[Edu-sig] Rich Data Streams

[Laura Creighton]

In a message of Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:07:32 CDT, Jeff Rush writes:
>I've just been frustrated lately across several spheres of life with how 
>very
>hard it is to get people, in general, to get involved, to take on meaning
>ful
>projects even those they agree are valuable.  The explanation eludes me a
>nd
>keeps me awake at night and I ask those I meet from other walks of life w
>hy.

One reason is that having ideas is easy.  Work is work.  One thing that
I have found that has had a limited amount of success -- though better
than near 0 success, as was before -- is for you to step in, take the
idea, and break it down into tasks that would need doing before it
is implemented.  This may need collaboration with the idea-haver, but
not always.  Then organise something -- a sprint, say to go make
code out of the idea.  People are justifiably afraid of getting
involved in a project that could suck up all their available
free time and more, and give them a responsibility that they will be
stuck with forever.  If the thing starts out as shared, there can be
some trust that it won't become an intolerable burden later -- and
that ducking out later to do something else that is interesting
won't damage a community that in some way has become dependent on you.

Laura