In the late 1990s, I had the privilege of participating in some special online forums. Created by WebLab, the first forum was called Reality Check and was a response, primarily, to the partisan anger over the Clinton impeachment. WebLab developed a kind of forum called a Small Group Dialogue, which places a few simple limitations on the interaction — size of the group, duration of the dialogue, accountability through login and introductions — to improve the quality of the conversation.
I may be a bit older than some of my classmates (and a few professors) but not so much older that I would have been the only one online in 1998. Even at WikiSym 2006, I got big blank stares when I mention WebLab. Frankly, it is mystifying.
Here are some other interesting links about WebLab, Marc Weiss and Barry Joseph:
- Online Community Report interview with Mark Weiss (February 2002)
- NPR Interview, unofficial transcript (December 1998)
- WebLab founder Marc Weiss participates in Digital Independence planning session (2004?)
- GMD Studios article by Marc Weiss (from the “boom years”)
- Games for Change & Serious Games Initiative (from the WebLab network)
- Global Kids (where Barry Joseph went after WebLab)