An Idea For A New Steemit Based Project - I'd Appreciate Your Thoughts!! :)
In my humble opinion, the steemit community is home to some of the most talented, intelligent and knowledgeable men and women in this beautiful world of ours. Whether it be writers and poets, artists of all description, programmers, designers, philosophers, entertainers, homesteaders, crypto enthusiasts, or those representing any number of other areas of interest, steemit has managed to do a wonderful thing in bringing all of these amazing individuals together, in one place.
Most of those of us who are here now, especially a lot of those who have been here from the earliest days, share similar views on the problems our world is currently facing. Many of us believe that centralised authority is a scourge on our society and also the reason behind the manifestation of so many other problems we face. We believe in decentralisation, personal responsibility as well as the freedom to act as we please, come and go as we like and to say whatever we choose.
I share these sentiments. I'd like to live in a world where we're able to work together to achieve common goals that benefit us all, rather than fighting against each other in the name of self preservation. I think it's important for those of us who know what freedom is and how rare a thing it really is in this day and age to attempt to redress the current imbalance that exists in whatever way we can.
I'm not suggesting that any single one of us be responsible for saving the world or that any single one of us is capable of doing so on our own, though I do maintain my belief that this is a possibility but if each of us were able to improve the world we live in, even by the smallest amount, it would make a hugely significant difference to our current situation overall.
I'm thrilled to have found steemit. I'd never blogged before joining the platform and was pretty averse to all forms of social media before I got here, so I'm over the moon to be able to share my thoughts and be rewarded for any efforts, not only by way of interaction and feedback from others but also in the more tangible form of steem and SBD tokens.
But the thing that excites me the most about steemit is its potential for making a positive impact on the world and this is something I have been looking to make use of since joining.
I honestly feel that the steemit platform and the community we are in the process of building for ourselves around it, can be a massive force for good in a suffering world.
In fact, I don't just feel it, I know it.
There are already a good number of positive initiatives and excellent men and women running them on the platform, doing excellent work in helping and supporting those in unfortunate situations and I'm sure there are many more that I'm still unfamiliar with, as yet. I've made a couple of small attempts of my own to use the platform for good in some way. Until now, I've not been as successful as I'd have liked but I feel it's important to keep trying, even in the face of adversity, time after time, until you find success.
Especially if something's important to you.
So, with this being said, I have in mind a project that I very much hope will be successful but in truth, I'm going to need quite a bit of help and advice along the way.
I'd like to create a real world publication, utilizing the talents, skills and knowledge of my fellow steemians.
Many of us using the platform are doing so because we see life a little differently from the average man and woman in the street right now. The fact that we know anything at all about crypto-currencies, blockchains or even their existence at all, sets us apart from the greater part of the population by itself, never mind any other information we might have. I also believe that a big part of the reason a lot of us are here right now is due to our desire for positive change in the world.
Some of us have knowledge of information that most of us will never have the opportunity of hearing about through mainstream channels and we do our best to share it with the world by talking about it when and where we can, especially on social media sites like this one and often when doing so, we cite the need for dissemination of information to the masses.
It's an extremely difficult job to communicate the problems of the world to the masses, especially when they have no idea there are any, other than those they are presented with on the nightly news or daily newspaper, or have no inclination or reason to investigate for themselves., even more so when they're confronted with information that goes against everything they 'know' and have been programmed to believe.
Which is why I think it's vitally important to find a way of relaying this information in a balanced and fair way. A way that provides all sides of the argument for any particular subject and allows the reader to form their own conclusions or investigate further themselves the claims made by all sides. This is something I feel is lacking in our society today and could be improved dramatically, if the information was able to reach those outside of our circles and out of the loop regarding the true nature of the world and the societies in which we all live.
So, I would like to take the message that a lot of us have been trying to share to the streets, to those who perhaps wouldn't otherwise be provided with the opportunity of hearing such information, directly to the masses themselves, in the form of a real world publication designed to empower normal men and women with fair and balanced information about subjects they didn't previously realise had any controversy attached to them, as well as introducing them to the steemit platform and all of the associations that come with it, such as crypto-currency, blockchain technology and decentralised economies, etc.
