’d agree that OrangePolitics.org is a special place. It does have a unique focus put upon it by all kinds of readers. This is due in part to the quality of the content.

The phenomenon that is OP couldn’t have happened if Ruby exercised some sort of restrictive policy. OP’s success came about from good writing, good editing, a focused area to discuss (geographic and political), good comments, a bit of money, and LOTS of hard work. It required a community to make it happen. That process is the very antithesis of a “restrictive policy”. The results prove this.

Sorry I couldn’t make it to the bloggers meetup.

]]> By: Administrator http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-2203 Administrator Thu, 07 Sep 2006 19:12:05 +0000 http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/#comment-2203 Thanks Geoff. I guess the honeymoon is over and I'll be savaged STP style next time ;-)? I look forward to hearing the PODcast so I can review what I actually blathered on about... Thanks again. Good luck on the knee surgery (I almost asked if the injury was caused by a "knee jerk" but that seemed a "bridge to far"). See you soon... Thanks Geoff. I guess the honeymoon is over and I’ll be savaged STP style next time ;-) ? I look forward to hearing the PODcast so I can review what I actually blathered on about…

Thanks again. Good luck on the knee surgery (I almost asked if the injury was caused by a “knee jerk” but that seemed a “bridge to far”).

See you soon…

]]> By: Administrator http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-2202 Administrator Thu, 07 Sep 2006 19:04:51 +0000 http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/#comment-2202 While there's a low cost of entry to creating your own little piece of the Town Commons, I'll continue to argue that OP occupies a special place (like the WSM lawn) within our community. Why? Because OP is not just a web site - it's a focus of attention (collection of eyeballs to use a nasty monetizing turn of phrase). Ruby deliberately set out to create that locus of attention. Between the community piling on and the steady accumulation of quality content, that locus of attention has steadily mounted. OP's strength (heck, even STP's strength) comes from that locus of attention. If all the posters and commenter's on these sites worked "distributively" than that attention would dissipate into the ether - you would lose the organically, incrementally developed value of the site. Maybe one day the "distributed" Town Commons will work because of tools like <a href="http://co.mments.com/" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">co.Comment</a> but, right now, we should preserve the carefully cultivated, hard-to-replace spirit of OP, just as we want to preserve that same ineffable quality on the WSM lawn. As far as the Koolaid, why don't you let me <a href="http://blogtogether.org/article/171/fall-meetup-news" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">buy you a drink at tonight's blogger meetup at OpenEye?</a> While there’s a low cost of entry to creating your own little piece of the Town Commons, I’ll continue to argue that OP occupies a special place (like the WSM lawn) within our community.

Why?

Because OP is not just a web site – it’s a focus of attention (collection of eyeballs to use a nasty monetizing turn of phrase). Ruby deliberately set out to create that locus of attention. Between the community piling on and the steady accumulation of quality content, that locus of attention has steadily mounted. OP’s strength (heck, even STP’s strength) comes from that locus of attention.

If all the posters and commenter’s on these sites worked “distributively” than that attention would dissipate into the ether – you would lose the organically, incrementally developed value of the site.

Maybe one day the “distributed” Town Commons will work because of tools like co.Comment but, right now, we should preserve the carefully cultivated, hard-to-replace spirit of OP, just as we want to preserve that same ineffable quality on the WSM lawn.

As far as the Koolaid, why don’t you let me buy you a drink at tonight’s blogger meetup at OpenEye?

]]> By: Brian R. http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-2201 Brian R. Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:49:44 +0000 http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/#comment-2201 The difference between Orange Politics, which you call a 'net-based Town Commons', and a real Town Commons is cost. Its cheap to create Orange Politics but large public commons spaces in Carrboro cost Millions of dollars. So there is little barrier to creating your own virtual space online to do all kinds of stuff. The real Town Commons is the whole Internet itself. Not one popular website. Everyone should create their own personal space with public space qualities. The more the better. When did you start drinking the Squeeze the Pulp Kool Aid (TM) Will? :) The difference between Orange Politics, which you call a ‘net-based Town Commons’, and a real Town Commons is cost. Its cheap to create Orange Politics but large public commons spaces in Carrboro cost Millions of dollars.

So there is little barrier to creating your own virtual space online to do all kinds of stuff. The real Town Commons is the whole Internet itself. Not one popular website. Everyone should create their own personal space with public space qualities. The more the better.

When did you start drinking the Squeeze the Pulp Kool Aid (TM) Will? :)

]]> By: Ruby Sinreich http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-2200 Ruby Sinreich Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:24:57 +0000 http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/#comment-2200 Oh also, I mostly don't argue that I have some "right" to dance on Carr Mill's lawn, but that it's stupid to make rules regulating how I move my body while I am being a law-abiding consumer of their services. Oh also, I mostly don’t argue that I have some “right” to dance on Carr Mill’s lawn, but that it’s stupid to make rules regulating how I move my body while I am being a law-abiding consumer of their services.

]]> By: Ruby Sinreich http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-2199 Ruby Sinreich Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:23:14 +0000 http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/#comment-2199 Last time I checked, no-one's asking to be allowed to use the lawn to do *anything* they want without respect to whether it injures someone or actively works against WSM's goals of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Also last time I checked, the only comments that have ever been removed from OrangePolitics were those that were mean-spirited personal attacks, not locally-related, or outright lies. Unlike STP, we don't allow people to be slandered with impunity. We do have standards and I think a lot of folks like OP that way. Last time I checked, no-one’s asking to be allowed to use the lawn to do *anything* they want without respect to whether it injures someone or actively works against WSM’s goals of environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

Also last time I checked, the only comments that have ever been removed from OrangePolitics were those that were mean-spirited personal attacks, not locally-related, or outright lies. Unlike STP, we don’t allow people to be slandered with impunity. We do have standards and I think a lot of folks like OP that way.

]]> By: Geoff Gilson - "The ESP Show"/WCOM http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/comment-page-1/#comment-2198 Geoff Gilson - "The ESP Show"/WCOM Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:15:42 +0000 http://citizenwill.org/2006/09/07/weaver-st-market-lawn-the-story-so-far/#comment-2198 Excellent overview! And thank you for your balanced input on our Show today. Would have been nice also to get the chance to chat with Nathan and Bruce, but hey, you can't win 'em all! Keep up the good work - we can't have too many open blogs in Orange County (yes, we made the correlation last week between Ruby and Champions of Free Speech, who do not allow free speech on their own private property...) Geoff Gilson "The ESP Show" Thursdays, 9am-10am WCOM 103.5 FM www.communityradio.coop Excellent overview! And thank you for your balanced input on our Show today. Would have been nice also to get the chance to chat with Nathan and Bruce, but hey, you can’t win ‘em all! Keep up the good work – we can’t have too many open blogs in Orange County (yes, we made the correlation last week between Ruby and Champions of Free Speech, who do not allow free speech on their own private property…)

Geoff Gilson

“The ESP Show”
Thursdays, 9am-10am
WCOM 103.5 FM
http://www.communityradio.coop

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