MoneyCommons Team: Where do we go from here?

Alrighty then...so Jen and I met today and had a little chat about
where we are, and where we go from here. Thought I'd post some of the thoughts and notes from our meeting, so here it goes...

Basically, the most essential thing to do at this point is to build a
community. How do we practically do that? Talk with people of all
ages, colors, shapes, socioeconomic status, professions, etc. and
learn what they're looking for in an economy-focused site. What do
they want to know? How can we tangibly serve them? Right now, it's all
about talking with people, understanding their needs and then
compiling our info to work towards meeting those needs through
creating a sustainable site...one of the biggest challenges Jen is
dealing with at the moment.


As of now, we have some content from traditional newsrooms whose
primary focus is themselves. There's nothing too wrong with that as
that's how they're making (or trying to make) money, but it just means
that content for our project is put on the back burner. For example,
very little is actually happening with the videos the Missourian
promised to deliver. So, what do we do without solidified titles of
reporter, producer, salesperson, etc.? Research.


Basically, Money Commons itself is still a theory, which isn't
necessarily a bad thing at this point. We just have to figure out what
all kinds of people in Columbia want/need and then build the idea of
MoneyCommons.com from there. So, in interviews with community leaders/
professionals regarding the economy, or while just having
conversations with locals, let's be intentional about asking and
taking notes on their thoughts. Then we'll compile our info and begin
to build our site with a clearer picture of our community.

This whole web thing is a bit of a mystery and no one has solved it!! So it seems experimentation is KEY!!!