January office hours; tier experiments

Happy new year, all! The office hour experiments last month were intriguing enough that I'd like to experiment with twice-monthly office hours, at least for a few months. I'll alternate times to try to cover both hemispheres.

This month's times, if you'd like to join (Google Calendar link; iCal URL):

• January 14, 9:30AM PST (17:30 UTC): Google Meet 
• January 28, 2:00PM PST (22:00 UTC): Google Meet 

For those of you working on tools-for-thought-y things, I'd love to offer design crit or generative sketching during these sessions. Otherwise, bring work or questions to discuss. We can workshop writing, refine research questions, identify relevant references, look for ways to improve methods/practices, etc. I won't have all the answers, but I'll do my best to help, and when appropriate I'll facilitate discussion with other attendees, who may also be able to help.

Logistical details, same as last time:

• At least for now, there are no reservations. Just show up; we'll form a queue.
• In the fashion of academic office hours, eavesdropping is encouraged. You may have to wait a while to ask your question, but listening in on others' questions may turn out to be more valuable than whatever motivated you to attend, anyway. Likewise, feel free to chime in if you have thoughts on a question someone else brings—just be graceful in sharing airtime.
• These conversations aren't 1:1, but we'll have better discussions if we feel safe to speak. The Chatham House Rule is in effect: paraphrasing is okay, but don't identify anyone. And of course, we'll treat each other with generosity and nobility; I'll moderate problems.
• Unless few people show up, I'll probably cut off any one line of discussion at a maximum of about ten minutes. If it feels we've gotten the most out of a topic after just a few minutes, I may switch us up sooner. Take that as a sign of success, rather than a critical judgment!
• Rough work and ill-specified questions are very welcome. Several people have told me that they're waiting to show me design work until it's more polished. Honestly: that's silly!

Tier experiments

I'm also experimenting with some new benefits for the "centi-grant" and "sponsor" tiers, formalizing a degree of 1:1 access for those who would like it. (Those folks will receive a separate message.)

It makes me uncomfortable to transactionalize the social sphere. I want to be very clear that I welcome correspondence from everyone—patron or not! Conversation with online strangers has made life immeasurably richer. Of course, like everyone with an inbox, I can't promise I'll always reply; these new benefits just add a layer of professional obligation (and a more explicit invitation) to an otherwise best-effort situation.