Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Pic-Nic Village?
2. What does Pic-Nic Village aim to do?
3. Who is Pic-Nic Village aimed at?
4. Is Pic-Nic Village a commercial venture?
5. How will Pic-Nic Village be marketed?
6. What sort of real life events are Pic-Nic Village planning?
7. Why join Pic-Nic Village?
8. What’s the ethos behind Pic-Nic Village?
9. What are some of the proposed features of the site?
10. Who is behind Pic-Nic Village?
11. Can anyone join Pic-Nic Village?
12. Will I be able to access the site using my Apple Macintosh, PC or Mobile Device?
13. What was the Founder Member Scheme all about?
14. What is the purpose of this launch site?
15. Will the full site be paid for by advertising?
16. What might the full site allow me to do?
17. Will the full site be free to use?
18. Can I join if I live outside the UK?
19. Why should I become a paid member of Pic-Nic Village?
20. Am I committing to anything if I register with Pic-Nic Village?
21. Can I participate in developing Pic-Nic Village?
22. Are my details secure and safe with Pic-Nic Village?
23. Is there any way I can collaborate with like-minded people until the full Pic-Nic Village site goes live?
24. When will the full Pic-Nic Village Site go live?
25. What is the Pic-Nic Village Foundation?
26. Who can I contact for more information?
1. What is Pic-Nic Village?
Pic-Nic Village is a new style of community that will connect like-minded creative thinkers who want to share, enjoy and benefit from each other’s talents, ideas and thoughts of a personal, business or social nature. We plan to shun the advertiser-funded model used by many social networking communities and instead opt for a subscription-based model where members achieve real value from being part of a dynamic community. Collaboration will be key to a vibrant Pic-Nic Village community. The aim is to provide an innovative social media platform where you will be able to interact with your friends, colleagues and peers to explore new ideas and opportunities in a safe and secure environment.
2. What does Pic-Nic Village aim to do?
We aim to be a truly contemporary commercial venture and we believe that the community will inspire its members to place a high value on its subscription model: £10 per month.
By attracting talented people with knowledge and passion about their skills and interests, we hope that the community will grow organically. We aim to be a catalyst for a range of collaborative schemes and initiatives and encourage co-operation and a culture of exchange.
Further, we aim to stage what we believe will be seen as a new style of annual event – a multi-faceted Pic-Nic Village meeting, planned, developed and produced by members of our community to inspire us all and make connections.
3. Who is Pic-Nic Village aimed at?
People aged 13 and upwards from all over the World will be able to join Pic-Nic Village to unleash their creative and entrepreneurial potential.
Whether your interest is writing, blogging, photography, music, video artist, design, illustration, technology, science, hiking, camping, travel, cookery, pets, politics, branding, fashion, ecology, social media, arts and crafts, festivals or people in general, we are confident that you will find something of interest by joining one or more of our Guilds, or starting your own.
4. Is Pic-Nic Village a commercial venture?
Pic-Nic Village is predicated on the concept of ‘wealth creation for all’ as opposed to ‘profit maximisation for the few’; but it is a commercial operation nonetheless. A utopian viewpoint is at the very heart of the Pic-Nic Village ethos, in matters relating to its structure, constitution and ‘social market’ economic philosophy. Brands will not be permitted to buy their way into Pic-Nic Village. We have a business model that works without supporting or depending on advertising and other vested interests.
5. How will Pic-Nic Village be marketed?
We believe that the community will inspire its members to place a high value on the minimal subscription model and spread the word virally. By attracting talented people with knowledge and passion about their skills and interests, we hope that the community will grow organically. We aim to be a catalyst for a range of collaborative schemes and initiatives and encourage co-operation and a culture of exchange. Every member of Pic-Nic Village can spread the word.
6. What sort of real life events are Pic-Nic Village planning?
We aim to stage what we believe will be seen as a new style of annual event – a multi-faceted Pic-Nic Village meeting, planned, developed and produced by members of our community to inspire us all and make connections. In addition, our own members will be able to organise Pic-Nic Village events that meet their specific desires, so you could find a Pic-Nic Village event in your area.
7. Why join Pic-Nic Village?
Pic-Nic Village aims to create its own magic from the ideas and energy of the people involved. Members will have the opportunity to become a real voice in a dynamic community – as an arbiter and tastemaker as well as a critic, chooser, endorser or link builder. Members may connect with a range of Guilds and their forums that will enable warm and lively discussion on a range of specific personal, business, social and political issues.
We seek to offer a clean, elegant and easy to use interface. Pic-Nic Village user profiles are designed to be far more than just online profiles; our aim is that they will effectively become a personal media centre for storing pictures, music, posts or threads on forums, news, blogs, projects, job offers, the website’s editorial or external links.
Amazing things can happen through collaboration and being part of a vibrant community that connects creative thinkers who enjoy exploring ideas and finding new opportunities through interaction.
It’s not just online, either; there will be real life events for members, too.