As I mentioned at the start, the talent on offer within the steemit community provides us the luxury of having a plethera of men and women able to write about all manner of subjects in the fair and balanced way I also mentioned, as well as all the artists, designers, photographers and others needed to make such a project a reality. Everything we need for this project to be a successful one is right here, right now.
So let me explain my vision a little.
I'd like to create a hashtag on steemit, to which anyone interested in doing so could submit posts on a given subject matter, which they would be encouraged to approach in a balanced and non-biased way in order to create an article that provides the reader with both sides of the story from relevant sources or individuals, essentially, mainstream views and alternate views given equal opportunity to make their case. The subject matters covered could be chosen by those submitting articles in an organic fashion or if there was enough support, an editing team could decide which subject matters to cover in a given issue and request submissions in this way.
I'd also like to introduce normal men and women to emerging technologies that a lot of us have become familiar with to some extent such as the blockchain or steemit.com itself, so I would also be requesting articles that explain clearly and in simple terms the workings of the platform and its foundations, as well as the reasoning behind them.
When the articles requested or submitted have been so by the given deadline, the team of editors, or even the steemit community as a whole, could decide which should be put forth for publication in the upcoming issue, then any other editing work that needs done, such as spell checking, formatting and any other adjustments needed to the articles themselves so that they are to a professional standard and high level of quality.
When the articles are complete, images in the form of photographs or artwork can be added to compliment the articles by way of the same submission process and any other design work can be done by those willing to volunteer their skills and expertise in this area, as well as any other additional work that needs to be done. I’ve never published a magazine before, so I’m not sure of all of the exact workings, which is another reason why I need a lot of help.
Each article featured in a given issue would of course be credited and linked to the author and their account on steemit, with readers being encouraged to visit the platform and share their own thoughts and all involved in the publication would also be credited for their efforts, with an emphasis also on the steemit platform itself and how it is able to make a project like this and many others possible.
When our articles have been written and edited and the art and design work have all been done, our publication ready to go, we could create firstly a pdf version for download as well as a post on steemit with the entire copy laid out for all to access. Those who choose to would then be able to print off copies and publish them themselves via their own printers at home hopefully someone could suggest a less expensive way. This could either be done voluntarily at their own expense, or it could be funded in part or full by rewards from the reward pool, providing those who choose to publish copies the means to do it without expense to themselves and hopefully encouraging more to get involved. It would all depend on how much support there was but while I am hopeful that this project will receive a great deal, I would suggest that even the ability to produce a publication like this and distribute a few copies would be a fantastic start and a wonderful place from which to grow, so I won’t be despondent in the slightest if the support is not there immediately.
The ability to produce a publication together online and also to have it open source and accessible by all of the community, as well as being able to fund it at essentially no cost to ourselves, puts us in the position where individual men and women around the world can publish the same information and distribute it on their own, if they choose to. It also puts us in a position where we can help society in a variety of ways.
The first way is in by disseminating what we consider to be valuable information, another is in the way I feel we should choose to distribute that information, by helping less fortunate members of our society at the same time.
Once all of the copies have been printed off and are ready to go, I would suggest that the publisher take these copies to their local city centre, wherever they are in the world, where, if it’s anything like my own, they will no doubt and unfortunately find, many homeless men and women on the street begging for change.
To these unfortunate men and women who are suffering due to the nature of the way our societies are operated, we will give as many copies as we can with our limited supply. They will then be able to offer them to members of the public, normal men and women from all backgrounds and positions in life, in exchange for a donation, which they will keep for themselves and hopefully use in some small way to improve their position, at least temporarily.
By including a request within the publication for those who find themselves in possession of them to either pass them on to friends, family members or colleagues, if they found the information useful, or better still, to return them to the same or a different homeless person, we could hopefully increase circulation a little as well and we could even provide our homeless distributors with the means to direct any potential members of the public interested to the publications account page on steemit via their smart-phones, allowing them to make a donation and leaving the distributor with another physical copy to sell.
