[Chapter-delegates] Sphere Project – What is it? What has it achieved so far? An Update

[Sabrina Wilmot]

[Apologies for duplicate messages]

Sent on behalf of the Sphere Integration Team (SIT)

Dear Colleagues,

The Sphere project was launched in January 2008 and the duration of the
project is for one year. The aim of project is to stimulate a positive
shift in the nature of relationships in ISOC through new ways of
collaborative working on projects with real, tangible outcomes. Through
the Sphere project we hope to contribute to a shared vision for ISOC as
a well integrated, leading international organization promoting the
sustainable development of the "Internet for everyone".

The Sphere project is a dynamic, virtual project conducted mostly over
email and phone conferencing. Participation is open to any ISOC member
and we are seeking to involve more active members. There are currently
55 members from 29 different Chapters and participation is growing
steadily from across the ISOC membership: from Chapter Delegates,
Chapter members, Board of Trustees, Individual members and ISOC staff.
In the last month, Paul Wilson (Org member), Adam Peake (Global member),
and Olga Cavalli (ISOC Argentina) joined the project. A project of this
type is unprecedented in ISOC and from this perspective alone is a success.

The Sphere Integration Team (SIT) is the team "guiding" the project. We
act in an informal capacity as the leadership group. The most recent
person to join the SIT team is Fred Baker replacing Louis Houle, who
stepped down due to work commitments.  Meetings are held every two weeks
to co-ordinate and oversee the Project.

There are five (5) Sphere project groups covering topics such as
drafting up a process for consultation between ISOC and ISOC Chapters,
developing a method to "benchmark" Chapters to discussions about how to
clearly differentiate the parts of ISOC and exploring the tensions
between Corporate and Civil Society interests in ISOC.

The ISOC Sphere project differs from other projects in that timelines
are not rigidly set: the groups are composed of volunteers and work at
their own pace and the project is emergent. However, all project groups
are expected to produce high quality documents for the ISOC Executive
team to consider before the end of the project. Project updates from the
groups are frequently sent to the mailing list for the Sphere project.

It now seems timely to reflect on what the Sphere project has achieved
in the last eight months.

Progress within the project groups is steady: it naturally seems to ebb
and flow as the project "breathes". This feels entirely healthy in a
project of this nature. The northern hemisphere summer caused a slow
down in the project but no doubt it will pick up as people return from
holidays.

Two project groups are moving towards the final stages of their
discussions, and will be taking their work to a wider audience. You may
be interested to read about the work of the Sphere "Consult" group, who
are proposing a process for consultation between Chapters and ISOC and
the Sphere "Analysis" group, who are developing a survey to obtain
information to assist us in providing information to differentiate
between Chapters and build benchmarks. The final output of these groups
will be sent to the ISOC Executive for consideration and possibly
implementation.

Going back to the original interview data will be the basis for the
topics for any new Sphere project groups. In the very near future 'Web
design and domain structure' will be launched as a Sphere project group
alongside a group on 'Sustainable translation'.

Movement in the nature of relationships appears to be taking place: the
tone on the Chapter Delegates mailing list has recently been more
collaborative and helpful; there has been more direct staff interaction
with Chapters on the list and the fabric of working relationships is
being developed through the real work being done in the projects. While
this movement cannot be directly and unequivocally attributed to the
Sphere project, it is surely having an impact.

The peer-to-peer, highly connected and inter-dependent fabric of the
Internet infrastructure can be imagined as a model for the Sphere
Project: relationships are highly inter-dependant and without
boundaries. With effective collaboration between us, the potency of the
self-organising collective is huge.

"Imagination reveals itself in the balance or reconciliation of opposite
or discordant qualities"
   [Source: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Biographia Literaria, 1817, ch. 14]

Creativity and imagination is released in a system with balance. This is
the essence of the ISOC Sphere project. One aspect is where there is
stress in working relationships, to hold those relationships in the
sphere, keep the communications lines open, and integrate the challenges
for the benefit of the system, rather than have those challenges stretch
the fabric to the point where it tears, or people close down and just
get by day to day.

We hope you have found this update useful. We will be having a Sphere
project workshop in Hyderabad, India alongside the IGF on December 2nd.
Please take this opportunity to help shape our collective future by
getting involved in the ISOC Sphere project, and in turn help ISOC
succeed in its mission of promoting the Internet for everyone around the
Globe.

Best wishes from the SIT team,

Franck Martin (PICISOC, BoT member)
Fred Baker (ISOC Global member)
Marcin Cieślak (ISOC Poland)
Rimon Levy (ISOC Israel)
Sebastian Ricciardi (ISOC Argentina)
Frédéric Donck (ISOC Staff)
Sebastian Bellagamba (ISOC Staff)
Sabrina Wilmot (ISOC Staff)
Anne Lord (ISOC Staff)
Tim Gartside (Consultant, Epicentre)

Contact us at:  sphere-sit at elists.isoc.org

Join the Sphere project mailing list: sphere-project-admin at elists.isoc.org

More information can be found about the Sphere Project on the wiki at:
http://wiki.chapters.isoc.org/tiki-index.php?page=Sphere+Project

This report is also available at
http://wiki.chapters.isoc.org/tiki-index.php?page=Sphere+Project+Update+-+September+8%2C+2008&bl=y
or
http://tinyurl.com/6o8efu