UniEcoBudget Working Group

Yes, less is more for the events action.  I would go for a single list sorted by date and time that automatically filters for the user's home metro or rural area, and according to the portal with the option once you are on the list to do a search on the event text and to select another locale.  Thus at the WE home page level, all events are included.  At the Nuclear Disarmament portal, only nuclear disarmament events are listed.   If there are no future events to show, suppress the events button. 

Just brainstorming -- this kind of thing needs to be talked over more than discussed by email.

Thanks for posting this, James, and for making the BlindSpot meme our own.  Who knew that deep within NATO, of all organizations, there bloomed such a patch of good ideas? 

I'm working on my own outside the box global project - you might find it of interest.  Here is the website: Los Angeles Area Nuclear Disarmament Coalition.  We are working with a voting-on-messages technology in hopes of rolling it out to the Mayors for Peace global network to elect a message from the cities of the world to the 2010 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Conference.  Recently we discovered that Los Angeles and Tehran are Sister Cities as well as both on the Mayors for Peace roster.  The Sister Cities link has gone dormant these thirty years, but we are getting some traction in LA City Hall, and it appears we may be able to reactivate the link, at least on the LA side.  With all the crackdown in Iran, things are not so clear for Tehran, but the mayor of Tehran was a Mousavi supporter - a "pragmatic conservative", so this might be a way for him to keep hope alive, as the saying goes.  Our scenario is to start with an LA / Tehran online dialog and then expand rapidly to include all 2880 Mayors for Peace cities.  If you have some thoughts, please get in touch.

The relationship of this to your BlindSpot Switches for Global Security is that for the latter to actually happen, we have to develop a widespread shared consciousness that humanity, much as we love our nations, is also a single family, and with the Global Crunch, a family that can no longer afford squabbles, but must pull together for the next stretch.  The voting on messages technology can create that shared human consciousness.  A message elected by tens or hundreds of millions around the world will I am sure be a positive message and importantly, will be known to all.  Because everyone will be able to assume that everyone knows the message, it will become a cornerstone of a new global consciousness. 

Roger Eaton
LAANDC Coordinator

I'd be for a one time distribution to everyone with a link to sign up at the top of the newsletter.  Perhaps in place of the quarterly blast, but including the important quarterly news.

Then for new members a prominent opt-in at sign up time and for everyone an easy opt-in / opt-out on their profile page, and of course an opt-out in every issue. 

Thanks to all for getting this going.  It has made me realize I have been neglecting my WE duties.  Will get on with them this weekend.  -- Roger

Here is the much disputed Article VI of the NPT in its entirety:

Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.

What strikes me, beyond the obvious promise to negotiate IN GOOD FAITH for nuclear disarmament, is the same in good faith promise to negotiate general and complete disarmament.  In plain words, the NPT includes a promise to find a way to disarm the world.  This is a radical document that needs to be more seriously leveraged.

I think the subject of the email is even more important than the text of the body.  Currently we have "Please Review [Org Name] Directory Listing on WiserEarth.org". 

Here is a possible variant "Please Review [Org Name] Listing in the Wiser Earth Community Directory".

Something to stop the email from being deleted before it is looked at.

"MOTHER TERESA HAS COME TO ME IN A DREAM"

Hmm.  Maybe not.  How about just

"[Org Name] Listing in the Wiser Earth Community Directory". 

By leaving out "please review" we shorten the subject and make the message less task-like.  People are overwhelmed and do not want yet another task.

On the Received message list, and I expect on the Sent message list as well, clicking on a message title brings up the selected message but does not move the participant down to the message text.  Instead the page stands still, with the text of the selected message coming up below, sometimes sneaking under the participant's notice, so it appears that nothing happens.  If the message list is long enough, and the text size is set large enough, then truly nothing happens at all. 

My suggestion is that after clicking a message title, the text should come up as now, AND the screen should move down to display the text. 

I realize it is frustrating to have to page back up after viewing a dud message, but a new "TOP" button would make it easy to get back to the message list, and it totally violates participant expectations to click and have nothing happen, or nothing obvious anyway.  Plus, it is just as frustrating to have to page down to the text as it is to have to page back up to select the next message. 

RogerEaton

I love the breakdown into three areas of ecology, justice and peace.  The twelve key destinations are good, too.  However, the look is offputting because of all the numbers and parentheses, I think. 

Nature Conservation and Restoration | Portal >>

(2072 people) (15082 organizations) (109 groups)

(224 resources) (120 solutions) (37 jobs) (188 events)

Instead of the above, I would have a simple link with a short exhortative description:

Nature Conservation and Restoration

Sustainability is possible with the right knowlege

and sufficient resources. You are invited to pitch in.

Clearly the wording needs work, but the result is much easier to read.  I don't see the reason to have a link to 15082 organizations.  Who would want to take this link?  Much better to have a general search facility on the portal page.  The general rule is to simplify.  Everything must be immediately intuitive to the newcomer.  With some thought, everyone, including the experienced user will be happier.  Think of the simplicity of the google interface.

Thank you, Melinda.  With your support now maybe others will climb on board. I hope it is clear that if payment is not accepted for access, then neither is payment accepted for any kind of special access to "power" features, so we don't end up with classes of users.

JT, I think you are opposed to my suggested wording, but I don't really understand your position.  Why do you think WE should accept payment for access?  Or am I wrong and you are ok with the prohibition of payment for access? 

-- Roger