> I am looking for the structures that will provide some of that and
> yet make sharing new knowledge with the world a practical affair. I
> also would love to have a copy of the manuscript Ben refers to. I'd
> be happy to pay for it and offer to do so. But that doesn't really
> touch the larger issue of how many of us would love to contribute and
> yet must have an economic basis that works for that. After all, a
> few of us paying Ben as I've just offered won't even buy him and a
> friend a dinner out.
Dear learners,
Michael-
I still think my cake metaphor applies, but that is besides the
point. You have raised another matter (problem) which needs more
attention. I must admit that on the first reading I somehow got
the impression that you were somewhat bitter for not being
credited in financial terms.
Ben-
I am also happy and willing to pay for your manuscript. I had a
look (from South Africa, with all the communication pains
involved) at the web site you gave. It offered to download an
*.exe file, but nothing came from it. Anyway, I somehow got the
impression that you intend either to tease us or to keep the
manuscript confidential.
Michael raised the following problem (my interpretation):
How to 'pay' adequately another person for 'goods' which he/she
has made available to you, especially in the dimension of
'virtual reality or cyberspace'.
I think that Michael points tacitly through this problem to a
very important matter in Learning Organisations:
THE SYMBIOTIC FUNCTIONING OF ANY LEARNING ORGANISATION.
The individual members of a LO can go much further from strength
to strength when there is symbiosis between the members, i.e. an
effective caring for each others needs and desires. The salary
at the end of the month or the honours bestowed at a meeting
is only a fraction of the symbiotic remunerations we should think
of. We should even think of negative ones such as retaliation.
If I may reinterpret Michael's problem, it is the problem of
how to attain symbiosis of LOs (such as this forum) in
cyberspace. We wish to get some information from Ben and wish to
pay him for it. It all must happen as much as possible in
cyberspace. Would it not be wonderful if I had a kitty bank in
cyberspace, accummulating a few dollars here, another few there -
until on a rainy day I suddenly realise how valuable it had
become?
I have so much to say, but I will rather stop cybering and give
others the opportunity. Do you feel that it is an important
problem? What solution would you propose? Please jump in and let
us have your ideas.
Maybe someone can even make a living by setting up a money
depositary which operate in cyberspace. {Depositaries in other
hirarchies [see Maslow] are also possible!} I can think of a
number of occasions in my own past where I would have been happy
to make a voluntary payment in the spirit of symbiosis. Take
shareware, for example. Do a person in the USA (or Germany)
realise what costs are involved in sending and clearing a
$20 (DM50) check from South Africa or other third world
countries? Its a nightmare!
Rick-
We may have a new thread here, something like "symbiosis in
LOs". Of course, it is up to you to allow it.
[Host's Note: Subject line changed as you requested. ...Rick]
Michael-
I honour you for making us aware of this important matter of
symbiosis in LOs. If you ever come close to Pretoria in South
Africa, I will also buy you a dinner as another payment.
Ben-
-tease- Maybe I will buy you a dinner somewhere.
Best wishes
--At de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre for Education University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa email: amdelange@gold.up.ac.za
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>