Distributed. Collaborative. Community.
I am a Google Waver. I video chat in Yahoo Messenger. I contribute to multiple online forums. I communicate with people who don't live anywhere near me geographically. I produce original content for a weblog community. I do it all in short bursts of time.
I combine all of the above with the work I do for CICS, my day job and personal time.
I am an integral part of a Distributed Collaborative Community. In fact, I consider everything I do to be contributions to multiple DCCs.
No doubt, if you've taken a class instructed by Dr. Jay Gillette, you've heard about this term before. Or perhaps you've heard about it from your involvement in the Human Factors Institute (HFI). Have you stopped to think about the effect it may have on your own lives? You should.
In today's world, it's nearly impossible to get teamwork done without being a part of a DCC. Everyone has different schedules, commutes, extracurricular activities, family obligations and personal freedoms. It's not always easy to communicate at the same time, place or both. How much gets done in disparate locations at all hours of the day? Good question.
Take advantage of the communication tools we have at our disposal. Each of us are DCC experts. Use that knowledge to your advantage.