Scott,
Thank you for getting back to me. I certainly plan to attend the
meeting tomorrow evening. Im still having a little trouble
envisioning what
Project PMs structure looks like, but Im getting there. If I
could make
one suggestion, which I think would help bring others on board more
quickly,
I think the project would really benefit from a document identifying
the
critical issues Project PM will address, goals of the organization,
and
finally the strategies youll implement to achieve those goals (and
ultimately eliminating the issues). It just feels that with all the
planning
and brainstorming things have gotten a little fuzzy. I have no
doubt that
you all know exactly what you are aiming for, so its just about
conveying
that to others.
I guess the one area Im still confused about is the connection
between the articles and the projects charitable involvement.
Courtney
*From:* Scott Mintz [mailto:scott.w.mintz@gmail.com]
*Sent:* Tuesday, November 02, 2010 8:43 PM
*To:* Courtney Brickman
*Subject:* Re: Project PM
Courtney,
It is fair to say that the project does aim to correct erroneous
information being passed along to the masses, the intent of which is
to best
educate the individual. It don't think it would be accurate to say
that its
focus is on critical humanitarian issues, however, it is worth
mentioning
that the nature and personalities of those involved have resulted in
the
previously mentioned two subproject.
I definitely agree that Project PM could be leveraged as a funding
vehicle for various charitable organization, but I think it's
important that
for the time being we square away our own financial requirements
before we
can start pursuing the needs of others.
We are still in the planning state, although we're very eager and
capable of beginning implementation once planning is complete. One
thing
that you touched on is a major topic of discussion, which is to say
that
we're concerned about the accuracy and quality of distributed
information.
As I proceed to describe our current philosophy, please note that it
is
subject to change and that we're open to ideas. Currently,
participating
bloggers are being hand-chosen based on what we perceive to be
open-mindedness and journalistic integrity. These bloggers will in
turn
invite a limited amount other bloggers whose works they will
temporarily
attached to, and the system will grow that way. In order to filter
out lower
quality articles we plan to implement two safeguards. The first is
that an
article pushed to someone in your network has the ability/decision
to push
it to his/her network or stop the article in its path. The second
system is
static based and relates to number of pushes, posts, etc. The goal
is to
make higher quality article of highly quality contributors more
readily
accessible to the public. Admittedly, these procedures are in heavy
discussion as we recognize that correctly sorting this out is
critical to
Project PM's success.
It would be great and helpful to Project PM to have you participate
in more advanced discussions. As previously mentioned, we generally
hold an
informal meeting on Wednesdays at 6:30PM EST over IRC. This
particular week
I don't think I'm going to be able to make it due to prior
arrangements, but
I encourage you to attend. You may also visit the IRC at any time,
as there
is a good shot someone of various talent will be in the room.
Scott
On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 8:41 AM, Courtney Brickman <
court418@comcast.net> wrote:
Scott,
Hope you had a nice weekend. Thank you for sending more background
on
Project PM. Just to be clear, the project aims to discredit
erroneous media
reporting by publicizing the real story, and this is focused on
critical
humanitarian issues? From what you described, I could see Project PM
as a
funding vehicle for organizations whose work falls within Project
PMs
priorities. Especially if you are looking to connect with charities.
What is
the current state of the project? Are you just in the planning phase
or have
you begun to implement strategies?
My interest and experience focuses on strategic planning, program
evaluation, and infrastructure development. That is primary the area
Ive
solicited funds for. So certainly Id be interested in participating
in a
capacity that would assist Project PM in those areas.
The only thing Id like a little more clarification on is the
distribution of information and how the information is being
acquired and
presented. I agree, a lot of the problems with Digg, etc is that
when
everyone has an opportunity to contribute the creditability and
accuracy of
the information is compromised. Im just wondering how you will
ensure that
the information presented is accurate and objective?
Thanks,
Courtney
*From:* Scott Mintz [mailto:scott.w.mintz@gmail.com]
*Sent:* Monday, November 01, 2010 4:39 AM
*To:* Courtney Brickman
*Subject:* Project PM
Courtney,
Happy Halloween!
I just wanted to give you a better idea of Project PM; its goals,
current state, and anticipated progress.
As previously mentioned, Project PMs goals are multifaceted but the
overriding subject matter is the removal of informational
asymmetries with
the intention is improving society as a whole. For example, some of
our
existing participants have hands-on experience doing philanthropic
work in
Africa. Suggestions for improvement include but are not limited to
efficient
means of bringing drinkable water to isolated villages and ways of
increasing the usage of sustainable farming in order to prevent the
over
fishing of local waters, etc. Ultimately wed like to achieve these
and
other goals using as little capital as possible while not
obstructing
success. However, at this point, this subproject is in the formative
stage
as weve just started discussions with individuals who are best in a
position to allow us to see it through.
Another subproject that is in the formative stage but that weve
made
more headway on is what we call the Science/Journalism project.
Essentially,
we feel there is a lot of misinformation spread by mass media when
it comes
to topics such as science and technology. Weve established a group
of
knowledgeable persons whom we will be pairing with eager freelance
journalists. Using our various participants contacts we will be
aiding in
the publication of articles written by the journalists in
cooperating with
the scientists weve chosen, whom so far range from those educated
in
neurology to those educated in virology.
These and future subprojects will be executed using a technology
currently under design. We have more than a handful of computer
programmers
who are ready and willing to volunteer their time once we come up
with a
finalized blueprint. On an almost daily basis, a core group of us
are
debating the current schematics and updating as necessary. While the
specifics still need to be determined the general theme of the
software will
be that feedback mechanisms will be used in order to make more
highly
recommended information rise to the top. This is similar to Reddit,
Digg,
etc., however in our system, although the public will have access to
all
information, only the feedback of participating members will have an
impact
on the informations publicity.
To help us reach these ends, a group of about 10 of us participating
in daily/weekly conversations via email/IRC/Gchat. This is an
extremely
informal process but with a great group of people who are more than
willing
to work together harmoniously in order to advance Project PM. Here
is a
major area where I think your experience and expertise would be
particularly
useful. As Project PM grows and begins to take on a life of its own,
its
important for it to be molded properly, and I expect your advice
would be
useful in guiding its success. Even if you dont have the time to
commit,
any suggestions and discussions would be appreciated.
Finally, as the number of subprojects Project PM undertakes expands,
we expect that rather than taking on a challenge ourselves, it would
be
wiser to work with those who have already done so and have
experience in
helping out others. Your network of charities would be an invaluable
resource.
I hope this helps to add some additional color. Kindly feel free to
ask me any questions you may have.
Scott