WiserEarth Group Support
Help and advice for WiserEarth groups, discussions about groups and examples of successful groups.
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Feb 20, 2008
Updated: Nov 19, 2009
Membership: Open
Public
12 Key Destination Groups Built Around Earth Charter
We will need your help in conceptualizing, creating, administering, growing and enriching these groups. They will become key meeting points (a.k.a. virtual watercoolers, village pumps, etc.) for the entire WiserEarth community in the future.
Start helping out by
conceptualizing how the group should look like and function in the comment section. Thank you!
Potential
Some thinking around the potential of these groups: 1. Provide destinations that are populated, active and interactive enough for each community member and visitor to take advantage from and contribute to. 2. A showcase of how WE is unifying and integrating the movement it wishes to serve. 3. Will probably grow into some of the largest online groups around
these issue areas anywhere on the internet (depends on how WE total
userbase grows)
Design
There were two mockups, originally created for improving AoF portals, that we can learn from in creating these key groups:
Your ideas?
Feel free to suggest ideas in the comment section at the bottom of this page. Some areas where we need your specific feedback:
Summary of discussionGeneral feedback The concept is to use existing groupware for this, I don't see us creating new functionality as is envisioned in the portal mock-ups above.
Group content Should have a standard naming convention for the groups and the group URL. Perhaps just the principle name like "Nature Conservation & Restoration" for the name title and for the URL something like "..../EarthCharterPrinciple5"? We can mention the Earth Charter connection in the about section but I think it would be confusing to over emphasize the Earth Charter in the title of the group - since this is where WE is sending them....
Group membership Any WE member can join.They are automatically invited to join the group upon adding a relevant/related AOF to their profile.
Group activities Helping new members feel at home and be productive. Creating new records to share with the community. Coordinating action that helps WE community.
Group administration Admins volunteer to existing Admins. At least one Editor per group to help moderation.
Group features I think we can do fine with existing group modules. We could use discussions, orgs, resources, suggested content (renamed), bulletin sections, events, and when it comes out the new News module (streaming RSS feeds)
Action plan
We wish to take these groups public ready for action in February or March 2009. Here are the things we need to do toward that end and beyond:
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Themes and admins
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Comments (1 - 20 of 24)
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@bowo~ I am slow, seeing what kind of flow there is on the email campaign/org updates and making sure I do things right and not over extend. That said, YES! I would love to get it set up and invite you and Melinda. It may take me a bit, but I am interested in doing it.
best, h |
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@Guy:
We can have "coffe corner" featuring certain books, movies, etc. for each of the KDG groups. People can comment and rate with the tools we already have. So, thank you for this idea. @H: Thanks! Angus and I have started a group for principle 5 (see link in the wiki above). Still under construction. Do you fancy starting the principle 11 group and invite Melinda and me in, so we can play around with the layout, modules, content and possible activity types? If yes, go ahead. Now that interim homepage work is more or less done, I hope to spend quality time on the three pilot KDGs soon (two of which are the ones we're starting). Best, B |
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I am willing to step up and do some work on gender equity and equality if the issue is lack of admin support for a KDG. I imagine from watching some of the gender issues already active on WE that this area will find traffic fairly fast.
best, h
p.s. exciting! |
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PROPOSAL
TO INCLUDE A COFFEE CORNER Hi all, Apart
from the debate groups, it would seem interesting - like it happens in
congresses worldwide - to include some other features to make the website more
dynamic. I would like to propose setting
up a "coffee corner", where people can post relevant books,
documentaries and movies. This way,
information can be interchanged on hot books and films, so that everybody
remains updated. I would split up the coffee corner section in the
following eight themes: (1) Environmental crisis, (2) Corporate
power & propaganda, (3) Science
& Technology, (4) Food & Agriculture, (5)
War & Peace, (6) Economy, (7) Education and (8) Grassroots Politics. Anybody could then post a book or a movie,
with a review, on any such subject.
Other members of the community could then add a comment to the review,
or even better : post their own review.
All members of the community could give a rating - after being logged in
as a user and after acknowledging having read the book or seen the movie -
answering the question : "Was this book or movie
helpful for you?". In this way,
a list can automatically be generated of "recommended books and movies" on those topics (let's say 10
titles long), so that the coffee corner will be a hot place to keep in touch
with interesting books and movies. Kind regards Guy |
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Dominic - first you need to add the page to your watchlist (see Action box top right of this page), then go to your profile and user settings scroll down to set frequency of alerts and turn it on. Let me know if that works. Best Angus
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Technical question: how can I update my WatchList so that I get e-mail updates when new comments have been posted to this page?
