On Wed, 2 Mar 1994, Jef Poskanzer wrote:
By the way, this discussion is an example of something I have labelled the "silence is invisible" phenomenon. It goes like this: there's a discussion; some of the participants work out an answer, and as far as they're concerned the discussion is over. However, other participants don't understand the answer, and keep on talking. In a physical meeting, the talkers would notice the annoyed looks on the faces of everyone else; or if the meeting had a good facilitator, he or she would catch on to the misunderstanding and correct it; but in cyberspace, those feedback mechanisms don't happen. --- Jef
I agree that it does not happen in that way in cyberspace, but I disagree that it does not happen at all. Confused people in cyberspace tend to talk of topic instead of being silent. If you are a good moderator, you can almost read the minds of the people who are confused. I admit it takes more skill in cyberspace, but it is still quite possible. _ . _ ___ _ . _ ===-|)/\\/|V|/\/\ (_)/_\|_|\_/(_)/_\|_| Stop by for an excursion into the-=== ===-|)||| | |\/\/ mud.crl.com 8888 (_) Virtual Bay Area! -===