Papers & Presentations
You show me yours and I'll show you mine - sharing resources online
is easier said than done
Janine Bowes VECO Project Coordinator, Tasmania
The phrase "and we will use our online network to share resources" rolls glibly off the tongue but what does it mean in reality? This paper examines the issues involved in creating systems that allow members of an online community to share their resources in a systematic and manageable way. It will explore the skills required of the individual members and the infrastructure that makes sense on a website to allow a systematic archiving of the collective wisdom of the community.
Using the VECO community as a case study and examples from other online communities, the paper will explore the ways that resources can be shared. It will highlight the importance of email as a starting point for online participation and how ongoing participation naturally leads to the desirablity for access to webspace controlled by the individual.
VECO is vocational education coordinators online and is a national network initiated and supported by the Australian Student Traineeship Foundation in partnership with Ausie SchoolHouse. Using email lists as a core tool it has evolved into an online community that uses multiple modes of electronic communication including a website that acts as an information organising tool for the community.