Comments on: Stock and Flow

By: Deron Bauman

Deron Bauman — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:04:03 +0000

where’s Michael Grant Smith when we need him?

By: Sheila Ryan

Sheila Ryan — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:34:41 +0000

It’s just resting.

By: Deron Bauman

Deron Bauman — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:27:47 +0000

long live clusterflock book club!

By: Lucy

Lucy — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:20:43 +0000

It looks like they’ve left in all the pre-show meanderings but it’s great fun once it gets going. I saw it live last night, via the wonder of the twitters, somewhere in the middle of it.

By: Sheila Ryan

Sheila Ryan — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:18:47 +0000

Thanks, Lucy!

By: Sheila Ryan

Sheila Ryan — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:15:42 +0000

It seems that way to me, too, Cindy. Goodness knows I’ve not invested the hours it takes to pull people together for a conference call and then make the recorded conversation available.

And I would hate for any level of participation in clusterflock to feel obligatory or in any (onerous) way like work.

I do like the ways in which clusterflock transforms itself into a series of face-to-face encounters, be that through clusterflockstock or smaller gatherings of people.

By: Lucy

Lucy — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:09:05 +0000

This feels like a good time to mention that I saw John Hodgman on the radio last night. It's the perfect segueway.

By: Cindy Scroggins

Cindy Scroggins — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:06:28 +0000

Sheila, I think one reason the collaborative, site-specific endeavors such as book reviews and interviews have never quite taken off is because they are labor-, thought-, and/or time-consuming ventures that don’t hold the interest of many flockers. I think one of the greatest pulls of clusterflock is its spontaneity. Serendipity is certainly possible within a planned construct, but it never quite feels the same as the spontaneous explosions of activity that take place sometimes on an otherwise lazy Tuesday afternoon.

Interestingly, there has been one collaborative endeavor that has taken off, and that is clusterflockstock.

By: Sheila Ryan

Sheila Ryan — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:00:55 +0000

Absolutely! You’ve got a group of striking people doing just that. The distinction I’m drawing is merely between (1) sustained, predictable and somewhat structured conversations and (2) less predictable, serendipitous and more informal conversations.

By: Lucy

Lucy — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:54:25 +0000

But wait a minute! We talk about books and ideas and photographs all day long! That’s what we do around here!