From: Devon White (devon@thegreatwork.com)
Date: Fri Jul 18 2003 - 21:16:59 MDT
I second this motion.
All in favor...
-=devon=-
The Evolution Is Being Broadcast
> ...in a moment of IMHO arrogance.
>
> There is a definite lack of the sense of purpose and accomplishment in
this
> community forum that reflects what is actually going on in the sphere of
> small groups and individuals that make it up. Many of us a) work our asses
> off on extropic goals and b) are not entirely vocal about it (who has the
> time to trumpet these days?).
>
> Three months of listening to this list wouldn't give you i) the impression
> that much of anything is actually going on, ii) how to help with the
things
> that are going on, iii) a fuller sense of the threaded pathways to
near-term
> and long term goals.
>
> I mean, sure, you can run off and read stuff. Having read it, however, you
> don't then have the knowledge to connect that reading to this community.
> There's an enormous chasm for newcomers and even people who've been here a
> while to leap. This, I think, is why you don't see this community driving
> anything.
>
> In the spirit of getting things done, here is the low-cost organizational
> solution to this particular problem:
>
> 1) Someone becomes Grand Keeper of Extropian Secrets. Democratic process
and
> whatnot not really required; duties are not onerous. Should be someone
> responsible and reliable.
>
> 2) The GFES gets a mission statement/miniFAQ/resource list written. Two
> pages should do it. This is posted to the list once a month. I refer to
you
> to the CR list at www.calorierestriction.org for a truly excellent example
> of this sort of thing. The purpose of this thing is a) to help the
newcomers
> find context, b) to help the oldtimers remember the context.
>
> 3) The GFES finds out what people are doing. I mean *doing*. Like I run
> www.longevitymeme.org. There are at least twenty or so other transhumanist
> webmasters I know of who can be said to be *doing* things. Mike has the
Free
> State Project, there are WTA cells all over the place, people organizing
> conferences, two or three nanotech advocacy groups, some of us are even
> figuring out the internals of the human body or building better rockets. I
> mean, there's a lot going on.
>
> The list of *doing* gets formalized and posted once a month. With contact
> information, brief project descriptions, and How To Help paragraphs. As it
> progresses and shows value, the GFES stops having to prod people, because
> they come to the GFES with their updates.
>
> ----
>
> Now, speaking as the voice of experience in managing online communities,
> this sort of stuff works. Really works. If you want an online community to
> get on the same page, get on with things and be constructive, this is the
> sort of start you have to make.
>
> Reason
> http://www.exratio.com/
>
>
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