[sustran] Re: Extending Sustran

[Ian Perry]

Hi,

I'll agree with Carlos.  FB is not a good tool for in-depth discussion,
it's designed for sharing links, photos and short messages - ones a little
bit longer than Twitter.  Although there may be 1500 people as members
of the FB group, how many are active; how many ever visit the group?

Cross-posting only adds to the numbers of emails I ignore or leave forever
unopened.  I passed 10,000 unopened emails long ago, despite purges from
time to time.  FB does help with this, but it is still not an alternative
to the email discussions...

I'm sure that the gap will eventually be filled by a new networking and
discussion platform.  I think it's best no to rush and then have to rebuild
in a years time...

Ian


On Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 1:40 PM, Carlosfelipe Pardo
<carlosfpardo at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi Eric,
>
> I think Facebook is good as a social networking site, but not as an
> archive of discussions. I love the fact that I can search something in
> the sustran archive, because many people are always giving many useful
> links or anecdotes or references that sometimes I've needed to support
> an argument. Facebook wouldn't have that capability, I think it is too
> ephemeral for these discussions... unless we want to have ephemeral
> discussions, in which case I'd suggest we do a Facebook page for that
> purpose.
>
> Carlos.
>
> On 24/08/2012 06:18 a.m., eric britton wrote:
> > Dear Sustraners,
> >
> >
> >
> > Here's an idea which I put before you for your comments and suggestions.
> It
> > involves a Facebook Sustran Global South page which we set up at
> > http://www.facebook.com/groups/worldstreets/  and which we propose as a
> > possible complement to the original Sustran-Discuss site launched in the
> > late nineties at
> http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss. I
> > personally have no fixed ideas on this, but let me share with you my
> > thoughts.
> >
> >
> >
> > Hate or love Facebook we at least are finding that it is a valuable tool
> and
> > part of our overall communications strategy.  The software behind the
> pages
> > that we work with is being steadily improved, and we are finding it a lot
> > more efficient than the Yahoo Groups fora that we started to set up
> already
> > in the mid-nineties.  I like that it permits the easy exchange of images,
> > photographs, and videos , as well as handling html pretty well, all of
> which
> > makes a nice addition.
> >
> >
> >
> > The popular original Sustran-Discuss Forum offers a fine collaborative
> > platform for exchanging information, ideas and comments and serves us
> well
> > for peer exchanges in matters involving specifically sustainable
> transport
> > in the Global South for more than a dozen years now. But as we have seen
> in
> > linking the main World Streets site (www.WorldStreets.org) to a parallel
> > Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/worldstreets, there is good
> > potential for creative interaction between the two which increases both
> the
> > reach and the depth of the discussions. The W/S Facebook page, for
> example,
> > currently brings in an additional 1453 (as of this morning)  cogent
> minds to
> > the issues.
> >
> >
> >
> > Today and without really trying we have a modest 67 members on the
> Sustran
> > page, but it is at least a start.   Again, my hope is that the two
> devices
> > will enhance and support each other.
> >
> >
> >
> > I look forward to your reactions and suggestions on this.  If you have
> > questions, let me try to answer them here or directly to me via
> > eric.britton at ecoplan.org.
> >
> >
> >
> > Eric Britton
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _____________________________________________________________
> >
> >    Francis  Eric Knight-Britton, Managing Director /  Editor
> >
> >     <http://www.newmobility.org/> New Mobility Partnerships   |
> > <http://www.worldstreets.org/> World Streets  |
> > <http://equitytransport.wordpress.com/> The Equity/Transport Project
> >
> >    9, rue Gabillot   69003 Lyon France  |  T. +339 8326 9459| M. +336
> 5088
> > 0787  | E.  <mailto:eric.britton at ecoplan.org> eric.britton at ecoplan.org  |
> > S. newmobility
> >
> >    9440 Readcrest Drive. Los Angeles, CA  90210  |   Tel. +1 213 985
> 3501  |
> > eric.britton at newmobility.org  |  Skype: ericbritton
> >
> >
> >
> > P Avant d'imprimer, pensez à l'environnement
> >
> >
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------
> > To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit
> > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss
> >
> > ================================================================
> > SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
> equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries
> (the 'Global South').
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> To search the archives of sustran-discuss visit
> http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=014715651517519735401:ijjtzwbu_ss
>
> ================================================================
> SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
> equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries
> (the 'Global South').
>