# Promoting/Inviting Infinite Conversations (as a whole) **URL:** \ **Category:** Commons\ **Created:** [April 9, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352 "2016-04-09T23:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeremy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/infiniteconversations/user_avatar/www.infiniteconversations.com/jeremy/32/2543_2.png) [@Jeremy](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/u/Jeremy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352/1 "2016-04-09T23:16:00Z")
Hey guys, Just a few thoughts on this discussion platform as a whole. This is probably going to be something we’ll work on after we get our major projects up and running (podcast, MetaPsy etc) but it’d be interesting to promote Infinite Conversations as an alternative platform and discussion community to major Facebook and Google+ groups; maybe eventually we can develop more open discussion for other generalized categories. It’s also possible those might branch off from #LITGEEKS and MetaPsy editorial conversations. Just a thought! ---
**Author:** ![madrush](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/infiniteconversations/user_avatar/www.infiniteconversations.com/madrush/32/6452_2.png) [@madrush](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/u/madrush)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 9:23am UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352/2 "2016-04-12T09:23:21Z")
YES. Absolutely. I think there’s a need for a place that’s dedicated to support deep and substantial and (ultimately, I hope) _time-free_ conversations, and where that’s the ultimate purpose and focus of the platform. Keep in mind, also, this really is open-source software. Discourse is meant be to be customized, have plugins created for it, etc. Given the resources, we can develop to meet the unique needs of our community. At the beginning, I think we should focus discussion around content we’re bringing forth (litgeeks reads, MetaPsy pieces, etc.) but ultimately, I think we can open it up. It’s kind of what I’m imagining the #commons category to be, at least as a starting place. ---
**Author:** ![johnnydavis54](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/infiniteconversations/user_avatar/www.infiniteconversations.com/johnnydavis54/32/114_2.png) [@johnnydavis54](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/u/johnnydavis54)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 11:11am UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352/3 "2016-04-12T11:11:18Z")
> [@Jeremy](#): > > an alternative platform and discussion community to major Facebook and Google+ groups Hey Jeremy is there anything else about alternative? What kind of alternative? Just curious… ---
**Author:** ![johnnydavis54](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/infiniteconversations/user_avatar/www.infiniteconversations.com/johnnydavis54/32/114_2.png) [@johnnydavis54](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/u/johnnydavis54)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 11:14am UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352/4 "2016-04-12T11:14:09Z")
Great Marco! And when you think we can open it up, open it up is like what? ---
**Author:** ![madrush](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/infiniteconversations/user_avatar/www.infiniteconversations.com/madrush/32/6452_2.png) [@madrush](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/u/madrush)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 11:41am UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352/5 "2016-04-12T11:41:11Z")
Well, technically, it’s open now. Anyone can sign up and post here. We just haven’t been promoting this quite yet. I pause only because I want to be deliberate about what we’re growing, nurture the seeds we’ve planted, and not invite in a lot of random stuff and noise. Also, I guess, I don’t want to be overwhelmed while there’s still so much to do for launching other intiatives (e.g., #metapsychosis journal). I think it’s valuable to have someone (or some people) consciously holding the space—sprinkling encouragement here, trimming spammy stuff there, proposing interesting lines of thought, and basically “moderating” (in some more generative sense of the word) in service of fruitful dialogue. Maybe we have themed discussion areas with dedicated hosts? Maybe we play with different _styles_ of interaction—not always the brainiac stuff, but also stories, poems, experimental stuff, etc.? It’s possible as well to have different levels of privacy. For example, the “commons” is currently set up for “regular” members, which are determined programmatically by number of visits, time spent on site, feedback (via likes, etc.). There is no advertising-driven tracking. But the forum itself recognizes positive engagement and gradually “trusts” recurring visitors more, giving them access to different areas or giving them new powers. We can also promote people manually. The point being to create “civilized” conversation spaces and avoid people flaming and doing drive-by shootings and just sharing random crap. We can tweak all this as we learn and grow! And certainly open to feedback and suggestions… ---
**Author:** ![johnnydavis54](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/infiniteconversations/user_avatar/www.infiniteconversations.com/johnnydavis54/32/114_2.png) [@johnnydavis54](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/u/johnnydavis54)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352/6 "2016-04-12T13:25:02Z")
I agree, Marco, no drive by shootings, please! And Marco says, " I want to be deliberate about what we’re growing here, nurture the seeds we’ve planted, and not invite in a lot of random stuff and noise." And nurture the seeds we’ve planted… and not invite a lot of random stuff and noise… and overwhelm… And what kind of we is that we when the seed we’ve planted, we’re growing here ( I get the garden metaphor) and who are we that that we can make that happen? Of course we are lit geeks and that is a nice way of identifying us and we are also metaphors waiting to be born, we are giving birth to our own metaphors, and if we are deliberate enough, we might find out how we can do that even better. And all of that noise…and when does the noise become a signal? I am not sure as we are spread out among different time zones and have a difficult relationship with Time and are not time free yet and so we do have the constraints and the opportunities that the technology provides for us but how to make this happen? As a student of discourse I am always looking for metaphors, implied or embodied, and in that looking I hope to make a contribution, a perhaps very modest contribution, to tease out possibilities, in the various language games we employ. Pardon if this is kind of weird way of working, I am not an expert on discourse analysis I am just curious how people share metaphors and develop them when invited to do so and how we can start to share our metaphors, analogies, hunches, etc., in a way that transforms noise into signals. I am a Systemic Modeler so this forum is a real pleasure to observe and participate with. I would say to Marco and Jeremy to keep up what you are already doing and do more of it an do it even better. Blessings, good people, upon this noble effort! ---
**Author:** ![madrush](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/infiniteconversations/user_avatar/www.infiniteconversations.com/madrush/32/6452_2.png) [@madrush](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/u/madrush)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 5:44am UTC](https://www.infiniteconversations.com/t/promoting-inviting-infinite-conversations-as-a-whole/352/7 "2016-04-15T05:44:05Z")
Hey Johnny! > [@johnnydavis54](#): > > And what kind of we is that we when the seed we’ve planted, we’re growing here ( I get the garden metaphor) and who are we that we can make that happen? ‘We’ is whoever shows up, I guess, being attracted to what we’re putting out, then adding their own creative DNA to it. I’m recalling Gebser’s line about knowing when to let things happens, and when to make things happen. Lots of taoist kind of wisdom in that. As well, our local farmer talks about the importance of healthy soil. The healthier the soil (which means it contains a rich and balanced milieu of microbial activity), the healthier the “good” plants you’re trying to grow, and the harder it is for “bad” plants or other infectious life forms to gain a foothold. Thus there’s less need for weeding, applying pesticides, etc. I saw the Gebser read as a way of preparing the ground. Doing the hard tilling work. Planting lots of seeds. Toughening our muscles for the sowing and harvesting ahead. Does that speak to your systemic modeling? > [@johnnydavis54](#): > > And all of that noise…and when does the noise become a signal? This is a good point! At some point it does, doesn’t it…and we’ve got to let it in, or at least pay attention to what the signal might mean. 📻 👽