my sense, thomas, of this idea that o/net is all talk and no action, is that this is true if the action people are defining is "support my project." on the other hand, it does appear that many people are finding ways to take action in new arenas, on issues they hadn't previously been connected to or discovering new tools. what is perhaps frustrating a good number of people is that there is never enough to go around and so a) action takes longer than people would like and they can't wait it out b) workload isn't shared so people wonder why they are doing things through o.net anyway, and c) ON itself is gun shy at supporting or promoting individuals or projects despite the appetite for such a role ...

so i think all of these factors roll into a perception of all talk and no action. if ON is an effort to revolutionize philanthopy, seems things need to get ratcheted a notch or the risks of flailing, misfires, and burnouts remains high. a good place to start will be rethinking the mission:

there are lots of places to discover one's ability to make good things happen. what makes o/net different than its relative financial freedom to exist in perpetuity? How does ON define succes and how will it measure this? I am guessing there is a disconnect between how Omidyar Network gives funds and what happens in the online community. How about tightening the sails and creating some transparent lines of communication? Let's raise the veil between the "public face" of the Network and the Network's giving ;)

Thanks for blogging from the conference -- i look forward to reading lots!

Lars, nicely said. I second your views!

I, for one, want to get some funding energy into the venture I have been preparing, and I know others do too.

It is no fun to try to breathe in a vacuum, and we need to get some financial "air" into O.net.

No more nickel and diming please, we have some realllllly good things to make happen, and in this world if there is no funding back-up all the creative brilliance will fade away and die on the vine.

Let's have some abundance come out of this. There is no shame or guilt about wanting to be well-funded when oe's goals are honorable, as ours are.

Have a great conference!!

:))

Michael.

Thanks to both of you for your feedback, Lars and Michael. It's interesting to hear you both be so direct in saying "give money to the community" so soon after the 25k process left a lot of folks saying in not-too-subtle ways "please don't give us money like that again, can't you see what it did to the community?"

Looking forward to exploring that tension as we go forward.

Day 1, Lunch (and a little bit after)

While trying to figure out where to go for lunch (folks were breaking off into small groups and scattering out to wherever their palates led them), I got a chance to look at the Peace Tiles that we're making as part of the conference.

Something I've learned recently thanks to becoming a dad, is that there's a whole lot of restorative power in doing arts & crafts. Before I could dive into creating a peace tile, I worked on putting together a name badge (Meron brought a bunch of blank name tags that are pieces of wood cut out in the shape of the "three boxes" ON logo). Several creative minutes and six colors of paint later, my badge was done, and I was raring to go. (reminder to self: bring crayons to the office)

Breaking bread with folks is definitely a great way to build relationships. Brandon and I had a chance to eat sandwiches next to each other, and I have a feeling it's just the first meal of many we'll share in the future. Here's to our working together to make good things happen.

More to come later today.

thanks thomas for the update.

i think o.net is not all talk and no action and i think getting some funds to different "actions" would be helpful as well.

waiting for funds to start something for me is a sign that the person is not really committed to the "idea".

jumping in, and starting without all the resources, fund, expertise, etc. shows a more committed person in my mind...

i always think of ray's unbelievable donation thread... those crates were going to be shipped, and he was collecting and filling them... and BOOM...

takes faith, but so much is gained when we leap, without the security of the net, be that funding or other needs.

Carla,

I don't know if you were referring to my post above, but as far as waiting is concerned, I haven't and don't wait. I could not stand to just wait, yikes!

I have been funding my own project for decades and preparations are extremely advanced. Now it just needs a really good extra boost and away we go into capacity establishement, service sites, one-by-one into cultural uplift. Have you seen my "Lost in Food Chain" workspace for Omni Muse Ltd?

That's my "Baby", so to speak...now I am raising the toddler, not waiting in pregnant silence.

:))

I love that you didn't wait to develop Musicland Band...it is so adorable!

Have you done your Workspace yet? :0 lol I better go check.

I won't bug you about it, 'cos that's Mark's job. He bugs me about my workspace too.

Day 1: the Evening News

This is the time of day when we check in to see what folks have been up to during the day: Reflections, comments, things to share, announcements, etc.

Thomas Kriese said:

Thanks to both of you for your feedback, Lars and Michael. It's interesting to hear you both be so direct in saying "give money to the community" so soon after the 25k process left a lot of folks saying in not-too-subtle ways "please don't give us money like that again, can't you see what it did to the community?"

