The USDA Forest Service is sponsoring this initial exploratory prototype. Other organizations are encouraged to also join as sponsors. The payoff lies in the ability to network, share, and collaborate across organizational, geographical, and functional boundaries. There are some roles to sort out. Sponsors provide leadership and resources for carrying out the objectives of the Workshop .
Stewards are responsible for the content in designated topic areas.
Moderators initiate, facilitate, and guide topic discussions as appropriate. Participants , well, participate in topic discussions. And some protocols . Then there is the matter of technology . There are a number of electronic collaboration technologies coming into being on the Internet.