User:Mark Elliott

Hi! here's a bit of rambling about me if you are interested...

Collabforge
I started a consultancy upon completing my PhD (see below) which focuses on providing strategy and IT development surrounding the intersection of social technologies and organisational imperatives. To date, we have worked mostly with government agencies, including developing the world's first wiki-based collaborative city planning process, FutureMelbourne, for the City of Melbourne in Australia. For more on what we do, please see Collabforge.com.

My PhD
I completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne, Australia - Stigmergic Collaboration: A Theoretical Framework for Mass Collaboration, researching and developing large-scale collaborative systems and methods. My primary interest is in the application of such research towards the continued positive development of humanity. By 'positive development' I mean a shared developing awareness of our universe which promotes an integrative, sustainable existence and meets the current challenges of the time.

Meta Collab
MetaCollab.net is a free collaborative encyclopaedia on collaboration which was initially launched as part of my phd on on the Centre for Ideas server and was soon moved to a WikiCity, which eventually became Wikia.

Australian Bill of Rights Initiative
One of my phd projects started back in 2004 was to run an online wiki project to collaboratively draft and Australian bill of rights (we're the only common law country that doesn't have one - and we need one!!). This project became Australian Bill of Rights Initiative and while it never gained much steam from the legal community, the wiki remains, willing and patient.

Background
I have a background in music composition - (ugrad & masters) with interests in improv, computer music & live processing - though I compose for traditional instruments as well.

Fifth Melbourne meetup
The fifth meetup of Melbourne Wikipedians is being planned as a breakfast meeting in the city with Jimbo Wales (at a venue to be arranged) on Friday, 27 April 2007.

Jimbo has proposed breakfast as the one real window of opportunity during his tightly scheduled stay in Melbourne. Tbe precise time has to be sorted out with Jimbo, but the arrangements for the equivalent Adelaide meetup a few days before may give a good idea.

Feel free to edit the relevant page in any way that might be helpful. I feel like a bit of an interloper, not having attended previous meetups. If there's anything you can do to help, I'll be grateful. Please think about whether you'll be able to make it, assuming the arrangements are similar to those Adelaide is adopting (i.e. a block of time with people being fairly free to arrive when it suits them). Some indication on the page of your possible participation would be really helpful. Metamagician3000 06:26, 29 March 2007 (UTC)