Thanks, Dominic |
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Hello Angus,
Your suggestion on how to phase in the KDGs is, of course, an internal decision at WE. You know the technology and users best, so I respect your perspective highly - your suggestion seems to build organically on real interest in specific KDGs.
I would only encourage you to make it clear to WE volunteer editors, AOF editors, and other users that the opportunity exists for them to take on administration of one of the other KDGs. In that way, we can, hopefully, get all 12 KDGs up and active, as this best reflects the integrated framework of the Earth Charter.
And just one technical point: you mention that there are 2 KDGs ready to be activated, but aren't there 3?
Nature Conservation and Restoration; Gender Equality and Equity; and Education for Justice, Sustainability and Peace
What would be nice about having these 3 is that there is one representing each of the 3 Earth Charter Pillars.
Again, thanks for all your work on this!
Peace, Dominic
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@Bowo: I would launch in stealth mode just the couple of EC principle groups that we have high interest behind in terms of administration. After a couple of weeks we can turn on the invite process for new members that identify the relevant AOFs and see how that goes. Then as we learn and interest grows we can start the other groups. I'm surprised that more AOF Editors aren't keen to co-manage one of these groups.... when do you think we could launch those two groups? Now that we have the suggested content module for groups I think we have most of the tools, although the new News module (arriving in 1-2 months) might be a great additional tool for a group such as this. |
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@Ed (swanlake): Thanks for the heads up. That is great news indeed!!! I've heard of the legal theory before but to see this implemented is a real joy!!!
A new law of nature (supporting opinion) Why We Call Them Human Rights (dissenting opinion)
Care to start a discussion on this in the Earth Charter group? |
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Dear Dominic,
Thanks for dropping by. We're quite thrilled ourselves with this first step of integrating the Earth Charter into WE.
Good point with the numbers. They were just for easier referencing in our discussion here, but to prevent future confusion, I've removed the numbers as suggested.
On integrating the Task Forces: We don't have the details of the task forces yet, so that's where I hoped EC folks can illuminate us with and work together on. But from what you've just said, it seems that they're better off separate. Nevertheless, we can think of cross-posting valuable information (events, reports, invitation to action, etc.) any time to these 12 KDGs if that is useful for the Task Forces. Of course, we're open for other ideas along the way.
It would be great if EC's Youth Task Force will be present here in WE and can connect and collaborate with the 12 KDGs and the wider WE community.
I was quite shocked to hear the news that you're leaving, but I read one of the comments in your farewell post saying more or less: "great leaders know when to pass the baton and move on". I wish you the best on your next adventure and look forward to seeing more of you here in WE!
Don't hesitate to drop by here anytime if you have more thoughts to share Dominic.
Best wishes, Bowo |
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You might be interested that Equador has added rights for nature to its constitution
in sept of 2008
this is an unprecidented global advance
alfred |
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Dear Bowo,
We here at Earth Charter are, of course, thrilled that you and your colleagues are moving forward with the implementation of "Key Destination Groups" structured around Earth Charter principles. Thanks to all of you for this special effort.
Thanks, too, for having already integrated our feedback into the titles for each KDG. In this regard, it is perfectly clear why you chose to focus on principles 5-16 in the Earth Charter - these are the more in-depth action principles (whereas the first 4 give a broad overview). One potential point of confusion, however, might be the numbering of these KDGs. Number 1 on "Nature Conservation and Restoration," for example, is principle number 5 in the Earth Charter. On the other hand, I can see that WE would not want to have KDGs numbered 5-16. What would you think of dropping the numbers all together?
In your last e-mail to me, you wrote that:
" When and if you do decide to use WiserEarth as the web platform for EC's decentralized empowerment initiative, we can also think of integrating these 12 key groups with the previously mentioned thematic task forces right from the very beginning."
Could you elaborate on your vision for this? The Task Forces are in Business, Education, Media, Religion, the United Nations, and Youth, but not limited to these. I don't quite see how we could link these to a specific KDG as they should, ideally, work with all these EC principles. You should also know that, based on our most recent Earth Charter meeting in December in the Netherlands, it seems that Task Forces will operate in a decentralized way, identifying their own means of communication and level of online presence. From my perspective, I am keen to get the Youth Task Force up on WiserEarth, potentially as an example to the other Task Forces.
On a final note, you should know that I will no longer be with Earth Charter as their International Youth Coordinator by the end of January. See my farewell message here: http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/youth/ This does not mean, however, that I will not be involved in promoting the Youth Task Force on WE. On the contrary, I intend to stay involved with the Earth Charter movement and may even have more (or comparable) time on my hands for Youth Task Force promotion on WE.
