Slogan, Motto, Mission Statement
The Wisdom Project: Fostering learning through dialogue.
An organization promoting education, communication, and healthy discussion of our most important problems.

Recruiting Volunteers
Found a great template for recruiting volunteer help at:
http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/rural/facts/96-005.htm

I have changed my mind. I need volunteers to help get the site rolling and at the very least to help promote our first cash prize debate. I need as many volunteers as possible.

I need to be able to sell the noble inspiring mission of the Wisdom Project. Even if they don’t initially understand the power of Wisdom ratings, anyone can understand the concept of an organization promoting healthy debate and dialogue of important problems.

I have also started to wonder if the Wisdom Project Machine with its no nonsense ratings system will prove very painful for new visitors. Of course, the most important ratings are those found in the little problems and big problems forums. I don’t want people afraid to post little problems for fear of being rated low… Perhaps there should only be the capacity to rate posts within the Big Problems forum? And the Problem solving society forum??

Recruiting and Utilizing Volunteers
Just did a bunch of research about recruiting and using volunteers.

Recruiting and managing volunteers can easily turn in to more work than simply doing all the work myself. I will need to strategize very carefully for tasks that are worth my wild to recruit others to do.

One of the other major tips I learned was that if you are going to recruit volunteers to help you, you must have precise jobs ready to go for them….

So let’s think about this. Perhaps what I should do is formally create positions in my organization. That way when someone expresses interest and or accepts the position they realize they are really committing to regular participation and work. The first such position may be “Wisdom Project Master Architecht for ActiveWorlds” which I informally gave to Crazy Pills…even though he is a pain to talk to. I may have gotten carried away with that one.

Wisdom Project Promotional Director
The next and most urgent position is “Wisdom Project Promotional Director” Someone to manage promoting the cash prize debates. Researching newsgroups and sites to announce the debate. Researching newspapers and magazines to which to submit Press Releases. Someone to help manage plastering specific college campuses with announcements. Someone to help research and compile a list of High School and college debate clubs email and mailing formal invitation to participate. Someone to help recruit volunteers to do the footwork of plastering advertizments all over college campuses.

The length of this job could simply be until the date of the first cash prize debate. Then their work is done and they can move on if they wish…or stay on board.