Fostering creativity
Imagine a bunch of highly talented people, all with different skill sets and maybe even from different industries and or social backgrounds. That’s a great first step towards a “think tank”, a creative environment where outside-the-box ideas can be bounced off each other and eventually morph into something very useful - be it for an organisation or even for the greater good of society.
Where it becomes tricky is when these people are not constantly co-located. After all creativity lives from spontaneous ideas and the longer it takes to discuss such an idea the more likely the initial enthusiasm and spirit has been lost. To make a think tank work in such an environment I believe we need something like instant messaging - but better! A way for members of such a group to communicate with each other as simple and as instant as possible but considering the individual circumstances.
Here is my list of requirements:
- I need something that actively pushes messages from this group to my desktop - which could be at home, at work, on my phone or anywhere else in the world at any given time - i.e. I do not want to have a client installed on my desktop.
- I need to be able to respond to the group at a time suitable to me
- At the same token I believe that quick turn-around time of feedback on ideas is quintessential for creativity so I need to be notified almost instantly even if I choose to respond at a more convenient time
- The trail of thought should be easily visible
These are the options I can think of right now (if you have another option please post a comment!):
- Email/Mailing list: This is probably the most obvious technology. With web-based interfaces to your email account or services like gmail information is accessible anywhere and comes to me. It is reliable but not necessarily instant (depending on how often you check your mails). Mailing lists (e.g. Google groups) have an advantage over standard email in terms of user administration and have the option to be visible in web searches.
- Forums: Currently a quite popular way to exchange thoughts and information on specific subjects. The main drawback here is that I would have to actively seek out information - i.e. I have to check the forums regularly and it would certainly not be anywhere near real-time.
- RSS feed: Information comes to me but I have no simple way of responding. Just as with email there could be a bit of a lag before messages show up in my RSS reader.
- Instant messaging: Most IM systems allow”conference chats” so it would be easy to include all members of the group. Except that one has to signed in (even if not currently at a computer) to see messages. It is also harder to retain information exchange from previous sessions.
- Phone calls/video conference: While certainly the most effective form of communication (other than sitting down together) it has to be arranged and does not leave members with the required flexibility of schedule. A great option for catch-ups and discussions once an idea gets past a certain point but no substitute for what I am looking for.
From all these options mailing lists seem to be the best option. Mayday however (not surprisingly) has come up with yet another approach. Using one of the many Web 2.0 services freely available they trial a Twitter group, essentially using Twitter’s open API and Jazzy Chad’s extension. The main advantage here is that individuals can choose how to receive information (any one or more of Email, IM, SMS (Text), Web or a locally installed desktop client). Providing an SMS option extends your notification option suddenly beyond computer access (even if you can’t reply by text just yet).
The two drawbacks are currently:
- Messages are limited to Twitter’s 140 character limit (but multiple messages are of course ok)
- Posting to the group is currently restricted to TwitterGroup’s web interface
Personally I think the first drawback is neglible. The second one is more serious and I am eager to hear more about their experiences with this trial!
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