Nancy, you are just so right on those comments. But doesn’t it make you feel like having a strong sense of deja vú in the sense that we are going nowadays through the exact same face of when the Internet first became available to wider audiences and everyone was crazy with Forums, newsgroups, e-mail, chat, I.R.C. and the list goes on and on and on. Back then, indeed, people were thinking along the same lines: tools, tools, tools, and then let’s worry about facilitation, which is why in most cases it all failed. I mean, having that strong sense of community, of belonging to the group.

You would expect though that we would have learned the lesson by now and realise that while all of these social tools are just that, tools that enable people to get together, the focus should be on the facilitation part because that is what will make an online community successful. The fact that you focus on the people, and helping facilitate those connections so that they can share with the rest of the community membership. It looks like we are all going back to the late 90s!! Hopefully, people would realise about it before it is too late.

I think you would find the webcast interesting to listen to, although I know you have got much better things to do at the moment. Love the pictures you have been sharing in your Flickr account from such a beautiful place as Sardegna. Wonderful! It makes me want to go there and join you! Have a good one and keep it up!

Dennis, thanks for the heads up and for letting me know about this. I am glad to read you have enjoyed the article and have forwarded it to one of your clients. If you would need more info you know where to find me

I think people don’t talk about facilitation when the tech landscape is changing. When it pauses for a moment, then everyone hits themselves on the forehead and says “FACILITATION! It is Obvious!” But it seems we go in a cycle with online communities, bouncing between our fascination with technology, then our (somewhat less) fascination with process! I hope to find time to listen to the podcast you pointed to! Waving from Sardegna (beautiful place)