[smc-discuss] The Internet Is Here. Why Are We Still Making Decisions Like It's The 1700s?

[Kevin Martin]

Created cetfosscell on loomio. I was wondering why we need loomio when we
have, say, facebook. What can loomio do what a discussion over a facebook
post could not do? The co founder emails you when you join loomio and I
asked him this. According to him :

"
The difference between a Loomio discussion and a Facebook discussion
basically comes down to context. When you are on Facebook, you have a
certain understanding of what kind of behaviour is appropriate there (e.g.
sharing pictures of cats). When you get invited into a Loomio discussion,
the context is different: it's a place for making decisions and getting
things done, so people behave in a different way.

Hope that makes some sense :)

" - Richard Bartlett

I guess its true. A lot of relevant discussions do not see the daylight on
facebook simply because we are flooded by meaningless posts.


On Sun, Apr 13, 2014 at 9:38 PM, Pirate Praveen <pravi.a at gmail.com> wrote:

> It’s time to upgrade the way we make decisions together.
>
> How do you feel about the NSA leaks? Ever feel like there are people
> up top making really dumb decisions?
>
> Or has your boss ever made a poor decision that didn’t consider the
> complexity of a problem you had some insight into?
>
> But what if you are involved in the decision? Then you have to sit in
> a meeting room for three hours listening to your opinionated
> colleagues battle it out over minor details.
>
> Turns out, all of these scenarios are connected. They are about the
> way we make decisions together, on both a global scale, and on a
> personal day-to-day basis. The thing is, for the most part, Obama,
> your boss, and your pedantic colleagues all want the same thing — to
> make the right decision. The problem is, they have the wrong framework
> for doing it.
> 21st Century democracy
>
> In 2014, our proud democratic system consists of ticking a couple of
> boxes on a piece of paper every four years. The rest of our big
> decisions are left up to a handful of politicians — a system which is
> proving to be easily corruptible, ineffective, and paranoid.
>
> In the workplace, decisions are made by either top-down control,
> lengthy meetings and/or a mess of unorganized emails. The result is
> design-by-committee nightmares and simplistic decisions that don’t
> consider the complexity of the problem or the people they affect.
>
> So what’s the alternative? There must be a way to harness the
> collective wisdom and experience of everyone affected by a decision.
> A new way to make decisions
>
> In the same way that Wikipedia has re-envisioned the way we access
> information, let’s re-envision the way we make decisions together as a
> society.
>
> What should democracy look like in the 21st Century?
> Universally accessible
>
> In the 1700's, access to information was limited and communication was
> slow. So it made sense that only a small number of people could make
> the big decisions.
>
> Now, communication is instant and access to information is becoming
> universal. Access to decision-making should be the same.
> Fast and responsive
>
> You’re not always going to know what the right answer is. That’s why
> we often delegate decisions to other people. But our current systems
> for delegation involve year-long political campaigns and cut-throat
> battles over job promotions. Old methods for old times.
>
> Delegation should be instant and dynamic. If I trust somebody to make
> a decision on my behalf, I should be able to delegate to them
> instantly. And if they lose my trust, I should be able to take it away
> with the same speed.
> Based on constructive dialogue
>
> When it comes to big decisions, our society has a tradition of banding
> into separate factions (often just two of them) and battling it out to
> the death, with no one wiser at the end of it. Similarly, when we make
> decisions together on a day-to-day basis, often one inconsiderate
> person can turn a healthy discussion into a polarized debate that
> doesn’t get anywhere.
>
> Our discussions should exist in a framework where collaboration is
> encouraged and good behavior is rewarded. Wikipedia and StackOverflow
> both do this brilliantly.
> The good news is, we’re working on the problem.
>
> I’m part of a team that’s building an online decision-making platform.
> It’s an open source app called Loomio, and people say it could change
> the world.
>
>     “Loomio unleashes the internet’s potential to bring people towards
> consensus rather than polarized debate.” — Douglas Rushkoff, author of
> Present Shock
>
> The prototype is enabling thousands of groups to make constructive
> decisions across the world, including in countries currently facing
> political strife like Ukraine, Egypt, Taiwan, Brazil, and Hungary. And
> it’s also being enjoyed in workplaces, city councils, community
> gardens, schools, and lots of other organizations.
>
>     “One thing which I think is truly unique about Loomio is not only
> the diversity of participation, but how this range of people of quite
> different backgrounds took each other seriously and communicated
> constructively.” — Jaime Dyhrberg, Wellington City Council
>
> We need your help to bring it to the world.
>
> Our mission is to make collective decision-making accessible, simple
> and enjoyable for everyone. We’re almost there. We just need a little
> bit of money to take this to the world.
>
> We could get traditional venture capital investment, but that would
> destroy the spirit of the project. Loomio has to be free. Free from
> ads and corporate interest, and responsive to the needs of real
> people.
>
> You can help this happen by supporting our crowdfunding campaign.
>
> https://medium.com/p/111bcf6a11a1
> https://love.loomio.org/real-democracy-needs-to-include-everyone
>
> We already use loomio every day to make decisions for Pirate Movement
> of India, FOSS Community of India (including poddery.com maintenance)
> and for Diaspora development. Loomio software is also using loomio to
> develop.
> --
> പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍
> You have to keep reminding your government that you don't get your rights
> from them; you give them permission to rule, only so long as they follow
> the
> rules: laws and constitution.
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