8. What’s the ethos behind Pic-Nic Village?
We stand for…
- Linking people globally – finding common denominators whilst recognising and respecting differences;
- Providing a collaborative platform for the benefit of all;
- Enabling change through collective wisdom;
- Acting as a catalyst and enabler so that you can share ideas, thoughts, knowledge and learning;
- Adding purpose, vision and value;
- Being open to new possibilities, directions and solutions;
- Developing innovative initiatives and campaigns;
- Promoting ethical ways of working together;
- Supporting and nurturing creativity and talent;
- Helping people unleash their inner entrepreneur;
- Creating opportunities personally, socially and financially for members;
- Getting things done and having fun in the process.
9. What are some of the proposed features of the site?
- Customised personal media centre;
- Photo, video, art and music uploading;
- Personal storage folders;
- Guilds / Forums;
- Blogs;
- One-to-one and private group chat;
- Messaging;
- Calendar;
- Maps;
- Syndication;
- Clean, elegant design;
- Multi-language capability;
- Optimised for use with mobiles and PDAs;
- Collaborative tools;
- Offline events;
- All this under one roof.
10. Who is behind Pic-Nic Village?
Pic-Nic Village is a new style of community, devised by Pete Lawrence. As a conceptualist, recording artist, DJ, music programmer, writer, broadcaster and global traveller, Pete has been a catalyst for progressive creative ventures since the 1980s. He is best known for founding The Big Chill, which spawned a groundbreaking festival, club event, London venues and first generation social media.
11. Can anyone join Pic-Nic Village?
Yes, subject to meeting the minimum requirements for age.
12. Will I be able to access the site using my Apple Macintosh, PC or Mobile Device?
We intend the site to be cross platform, subject to any limitations imposed by the device itself.
13. What is the ‘Founder Member Scheme’ all about?
The Founder Member Scheme was the name we gave to our crowd funding exercise, which closed in December 2010. Although this offer has now expired, we may well hold another similar fund-raising exercise in the future.
14. What is the purpose of this site?
This site provides more information about Pic-Nic Village. We have already launched the first stage of the venture; a forum where you can discuss Pic-Nic Village, the day’s news, anything from art to world politics including music, food, football, relationships and virtual reality.
15. Will the full site be paid for by advertising?
We do not intend that there will be advertising on the website. The development and ongoing operation of the community will be funded by monthly subscription income.
16. What might the full site allow me to do?
Functionality of the Pic-Nic Village website will evolve over time and as we receive feedback and suggestions from our members. Some of the capabilities we have planned include:
- Share photos, video, blogs or music content with friends;
- Showcase and search for skills via multimedia-based CV portfolios;
- Collaborate in new creative partnerships;
- Promote new artists;
- Find someone who has the talents you need;
- Receive valued feedback on your projects;
- Establish new friendships;
- Create, access and comment on news relevant to your interests – art, design, music or more;
- Shape and develop a community united by passion.
17. Will the full site be free to use?
The Pic-Nic Village Website will be free to use, although this option will provide limited functionality. Full functionality will require you to pay a small monthly subscription.
18. Can I join if I live outside the UK?
Yes. Pic-Nic Village is open to all.
19. Why should I become a paid member of Pic-Nic Village?
Paid Members will have far greater functionality and an improved ability to interact with the community as a whole compared to Free Members. This will allow you to share, enjoy and benefit from each other’s talents, ideas and thoughts of a personal, business or social nature. In addition, you will be supporting the creation of a new community that will have an ethical constitution from the very start and will not seek to exploit its members.
20. Am I committing to anything if I register with Pic-Nic Village?
No. We will keep you up to date with developments, but you will not be under any obligation.
21. Can I participate in developing Pic-Nic Village?
Yes, we are in the process of establishing a software developers network. Watch this space or register with us and we’ll keep you updated.
22. Are my details secure and safe with Pic-Nic Village?
We take privacy very seriously and we will only use your details according to the terms of our Privacy Policy. You want you to remain in control of your details so you can withdraw your information from the site at any time by contacting us. All the information you provide is processed in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act 1998. Pic-Nic Village plc is a registered data controller (Registration No: Z2301021).
23. Is there any way I can collaborate with like-minded people until the full Pic-Nic Village site goes live?
The forum is the focus of the new Pic-Nic Village community while we are developing the full Pic-Nic Village website. You can register and join in free of charge.
24. When will the full Pic-Nic Village Site go live?
We aim to launch in 2011 and will invite involvement in the beta testing of the site.
25. What is the Pic-Nic Village Foundation?
We are committed to establishing an autonomous entity, the Pic-Nic Village Foundation, on successful launch of the main website. Our intention is that the Foundation will exist with the aim of helping people achieve their creative potential. Its purpose will be to address a disturbing waste of talent evident when people with amazing creative ideas are unable to get the funding they need to implement them. The Company proposes to covenant irrevocably a percentage of any net profits – up to 15% per annum – to the Pic-Nic Village Foundation in order to allow it to pursue these aims.
27. Who can I contact for more information?
You can use the Contact Us page to send us a message or join the discussions in the forum.