The League of Technical Voters Project Overview February 2007 Project Overview February 2007 Contact: Silona Bonewald /

What is the League? The League of Technical Voters (LoTV) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of technical experts dedicated to facilitating effective communication between government and the public through Internet technology.

What are our goals?  Transparency of government budget and legislation  Influence of individual citizens in the legislative process  Collaboration within the activism community  Transparency of government budget and legislation  Influence of individual citizens in the legislative process  Collaboration within the activism community

Contents  Project Overview  Rollout and Adoption  LeagueOfTechVoters.org  Sustainability  Project Overview  Rollout and Adoption  LeagueOfTechVoters.org  Sustainability

Next-generation social networking and Wikipedia-style databases get us there. Budget & legislation community database Identity and reputation info Meta-network Reuniting America social network Addtional social networks MoveOn social network Christian Coalition social network

Our meta-network incorporates fundamental differences from today’s social networks.  Entity-based architecture  Identity & reputation  Social network interoperability  Collaboration tools  Entity-based architecture  Identity & reputation  Social network interoperability  Collaboration tools Meta-network Reuniting America social network Additional social networks MoveOn social network Christian Coalition social network

An entity-based architecture brings groups into a social network.  Entities in the network can be individuals or groups  Network can reflect diverse relationships such as membership or group partnership  Provides a meaningful basis for groups to collaborate in the network  Entities in the network can be individuals or groups  Network can reflect diverse relationships such as membership or group partnership  Provides a meaningful basis for groups to collaborate in the network ACLU social network Bob Julie Sarah ACLUNRA Friend Partnership Sponsor Member Red’s Firing Range Customer

Identity and reputation let users understand who they are dealing with.  Entities (individuals or groups) receive identity and reputation authentication from other entities on the network.  Objective: Name, job history, titles, etc.  Subjective: Testimonials  Reputation becomes a part of network interactions  Identity fraud mitigated  Real-world influence starts to translate online  Validates budget & legislation database content  Entities (individuals or groups) receive identity and reputation authentication from other entities on the network.  Objective: Name, job history, titles, etc.  Subjective: Testimonials  Reputation becomes a part of network interactions  Identity fraud mitigated  Real-world influence starts to translate online  Validates budget & legislation database content

Social network interoperability allows many networks to act as one.  Reach: Collaborations become possible between users who would not otherwise be connected  Growth: Less need to fight other networks for users; everyone wins  Sustainability: Meta-network stays healthy even if an individual network fails  Reach: Collaborations become possible between users who would not otherwise be connected  Growth: Less need to fight other networks for users; everyone wins  Sustainability: Meta-network stays healthy even if an individual network fails Meta-network Reuniting America social network Additional social networks MoveOn social network Christian Coalition social network

Collaboration tools will help users actually get work done.  Event calendars facilitate online coordination and real- world events  Consensus wikis (“c-wikis”) facilitate collaborative authoring (e.g. whitepapers)  Voting mechanisms supported for formal collaboration  Event calendar integration to organize proceedings  Other tools include forums, blogs, petitions, and more  Event calendars facilitate online coordination and real- world events  Consensus wikis (“c-wikis”) facilitate collaborative authoring (e.g. whitepapers)  Voting mechanisms supported for formal collaboration  Event calendar integration to organize proceedings  Other tools include forums, blogs, petitions, and more

The budget and legislation database will be built upon the success of the meta-network. Meta-network Budget & legislation community database Identity and reputation info  A Wikipedia-style database will house the budget and legislation data.  Data entry will be crowdsourced -- populated by the meta-network community of activist individuals and groups.  Identity and reputation information from the meta-network will maintain the quality and accuracy of the data.  A Wikipedia-style database will house the budget and legislation data.  Data entry will be crowdsourced -- populated by the meta-network community of activist individuals and groups.  Identity and reputation information from the meta-network will maintain the quality and accuracy of the data.

The database will contain data facilitating a number of meaningful applications.  Text of bills  Fragmentation data: splitting bills into manageable pieces for action and discussion  Bill sponsor and campaign funding information  “Tagging” (human categorization) for easy searching and RSS feeds  Text of bills  Fragmentation data: splitting bills into manageable pieces for action and discussion  Bill sponsor and campaign funding information  “Tagging” (human categorization) for easy searching and RSS feeds

Crowdsourcing is a proven model which the meta-network will drive.  Fragmentation of legislative bills breaks work into manageable chunks.  The meta-network community can be tapped for manpower.  Reputation credit within the meta- network will provide an incentive for ongoing contribution.  Contributors can be engaged at the city, state, and federal levels.  Fragmentation of legislative bills breaks work into manageable chunks.  The meta-network community can be tapped for manpower.  Reputation credit within the meta- network will provide an incentive for ongoing contribution.  Contributors can be engaged at the city, state, and federal levels.

Complementary efforts will drive the meta- network to critical mass.  Bootstrap the meta-network  Open source software development  Marketing and community outreach  Bootstrap the meta-network  Open source software development  Marketing and community outreach User acquisition Network size Network utility

We will bootstrap the meta-network using a “seed” network and free software.  Launch “League of Technical Voters” social network to seed the meta-network  LoTV develops and releases the social network software for free to encourage adoption  Interoperability standards  Organizations may join the meta-network later if they do not want to integrate at first  Launch “League of Technical Voters” social network to seed the meta-network  LoTV develops and releases the social network software for free to encourage adoption  Interoperability standards  Organizations may join the meta-network later if they do not want to integrate at first Meta-network (early) Reuniting America social network LoTV social network MoveOn social network Christian Coalition social network

Meta-network (later) Open source software development will help build a community and increase adoption.  Community building will begin at start of development  Open source community is technologically savvy and politically active -- our ideal early adopter demographic  An open source approach will also maximize software security, vital for identity and reputation functionality  Community building will begin at start of development  Open source community is technologically savvy and politically active -- our ideal early adopter demographic  An open source approach will also maximize software security, vital for identity and reputation functionality LoTV social network Reuniting America social network MoveOn social network Christian Coalition social network New social networks

Meta-network (mature) Marketing and community outreach efforts will take us to critical mass.  Presence at key technology, political, NPO conferences  Personal outreach tp key community members  Online advertising  Free technical training under Creative Commons  Volunteer code-a-thons  Online community for network hosts  Presence at key technology, political, NPO conferences  Personal outreach tp key community members  Online advertising  Free technical training under Creative Commons  Volunteer code-a-thons  Online community for network hosts LoTV social network Reuniting America social network MoveOn social network Christian Coalition social network New social networks

LeagueOfTechVoters.org, the meta-network seed, is ambitious and exciting by itself.  The LoTV.org social network will:  Seed the meta-network  Provide a new bridge between the public and legislators  Become increasingly useful as the meta-network and data repository grow  The LoTV.org social network will:  Seed the meta-network  Provide a new bridge between the public and legislators  Become increasingly useful as the meta-network and data repository grow

LoTV.org will help bridge the public and legislators in myriad ways. Sample Scenario This is only one of countless use cases! Lawmaker drafts legislation Discussion on LoTV.org C-wikis used to propose amendments Lawmaker uses c-wiki as quality, informed public opinion

Revenue will come from membership fees for the LoTV social network.

The LoTV and the meta-network will help sustain each other. LoTV revenue Meta-network growth LoTV network growth Membership fees Mutually reinforcing growth Software maintenance Training efforts Community programs

Fin