Again, thanks for all your efforts.
Peace, Dominic
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@Angus: Agreed. These two seems popular enough and will resonate with a large segment of current WE community: 1. Nature Conservation and Restoration 6. Equitable and Sustainable Economics
Of course, we can also start with other groups that have enough admins.
Question: should we launch these early group in 'silent' and 'manual' mode? By silent I mean without any announcement to the entire community, and by manual to mean that growing membership would be via one by one invitation to join group. Or should we do the otherwise? In a way, having all 12 prepared for action to then launch 'aloud' and 'automatic' (mass invite according to user's AoF mapping on Earth Charter) is a considerable approach. But having a 'silent' and 'manual' launch for the early two or three groups is also a good way to test what work and what doesn't work.
@Guy: Thanks for those clarifications (no. 1 and no. 2). I think the WiserEarth Suggestions group will be a good place for us to elaborate on your feedback. Please start a feedback forum there and we can continue.
3. You will realize that every organization page in WiserEarth has a comment section equipped with ratings. This is in a way a mechanism for the community to appreciate or scrutinize an organization's conduct/work. If you have better ideas, please go to suggestions group.
4. No problem. Just a reminder :) |
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Dear Bowo : I'll answer your questions :
1. Which were you referring to in: "I would take advantage of the restructuring of the discussion groups, and propose a totally new layout of the website, with four big scopes:"
The 12 groups proposed here? Earth Charter's website? Earth Charter group on WiserEarth? or WiserEarth's website?
I was talking on the WiserEarth's website, since restructuring the discussion groups will result in a new layout. I do understand the importance of debate, and I would take advantage of this new layout of the website where this debate could result in action on organizational level (the Global Action Center for NGO's) and on personal level (the Movement of Concerned Citizens).
2. By "global action center" do you mean creating another website separate from WiserEarth? Or somehow modifying WiserEarth? If so, how? How is this related to our discussion here on the 12 groups?
I really dream of WiserEarth taking the lead on global action. This is related to the fact that I hope that the debate groups will produce concrete action points, that then could be transferred to the global action center.
3. Not really sure how to respond to "obliging them to work together". I don't think anyone can or should oblige any other person to do anything. While "peer pressure" has it's role in society's dynamics, I don't think we should pressure any community member to do anything.
Yeah, you're right that this word is too strong; "encouraged" would be better. Sorry. Now, let me make clear that on this point I was not talking on the movement of people (where I suggested that each person has his or her conscience to witness how he or she behaves), but on NGO's, who are organizations that work with donations from other people or taxmoney, so in any case they are working with money from the public, and I do think that the public has the right to monitor what they are doing with their money. 4. On recommended books/dvds: Any user can already do this. Anyone can create a wikipage or a resource page listing books/dvds they recommend. They can also add them individually so those books/dvds can get ratings and comments. You're right that this wasn't the place to propose this. Sorry. Kind regards Guy
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@Bowo: I suggest we launch just a couple of these groups at first and converge towards a common templated group design based on experience. I would suggest we have at least 3 admins per group - given the need to stay fresh and support new group members. I think a better model for group design than the AOFs would be the WE Help Desk - these groups should highlight new content (e.g. Suggested Content module) but also provide a space for discussion, questions, and assistance.
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@Angus: Good points. This is especially true: "Group Administrators of these 12 key groups would be very important to managing and nuturing the wiser WiserEarth community. They could be Editors but would not have to be."
Some thoughts on group admins:
@Deborah: Thanks for the edits. No decisions yet on "managing editors" or group admins for these groups. I've enlisted your name above as people who are interested to administer group No.10. I'm good with Angus'es suggestion on selecting respected WiserEarthlings as pioneering group admins and allowing them to choose subsequent admins. But if there's a more egalitarian and effective way to choose admins, I'm all for that.
@Guy: Thanks for the elaborate comments. Some clarification first.
1. Which were you referring to in: "I would take advantage of the restructuring of the discussion groups, and propose a totally new layout of the website, with four big scopes:"
The 12 groups proposed here? Earth Charter's website? Earth Charter group on WiserEarth? or WiserEarth's website?
2. By "global action center" do you mean creating another website separate from WiserEarth? Or somehow modifying WiserEarth? If so, how? How is this related to our discussion here on the 12 groups?
3. Not really sure how to respond to "obliging
them to work together". I don't think anyone can or should oblige any other person to do anything. While "peer pressure" has it's role in society's dynamics, I don't think we should pressure any community member to do anything.
