Defining the network: What are we all doing here? UPDATE
On the fD About page you can find out all about fD's international network, programs and campaigns. Before we ever offered an online social network, we were and still are working in the brick-and-mortar world of offices and conferences and city streets - as our mission statement says, freeDimensional advances social justice by hosting activists in art spaces and using cultural resources to strengthen their work. But with folks in the network spread out all over the world, and resources being limited, it's made sense for us to begin to mirror that "real world" network online, so that we can all work together more easily.
So here we are on freeDimensional's new online social networking site. We're all discovering how this new site can help us to do the things we've always done, more effectively. As we stretch our wings online, more and more people are finding out about fD and are joining the community, making the international network even stronger.
But what are we here to do, fundamentally? When people arrive at this site, the header up at the top of every page is emblazoned with a brief one-line introduction to the online network - which hopefully gives a quick, clear idea of what we're all up to and why new visitors might like to get involved. Right now it says simply, "Connect and collaborate with activists, culture workers, & art spaces around the world."
To make it even more accurate and descriptive, we've been thinking of changing it to "Connect, collaborate, share resources, and build solidarity with activists, culture workers, & art spaces around the world." What do you think? Does this describe your activity here on the Ning? Are we leaving out some essential element of why we're all here? Does this statement sound compelling and interesting to you? Is it confusing or misleading? In what other ways could we describe this online network?
So here we are on freeDimensional's new online social networking site. We're all discovering how this new site can help us to do the things we've always done, more effectively. As we stretch our wings online, more and more people are finding out about fD and are joining the community, making the international network even stronger.
But what are we here to do, fundamentally? When people arrive at this site, the header up at the top of every page is emblazoned with a brief one-line introduction to the online network - which hopefully gives a quick, clear idea of what we're all up to and why new visitors might like to get involved. Right now it says simply, "Connect and collaborate with activists, culture workers, & art spaces around the world."
To make it even more accurate and descriptive, we've been thinking of changing it to "Connect, collaborate, share resources, and build solidarity with activists, culture workers, & art spaces around the world." What do you think? Does this describe your activity here on the Ning? Are we leaving out some essential element of why we're all here? Does this statement sound compelling and interesting to you? Is it confusing or misleading? In what other ways could we describe this online network?
Tags: community, copywriting, engagement, freeDimensional, ideas, internet, language, ning, social networking, vote, More…
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shira Golding on -
I like the current tagline and don't think you should add "share resources and build solidarity" - it's just too long.
What I think is missing from the header is a link to directly engage artists in distress. Maybe to the right of the tagline there could be a button that says "Are you being censored or threatened? Click here for resources." This would link to a page on the fD site with some key links and info and an invitation to join appropriate Groups. We could also refer to the DMRI as a project-in-progress and invite them to participate.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Phillips on -
Too many thoughts on the web page and tag line:
I think I agree with Shira about keeping the tag line concise. At the same time, building solidarity and working for social justice seem to be missing from just "connect and collaborate." I'm not sure what the ideal solution would look like.
I also agree about needing a link to engage culture workers in distress, and think it could be cool to have this available even as DRM is in progress. Do you think the label you propose, "Are you being censored or threatened? Click here for resources," will communicate that this is also the place for organizations and individuals who are advising culture workers in distress--folks like Scholars and Risk (who check our site every week), CPJ, CONECTAS, for example, to go for information? Or would we need to say (I know this rings cheesy) "are you or someone you know being censored or threatened?"
One comment I have received from three first-time visitors to the site is that they don't know what we do. I think asking first-time visitors click through the tabs to "About fD" to figure out what we do may be asking too much...Currently our frontpage does an excellent job at showing that fD is a global network of many different folks doing different, arts and human rights related things. It is wonderful to be able to show this instead of simply telling it. I'm wondering how we can also effectively show the things we do, like our programs-- Creative Safe Haven, EASSI, affiliated projects, campaigns--and integrate this into the new site instead of having it hiding under "About fD".
I know I am still getting used to actually using the site and learning about all the cool things it does, but some people may not stick around to learn.
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Permalink Reply by Ari Moore on -
Just a quick update - in the time since this conversation happened, fD's staff and volunteers have been hard at work talking about the future of the network, and what roles we all play in it, and how to talk about it more effectively. We've made a lot of changes to the site, including expanding and improving the text sections. We'd love to hear what you all think about it! Please click around the tabs at the top of the site to see the changes, and let us know what you think.
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