Watering Hole

From Collaboratory

We originally described this collaboratory of collaboratories as a Watering Hole as a play on our name, "Blue Oxen." (One of our corporate tenets is to use as many bad Paul Bunyan puns as possible.)

At MGTaylor's 2004 7-Domains Workshop in Nashville, Matt Taylor described another aspect of a Watering Hole that characterizes this space as well. A Watering Hole exemplifies coopetition, in that both predator and prey gather there to drink with little fear of being eaten. Matt also pointed out that alligators in the water are the exception to the rule. Here, we try to keep the alligators away.

Traditionally, desert oases served a similar role. Because oases were so critical, and because women and children generally lived there, tribes agreed not to attack each other at their oases.

The Importance of Being Social

"Freedom to surf: workers more productive if allowed to use the Internet for leisure." (April 2, 2009)