Planning for a Spiritual Social Website
Following on from my How to Change the World post, I thought I’d start a discussion about my future planned social network site, which will be a Facebook equivalent for enlightened souls who believe it’s time to leverage the Group Consciousness for good.
Feel free to chip in and add your own thoughts, ideas and comments at the end of this post, or use the Contact Form if you’d prefer to comment without it being publicly visible. The idea is still very much in draft, and all input is welcomed.
Site Name
After much deliberation, we’re leaning towards godblender.com.
Tag line: Pour your heart and soul into it.
This name refers to the “blending and combining of all higher thoughts”. It has it’s essence in the belief that each individual is part and parcel of the collective, which is God. We are therefore each God. By blending ourselves, the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. [Work required to expand this.]
Other names considered were:
- wejej.com, as in ‘thin edge of the wedge’
- souldome.com
- flutt.org
- luvuv.com
- plor.org, as in ‘implore’
- splen.org, as in ’splendid’
Question: What’s your first reaction to godblender? If you received a Facebook style invitation from a friend and the link was something like http://www.godblender.com/n/?profile.php&id=688624922, would you be inclined to at least investigate? Does the inclusion of the word ‘god’ make you less inclined to be interested?
Other Name Considerations
Doing this Google search brings up around 2,800 results for lyrics for a song called Smirk the Godblender by Thought Industry, an American progressive metal band, formed in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1989. While I can’t find a sampler for the song, the rest of the band’s titles seem to be pretty angry. So the only consideration is do we want to be associated, even loosely, with a song like this.
I don’t believe this is a major consideration.
Objective/About
[Incomplete]
The purpose of the site is (loosely) to:
- Provide a space for spiritually enlightened individuals to share experiences, meet, enjoy each other’s company;
- Have a bit of fun;
- Harness the power of Group Consciousness, with the intention of affecting positive change in the world;
- Possibly identifying potential leaders for if/when the geopolitical landscape changes significantly.
The intention is to provide an extension of the World Peace Experiment, which seems to have stalled at about 32,000 individuals after being going for more than 10 years. Their goal is to reach 80,000 people. Our goal will be to reach 100,000 quality members, who have in their own right already contributed something to society.
Business Considerations
To read more about how Social Networking is a viable business model, see the Wikipedia entry about Facebook. An important differentiatior is that this site will have a very specific purpose: Changing the World. Because of this, we do not expect the massive volumes Facebook and Myspace have achieved. The focus will be on Quality, not Quantity.
Why Not Use Facebook, or Existing Social Network Sites?
Up until September 2006, Facebook only allowed university, college and school students to join. In late September 2006 they opened up membership to anyone with a valid email address. While Facebook attracts a more mature audience than any of the other social websites, it is still very much a place only to ‘hang out’ and have fun. It is therefore not appropriate for our purposes.
The question could be asked why we don’t simply establish a ‘network’ — a sub-section — on Facebook itself.
Consider this: Facebook is totally public, and not much can be kept hidden from those who you’ve accepted as friends. For many, their spiritual journey and enlightenment is a somewhat private matter. They may not want employers, work colleagues or casual acquaintances to meddle unnecessarily in a meaningful part of their life. This, then, is a perfect way to sidestep the inevitable dilution which might occur in a Facebook environment.
Another design constraint is that Facebook bases their entire networking concept on geographic locations. All networks are listed under Regions, Colleges, Workplaces, or High Schools. This geographic grouping doesn’t cater well for people who might be in totally different physical places, but in the same space spiritually. If what Walsch says is accurate (”We are spiritual beings on a physical journey”), this design limitation is fundamental.
A Cynical Look at Facebook
Membership
Membership will always be free, but might be restricted to Invitation Only during the first few weeks or months, as we test the software and iron out any bugs. We may maintain this exclusivity to differentiate ourselves from other competitors (see below).
There may be a requirement for a Creed or Oath of some sorts [better phrase required] which new members will be asked to agree with when opening an account.
An example, taken from TUT.com is:
“In the face of adversity, uncertainty and conflicting sensory information,
I hereby pledge to remain ever mindful of the magical, infinite, loving reality
in which I live. A reality that conspires tirelessly in my favor.
“I further recognize, that living within space and time,
as a Creation amongst my Creations,
is the ultimate Adventure,
because thoughts become things,
dreams come true,
and all things remain forever possible.