4. On recommended books/dvds: Any user can already do this. Anyone can create a wikipage or a resource page listing books/dvds they recommend. They can also add them individually so those books/dvds can get ratings and comments.
Other than these, I think you made valid observations and arguments. Perhaps you want to start discussions on these in the public forum or in any related groups out there? Or later on in these upcoming 12 key groups? Really think that we should stay on topic here, which is to discuss the best way to prepare and launch these groups. |
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whew ..... i really like your ideas .... Lynne Mctaggert .... everyone should listen to "The Field" as well .... and don't we have to include Michael Pollen's books? I also think that as a global community, we should really question the fact that the UN continues to be housed in the US ... and I think we should question WHY the US should be allowed to maintain ints position on the Security Council when its veto power so blatantly and continuously makes a force of 'global concensus.' I personally feel we should discuss moving the UN to a developing country, and rotating it every 4 years so that it could assist in building economies in these regions with some 'real life first hand experience." |
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It seems that the space for comments is limited; here continues the text from the letter below :
To understand the full scope of this statement some books can be recommended:
· Alex Carey : Taking the risk out of democracy · Rampton & Stauber : Trust us, we're experts · Ben Bagdikian : The new media monopoly · Paul Brodeur : Outrageous misconduct - The asbestos industry on trial · Jensen & Anderson : Empty harvest · Deborah Cadbury : The feminization of nature · David Healy : Let them eat Prozac · Lynne McTaggart : What doctors don't tell you · Robert Becker : Electropollution · Fred Pearce : When the rivers run dry · Edward Wilson : The diversity of life · Jared Diamond : Collapse · Wackernagel & Rees : Our ecological footprint · Peter Singer : Animal liberation
We should also focus on solutions:
· William Kemp : The renewable energy handbook - A guide to rural energy independence, off-grid and sustainable living · David Steinman : Diet for a poisoned world · Daniel Chiras : The solar house · James Kachadorian : The passive solar house · Alexander Neill : Summerhill · Lipman, Sharp & Oscanyan : Philosophy in the classroom
As documentaries I would suggest the following:
· Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1983), · An Inconvenient Truth (Davis Guggenheim, 2006) · Who killed the electric car? (Chris Paine, 2006) · The future of food (Deborah Koons García, 2004) · Why we fight (Eugene Jarecki, 2006) · Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore, 2004) · The Corporation (Mark Achbar, 2005) · The real dirt on farmer John (John Peterson, 2007).
I would propose to include a section of recommended books and documentaries in the website. If you like this idea, I also immediately offer me as a volunteer to help building and maintaining this section.
I hope I will not be alone with those ideas for more action and that you all will support them. We are really living in a wicked world. The year 2050 is only 40 years away. If we don't intervene now, we will witness the collapse of oceans, tropical forests, and the big rivers flowing from the Himalaya, affecting the drinking water of 40 % of world population. We will need urgent and extremely intelligent coordinated actions, on personal and collective level, to reverse this tide. And I am sure we can do it.
Kind regards,
Guy |
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Dear wiserearth editors,
We all agree on the point that the website of wiserearth has to be more dynamic to take advantage of all listed organizations and people, and that presently the discussions have gone beyond comprehensibility and active participation.
Now, I took a look at the website of the Earth Charter and was quite disappointed with the way they pretend to translate their agenda into reality. They did not get any further than:
"The nations of the world must renew their commitment to the United Nations, fulfill their obligations under existing international agreements, and support the implementation of Earth Charter principles with an international legally binding instrument on environment and development".
Now, this means that nothing will be achieved at all. I don't know of a single government at this moment interested in such an agenda, let alone the United Nations. Our governments don't care about this. They are only worried about the recession, their criminal banker friends, car manufacturers, the price of oil, the growth of GNP, etc. When their banker-friends are in trouble, then they have all the money in the world available to save them. Immediately!
Nowadays, in "civilized" countries like the US and Europe, you have 44 % to suffer a cancer during your lifetime if you're a man, and 38 % if you're a woman. This represents an increase of 24 % in just one generation, following Dr. Samuel Epstein. Is this civilization? Is this welfare? I don't think so, but this is clearly the way our governments are "caring" about us. They know very well that this is due to the pollution of the environment and our food chain with pesticides, DDT, PCB, etc, but they prefer to support the big corporations poisoning our world, instead of defending the people they are supposed to represent.
