The
way things are currently being done – the way things could be done?
When
a proposed project is so immense that the architect himself is unable to
properly define it; that is usually a good sign that it has to go piecemeal. To
organize this revolutionary idea into a coherent process, I chose to begin with
the obvious; Take the parts of existing websites and combine them to leverage a
tool that is more powerful & comprehensive then anything to date.
In
so doing, I can create a One-Stop-Shop for anybody who is looking to contribute
to the Humanitarian & Environmental work, Social Entrepreneurship,
Philanthropy and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility, Triprle Bottom Line),
propelling it towards its tipping point…
Incredibly
many of the ideas that will form this idea already exist as stand-alone tools;
singular items of the whole that have actually functioned as a sole-purpose
website e.g. Volunteer website, or a peer-to peer fundraising platform. The
current framework does not accommodate or expulse the full potential of the web
to interconnect people to do good.
There
is hope for such an instrument as we have witnessed time and time again, well
established entities fail to evolve or offer a USP of substance that motivates,
collates, and mobilizes a groups and communities to pursue their objectives.
Facebook is a prime example as it was created in the midst of several other
well-established sites such as Hi5 Myspace and many others. It now has become
the norm for most people with regular access to the Internet to have an online
profile.
The
Huffington Post is another example of how people wish to contribute their
thoughts to free speech and offer their own view, an independent view with a
global or national perspective. This came about in the midst of media titans
that dominate the dissemination of information to the public. This proves that
social networking has shifted the balance of power from an elite few to the
ordinary masses.
Finally,
we are witnessing the end of the ‘Top Down’ approach in exchange for the
‘Bottom Up’ format. A good example here is Tripadvisor.com. Whereas hotels used
to tell us what they think about themselves and sell us a promise. Now this
power now resides mostly in the hands of the consumer, the one who experiences
the promises made by the hotel… and then ranks its accordingly. This has lead
to hotels having to meet their promises and improve their service, or loose out
to the crowd sourced power that the internet has brought us, the people; the
user and not the seller.
In
essence, this gives impetus to my idea and gives me motivation that it is possible
still to come up with a new tool that can take the web by digital storm;
creating a humanitarian tool that is all encompassing. It is doable, has been
done before, and will be done again.
We
are in essence part of that evolution, that engine of change, in this case,
bringing forth what could be the most comprehensive weapon ever created to bring
about social justice, fight poverty and environmental degradation; enabling
people to engage from home or from the field itself, offering IMPACT &
ACTION tools, crowd-sourced advice and opinions whilst enabling them to
mobilize resources and connect with like minded individuals.
The
collective intelligence of the humanitarian, social, environmental welfare,
advocacy groups and scientific community will fuse together, regardless of:
1.
Creed or color,
2.
Rich or poor,
3.
Non-profit or
for-profit,
4.
Giver or receiver
People
who want to make a difference whether they are the givers or receivers,
individuals or organizations, do not have at their disposal a single online
platform that has integrated the plethora of functionalities into one seamless
fluid user journey. No one has created one coherent platform to merge this
infrastructure… it’s a mess… a giant jigsaw puzzle.
