NETWORKS AND NETWORK GENERATORS
There are some distinctions that might be useful in clarifying what NCN is
and what different parts of NCN are.
Particularly I very much appreciate some things Leif Smith
<leif@pattern.rmnug.org> has said about the difference between networks and
network generators, and I'll try to give my interpretation and comments
here.
A Network does not inherently have an agenda and it is not controlled by
anybody. What makes it a network is that different parts are controlled by
different people and connections can be established freely across any
boundaries. There is no central authority or command in a Network.
Different individuals or groups might provide services for a Network. They
might set up facilities that are useful to other parts of the Network, and
they might also work on building or expanding or developing the Network.
These individuals or groups can be called Network Generators. They are
organized whichever way their originators choose to manage them.
Other individuals or groups might choose to simply use some of the services
and connections that are available in the network. They might have exciting
and important projects and activities, but do not particularly focus on the
development of the network itself. We could say that those are the Users of
the Network.
Now, a network is not an organization, per se. It is a way for people to
organize themselves, but it is not an organization with a pre-defined
org-chart and specific departments and job functions and business plans.
Units within the network are quite likely to have very specific agendas and
functions and modes of leadership. But the overall network does not, except
for as a dynamic aggregate of what different parts of it are engaged with.
As to what the New Civilization Network is, we could well say that it is a
movement much bigger than any of us, a collective movement of all the
people on the planet who are working and have been working on creating a
better world, no matter what words they choose to describe it. We people
here certainly aren't the only ones doing it. However, to be practical
about it, it does give a certain sense of belonging and of focus to say
that we, 250 people here, are now members of the New Civilization Network.
There can be, and probably should be, many Network Generators. That is,
there ought to be many individuals and groups who are providing services
for the Network, or who are working on developing and refining the Network,
or any network. And, most certainly, there needs to be many, many projects,
teams, organizations, activities that contribute to a new civilization,
under whatever name, and that are part of this network.
One reason I am saying this is to make it clear that there is no central
authority or monopoly deciding what a new civilization will be or how to go
about creating it.
Our little network here is in part supported by an Internet server, some
mailing lists, and some functions that are performed by me and a few other
people. None of this is supposed to be representative or authoritative of
what NCN as a whole IS or is supposed to do. They are simply some services
that a few people decided to perform in order to support and generate the
network.
And then the network consists of what you individually and as teams and
organizations are doing. There is no authority in NCN that has any say in
that. But, by all means, bring it forward and let's see how the existing
network services and other members can support it.
NCN has no overall agenda, no pre-written battleplan. It is about what YOU
do. You don't have to gain agreement here to do anything. Rather, this is a
collective space where you might run into others who have similar ideas and
who want to do similar things, and you can connect up and cooperate.
- Flemming
Check out Leif Smith's Open Network and Freeorder web site at:
http://rainbow.rmii.com/~leif/
o o
/ \------------------ Flemming A. Funch ------------------/ \
/ * \ World Transformation/New Civilization/Whole Systems / * \
/ * * \ ffunch@newciv.org / * * \
o-------o--------- http://newciv.org/worldtrans/ ---------o-------o
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Dec 07 2000 - 23:22:12 PST