They only thing that frightens governments is that we spread this message. Three of the highest officials in the state of California's Department of Health Services politely menaced David Steinman days before he testified in 1985 before a California state legislative committee on toxic chemicals and human health, revealing that consumers of locally caught sport fish were poisoned with DDT. They stressed that "they feared public hysteria, that the public could not handle the truth"... Then they remember us, when we talk about their misconduct!
For the moment, we still live in a "free world" and still can speak up. Therefore, I would propose that those debates should result in action points for NGO's and for us people.
I would take advantage of the restructuring of the discussion groups, and propose a totally new layout of the website, with four big scopes:
1. GLOBAL ACTION CENTER FOR NGO's 2. MOVEMENT OF CONCERNED CITIZENS 3. DEBATES 4. RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND DVD's
Let me suggest some contents to the three points that have not been discussed yet:
1- GLOBAL ACTION CENTER FOR NGO's
This is probably the most important challenge we face nowadays, if we really want to inherit to the next human generations a decent planet to live on. Only about 5 % of the earth surface has not been intervened by humankind, following Edward Wilson, and this area is diminishing very fast. By 2050 nothing of the tropical forests will be left and all the big fish in the oceans will be gone also. Wilson urges us to take up the struggle:
Humanity's responsibility to the rest of life and to future generations is clear: bring with us as much of the environment and biodiversity through the bottleneck as possible.
Some action points would include:
o save the tropical forests o save the oceans o monitoring and protecting migrating whales and birds o detecting/stopping international transportation of toxic and radioactive waste o save endangered species, etc.
· Save threatened people, anywhere
Here petitions can be posted so that governments see that they are being watched, helping threatened human rights activists, reporters, syndical delegates, women threatened being stoned because they were violated, imprisoned political activists, etc.
· Buy organics
Here we could include a map of the world, so that in any country, in every region, in every city, farmers and cooperatives can offer their products, and interested consumers can receive on-line information where they can buy healthy, organic foods.
· Etc. (other points resulting from the debates)
This "global action center" would be a site where NGO's would be actively invited to coordinate their actions, with an editor going behind them, inviting them, calling them, if needed : obliging them to work together. Everybody knows that NGOs are sometimes reluctant to work together. But wiserearth will offer a different platform. NGO's will actively be stimulated to coordinate their actions and they will be watched by the whole community. So if they are reluctant on working together, they will feel the pressure of society and this will certainly help them to "behave better". (Most NGO's depend on donations from people, so if they don't perform good in public, this could affect their income.)
Another advantage of this global action center is that we can save on air travel (and on the CO2 that is expulsed by this travelling), since wiserearth has already people and organizations in all parts of the world, so when local eyes are needed, or when volunteers are required, this can be requested in this "global action center" and people can then help whenever needed. This will make wiserearth a really dynamic community, worth viewing and participating, and worth paying a visit to see what's up on wiserearth, resolving the problem we face now that people only visit us once or twice, and that's it.
2- MOVEMENT OF CONCERNED CITIZENS
The World Scientist's Warning to Humanity in 1992 stated the following:
A new ethic is required - a new attitude towards discharging our responsibility for caring for ourselves and for the earth. We must recognize the earth's limited capacity to provide for us. We must recognize its fragility. We must no longer allow it to be ravaged. This ethic must motivate a great movement...
If we want to save the earth, every one of us should change their way of life. Every one of us takes up a certain ecological footprint, and we should limit this to a reasonable share of all earth resources. We must stop thinking that "the others" should improve their behavior. No, we, you and I, should change our behavior. I would like to put forward some clue points for the Movement of Concerned Citizens to adhere to:
The definition of those clue points is open for debate and could be adapted following the debates in the discussion groups. However, I would suggest trying to limit the scope of the action points to a small number, let's say maximum 10 points, in order to be easily understandable and applicable. (I once saw a book with 70 points or so, and that's far too much; let's limit ourselves to the biggest impact points.)
It would be important that people could confirm that they underwrite those principles. That would give an immediate feedback on how we're doing. I would propose that any citizen acting on at least three of the actual seven points, could be entitled to sign up, if he or she compromises to fulfill all points in the near future, with his or her consciousness as only witness. Let's remember again what Henry Thoreau said on this topic:
Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.
4. RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND DVD's
I would like to propose to include a section in the wiserearth website recommending some books and documentaries. Above all, we need informed people, precisely because governments don't like us understanding that they are lying. We need informed people and informed editors. Maybe the shortest definition to understand the nature of the capitalism we are suffering today comes from Alex Carey:
The 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.
To understand the full scope of this statement some books can be recommended:
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Slowly but surely is great!
Please do take your time.
Thanks h!