How to align with exising networks?

[Menno Manschot]

Do you know this: http://www.servicedesignresearch.com/whats-sdr/?

Some of you will, as I see your profiles up there.. Reading through their explanation I can't help but think that the aim of both platforms/networks is very similar! Maybe this one is more specifically aimed at PhD-questions and challenges, but there seems to be a lot of overlap content-wise.

Next to  this there are several other quite active online hubs focussed around service design. My question would be: How to optimize sharing and prevent building parallel knowledge hubs? (doing double work?). Maybe crossreferencing by those who are active in both might be enough, or should there be a more solid link (a kind of index page here that indicates what can be found in the other ones?)

This is a topic starter. Please fire away!

[Fabian Segelström]

Hi Menno, I am aware of SDR but I see two key differences;

1. SDR is not PhD specific nor deals with the issues of doing research - it presents results. self-

2. SDR is by invitation. They invite researchers everynow and then to do the interview. After the first few months the site existed I do no think very much has happened on it however...

That said, SDR is of course a site any aspiring SD researcher should know.

As for your second question, could you give examples of the sites you're thinking of? I can think of Wenovski (am a member, but haven't visited for months) when it comes to more social network things. Other sites are run by small groups of people without the possibility for all to contribute...

[Marc Stickdorn]

I agree with Fabian. SDR has a different focus - though it might be a valuable access point for interested researchers to sdnext and vice versa. Wenovski/designthinkingnetwork follows a comlpete open approach. For sure, we should be present on it and link towords the space where the discussion happens. Since it is also based on ning, it might be even possible to link them up automatically? I will talk with Arne about this - he might have some ideas how to cooperate..

[Menno Manschot]

I share your views.
@fabian: some sites/forums I know are indeed Wenovski and SDN, and furthermore:

http://www.servicedesignbooks.org/, http://www.servicedesigning.org/ http://www.experientia.com

these are of course all slightly different in purpose, functonality and content, but I think they probably contain answers to some of the questions that have been raised in the servdes workshop, and partly contain the audience that can help find answers in other discussions we might raise here. I'm only saying, it might be useful to interconnect. There are of course specific issues related to doing a PhD in this field that make this platform highly needed and appreciated!

[Fabian Segelström]

Servicedesignbooks is a really good initiative by Jeff Howard. It just struck me that one of the things people were asking for was a repository of service design articles. Maybe we could talk to Jeff about  setting up a servicedesignarticles-site on the same platform?

[Marc Stickdorn]

I am sure you know Jeff's predecessor site of sdbooks.org? http://www.howardesign.com/exp/service/ Maybe we could ask him to join it?

[Fabian Segelström]

I do. It is however focused on service marketing/management-articles in journals which (should) provide a basis for SD thinking.

Most good SD research is still published at conferences - we are (still) more in the HCI/IxD tradition of publishing where conferences are main publishing fora than the marketing/management where it is all about journals... And to be honest, I like the conference style :)