The First Thursday Group has been meeting online on the First Thursday of the month for years (too long to remember when it started).
It's very simple. I go online at the same time each month. If any of my friends or contacts want to join me they can. I know a rich variety of people with a wide range of overlapping interests. Usually the common thread is the fact that I know everyone - although sometimes a friend will invite others, and they are equally welcome.
Sometimes only one or two people will join me, sometimes almost too many to handle. What happens depends on who turns up - and how well people know each other.
We don't have an agenda because it's just a conversation, but sometimes I think ahead to what we might be talking about, depending on what I know we are currently concerned about.
Possible topics for today
If Chief Gbade Adejumo and John Dada are able to join us then I know conflict resolution would be a pressing issue. John is doing some practical work about that locally, regarding conflict over grazing rights (for more details see Grazing rights) and Gbade has just finished his research on the same issue, with a focus on the situation in Ago-Are.
If people turn up either from Kenya, or from Teachers Talking then I'd like to explore shared interests related to a new online UK-Kenya teachers group.
I'd also be interested in sharing with you what is happening in London in the GlobalNet21 group this month - Africa & Change: UK-Africa Communications - and in future. I want to see how that group is relevant to people in the First Thursday Group.
We may discuss very different topics (and all, or , the above). It all depends who tuns up and what is of shared interest.
Details of the meeting
- Date - July 3rd
- Go to - http://etherpad.openstewardship.net/p/July-2014-First-Thursday
- No need to log in - just click the link and you will arrive at the chat
- Start time 14.00 GMT. 15.00 Nigerian time.World Time Buddy
http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/
What to expect
We use an etherpad.That means that it you are using a laptop or other large screen device, you'll see a chat box on the Right Hand Side (RHS) of the screen and a shared docuament on the Left Hand Side (LHS).
We chatter away on the RHS, and try to capture some main points over on the LHS as we go along. We like to collect up introductions from people on the LHS. If we share links durign our chat then we copy them over to the LHS as well. This makes it easier to find main points again later. It also helps latecomers to know who is there and what has been going on. If you are using a phone you'll probably just concentrate on the chat box, and may want to ask others to copy your information over to the LHS.