Finding the time to experiment ...

Time
Originally uploaded by Choconancy1.

I found this in flickr tonight in Nancy's flickr stream.  It made me think about a post-it note from almost ten years ago! It's here  The context- arts educators in a workshop looking at how can they integrate the use of email, web pages, or google searches into their practice.   The tools have changed, the issues remain the same and are similar for teachers as for nonprofit workers.

Then I go to Marc Sirkin's blog

Why not just jump off the cliff and have some fun experimenting? Beth Kanter turned me on to this neat new service... and we're going to let it fly for a whlie on our LLS myspace profile.

So, momentarily, I feel like a crack dealer to nonprofits ... that they are doing something wrong experimenting.  But how else will it get embedded into nonprofit practice unless someone takes a few minutes to hit the pause button, set up a tiny experiment, and see what happens?

Marc has this to say in another post about incorporating social networking tools:

Find the time to explore an ever expanding menu of communications channels

By simply believing that these channels have future (or present) value, we simply make some time to get to know these systems and how they work. Each site is different - LinkedIn has a different vibe than Myspace - and very different users. Once we think we understand who is using a given site, we'll decide either to jump in or not... that's when we start to experiment by joining different groups, creating our own profiles and becoming part of the community. At LLS, our success with myspace does mean some staff time - so we've divided up the responsibilities but have given those folks ownership to experiment and "play."

Marc responded to my comment/question on the post about he finds the time to experiment.  It's here - he says:

Experimentation is the highly technical term that I use when when I'm spending time doing things that have no predictable outcomes. Myspace, along with Second Life and things like MissionFish are good examples of "experimentation."

In the case of LLS's use of myspace I feel like part of the experiment is figuring out how an org (vs. a person) actually participates in a community. As it is, LLS is not posting bulletins, Marc, Peter and Ralph are. That said, I think we've tapped into something worth exploring - be it a long tail effect of LLS communities, or something wholly new we're not yet sure.

The honest truth about how I make time for it is... I have no idea. I carve out an hour a week and just play. If you are asking if I have permission - then I'd respond by saying that I don't need permission to do my job. It's my job to be innovative, and to bring new ideas to the organization - and then figure out how it fits and how to execute.

Translating strategy into action is where the action's at.

Not for nothing, I also use a lot of personal time.

Now, I have no idea what the context was like for educational technology conference where Nancy was working ... but curious ...

My passion is to make the time to experiment. 

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Comments

[iwilker]

Nice post. Like you and Marc, I make the time to experiment -- it's truly a passion, sorting out new tech and content models that will help my npo advance its mission.

It's been pretty much a high-wire act, though, squeezing family time, more prosaic work, self-care (the gym and I aren't on great terms, as of late), and lots of research/play/learning time. It's like I've been in night school. I hope I can ease off the gas a little bit, in the not-too-distant future.

[Nancy White]

Beth, our tool crack dealer. I'm going to have to blog that quote, Beth! Fair warning.

I think we DON'T all have time to experiment and it is at times an addictive behavior. For me, the only solution is to have a network and we spread the experimentation out amongst us. I am reading your stuff on 2nd Life, for example, not yet jumping in myself.

If we can't do this as a network, we'll NEVER get past early adopters, IMHO.

[Beth]

Nancy:

I had to bring your comment up into a post! I agree. How can start to set up a network that crosses silos and a place where we can expeirment together?

[Joitske]

I suddenly thought of my team in Ghana, working on an innovative approach, which brought it into an experimental, positive team spirit, daring to experiment. As compared to when I was employed in a -to-be-phased-out project. So an experimental mood or nature can also help creativity and good atmosphere in organisations