Thomas:

Aggregating:

Aggregating means compiling, and in a sense, our entire project consists of compiling, but instead of compiling hard data, we are instead compiling stories, which are basically extensions of opinions and beliefs. By compiling a large group of stories regarding the future, we are essentially gathering a collective idea of what the future will be, what it should be, and perhaps most importantly what it shouldn’t be.

Thoughts:

This aggregating of different stories and placing them in a framework to present the possible future reminds me somewhat of how They Rule connects different powerful people and allows people to generate their own views on the interconnected 1%. I think our project is already leveraging this tool, but the visualization is lacking a little bit. It could be interesting to create a collection of different trends that if they continue will lead to certain futures and then link them to the submitted current event projected futures. That way people could more easily visualize the cause and effect of their submissions.

James:

Mobilizing:

Having a message on site that advertises a meeting for people interested in our group. Also a poster for this too. We would mobilize people to the meeting where we would tell them more about our project and get them more involved.

Thoughts:

In a way our project is making people aware of different consequences of specific events but we are weak in terms of mobilization of people. We are making people aware of the different possible outcomes of our current actions but we aren’t doing much more than that. Our project could probably be improved by adding some small way that users could contribute to a cause, with minimal investment, that could institute with real change. This ties closely to leveraging because it will be difficult to get people to commit huge amounts of effort, but less difficult to ask for a little bit from every user that together can make a big difference.The Johnny Cash Project does this well, it asked for as much commitment as they wanted to give. Move On is a great example of a way to mobilize people and effectively employ that energy.

Sean:

Crowdsource

By encouraging and enabling outside media creators to participate in creating story content, we can organize a database of diverse media content aimed from different viewpoints beyond what an individual writer can accomplish in a reasonable timeframe.

Using outside content writers allows us to distribute research and collaborate on many story arcs at once, with each content creator working on their own favorite arc by their favored method of art/writing/composition/etc.

Thoughts:

I think our project uses this as a basis for the entire thing, that said we don’t need to add it to the project because it is already a very integral part of the philosophy of the system. The system relies, and hopes to thrive on, user’s own submissions. Youtube exists and thrives purely on willfully generated user submitted content, because it acts as a platform that provides intrinsic advantages.

William (Mine):

Upstage the Man (leverage points)

I think leveraging, to get big returns on small amounts of force is the weakest part of the Brave New Maine project philosophy. The project works to create an area of awareness, and gets people thinking and interacting with each other, but it lacks a purposeful goal beyond that. Once there are people using our system, it would be a good idea to come up with a way for each individual person to effect some process in a very small way, but together would end up with a big effect beyond simple awareness. The stories themselves which are created by the people to increase their knowledge and then we leave it up to people to develop solutions in their own way to avoid or create those pathways to their preferred future. In a way, we are asking people to embrace an Earth Stewardship culture, i.e. the acceptance of a dynamic energy culture, one that will change significantly from generation to generation, or from approach to approach.

Thoughts:

While leaving the course of action up the users, I think leaving it so totally open ended has its weaknesses. I think there should be some sort of local issue up on a monthly basis that directs user’s to some small way they can help prevent a negative energy future. Maybe a something like a Destructables campaign.