Wikiversity:Colloquium/archives/August 2006/Logo and slogan

Logo and slogan

OK, we are the "The limitless learning center" according to wikipedia. After about a week (to get partisipents) we should start up a slogan and logo contest.--Rayc 00:21, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

"The limitless learning center" might be a good slogan, but it's a poor description. (It tells readers nothing about the project's nature.) I changed the text to "Free learning materials." —David Levy 07:24, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I've used "Free Learning tools" on the other Wikimedia websites. I am still not sure what should go here, but it is important that people are made aware of this project. --Robert Horning 13:18, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

How about "Open learning centre"? Or is that too similar to "Open University" (a household name in the UK)? And on the logo contest, if someone wants to organise these, please be bold and do so. It should even help generate further momentum in the project. Cormaggio 13:24, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Is there enough room to make it "Free learning materials and activities"? --JWSchmidt 13:42, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

JW, I like the one you mention. This catches the dual nature of textual study and engaged learning. To tweak: How about "free learning resources and activities." Materials sounds more limiting than resources. Reswik 01:21, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

How about the "Free Learning Community"? Is inclusive and stresses the concept of learning. Awolf002 01:51, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Maybe we could have a list of good slogans and switch between them on a regular basis. --JWSchmidt 02:02, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

On second thought and taking a step back... A consensus mission statement could be very helpful. Perhaps a consensus mission statement needs to be developed first. Then, a slogan could reflect that. But can the mission be settled while the status and extent of research in WV is up in the air? If extensive research sponsorship is eventually a part of WV, then a slogan might read like: "creating and sharing free knowledge." And this is really the nature of a university or any academy of scholars: creating and sharing knowledge. The free culture movement adds freedom and co-creation of content to that mission. Sharing can imply co-creation, so one can add freedom to "creating and sharing knowledge." Sharing also implies service another aspect of the life of universities. There may be actually too much emphasis on learning in some WV discussions at the cost of service and knowledge creation -- which are also primary motivations of scholars. Reswik 02:49, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

That's a fine idea, Doug. Please, everyone, help out at Wikiversity:Wikiversity mission. -- Cormaggio 07:47, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I made extensive edits to the mission page to outline a Delphi method planning process for co-creating a mission statement. What do ya think? Reswik 13:25, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

We need to lose the beta on the logo. This is not a software project. The project is fundamentally about building online learning communities. Would you spend your precious social/learning time joining a club of card players, fraternity, or writing circle with a loud "Beta, planned shutdown next week." painted on the front door? Mirwin 07:22, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Marking Wikiversity as "beta" is just a warning to the outside world that nobody should expect to find a finished "product" on any Wikiversity page. Speaking bluntly, I suspect it (the beta period) is also a way to "cover one's ass". I know that during the next six months Jimbo will run into people who say, "I saw Wikiversity and, you know, there is nothing useful there." But Jimbo will be able to say, "Ya, well, it is in a beta phase, just getting on its feet. It is not really open for serious use yet." Jimbo should have that kind of "out". --JWSchmidt 20:04, 23 August 2006 (UTC)