Hello all,
<p class="MsoNormal">This is my first post here, though I've been lurking for
awhile following the threads in the past several weeks.<span style=""> </span>Trebor kindly asked me to moderate a
week-long thread on the iDC list, so before I start with the topic(s), I would
like to introduce myself.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am information management professional - graduate of the University of Belgrade
(Serbia), Alumni of UNC-SILS, Chapel Hill (USA), with a
Masters from University of Belgrade, City University of
London (UK) - Dept. of Master studies (Information science), with the background in Humanities, Culture and
media studies, Philology sciences. I am currently in Belgrade, Serbia,
volunteering and working for more than 12 years as Serbian pioneer in
all online activities: online publishing, online communities, blogging, open
source, Linux, science blogging, open science, social networking software, <span style="">teaching, </span>eZine managing. I done research on certain
aspects of e-publishing, Internet and e-resources usage in academia (Serbia), in comparison to the UK and the USA
and been a tireless advocate for the Internet, open source computing and Open
Science, traveling around Serbia
and the world, preaching and teaching. I am also author of several blogs,
editor for Serbia of E-LIS (open access eConsortia) but above all - web
activist interested in e-publishing, open access, blogging phenomena, communications, social aspects of digital media, social online
networks, digital culture and art in
all forms.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""></span>I recently (last
week) came back from international conference in Amsterdam on alternatives and open knowledge in education , academic
institutions (universities, research institutes, eConsortia, libraries,
eArchives, etc.), where I <a href="http://faultlines.waag.org/?p=31">had my
lecture and interactive session, discussing</a> with professionals from
different backgrounds, on new concepts and ideas of learning, challenges in
contemporary pedagogy, including the use of new media tools, but also exploring
institutional and cultural issues.<br>I would like here to discuss, exchange information, thoughts
and ideas on certain issues (I started some topics but we were limited to 60
min and the last one on online communities in above mentioned institutions and
some issues that follows, we didn't have time to discuss).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What I'm trying to resolve and find out in the past several
months, a year, more through practice, <span style=""> </span>is why<span style=""> </span>scientific and academic target group is not using open source facilities
(OA databases, archives, e-resources), as I created and maintained the <a href="http://kobson.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/why-do-we-need-science-blogs/">first
Serbian (Balkan area) science blog</a> within eConsortia. I was asked to do so,
Serbian eConsortia wanted hype thing,<span style="">
</span>then after several months they didn'want it and could not support it, despite
of my lectures and trainings and volunteerism for this science blog (also
writing posts considering after a certain time people from eConsortia will
continue later themselves).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <br>What I found as a problem is resistance from above, higher
hierarchy 'authorities': eConsortia and Ministries, who are more into
notworking than networking, and later on disapproval and putting under the
question the existence of this blog , when they notice that the 'science blog'
and online science and research community is slowly developing and some
scientists or activists (small group) started to give a feedback either through
comments or via internal communication being enthusiastic for this blog. This is
just an example (science blog) of passivity and notworking in online community
space.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> In my part of Europe there is no more 'information poor and rich
society' digital divide: Serbia
and Balkan countries are fully subscribed and have all facilities to use open
source data and databases available any time. Therefore, there is no excuse for
not using them. There is also certain group of colleagues (very few) who
support idea of using web 2.0 applications in their everyday work, but some
'older authorities' or 'authorities with personal interests' are stopping the
progress. This is not new issue here, as I've been Internet pioneer since 1998,
created first academic listserv at Faculty of Architecture with more than 800
members (it was not limited to that institution but also included the artists,
designers, architects, professors world wide, not only Serbia) as well as
initiator and editor in chief of electronic magazine (2000) on culture, visual
arts and contemporary architecture (until 2003).<br>However, since we experience
and use web 2.0 services, and many of us social, online networks or/and communities
within professional area, I have a question: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why people (I will try not to generalize, but in my case and
geo-spot) are idle or afraid of using new technology tools when they have help if they
are not 'secure' for using them? I've <span style=""> </span>held several lectures and trainings on blogs,
wikis, web 2.0 other applications, tried to motivate in analogue world
colleagues, but then Ministries of Science, Education is not making effort to
support such initiatives. For what is worst, they have subscribed to be a 'part
of eEurope' and bigger eConsortia, and I, as open source evangelist, have been
teaching and preaching ever since, but electronic available open access
resources are not used in even satisfactory level!<br>Can you imagine millions of
precious open source –electronic information unused? For this situation, from
my research master paper in one chapter, I found some reasons/factors for this
situation: lack of hardware, Internet connection, digital illiteracy, non
motivation, dissatisfaction of academic personnel with their salaries and
therefore not interested to broad their scope in education processes and
implement into their syllabus e-resources, and many other reasons.
