Hi Nancy! Okay, yes, I know what "Barnraising" is, but perhaps you could explain it for all those who don't.

-- Ragged Claws (wallace@raggedclaws.com), September 05, 1998

Answers

Barnraising -- Ah Barnraising.

Barnraising is the place that embodies the spirit of neighborliness where we swap questions, answers, ideas and resources all in the general name of online community. What does it take from the software and hardware side? Where are the great resources? What are the human skills? Where are the pitfalls and beautiful mountaintop views of community building?

But Barnraising is about far more than the content. It is about how we help each other find and use content. It is about the people connections that make information more than bits and bytes, but a way to connect, build and make our place (social, business, cause related, whatever) better spaces for humans.

And where else would you find folks like Wallace, who has built this wonderful tool shed so we don't loose our answers in the straw around the Barn! Woo HOo!

-- Choconancy (njwhite@halcyon.com), September 07, 1998.

A Little Barnraising History

Hmmm. To answer Wallace's question, I decided to poke around our Barn for the archeological clues. Here is the first ever post from the Barnraising Conference, a subconference of the Virtual Community Center Conference in Electric Minds, from the Conference's first Host, Jilld

Topic 1: Barnraising Conference Business By: virtual cows! virtual hay! (jilld) 10/23/96 11:10:27 PM

Welcome to Barnraising. Grab a hammer. Hey you, pull this rope.

This conference is all about the tools it takes to build a virtual barn. I'll spare you the rest of the farm analogies I have worked out (you should thank me for that, really). But I will tell you that this is the place that we talk about what it technically takes to create community online.

How does conferencing architecture affect conversation? What's the best chat program out there? What tools do you need to bring people together in cyberspace and how do you make it happen?

Around the spring of 97, one of the Barn's favorite visitors, Michael Chase joined Jill as host, then took over all together. This was also when Electric Minds, on the verge of financial tailspinning, was bought by Durand Communications. It was a tumultuous summer and the barn was pretty quiet.

Sadly, Michael died in August of 97. I pitched in later in the Fall of 97. That started a very very quiet period for Barnraising, which inched along through the contributions of a few loyal and patient Eminders...quietly adding info, and checking in.

Then in the Summer of 98, a new breath of fresh air blew into the barn, chasing the cobwebs away. And again, information is flowing and people are connection. Thus ends the short history lesson. May there be many more chapters.

-- Choconancy (njwhite@halcyon.com), September 07, 1998.