'Online Platform Purchasing Co-op'
Sam Toland
Public
Seen by 152
There has been a lot of discussion about what the best outcome of the #buytwitter campaign is, and what areas we should be investing our collective energy.
I feel that we have people settling into several overlapping areas of thought.
(i) let's establish a feasible and pragmatic approach to buying out Twitter today
(ii) use the idea of buying out Twitter as a thought-experiment to stimulate debate
(iii) use the #buytwitter momentum to build the capacity (that didn't exist for the #buytwitter campaign) to buy the next appropriate online platform that becomes available (or indeed invest in nascent platform co-ops).
I think all three areas merit investment - but I am personally most interested in the (iii) area of investment and debate.
I thus propose that we set up a sub-group on Loomio where people who wish to focus on this element of the campaign may do so, without diluting the work on area (i).
What does the community think about this? And does anyone else have another proposal for an alternative way to progress the organisation of the (iii) element of the campaign in tandem with the others.
Past Loomio Threads for context:
https://www.loomio.org/d/KI6Z5P2a/discussion-points-forming
After the group successfully committing the capital to pay for our monthly Loomio use... we are a purchasing co-op! :)
What's next?
Quoting @samtoland
"I think the Solid Fund model could be the answer in the short-term.
It's an unincorporated group based on an operating manual, using Loomio for decision-making, multiple trustees decided by the group, and funds held by a sponsoring organisation.
I think this model (adapted to our specific needs/goals) could get us through the next few steps (and associated trust-building) - and parks the messy (and expensive) conversation around incorporation.
Horse before the cart, as we say in Ireland :)
Next step, work on an operating manual? (Anyone want to pre-empt my proposal, I'll make one once I have a bit of time, but happy for someone else to start it - and i can edit).
Solidfund example: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DSWOH520Gh-JL5bQL9e_X3BqSk9u7NtVI4W5JnoNfm8/edit#heading=h.7vo4c9u6ahtp "
Danny Spitzberg Wed 9 Nov 2016 1:45AM
From what I've read, this seems like an essential step for #BuyTwitter and a useful entity for the long-haul.
However, 1 question– couldn't the AnyShare Society serve as the entity we need?
Sam Toland Wed 9 Nov 2016 11:51AM
@dannyspitzberg care to elaborate why? :)
PoliUndelivered Wed 9 Nov 2016 3:17PM
Now I'm rereading this post and I'm a little confused what's being discussed. Are you calling for a platform to help collect funds/ track shares of a holding company and that sort of thing? Or building a twitter clone?
john gieryn Wed 9 Nov 2016 4:00PM
Here discussing creating a 'sub-group' container, still available & transparent to all here in this Loomio, to better enable people who are interested in goals ii & iii that Sam Toland mentioned, especially iii: building an entity to act as an online-platform purchasing/acquisition co-op.
As mentioned in the "Parallel Build" thread, the whole group (who is/was participating at the time) agreed that "Parallel Build", i.e. building our own Twitter, efforts are a strategic priority—though it's relative priority level is undetermined. The decision made in that thread that we would support through consulting/ financing other groups that are already moving forward with this such as Diaspora, GNUsocial, pump.io, etc.
ron patiro Thu 10 Nov 2016 9:41PM
I generally favor building clones of platforms we should own instead of buying out the current ones.
Eric Doriean Tue 15 Nov 2016 2:24AM
Does this sub group exist yet? I'd like to be a part of it
john gieryn Tue 15 Nov 2016 3:40PM
not yet; @samtoland are you down to set this up? I can, but ~ Wed. or Thurs.
Mark Latham Fri 18 Nov 2016 10:07PM
I just posted this at votermedia.blogspot.ca/2016/11/a-global-software-users-co-op-could.html, and would also like to post it in the new Online Platform Purchasing Co-op sub-group when it's created. It (or parts of it) might be useful for the #BuyTwitter movement:
Below is an outline for building a global software users' co-op that can finance its own growth, to the point where it can either buy Twitter or fund a substitute and attract enough users. The strategy has 5 key components:
1. Ownership structure: Retail consumers' co-op.
2. Bundling of users: Use large group purchases to get better deals. All co-op members can use all software licenses purchased.
3. Bundling of software: Each member pays the same low fixed monthly user fee, e.g. $5. Co-op buys rights to use various software that members value: low-priced or freemium software/services like password manager, anti-virus; info like ConsumerReports.org; discounts etc.
4. Buy from market-share challengers, not leaders. Challengers will charge bundled users much less than market-share leaders would.
5. Members vote to allocate pooled funds among competing software channels. This system has been developed and tested for providing coverage of student union elections at the University of British Columbia.
Details are in the attached paper Global Software Users' Co-op. I'd appreciate any thoughts, questions, advice on this – thanks!
Matthew Cropp Sat 19 Nov 2016 1:41AM
Into this, yes.
Sam Toland · Tue 8 Nov 2016 8:42PM
@chriscook1 and @gregbrodsky thank you for the contributions - but they aren't really relevant to this thread. This is a very practical thread about setting up a sub-group to prepare thoughts and plans on a online platform purchasing co-op.
See the relevant threads on Slack for discussions on #buytwitter.
@johnnyhaeusler I think you are right, and I think that for people like yourself, you best investment is on the more immediate promotion of the #buytwitter idea. The (iii) project really needs to run more in the background for the time-being (albeit open and public).