[New-imc] talking on the phone

[Bart]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay" <jay at tao.ca>
To: <new-imc at indymedia.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 10:24 AM
Subject: [New-imc] talking on the phone


> Hi everyone,
>
> I know this is going to sound stupid and simplistic, but I've been
thinking
> a lot about the miscommunication that happens regularly in the imc
network,
> especially in regard to new IMCs coming into Indymedia, and about ways to
> clear it up.  I've realized lately how easy it is to forget that there
> exists such a wonderful invention as the telephone.  Can you imagine -- in
> the past people actually talked to each other by voice, connecting "in
> person," rather than just shooting e-mails at each other?  I know, I know,
> it sounds crazy, but some of these telephone things still exist, and I
> actually think they're pretty functional.  I have seen many a confusing
and
> frustrating e-mail discussion turn ugly due, at least in great part, to
the
> fact that e-mail can be a pretty awful way to communicate.  People so
> easily get frustrated with each other while reading e-mails, misunderstand
> nuances, don't appreciate jokes, or even -- heavens forbid! -- forget to
> make any.  I've been overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of cameraderie
> that exists between Indymedia people when we're all in the same physical
> space, working together to accomplish the impossible.  Put those same
> people in an e-mail discussion though, and sometimes you'll find each of
> them writing as "loudly" as they can, not taking the time to really try to
> understand what the other is saying.
>
> I'm writing this not to wax nostalgic about the past, nor to blast e-mail
> as a form of communication (without which none of us would be here).  I'm
> just saying that we've had a bunch of miscommuncation lately that may not
> have happened, at least in the same way, if people (myself included) had
> connected at some point on the telephone.  Now that we have started to do
a
> better job of regionalizing our new-imc communication, perhaps we can use
> that decentralization to our advantage by more easily reaching out to
> aspiring IMCs, preferably face to face but, when that's improbable, on the
> phone, especially toward the initial stages of our communication.  I know
> that may be very impractical and essentially impossible in many places
> around the world, and I'm not saying we should try to replace the work we
> do here with phone chats, I'm just saying that at any point if we start to
> have miscommunication, when a phone call may help avoid problems or bridge
> a gap, we shouldn't forget that's an option.  If the time has come for an
> essential phone call or two, especially ones that would be made in order
to
> solve some communication problem, and the only obstacle to your reaching
> out in that way is lack of funds, let me know and, within reason of
course,
> I'd be happy to put my money where my mouth -- er, my keyboard -- is to
> help make it happen.

Jay,

while this may work in Us where phoning is quite cheap (as I heard) and
where the most people speak english.
Here in Europ, with the 4 big languages (french, english, spanish, german)
you can only talk to people's native language in rather a small part of
Europe.
If you have to look for each word, phoning is rather a hell and damn
expensive overhere anyway.

Bart
(btw: i hate phoning)
---
Q: Happiness ? A: I don't understand the question (interview with
guitar-fucker)
http://thepits.be - http://indymedia.be
icq: #48682266

> Just a late night thought from a late night kinda guy,
>
> Jay
>
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