Dan Randow
New Zealand
Groupsense

Biography:

I have been an online collaboration enabler since deciding to make my living this way in 1998. Prior to that my background was in working with groups, working with technology and starting things up. I have been training in Psychodrama since 1988 with a focus on Sociometry. This has involved much "deep learning" in experiential situations and has given me ways of making sense of social systems, even online.

I have a small company called GroupSense. We help to start and support online collaboration projects of all sizes. We work in elearning, organisations and edemocracy. Our service is based on the idea that, with online collaboration "it's not what you've got but what you do with it". Even the best technology won't work without adequate engagement, planning, design and support.

Of course, good technology does help so we have built some. Our product GroupServer does the good things that Yahoo! Groups do, does the opposite of the bad things that they do and does some other really good things besides. It's a work in progress, of course but we like it so I'm showing it off. GroupServer is open source and built on collaborative principles to its core. We give it away so that people get that we're serious about technology alone not making the difference - and so that people get on board with our mission to improve it.

What's a recent movie you've seen and enjoyed and why?

Coffee and Cigarettes. I've seen nearly all of Jim Jarmusch's movies and I'm not over his wry, irreverent style. I don't mind that he drags out the same actors and even the same lines over again, or that you can't tell whether the cast are acting or just, unashamedly, being themselves.

What is "community" and why is it important to you?

I believe that individuals are over-rated. The pysche lives outside of the body. The self only exists in relationship. We are defined, born and live interacting in complex social messes, communities. Relationships have always taken place in cyberspace.

Pick your favorite technology and explain how it
makes the world a better place?

On the Internet, a group has a better body than an individual. The wires extend our central nervous systems and stored charges extend our brains. Naturally, I am most interested in social software. In particular, open source and open standards make sense to me as they are of the network.

2-3 questions or issues that you hope we'll address at the "Deepening Online Deliberation" meeting?

Edemocracy and deliberation are emerging areas in New Zealand. There is, however, a strong trend towards consultation in central and local government. So I am interested in learning about these areas. At the same time, the population of New Zealand is smaller than that of Minnesota. I am interested in learning how I can help people and organisations in the US, EU and beyond to achieve their goals, especially with GroupServer.