Events- Plan an event linked to a hot topic of conversation (or a workflow item, when available). Turn off the screen and go into the real world to try to make a difference with others who feel the same way you do- the possibilities are endless! Prior to the launch of the social media tools, events will be listed publicly, and people can search them by topic and geographically.
Workflow- Posts on existing platforms are, more or less, just ‘content’- text, images, videos, etc. and the platform is basically indifferent to the subject matter. Pages only exist for users and organizations/groups that create them. Such an approach is ill-suited to political organizing. Rather than focus on elections and candidates, we have a system to draw attention to everyday issues like lowering gas prices, making housing more affordable, and reducing the cost of healthcare. This will be a three-stage workflow, to help users get the most out of the platform.
The first stage is a Goal. These are things that people largely agree on, like lowering unemployment or reducing inflation. They can generally be measured with data, but more abstract things like ‘improving freedom of the press’ can also be a goal, because certain organizations give ratings on freedom of the press on an up or down scale, and if there is room for improvement, it’s possible to do that. There will also be broader ‘Helper Goals’ that people can select if they don’t want to get bogged down in all of the details. There are literally thousands of data points one could choose from, but we could bundle some together (low unemployment, stable wages/prices) to create ‘Strengthen the Economy’. Others could be combined to create ‘Stop Climate Change’. Other content throughout the platform could be tagged as relevant to these goals and would show up as relevant to your interests, if you share those goals.
The next stage is a Proposal. Anyone can lay out their idea for how to achieve a particular goal, and have it debated by the community, using similar methods to the current Discourse tool. The proposal must have some detail for how it will achieve the goal- not some vague promise. You can schedule Events to try and get your proposal implemented. If your proposal is a piece of legislation, then the page exists merely to track its progress. However, it is entirely possible to organize solutions outside of the government- that possibility should not be ignored.
The last stage is a Project. There will be two types: former Proposal posts that have ‘graduated’ and gone on to the implementation stage, and the second category, which will make up the vast majority of entries: efforts that existed prior to the launch of the platform, and will be catalogued for evaluation (these will mostly be government programs). Ongoing projects should be periodically reviewed to see if they are meeting their stated goals. If they are not, they may be abandoned in favor of other proposals that may better meet the same needs, and this too will be debated using Discourse-like functions.
Existing platforms generally only refer to the subject matter indirectly, based on mentions by users. We will create pages to allow you to engage with the subject matter directly, and give you tools to organize the remaining content accordingly.
Social Media Feeds- The existing software is based on MediaWiki, which is not meant to function as a social media platform. Functions such as having friends/followers and making posts to go on a news feed will be implemented by adapting a version of the open source Mastodon platform to suit our needs.
Crowdfunding- Members will have the option to use our platform to make recurring monthly donations to any non-profit, tax-exempt organization that is registered with the IRS, provided the organization enrolls in the program and abides by our platform’s code of conduct. This includes political parties and campaigns, charities, and advocacy groups. You may not be able to make a big donation to your favorite cause, but a few bucks a month over a long enough time (with lots of people doing it) could make a big difference. We’ll already be accessing your account to withdraw the membership fee, so why not take a few extra bucks to support a candidate or cause you’re passionate about? Non-members will be allowed to make one-time payments based on saved payment information.