Looking forward to exploring that tension as we go forward.

> > > > > > > >

Thanks for the response Thomas, I saw that too.

Whatever the stress, strife and tension the 12.5K generated it is a fact that in the end some good things were evolved for the recipients. We did it despite all the chaos. We learned as a community, and individual members learned valuable lessons, including myself, for sure.

I think it is a huge mistake to put up barriers or reservations to philanthropy, however much it is and from wherever it comes. Blessings MUST go forward or good things die.

I think the community can now actually handle much more as the initial overgrown path through the jungle of our inter-actions has been machete'd into at least a walkable path.

Will it be smooth? Probably not. Will we get through it to a result? I would bet on it. I say bring it on and the community will further evolve, and at a better pace than it would if working in a vacuum.

The Tool-Making itself will be honed outside of any available funding (if any can be offered) but the live real-life hands-on process is what shows how things work where the rubber meets the road.

Making good things happen needs us to accelerate and burn rubber, not put the bike in storage and run for the Laz-E-Boy!

Thanks in advance for any funding OMIDYAR NETWORK may give us as a community.

thomas, your notes are great! and as far as "money to the community," caveat emptor! there is a difference between saying, "here is $25k -- tell us what to do with it," and other processes. i am not sure i have the sense that "we" ON and o.net have had the chance to really debrief that ... but i may have missed that!

so peace tiles are on sale, eh? i did not know this -- is there some way they can be "sold" within the entire community, or is this a conference special? what does it mean to "sell" a tile that will go to darfur? maybe that is like sponsoring it or something? anyway, so great to see so many from o.net getting exposure to this process through christina's work and hands on participation!

Is there a "theme" around which the tiles are being created, or is it an open-ended process there?

so what is happening saturday? any community tours, like to see people's work/projects in the chicago area?

oh hey, and when people talk "peace tiles," please ask them to point everyone to the World AIDS Day 2005 activities, which were my original impetus for creating the process -- that piece of my vision is getting lost :P

Lars, bravo on the Peace Tiles idea!

http://www.omidyar.net/group/peacetiles/news/5/

is an excellent place to go for that, indeed.

I was sort of joking with Sue Braiden, Meron, Carla about stuff and mentioned

Chocolate Peace Tiles

and it just might be an idea that could work. Want to team up on a business venture that does this? Of course, for a lasting peace we will need a constant supply of chocolate tiles...

:)

How about we go ask Charlie in the Chocolate Factory?

Ugh, total brain-freeze on that... I meant to say two sets on display (not on sale!!!).

Have corrected in the blog post and am still feeling sheepish about the confusion.

what a fun idea, michael :) maybe i can talk to some vermont chocolatiers once there is a little more momentum and visibility behind the effort, with a few more issues under the wing ie climate change and ... children in conflict?

anyway, don't want to detract from thomas' work here: how about starting a discussion in the Peace Tiles group?

thanks for the clarification, thomas: i was feeling jealous for a moment ;)

Thomas, keep it coming ... please.

yes, great thomas... almost like being there... NOT... but a close second :)

i can't believe children in uganda made tiles for o.net members... i'd love to have one of those when they hand them out... hint hint or if they have a drawing, put my name in like 50 times ok??? :)

It's been amazing to see so many talented, fantastic individuals in action. I'm impressed beyond words and feel incredibly lucky and thankful to be a part of a group that truly wishes to make a difference in the world. So happy to be here!!

.....and, I must add, how much I wish the rest of you were here. You all truly make this a community

Carla, I think I saw one with your name on it, actually. I think Christina said they're going to people that contributed financially, as a thank-you and exercise in gratitude.

Wish you all were here!

if that's true ted, i'm beyond elated at the moment... now to find a place to proudly display it ;)

wish i was there too....

if Real life was like Second life, i'd transport myself there now ;)

So sad I'm not there :(

So glad so many of you are :)

Thomas keep it coming. We all love to keep up with what's happening.

Rose & Meron greet Cynthia as she walks in the door! Finally!!!

Meron and Anne Marie wrestle for the left hand side of the bed.

Cynthia says "Night, y'all!"

Very cute gals!!!!!

Proud to know you all!

:))xoxoxoxoxoxox

Very nice folks, hate that I'm missig this!

Vinnie, the left side of the bed is taken!

;)

So, no worries. You would have been sleeping in the bath tub!