Scenario: ChangingChannels

Summary	Different parts of a conversation may be more appropriate on different communication channels. When and how to switch.
Group / workshop	Digital Identities	Status	seed
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Situation

What is the setting for this scenario? Describe the educational, technological and institutional setup.

Micro-blogging tools such as Twitter and Yammer bring simple broadcast media to many people for the first time. People now have a very large set of possible communication methods ('channels'), both digital and non-digital, from standup-and-talk presentations to groups meetings, to face-to-face discussion, video conference, phone, intercom, email, instant messaging, wiki, blogs, micro-blogs. Different channels might be more appropriate for conveying different messages. This pattern concerns the occasions when it is appropriate to change channels mid-conversation.

Task

What is the problem to be solved, or the intended effect?

In the middle of a sequence of related communications (which I shall call a 'conversation') it is sometimes necessary or helpful to change communication channel, for example to allow confidential data to be discussed or to diffuse tensions in public forums. The issues to discuss are when and how to cause the change in channel to happen, and how to leave enough of a trail to be able to tie the whole communication back together for people who are able to see all of it, or to indicate what happened to people who don't see all of the conversation.

I have observed in others and myself a desire to keep a conversation in the same channel it is currently in - it is hard to reconsider for each piece of additional communication what the correct channel is. It feels like cheating to switch channels.

Patterns

Identify patterns appropriate for the situation and the task. How would they inform the solution?

Refer: 1) LeavingTrails

Solution

Describe a possible solution derived from the patterns you selected.

Contextualise the absence - leave a trail so others can see why you have disappeared before moving from one communication channel to another and then flag return to the conversation. This gives others the possibility to come and join the new communication channel.

Signal what is happening at each stage provide a summary of what happened.

Expected Results

Concrete, measurable criteria for success.

Lessons Learned

what have you learnt from writing this scenario?

Positive force: Keeping everything in the same channel -> keep all resources in one place and social norms can be established in that space. Negative force: Conventions have arrived that make it feeling stuffy and formal Forces going private - more intimate and meaningful

Negative: Can leave gaps in communication - loss of a coherent record. Can damage reputation when you disappear without a trace.

Note: this technique relates to behaviour mailing lists when we flag that we are taking a topic off list.

Licensing

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.