General Discussion

OneGrassRoot

(22,920 posts) Tue Jun 26, 2012, 07:14 PM Jun 2012

GOOD SHIT (Please read!)

Last edited Fri Jun 29, 2012, 08:42 AM - Edit history (1)

I asked my teenage daughter what types of things go viral, and she replied, "Stupid shit."

True.

But I'd sure like to see Good Shit go viral more often, so I ask you to please read about, share, and keep this Good Shit kicked and rec'd. Thank you very much in advance.

Some of you may remember Wishadoo, while for others this may be the first time you've seen that odd word.

I've been working for years to create this space which, to me, is a reflection of our way forward. I hope it starts filtering out into the "real" world soon.

After being dissed by Glenn Beck on his TV show several years ago for being devoted to concepts such as "empathy," "compassion," "The Common Good," "cooperation over competition," I decided to embrace those words and concepts vigorously and wholeheartedly, no longer allowing Limbaugh and Beck types to use them to beat us down. Instead, I think we should claim them proudly, and then live them. That's what Wishadoo! is all about.

There are features and tools similar to Facebook, craigslist, ebay, a grassroots HuffPo...all under one umbrella, with no mega corporate overlords...helping us create more compassionate, cooperative communities.

In fact, as some of you may know, I'm a huge advocate of worker- and member-owned co-ops, and have always envisioned Wishadoo! itself being a member-owned co-op. (BTW, this is the main reason I have not applied for 501(c)3 status, as an attorney advised that another structure is best to create co-ops. Wishadoo! is currently an L3C, a social enterprise structure which puts social mission over profit.)

I refuse to accept that we must accept things as they are, not without a fight. Yet instead of always fighting against What Is, it's my way to work toward What Could Be.

I believe Wishadoo! provides a way to work toward what Could Be. I invite you to check it out.

Edit to add that Wishadoo! is set up much like Facebook, with activity feeds and ways to share things with "friends." Of course, until many gather, one's feeds look pretty blah. But, it's an alternative to the corporate overload approach of social networking.

Social networking for good...with lots of other tools and features:

Wishlist: a "craigslist of compassion." (Please check this regularly; DUers post here, too, some with critical needs)

Groups, with private forums, like your own micro social network, ideal for brainstorming, planning and having ongoing discussion and interaction.

Forum: DU has discussion covered about politics and current events, but we'll be talking about things with the hope of encouraging ongoing discussion...things like social injustice, wealth inequality, New Economy, etc.

Business Directory, where we'll list businesses of Integrity.

Marketplace, like an "ebay for good" (check out this DUer's auction: http://bit.ly/MQhqsj)

There is Our Collective Good, where I hope people will want to contribute original content about their communities. For now, I'm curating stories to inspire and empower.

The other Wishadoo! initiative in the works is a comprehensive directory at www.wishadoo.net: This is a rather humungous project, but there isn't anything like it at present -- a truly comprehensive resource for people to find various types of assistance via one portal, with data kept up to date -- and it's desperately needed. I'd love to get funding to create jobs to work on this directory.

There's so much more waiting in the wings, as I've been dreaming about this project for years. The foundation is there now though.

Wishadoo! isn't a "hide your head in the sand," Pollyanna environment. It's a place to connect and share more of the positives going on and try to do something about the negatives, focusing on positive action, rather than the bitch-and-moan fest that often defines the Internet.

I hope you'll check it out and decide to join me, understanding that it is a work in progress, though I am extremely relieved to be working with reliable developers who are helping the site get better and better. I've essentially been doing this alone, while I struggle like many others living paycheck to paycheck, so I really hope others will resonate and want to be more involved soon.

I'm tired.

If you are on Facebook and Twitter (@wishadooinc -- can't do hyperlink for some reason), I'd appreciate it if you'd like to *like* and *follow*. See QR Code below in my signature for the mobile app. (Oh, if you're really motivated, here's a link to a downloadable flyer to distribute at libraries, schools, grocery stores, food banks, animal shelters...anywhere and everywhere! http://wishadoo.org/flyers/flyer6.12a.pdf)

THANK YOU FOR READING!