This is an idea I've been thinking about for a while and have shared with one or two friends here on steemit, to mixed reactions. While I have been told that it is a good idea in theory, it has also been suggested that there might not be the will and/or support within the community and that some of the suggestions I've made might not be as easy to achieve as I imagine, so I am asking for any thoughts or suggestions that others might have which will hopefully help me better decide whether this is something worth pursuing, or whether I should rethink the whole thing. :)
Do you think the idea is sound? Is it worth the effort? Is it something that will receive the support of the community? Could you suggest a better way of doing things? What haven't I thought of?
I value any thoughts you might have, so please feel free to share them in the comments section or contact me on steemit.chat, @tonyr.
Thanks a lot for your time and have a great day!
@tonyr
So basically what are you saying is that you wish to say the news exactly like it’s supposed to, not like the directors of mass media tells us? I think it’s an excellent Idea, If you can change at least one person it’s a gain.. News around the world is biased, but what a wonderful Idea that an article from the steemit community is publishes and reproduced… there a large amount of topics that the general public is misinformed for example “Monsanto” you got my voted if there anything I can to contribute I will
That's pretty much the idea @kkroto80 but rather than just providing people with the alternative perspective, I think it's important to provide all perspectives and allow people to come to their own conclusions and in doing so I think people will ultimately come to the right choice and decisions for themselves rather than basing their opinions on certain subjects solely on the information provided from the mainstream, which as you allude to, is not to be trusted. Your example of Monsanto is a good one since their products are widely used throughout the world and most have little information or knowledge about who they are or what they do. If enough did have this knowledge, I don't think Monsanto would be able to get away with the things they have til now, so the more information people can have access to, the better decisions they will make on the whole and information is what I would like to spread. Honest information. Not just one sided.
Thanks for the comment, my friend and also the offer of help, which I may well take you up on at some point. :)
Have a great day!
I also think this sounds great in theory, but might be tricky to execute. If you can do a smaller test run it would be give you a better idea of pros and cons. Maybe even focus first on explaining steemit and your initiative. Also a few success stories based on hard work are always interesting to read.
This way you won't need too many people to join right away and gives you more time for discoverability.
I suggest getting in touch with guys doing slothcoin creativecommons initiative for visuals. I havent participated, so I don't know their rules about using the resources. But that could also be just to get started :)
I plan on doing a smaller test run as you've suggested by creating an edition for my own city and was planning on keeping the content very light-hearted at first, focusing as you also suggest on steemit itself and simple, easy to understand explanations for the man or woman in the street to understand and get on board with but it's also a good idea to focus on some of the success stories as you say by highlighting them so I will look into that further. Maybe someone like papa-pepper would let me shine the spotlight in him. :)
I get what you're saying about only needing to start with a few people contributing and you're definitely right. Hopefully if we can get a first test issue out there it might peek the interest of more of the community and it can be as successful as I imagine it could. :)
I've seen the slothcoin tag used on a few posts and haven't investigated further til now but I'll definitley check it out. :)
Thanks a lot Kristy. I really appreciate the honest feedback and suggestions. :)
I love this idea. Though if you really want to inspire people my friend, well I've learned pictures are necessary. Take them on a journey, not just with your words, but with images.
I know and it was far too long as well. :( But I was hoping that if people liked the idea they might see past that. :) I think I might have to come up with a different way of getting people involved but it's definitely something I want to try out anyway so probably just arrange it all off my own back. It'll take a little while but I'll get there. :)
One "issue" I can possibly see is homeless people are usually ill equipped to lug around a heavy stack of magazines, and may also face fines and whatnot for selling them - even if it's donation based. Better to sell the magazines to Steemians and use the subscription fees to fund some other initiative for the homeless? Printing magazines is expensive too, so, perhaps ads sponsored by Steemit entrepreneurs who have businesses? I dunno, some ideas/suggestions that came to me while reading your post.
