Telecafe: Difference between revisions

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* For a smaller organization:
* For a smaller organization:
*# Casual, fairly conventional working process where a delegator-type person assigns tasks and projects to specialists, who confer and ask opinions of others but ultimately make any decisions regarding that project.
*# Casual, fairly conventional working process where a delegator-type person assigns tasks and projects to specialists, who confer and ask opinions of others but ultimately make any decisions regarding that project.
*# A 'client contact' for lack of a better word. Someone who has sold a statement of work to the client for a promise of money.
* For a larger organization:
* For a larger organization:
*# For general issues, use a consensus-based model with a deadlock-breaking process (for example, a chairperson or overseer that has the ability to make a decision if debate goes on too long).
*# For general issues, use a consensus-based model with a deadlock-breaking process (for example, a chairperson or overseer that has the ability to make a decision if debate goes on too long).
*# For project-specific issues, there could be taskforces and groups that are able to do work independently of the other members, without having to consult everyone for input.
*# For project-specific issues, there could be taskforces and groups that are able to do work independently of the other members, without having to consult everyone for input.
**# An 'client contact' for lack of a better word. Someone who has sold a statement of work to the client for a promise of money.


==Skills available==
==Skills available==

Revision as of 01:35, 23 April 2011

There is an open invitation to join the Pikia Charter, which is the first step to forming the team and defining for-profit services.

Pikia is a proposal to establish an entrepreneurial arm of the PortlandWiki contributor team.

The essential idea is to launch a business enterprise that would seek commercial work and devote a portion of earnings and/or development resources to PortlandWiki.org. Pikia's origination comes from the notion that the existing contributors of PortlandWiki are equipped with commercially valuable skills. These talents could be leveraged to provide a bridge to PortlandWiki to professional level resources, while fostering a more robust network of contributors.

Pikia is a play on words: pwiki (pet name of Portland Wiki) and Wikia (the for-profit arm of Wikipedia).

Supporting Ideas

Pikia is a way to work on PortlandWiki without having to work for 'the Man'.

In other words, Pikia is a possible avenue of revenue that would allow primary contributors to focus full-time effort on creation of wiki-based content, project development and administration.

Resource Symbiosys - The hardest part of being a new company is to prove itself. PortlandWiki can serve to legitimize Pikia in front of prospective clients. In turn for the help, Pikia can serve PortlandWiki in areas that is difficult for PortlandWiki. Such as funding events, providing financial rewards to editorial, pay for hosting and technology infrastructure.


Financial & Business assistance - Pikia can serve as a patron to PortlandWiki, providing any financial, resource support so that PortlandWiki's structure remains simple and transparent.


Mutual Benefit - For lack of a better term, the idea is that as Pikia increases in value, so does PortlandWiki. As PortlandWiki increases in value, so does Pikia.


Advocacy - Believe it or not, commercial entities have more rights than non-profits. Small Claims courts will favor a professional vs a volunteer. In some ways, having a commercial ally can fast track needs that would other wise be sluggish.


Vouching - Often organizations struggle to get nonprofit status, because it is an effort to become exempt from government control. On the other hand if a commercial entity such as Pikia can vouch for PortlandWiki it can go a long way.

Concerns

As the idea of Pikia develops, there are concerns about the potential for confusion between PortlandWiki and Pikia that might inadvertently taint PortlandWiki's grassroots, public domain charter.

Specific concerns and proposed solutions:

  • Need to avoid the perception that PortlandWiki is owned or controlled by Pikia or Pikia members, and not the greater community. New people won't help build PortlandWiki if they think it's built or controlled by a specific cadre of people. (added by kotra (talk))
    • Proposed solution by kotra (talk): Effectively communicate that anyone who chooses to help build PortlandWiki is an equal partner and has the same level of authority as any Pikia member, and that Pikia members are just a group of particularly active PortlandWiki contributors with a closely related side project. And that this side project, though it supports the PortlandWiki infrastructure and finances, has no implicit or explicit authority over PortlandWiki. Pikia supports PortlandWiki because that's part of Pikia's purpose. Perhaps formalize this in Pikia's mission statement. Also, Pikia members wouldn't "pull rank" in PortlandWiki disputes/debates, or cultivate the idea of "Pikia authority" in PortlandWiki (I don't foresee this to be a problem, but it deserves a mention I think). -kotra (talk) 05:37, 21 April 2011 (UTC)

Join the Pikia Charter

Per discussion at April 18, 2011 Monday Meetup. Interested parties are calling for a charter. A list of who would be interested in pursuing the planning and creation of Pikia. Since the effort strives to be open and transparent, the hope is the list can be visible and available to add.

Please add your name if you're interested.

Proposed internal structure

  • For a smaller organization:
    1. Casual, fairly conventional working process where a delegator-type person assigns tasks and projects to specialists, who confer and ask opinions of others but ultimately make any decisions regarding that project.
    2. A 'client contact' for lack of a better word. Someone who has sold a statement of work to the client for a promise of money.
  • For a larger organization:
    1. For general issues, use a consensus-based model with a deadlock-breaking process (for example, a chairperson or overseer that has the ability to make a decision if debate goes on too long).
    2. For project-specific issues, there could be taskforces and groups that are able to do work independently of the other members, without having to consult everyone for input.

Skills available

  • Matthew
    • Business planning
    • Information architecture
    • Wireframes, flows, maps, various schematics
    • Market analysis
    • Manufacturer Product Design
    • Technical writing
    • Enterprise Software Design
    • Product Innovation
    • UI Design
    • Inventing
    • HTML,CSS, Jquery, CMS
  • Dave Myers
  • Kotra DeNies
    • Mediawiki configuration & maintenance
    • graphic design (print)
    • graphic design (web)
    • identity branding (particular training and experience in logo design)
    • HTML/CSS/Javascript/AJAX/XML/LotusScript
    • CMS configuration/customization: Lotus Notes/Domino/Administrator, MediaWiki (some WordPress, Joomla)
    • copy editing
    • press release writing
    • SEO
    • online & offline research
    • event organization
    • tech support


War of words!
War of words!