Next Steps

[Guest]

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[RichardF]

So, if members of the Kiva Friends community were to develop another discussion forum somewhere that included Kiva as a major topic but not the only major topic, what would that look like?

What would be an interesting collection of discussion boards that included Kivaesque topics among them?

[YowieFreak]

So, if members of the Kiva Friends community were to develop another discussion forum somewhere that included Kiva as a major topic but not the only major topic, what would that look like?

Wouldn't it look just like KivaFriends?   

KivaFriends has Kiva as its major topic, but doesn't (AFAIK) prohibit discussions of other topics (minor or major).

[Kay]

Wouldn't it look just like KivaFriends?   

KivaFriends has Kiva as its major topic, but doesn't (AFAIK) prohibit discussions of other topics (minor or major).

Yes, that's what I thought. 

[RichardF]

Wouldn't it look just like KivaFriends?   

KivaFriends has Kiva as its major topic, but doesn't (AFAIK) prohibit discussions of other topics (minor or major).

I don't know either.  That's why I'm asking.

I might say that Kiva Friends is "Kiva-centric" in its emphasis, and rightfully so.  Another type of forum might have Kiva as a discussion board in a category of Microfinance.

If that were the case, what might other categories be at a level of comparable status to microfinance?

[RichardF]

I’ve been busy at work lately (no, really) looking at different ways to do organizational self-studies.  Through that process, I came across a collection of videos about just that.  One of them is shown below.  Here’s the spoiler.  Three things that really motivate us are self-determination, mastery and purpose. 

I got to thinking about how such things might relate to my involvement with all things Kiva (and Wikipedia, for that matter).  In this context, I got to thinking about some of my favorite Kiva Lending Teams, such as Women in Hats – “a team of all captains.”  I gave it high marks on this drive motivation scale. 

I then got to thinking about the Kivaesque discussion venues I use.  I like all of them in some ways and not so much in others.  The Kiva discussion boards are great for focused communities, but not so hot on fancy features.  KF has a nice platform and Kiva focus, but its categories and boards don’t evolve much.  And fixing the chat room has been a pain.

At that point I started wondering, well, what can we do to try another way?  I came across a site that reviews discussion forum software (http://www.forum-software.org/) and started looking around.  Could there be a way to set up something that aspired to be “a discussion board of all moderators” that was “built by its members” for “what’s important” to them?  The board could start with major topics like Kiva, microfinance, crowdfunding and such, but who knows where it would lead?

With possibilities like those in mind, I’ve started looking at the “hosted” forum software reviews and sites (http://www.forum-software.org/forum-reviews/hosted?sort=alphabetical ).  In addition to the hosted forums listed on that page, I added two more possibilities mentioned elsewhere on the reviews site, http://www.smfnew.com/ (a version of what KF uses) and http://jcink.com/ (a version of a highly regarded commercial forum).

At this point, I’ll probably be trying out at least one of these forum hosts (part of that “mastery” thing) to help me hone my skills related to some organizational development things I’m working on.  If some of that activity can be related Kiva stuff, then I’m all for it.  If anyone around here wants to join in, then I’m all for that too!

RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

This lively RSAnimate, adapted from Dan Pink's talk at the RSA, illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace.
www.theRSA.org

[Harvey:)]

So, if members of the Kiva Friends community were to develop another discussion forum somewhere that included Kiva as a major topic but not the only major topic, what would that look like?

What would be an interesting collection of discussion boards that included Kivaesque topics among them?

I think this is a great idea, Richard, and I look forward to its implementation.

BTW, the video was excellent.

Wouldn't it look just like KivaFriends?

 

No, I highly doubt it would look just like KivaFriends. I think it would look, feel and be quite different.  There are several reasons why it would be quite different from KivaFriends and, in his most recent post, I think Richard covered at least some of those reasons:
http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,5691.msg88266.html#msg88266

[RichardF]

The Next Steps discussion forum is now open.

At the very least, it has a simple chat room.

[kalleward]

So, if members of the Kiva Friends community were to develop another discussion forum somewhere that included Kiva as a major topic but not the only major topic, what would that look like?

What would be an interesting collection of discussion boards that included Kivaesque topics among them?

@RichardF I think that the implementation has been fantastic, and I'd really love to see more Kiva Friends give it a try (in addition to this of course).  Bringing in Kiva discussions side by side many other related topics could cultivate many more creative ideas and dialogue.  Not only for micro-finance and social entrepreneurship in general but for Kiva Friends and our own goals.

[RichardF]

Hi Dan,

Thanks.    I work at a university with a strong culture of interdisciplinary collaboration.  We're just starting to see some of those types of possibilities emerging over at Next Steps.

I look forward to learning more about TriKiva here and there.  Any Kalamazoo-based project must be top-notch!