Abstract:
In strategies that make use of social software participation not only defines success but also defines the design. This foregrounds particular considerations during the planning and design process about participation, and how we bridge the gap between the client vision, the project and the potential community of contributors or users. This paper introduces and reflects on the notion of seeding as a construct useful for emphasising and exploring ways to promote or increase the likelihood of successful engagement. In systems that are determined by participation, it is our position that part of our role as designers is to facilitate or seed that participation and that the act of seeding (participation) becomes a core design activity. In this paper we reflect through case studies on the significance and potential for seeding content, connection and community through our design work, and on the way this has affected our approach to and understanding of the design process.