Situation is much better regarding hardware and Internet connectivity (in the
last 2 years) and what is now excuse for not-using precious open source
databases, resources that we have? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do (idle) professors, researchers, teachers, librarians, IT
professionals need to change this situation and be more active? Yes! Why they
are not doing so? I am trying to explore. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to make them more active, to motivate them as individual
(beside sending 'love-links', information via email experiencing 'online silence',
lectures, teaching, leading workshops/trainings)?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Burning question is how to make / create 'interactive
'playground' of online community in academia, professional, scientific
institutions, eConsortia to move on, further, by jumping into the eTrain of web
2.0?<br><span style=""></span>I know that certain
issues come and are dependable on economy and society of one country, but please
– open source data, open CMS freeware cost nothing!!! And they are in 90% user
friendly for common interaction and collaboration. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How online community managers in such institutions need to
behave or undertake certain strategies to shake, motivate such idle users or
coordinators in other world wide countries within larger eConsortia, who have
everything 'on plate', but they are notworking?</p>
<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-width: medium medium 1pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;">Interesting point gave
prof.<span style=""> Florian </span>Schneider at Pedagogical Faultlines conference at my session, when he said something from his experience: that the students/users who has free
usage of all e-resources, web 2.0 applications and have opportunity to be involved (or are asked,
obliged through online classroom assignments) are not eager to take part into
online communities, and on contrary - those who are off that assignments or
institution use those social networks, blogs, and they are more active.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"> <br>Internet culture is in a
permanent flux. What are the motivation, starting points, methods regarding
this 'online community notworking' issue in science/education institutions, to
change situation for users and community in large, and make them (more) active?
And first of all, as I wrote on hierarchy (Ministry of Science, education,
eConsortia directors, directors on National libraries, etc.):<br>How to point out
this burning issue to them, <span style=""></span>present for several years, <span style=""></span>knowing that
they have other 'interests' and they are not interested into ICT's development
(but rather idle subscription of Academia with online resources just to 'fill
the annual budget'), and not taking in consideration other issues beside
being formal 'information rich society' as it is now Serbia? <span style=""> </span>Formal(ly) I repeat.<br>For me, this issue is like
beating a dead horse. And since I am individual who put in the past all of my
efforts <span style=""> </span>without any *significant* result
'inside the country' but have the 'trails' and positive feedback from very few
users of what I have done (it's obvious that a professional, even a small group
of professionals cannot change politics and economy in education and science
sector of one country, especially if they want to change and implement useful,
open source, freeware applications and beside that, to teach people how to use
it), what would be the solution for such situation considering your opinion?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;">I would be thankful if you
participate and give your creative thoughts, ideas not only on one issue I
mentioned here, but others as well.<br>Sorry if I wrote long text, but
this is very current topic not only in digital world and<span style=""> </span>blogosphere but also in analogue world as
well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;">I appreciate any feedback. Thank
you for reading.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;">Best,<br>Danica</p>
</div>
<br>-----------------<br>Danica Radovanovic<br>MSc.Information management professional<br>Project coordinator, Web activist, blogger<br>E-LIS editor, Serbia<br><a href="http://eprints.rclis.org/">http://eprints.rclis.org/
</a><br>---<br>blog: <a href="http://danicar.wordpress.com">http://danicar.wordpress.com</a><br>site:<a href="http://danicaradovanovic.org">http://danicaradovanovic.org</a><br>skype: zmajche<br>twitter: simpathique<br>---------------------------