My name is Millie Niss. I am a member of webartery (actually one of the
owners) and am a web artist with publications in frAme, Beehive, The Museum
of the Essential and Beyond, wordcircuits.com, bannerart.org,
Rhizomes/hyperrhiz, etc. I also write poetry (the Beehive thing is actually
a poem, not web art). My web site is www.sporkworld.org .
I have been involved in cooperation online in two ways: Most recently, I
have worked on two online collaborations through the screenburn group. The
first was to take a drawing and each get a piece of it to ornament with art,
animation, and sound, then the pieces were put together. I just tried the
url for it and coudln't get the piece so I can't show it to you. The second
was on the subject of the myth of Orpheus. Some people wrote texts, and
then we each got assigned someone else's text to interpret as web art. My
contribution was www.sporkworld.org/webart/orpheus.html (there was also a
theme to use super mario brothers or gaming in our interporetations).
The other way I've been involved in cooperation online is through mutual
support groups on usenet and listservs. I am mentally ill, and have used
the internet for support a lot-- often I can read mail when I can't do much
else during a depression. I helped to write the FAQ for
soc.support.depression.manic, so I was for a while quite involved in
collaborating with others there. I also taught writing via email to a group
of mentally ill folks, three times for ten weeks. This online, free,
teaching was a great collaborative experience. I have been on one listserv
for over five years and the people there are almost family. I think the net
makes that kind of mutual self-help possible. I have been in real life
groups and they aren't nearly as good, nor are they available when you are
really in need, too sick to go out and attend a group. I have seen net
culture where people help strangers fast, extensively, and on very personal
subjects. In person, you have to get to know people for a long time before
they get this close and helpful.
Millie