Is edtechtalk somehow connected to the idea of shoutcasting?

I think it is. Indeed, audio streams are more accessible in areas where bandwidth is an issue, and I think an important attribute. Webcasting also allows for autonomy and flexibility in terms of “fee for services” as opportunities present.

Which brings us back to sustainability. I think that “server sponsorship” is something we need to explore, and believe the EdTechTalk brand is such that we’d not have to “sell the farm” to make it happen.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment Dave, and for all you and Jeff have done to make this conversation happen.

While I don’t think we’d delude ourselves into thinking we can “manage” the people in this community, I do think there’s a role of caretaker that we want to make sure is filled. Hopefully, these efforts will allow ETT to continue to be a valuable part of many people’s learning networks.

My so-called community of practice is a completely informal collection of people I have chosen to associate with. I read and comment on their blogs. They comment on mine. We are connected in a few different spaces. I seek their advice and input and offer mine.

But we’re not a formal entity known as Karyn’s Community of Practice. In fact, some of them probably don’t even know that I consider them to be a part of my community of practice, and probably don’t regard me as part of theirs.

Then it occurred to me that, because of this very thing, it does fall to me to manage this informal, virtual entity. I choose who is in and who is out. I choose where I am going to participate. While I publish every non-spam comment on my blog, I choose whether/how to respond to their input.

So I don’t actually exercise any management over the people at all. What I manage is the intangible, entirely individualised collective they (unwittingly in some cases) constitute.

Interesting.

I shall be keeping an eye on how things progress…