Why have ADR Cyberweek?
Our goal, from November 9-13, is to enhance understanding of
conflict and conflict resolution on the Net.
Point 1: The Net is not a harmonious place.
This should surprise no one. The Net is a place of rapid change and great activity. It is
a creative place, a possibly lucrative place, but also a fragile place. It is place where
millions of people interact everyday and where the number of informational transactions
occurring daily is hard to quantify. Most conflict is simply a byproduct of the incredible
growth and vitality of cyberspace.
Point 2: To say that cyberspace is not a
harmonious place is not to say it is a bad place. It is to say that cyberspace is a place
where institutions and processes for resolving conflict need to emerge.
Point 3: The Net is a creative and
resourceful place. There are many ways to confront conflict and we need to experiment, to
adapt traditional models and to invent new ones. The past year has seen the appearance of
several online dispute resolution organizations and of software designed by them (see Demos
and Simulations in Cyberweek at a
Glance).
What is ADR?
ADR is alternative dispute resolution.
"Alternative" most commonly signifies a process other than litigation, typically
mediation or arbitration. In the United States, during the past twenty years, increasing
attention has been given to non-adversarial methods of settling disputes. The growth of
organizations, such as those that are sponsoring/participating
in ADR Cyberweek, is evidence of a widespread movement to resolve conflict in less formal
and less legalistic ways.
Who is ADR Cyberweek for?
For anyone interested in the issue of conflict and conflict
resolution, citizens, persons and groups who already are active in dispute resolution
(ISPs, webmasters, listserv moderators, etc), and others. In the online environment, we
all seem to be problem solvers and while ADR Cyberweek was originally conceived of being a
service to the dispute resolution community, we welcome the participation of the wider Net
community.
What will I be able to do
during ADR Cyberweek?
Many of the same things you would do if you were to attend a
non-online conference dealing with dispute resolution. We will have a virtual Exhibit
Hall, a virtual Conference Center/Discussion Area, a virtual classroom, a virtual library,
and even a virtual water cooler (for informal conversations). Consider the Cyberweek home page as being the front door
of the place where the conference is being held.
Patience and Tolerance
We are relying on the cooperation of a network of people,
machines, universities, businesses, electric companies, and others. We hope, of course,
that everything works smoothly during the week. We have contingency plans if some things
or connections have problems. But the likelihood of a problem arising at some point is
high and we ask your patience in advance. If something is not working, please come back
later. We are doing our best and the last thing we want is for an event like ADR Cyberweek
to generate conflict of its own.
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