I was thinking about this some more. I know the Quilt Team and the KSC team have had some regular private meetings in chat that probably wouldn't work on the forum and I think their discussions were probably serious in nature.
-Scott
Dan and Scott, I am very much enjoying this discussion, and I would just like to interject to say that I think you are more in agreement than you might think. What I mean by this is that I think you are using the word "serious" in slightly different ways.
To Dan I think this forum is for thoughtful public discussion of Kiva issues that can be documented for all Kiva lenders. Conversations via threads allow individuals to craft a reply or a post and have others reply with thoughtfulness. I think for Dan "serious" involves the idea of think twice - post once. That type of seriousness is difficult if not impossible in chat.
But to Scott, I think you are using the word more broadly. To take the example of KSC discussions you reference. Sure those are "serious" in that we accomplish something when we take a meeting in there. Usually it is just questions Jane or I have, or deciding what to do next. These discussions have no business using up thread bandwith and therefore chat is exactly the right place for them.
Where I think there may be common ground that you are not recognizing is when you reference the MFI discussions in chat. I agree with Dan in so far as the information we glean on MFI matters deserves to be preserved in threads where it can be reviewed by interested parties for as long as the information is relevant, and probably much longer. But chat discussions can be good for people who are interested in the issues, but are not sure they have grasped all the information they have read so far. For these people using chat to talk them over in real time is helpful. Most of these kind of discussions need not be recorded, and are simply a means for some to better understand complex issues in order to make their own contributions to the ongoing conversation. The end of the chat session may result in a post in a thread, or just a better understanding by one or more lender of a complex issue, either is a valuable thing.
People have different methods of absorbing information. Having both the threads and chat in the Kiva Friends forum allows everyone to participate in a way that works better for their own needs and preferences. Hopefully we can look at both areas of the forum as useful tools that we can use to foster the support and growth of Kiva and Kiva lenders.
-Kerry-
