Omidyar Network version

Omidyar Network, a mission-based investment group committed to fostering individual self-empowerment on a global scale, created the tools found here on omidyar.net in order to support its internal work of making investments. After several months of staff using the workspaces, discussions and feedback system, Omidyar Network decided to make these same tools available to anyone on the internet who agrees to follow the three ground rules of the community:

• We are all here because we believe in making the world a better place.
• We believe in treating each other with respect.
• We believe everyone has something to contribute.

On July 2, 2004, the community of omidyar.net was born.

While Omidyar Network staff continue to use the tools to do their internal investment work, it's completely up to the members of the omidyar.net community to decide what to do with the tools in pursuit of their own interests.

Community version

Known affectionally as o-net, o.net or o/net to the people who use the various discussion groups and forums here, it's now become an entire project of the larger multi-armed organization called Omidyar Network.

Originally, Omidyar Network created this website omidyar.net so that everyone at the Omidyar Network organization could share news and information; discuss different ideas and viewpoints; collaborate on documents; post announcements; sync up their calendars; and, in general, stay well informed. They found that it served them well. In fact, they wondered if others might find value in it, too. So, they decided to open it up to anyone and everyone working toward making the world a better place.

The result is that one of the most interesting "gifts" that Omidyar Network has made so far is o-net itself. It's a "network commons" -- a giant town square donated to the public, for public good. A community of users who are interested in "making good things happen" have gathered here and are using the space because it really seems to allow actual conversations, in a surprisingly intimate and effective way. We hope you stick around and see what we can evolve here together.

There is no plan that guided the group structure of o-net: think of the larger space as a developing country; where there are now little enclaves, but people have only just started to pave the roads and put up street signs. Lots of neat stuff, but some of it very hard to find. If you get seduced by the problem, maybe you'll build some maps (though it changes quick enough that other mapping attempts have quickly gone out of date).