Hey @adammillwardart. Thanks a lot for the feedback and constructive criticism. I shared the idea with a few friends first and they also had reservations about the ability for the homeless to even offer them for a donation. I see it as an obstacle for sure but one that we can hopefully overcome. Perhaps by arming them with the information which would (in theory) prevent them from falling victim to policy enforcers we could provide them with the means to demonstrate that they are not subject to statute laws and this could also be used as an educational tool for said enforcement officers by educating them on the job they do which their employers should be more responsible in doing.
I really like the idea of steemit based ads from entepeneurs to fund things a little further. That's a really interesting idea that I will definitely look into further. Thanks sso much for suggesting it mate and for taking the time to read the post and comment. If you have any more ideas I'd love to hear them.
Have a great day buddy! :)
Perhaps a better way to distribute them is to give them freely in public areas, like have a stand with a big "FREE" sign at bus terminals or subway stations etc..., or maybe in select bars and cafe's - that's how Vice started.
I had thought about giving them out to students at colleges and universities, which would be pretty easy for me given that my city is full of them but I wanted to somehow incorporate helping the homeless in some way if possible. I'm definitely open to other avenues of distribution that would be more effective but I don't intend to be a leader and would rather that was decided by everyone who was interested in playing a part in deciding. I intend to do a test run at some stage in the future in my own city and will take charge of that but if it is successful to any degree and shows promise of being worth continuing, I hope others will get more involved and decisions can be taken as a group.
Thanks for another great suggestion Adam. It's much appreciated. :)
I think the students is the way to go. Of course there's exceptions, but homeless people are often mentally ill, addicted, transient etc... I think generating revenue and then using that to help the homeless by buying them food, clothing or somehow setting up shelter or other services might be the better way to go about it.
This is a great idea. I like your approach. Anything like this should avoid some central person pooling money together and trying to profit from other peoples work, and from what I see here you've done that so well done, I support this.
Hey @personz. Thanks a lot for the support and the feedback. I really appreciate both mate. I'd love it to be completely community driven and maybe at some point set up a separate account where everything can be completely transparent but for the time being it's going to take some work bringing attention to the project and hopefully getting enough support that it can be successful in future. For now I'm trying to work out how to best approach it and will hopefully be setting up a discord server soon ot try and get more people involved. I'd appreciate it if you keep track of things as time affords you and give any suggestions or support where you can. :)
I had a look at your Nth Society project as well and that seems like a really interesting idea that I will keep tabs on myself but I'm not very technically minded so not sure I could be much help I'm afraid. :) Sounds like a lot of fun though if you can make it a reality. :)
Thanks again for the comment and sorry the post was so long. :)
Have a great day mate!
I think there are some initiatives under the creative-commons tag that is also getting people to collaborate and contribute for the community, although most of it has been spear-headed by artists rather than writers (of the more non-fictional genres). But that's not to say that a similar model wouldn't work in getting a body of work written and published and I think perhaps the proof-of-concept needs to be how different people can co-author and publish something in a similar way to wikipedia (if that's an appropriate model for what you are thinking of)?
