MAJOR TOM questionnaire PART 2:

1)      Who are you, in terms of both the Commons and CUNY writ large?

Micki Kaufman: My name is Micki Kaufman – I am a third-year doctoral student in US History and the Project Manager of the CUNY Academic Commons development team.

Marilyn Weber: I am a CUNY Academic Commons community facilitator, and the Assistant Program Officer for the PhD Program in History at the GC.

2)      What do you do for the Commons, both generally and recently?

Micki Kaufman: I help organize the work of numerous individuals, from software developers to visual designers, and help ensure that improvements and enhancements to the Commons are delivered in a timely and seamless way with minimal impact on the users.

Marilyn Weber:I write content for this blog, attempt to make slides for the homepage and the digital signage, assist faculty using the Commons for their courses, and generally cheerlead Commons usage.

3)      Where do you see the Commons going? (You can answer this by alluding to where it’s been!)

Micki Kaufman: As an online academic social network, the Commons is breaking new ground every time someone joins, creates a group, shares content and reaches out to their colleagues at CUNY. The core of the Commons is collaboration – bridging gaps and bringing scholars and members of the academic community together in new ways to facilitate learning. The features and capabilities to come in the future will reflect that core mission.

Marilyn Weber:I would love to see the Commons increasingly used by students to showcase their work, both professional and fun, and by faculty for course support.

4)      When can we expect further developments?

Micki Kaufman: The Commons is upgraded three times a month with minor features and bug fixes – major releases happen every 3-4 months so users can expect to learn about exciting new capabilities at least once each semester.

Marilyn Weber: Only the Shadow knows.
5)      Why, IYHO, is the Commons important? Why should busy CUNY community members take time to check out its various features?

Micki Kaufman: The Commons is a platform that reflects the needs and uses of the community – when more and more students and faculty participate in the use of the Commons, it becomes even better. Few (if any) sectors of online life afford users of online systems this kind of responsiveness and customizability – if you have need of a collaborative / social media function at CUNY, the Commons should be your go-to!

Marilyn Weber: Because it is both more focused and fun to use than other social networking sites. It allows you to curate your online brand as a member of the academic community, but also as an individual with loves and hates and passions. And the price is right.