“One great mystery in science is exactly how spiders know what pattern to weave.

Rupert Sheldrake cites studies in which spider eggs were completely isolated from their mothers and hatched. The buggers weave the exact same species-specific web that spiders not isolated from mothers weave.

So, the web-weaving strategy of spiders must be encoded in their body plan somehow.” – Cameron Michael Keys

When reading through the discussion of this week’s Code Phrase, this comment immediately captured my imagination.

The past week and a half has seen a wealth of contributions and discussions around Social Innovation, entrepreneurship and changing the world. So many of us who may have otherwise never met are connecting, sharing and joining forces.

We’re combining our knowledge, our curiosity and our abilities in a context that most of us never have before – we are like spiders who have never been taught how to weave a web.

So my question to you is this:
What does our species-specific web pattern look like?

I would hazard to say that over the coming weeks we’ll get at least a glimpse. Even now you can see the beginnings of it, and if you haven’t already you can help to build and connect the strands.

We have begun to share, comment and encourage.
The volume of powerful and insightful contributions which have already come in is astounding. If you’re not quite sure where to start here, one of the best things you can do is see what ideas and responses have been posted just now. Read what others are sharing, power vote for it and perhaps even let them know your thoughts about it.

We have begun to organize our information.
Andrew Perry started the EVOKE Wiki after it was suggested in a discussion forum. Anyone is welcome to edit the Wiki and add information – if you’re keen to help, but not sure where to start, register your interest on Andrew’s Community Collaboration Building Project post.

We have begun to organize ourselves.
Within two days of its launch,  Raymond M. Kristiansen started EVOKE’s first Guild. It was soon followed by the creation of a Maker’s Guild, as well as an Education Guild which has teamed up with Calling All Teachers! If you’re interested in specifically teaming up with other Agents, check out the Guilds Wiki page. If you don’t see one that seems right, why not start one yourself? Write a blog post about it and add it to the Wiki!

We have begun to offer our expertise.
One of the most striking instances of this so far is Ask a Librarian – envisioned and created by Fiacre O’Duinn. It’s a service powered by volunteers who will help you find resources to assist any EVOKE projects you are working on. If you would like to donate your time to the project, let them know. If you have a skill you’d like offer to the community, let us all know about it!

We have begun to be inspired to act.
After Reid Falconer wrote about his vision of founding and managing an Ecovillage, Jen Shaffer suggested he find one near his home and blog about it. Sure enough, it turned out there is one 30 minutes from where he lives – and he went ahead and visited it! Have you come across anything on EVOKE that has caught your imagination? Perhaps it’s time to see if there are any groups nearby you who are already active…

Obviously the key phrase here is that we have begun. These are just a few examples from only a few ways in which our web is forming. I would love to hear about the patterns that you have seen emerging, and the examples that have caught your eye.

I look forward to continuing to weave this web with you in the coming weeks, and beyond!

But before I get to these challenges myself, I wanted to share what we’ve learned from the Evoke Network as it embraced the lessons of Social Innovators.

I reviewed hundreds of pieces of evidence and one thing that struck me was how many of you embraced the concept of listening as the secret to take with you in your own work.

Listening is a secret? Isn’t listening a straight-forward matter? I have to admit that thought this at first but then I read so many different ways to make this lesson matter that I recognized its power. Here is just a sample of the things I heard:

“Furthermore, people tell you lots when they speak with you. More than just who they are. You can learn about where they come from, who they know, what they are capable of, and what they know, as well as their dreams and hopes” — Jen Shaffer

“To be innovative is to be worldly, taking time to listen to someone who has first hand experience could give you a vivid vision or image of what it is really like to experience or  do something.” –Puleng Moloi

“You should start conversations with people from different lines of work (on a stragetical, tactical and operational level) and not try to persuade them with your ideas, but just LISTEN” — Rick van der Pluijm

“Being able to listen to someone well enough to understand the cause, not just the symptom, is vitally important to finding a sustainable solution.”  — Peggie Scott

“Other than making sure your energy is being directed in the most effective way, listening to people has an extremely important affect. It cultivates receptivity. For your actions or words to have impact the receiver must be open. For me, receptivity means openness; it means being willing and able to receive.” — Andrew Perry

“The skills of observation, appreciative enquiry and (simply) the ability to be silent should never be underestimated in development before attempting to change what one does not fully comprehend.” – Alanagh Recreant inSL

I know that there are some of you who have submitted evidence and may not have received a response yet. And you even might be feeling discouraged and overlooked – especially if you have a quiet voice – or an unsure one.

And to you I ask you to keep sharing your stories, your observations and your innovations. We will find you.

If you speak, we will listen.