I think it's a super awesome idea! :) My one problem while reading the whole thing was.. While I appreciate your wanting to be neutral and fair with the information, and to show all sides of a story.. This is where I think your idea runs into the most problems, because.. We're all biased. And while I think the people on steemit are generally less biased and brainwashed.. I think we all suffer from a confirmation bias to some extent in some ways. It would be really difficult to find the writers who could truly be non biased. BUT.. That being said, I think even steemit's most biased people are probably a lot less biased than the general culture, so.. It would be an improvement in my eyes upon what is already out there.. SO your one problem that I noticed, is still better than what we currently have.. I think it's a dope idea! I totally support you. I dunno how much I can help especially with my contest going now, but.. I'd be happy to help if I can. :)
Also! I just noticed there is a whale who is looking for good ideas to be pitched to him! If you haven't noticed his thread yet, here it is.. You may wanna drop this link over there as well and write up a lil explanation of what you're trying to do! I'm going to try to pitch my contest idea over there as well, but I need a lil more time to flesh things out. It seems like super synchronystic timing.. For both of our ideas and there's a whale looking for good ideas! Who knows.. Maybe one of our ideas will be picked! That would be a super huge help, and since I think we both have good intentions and plan on giving back to the world.. Hopefully we can find more dolphins and whales to help support our ideas. :)
Here's the link, awesome idea! And.. Good luck friend! :)
https://steemit.com/steem/@cryptoctopus/pitch-me-your-project
Thanks a lot for the support mate. I know trying to br=e unbiased in any situation is pretty impossible but I think there are lots of excellent writers who can do a great job at putting all sides across as fairly as possible. I hope so anyway. :)
And I saw the post you linked me as well and sent him a link to my post a few days ago but there are so many comments with excellent ideas that I'm not holding my breath that mine will even get seen let alone chosen to be supported but again, I hope so. It would be a good start but I'm pretty confident that given time the project will find enough support to have some sort of meaningful impact. Would be nice to get a community built up around the thing as well so that there can be lots of input and thought given to it rather than everything coming from one person, especially me. :)
Thanks a lot mate and good luck to you too. :)
Woow amazing l like, very good thanks for sharing
Hi @tonyr, I think we share some similar ideas about making use of the knowledge and skills of the people on steemit no matter what their reputation or background for the greater good of the community. I feel like it is a shame that we don't have something similar to www.kialo.com which seems to do a lot of the things that you have described here but it is not decentralized and running on a blockchain.
I am working on building a list of people that are happy to share information and knowledge with other steemians, so there is some overlap between what we are doing so I am happy to work together towards a common goal :)
I just had a quick look at kialo.com and it looks like a very interesting site. Thanks for the heads up. :)
I've been following your work where I can and you are doing a great job at connecting and helping other steemians and if I can do anything to help at all then please don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure I'll be calling on you at some point for your thoughts. I actually sent a draft copy of this post to a few friends to ask their thoughts first and was considering asking yourself as well but since we haven't known each other that long, I thought better of it. :(
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts @plushzilla and hope we can speak more and work together more in future. :)
Have a great day, my friend. :)
I found kialo.com works well for trying to construct a discussion, especially for a topic that has multiple points of view. It is mostly used in a debate setting where there are normally two sides to an argument, but I like the simplicity of the concept and how it builds up to a more complex body of knowledge/information so I thought it was worth looking into.
Are you also on Discord? If so we should have a chat when our timezones are in sync :D I'd love to put you down on my list of people that are happy to teach and share their knowledge on Steemit (as part of my Steemtopia Network of Learning), and I am happy to help out with your initiative as well because I always like to see some outcome from people sharing and working towards a goal.
@plushzilla, I am interested in teaching and sharing whatever knowledge I can. I will look for info on your Steemtopia Network of Learning. Following.
Hi @cstrimel, it seems like you have a number of different interests and from the posts on your blog it looks like the environment and sustainability is something that stands out more from the others. I'd be happy to put you down in the NATURE/ECOSYS category but if you would like to suggest others then I am happy to put those down as well. I have separated the people who have expressed interest from those that I think would be good sources of information just to avoid duplication. Thanks for your interest and I will also be following your posts more closely now :)
https://steemit.com/makesteemitgreat-again/@plushzilla/the-steemtopia-network-of-learning-update-both-experienced-and-new-steemians-welcomed
Thanks! I am a little more interested in writing about communication, but there is some professional vulnerability I have to work through in that area since it’s my profession. I’ve taught human communication courses for years, but have never tried publishing in the field. But I’d be happy to contribute wherever it would be valuable. Nature/Ecosys is still of great interest to me as well. Thanks for the quick reply. Looking forward to this.
you can change your post style.
This sounds like a good idea to me. I will second the comment by @apolymask that all of us are biased. All media/information outlets are created and operated by humans, so therefore they are all biased. But that said, the structure, operating procedures, by-laws and leadership all can play a role in creating as much balance as (humanly) possible. And if you can recruit some aliens it may not be a bad idea either :). I look forward to following the project, and would be interested in contributing. I am a communication teacher, with a focus on human communication, but I also have a decent knowledge of mass media.