Features
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Summary
Pic-Nic Village is a blueprint for an evolutionary community aimed at creative thinkers, funded, owned and shaped by its own members.
Launching initially online, it aims to take social networking to the next level, offering its members a social media platform with wide ranging functionality where members will be able to showcase their own projects. In addition, membership of common interest guilds forums will act as a focus for new ideas, initiatives and collaborations.
Pic-Nic Village is also planning face-to-face meetings and gatherings, nurturing a community with soul and purpose that supports the sort of innovation that is essential to future personal, spiritual and financial prosperity.
Ownership
- Pic-Nic Village plc can only be majority-owned and controlled by individuals
- Big business cannot acquire a controlling stake
- Written into its DNA is the engagement of members and the support of their interests
- The Pic-Nic Village constitution is based on a traditional company format but incorporates crucial elements of a modern co-operative
Business Model
When the Pic-Nic Village website is up and running, subscribers will pay £10 a month for full membership, which we think compares favourably with services such as Soundcloud, Mobile Me, Flickr. As a Founder Member you will have free access according to your membership package and will not pay monthly subscription fees.
Some free access to the website will be available, but this will be with limited functionality.
We aim to give a social networking experience uncorrupted by advertising and brand infiltration.
Who is it aimed at
- Creative, thinking people
- Inventors
- Innovators
- Anyone curious about or interested in creative pursuits
We want Pic-Nic Village to be highly inclusive, and to encourage creative thinking and activities. It will therefore also reach out to people even if they’re not feeling particularly creative or confident in their own abilities.
Benefits
As a member of the Pic-Nic Village community you will gain the following advantages:
- Services which are currently fragmented will be collected under one roof
- Be a member of the first comprehensive social network created specifically for the creative community
- Have your own workspace for the collaborative development of your ideas
- Use the website as a shop front for your talents, stimulating interest from within and outside the community which you might otherwise find difficult to attract
- Access experts from all the creative disciplines to help you solve problems
- Access support for turning your creative ideas into business
- Participate in allocating funding for members of the community
- Be a potential recipient of that funding in order to develop your projects
- Have a say in how Pic-Nic Village is run
- Know that you are part of a community with a strong collaborative ethos and an independent constitution
Functionality
- Showcase and demo projects and hobbies in our ‘personal media centre’ for every member – multimedia portfolios for work CV or leisure prospectus
- Upload and download photos, music, films
- Demo an idea, find collaborators, get feedback
- Blogs
- Calendars: plan your own events and subscribe to others
- Favourites: bookmarks system for quick reference of the site’s contents
- Storage: Dropbox style space for file storage
- Syndication and multi dimensional semantic linking
- Mapping
- Chat and pm facility
- Check in / status updates – fully customisable
- Shop: we are working towards providing each full member with their own shop for selling their own creative projects
- Jobs: “I’m for hire” and “Wanted” in our skills exchange
- News: contribute to and shape our own news agenda.
- Third-party apps
We are working on other innovative developments, several still at the research stage, such as an automated problem-solving resource and bespoke broadcast media, to name but two.
Under one roof: At the moment, people generally have lots of accounts dotted about the web – email, various forums, Facebook, MySpace, Soundcloud, YouTube, Vimeo, Yousendit, Flickr etc. etc. – and we are looking at potential “under one roof” solutions.
Guilds
A range of common interest guilds each with own administrators and forums. e.g. art, music, food and drink, politics, design, photography, social media… new guilds can be nominated and set up by members.
We intend to offer access to a pool of creatives with diverse skills and experience from which to receive feedback and advice or to develop creative/commercial relationships.
We aim our Guilds be a catalyst for a range of collaborative schemes and initiatives, and encourage co-operation and a culture of exchange.
The Pic-Nic Village Foundation
The Pic-Nic Village Foundation will be set up with the aim of nurturing and providing financial support for creative ventures. Up to 15% of Pic-Nic Village’s annual profits will automatically be channelled into the Foundation. Founder Members will appoint one of their number to its Board, and will have a say over its charitable activities and how it distributes its wealth.
Events
We’re not just about online… 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 our own members. They would focus around networking in real life with those who have met online, and be based around ideas exchange. The first one is planned for next spring – the first get together of our Founder Members. These events will be modelled to work internationally and we already have been contacted by prospective members in Japan, USA, India, Belgium and France with ideas for developing the community in those countries.
Ethos
- 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