“As a Being of Light, I hereby resolve to live, love and be happy,
at all costs, no matter what, with reverence and kindness for All. So be it!”
“I recognize that Zaadz is creating an online sanctuary for personal development and I commit to co-creating this sacred space by honoring the Terms of Use.”
“As you know, we’re committed to creating a unique place on the web. A place that’s committed to inspiring and empowering people to live at their highest potential. As such, we have a unique Terms of Use.
Imagine walking into a yoga studio or a meditation room or a temple. Whatever stress you bring to the door dissolves as you breathe in the uplifting energy of that space.
We intend to provide our members with this same inspiring and empowering energy.
By accepting this agreement, you acknowledge that you are entering this community with reverence, compassion, respect for yourself, your fellow members, and the law, and a desire to grow and to give to the world.
To protect our little our oasis, should you choose to act in a manner inconsistent with these ideals, we reserve the right to terminate your account. (Meaning… we’ll boot you out real quick-like :).”
Look and Feel
Some consideration needs to be given to what the site will look like. There are two options:
- Clean and simple, like Facebook
- Colourful but cluttered, like MySpace.
Any preference? What kind of colour scheme?
Since Facebook has attracted a (slightly) more mature audience than MySpace, I’m leaning towards option 1.
Competitors
As I find others doing the same thing I’ll list them here.
- zaadz.com - Connect, Grow, Inspire, Empower. Firmly in our space. Impressive history and press exposure. See zaadz.com/about. Possible differentiation could be a less commercial approach - they combine “spiritualism with capitalism” and call it “conscious capitalism”. Domain name has been operational since April 2004. Real vision seems to have started in January 2006. Blog started in November 2006. 115k members as at October 2007.
- Taking It Global - Not in direct competition with us, and may be able to offer ideas. They are a global non-governmental organization (NGO) that runs a large online community and social network for youth who are interested in social, political and global issues.
Logo Design
Not easy to decide on the look and feel, so have created a contest whereby a number of designers can submit their ideas. The winning design will be chosen soon. See details.
Other Considerations
Article: Anatomy of a Successful Social Network
- Social networking can be great, as long as it can serve its purpose by connecting people in a meaningful way - and for a meaningful purpose;
- User generated content is king;
- Avoid too many ads, particularly on irrelevant pages where content theme can’t be interpreted;
- Consider low monthly fee to suppress ads;
- Consider revenue sharing for contributors;
- Avoid too many features - keep it simple - the “more is less” mantra is being ignored;
- Niche is where the action’s at - “when you are part of a smaller community it seems to provide a great value to the end user; that is, a sense of unity and purpose”.
Article: Social Networking Sites - Blah, blah, blah…
- Social-networking sites prove more of a distraction than a tool. The inundation of friend requests and insignificant news feeds on sites like Facebook eat up valuable time that could be spent solidifying contacts in person.
Article: Keys to Successful Social Networking
- Today’s increasingly sophisticated web users seek spaces that allow them to amplify their sense of self;
- SMPs need to provide the tools that enable self-expression, discovery, and interaction;
- Being open and direct with members is a good way to build trust and rapport, and helps the members feel like the community is their own;
- Social media is a “conversation that happens among relative peers”.
Article: 5 Principles for Web 2.0 Success
- Define the object around which the service is built i.e photos, slides, music, jaikus
- Define the key verbs for the object
- Make the object shareable
- Provide a gift users can offer their friends - exclusivity is one option
- Charge the publisher, not the spectators
Article: The Wales’ Rules for Web 2.0 (from the creator of Wikipedia)
- Be proactive
- Be transparent
- Be frugal
- Be true to your brand
- Be trusting
Case Study: A Small World Company Profile (exclusive European, invite-only Social Website)
Article: Golden Rules for Web 2.0
Article: Thinking in Web 2.0
Article: 10 Beautiful Social Websites
Article: Managing a Successful Homegrown Social Network
Press Releases (relating to Invitation-only Social Network): ASmallWorld in the Press
PDF for Purchase: A Spiritual-Social Experiment in Human Unity and Evolution
There is much more to be considered and discussed, and this post will be updated as ideas develop. Please do contribute by adding your thoughts below.
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What do you think?