Solo Status March 2003
by Joseph Rowlands
After SoloC 2 in Auckland, Lindsay and I spent a few days coming up with plans for Solo. We're both happy with the successes of the previous year, but we think there's a lot more that needs to be done. So we set up a list of projects we intend to tackle over the next year. Here they are, in no particular order.
Spirit of Solo monograph.
Solo has a number of founding documents that embody our vision for the organization and what we hope to accomplish. Additionally, there are a number of speeches and articles that have broken new ground in the philosophy of Objectivism. One of our goals is to gather up these writings and compile them in a "Spirit of Solo" monograph. We would hope continue to print these monographs with new content in the future, but this would be the first of them.
SoloHQ 2.0
This is a big project that's been in the works for awhile. We plan on doing a major update of the SoloHQ site. Much of the improvement revolves around the forums and other forms of online participation. We will add email functionality to these, allowing members to send and receive posts to the various forums. We will use a different software system for the forums, hopefully making it easier to traverse and post.
The new site will include user accounts which will be necessary for posting. This should discourage some of the more blatant trolls we've encountered. We'll also be able to provide minimal moderating for new accounts, to weed out those persistent trolls.
The site will also have a new and improved look and feel to it. We hope to improve the method of categorizing information on the site to make it easier to find information. Graphics will look a little different, and the layout will be clearer and faster.
The site will also help facilitate the exchange of ideas and opinions. We'll have the ability to add book reviews, music reviews, movie reviews, and anything else of interest to people. We'll also have customizable personal pages for members. You can add information about yourself, and we hope to support the ability to add pictures, article links, etc.
There's also a few surprises. We want to make things interesting on the site, and there'll be a bunch of fun features added. You'll have to wait to see them. Coming soon!
New Solo Logo
Solo has a new logo. You'll see a lot more of it when SoloHQ 2.0 comes out. We've simplified the design to make it more universal, and so that it works in a variety of mediums.
Objectivism 101
We've decided we need a new website for people new to Objectivism. Solo is really geared towards people already quite familiar with the philosophy and the movement. If we dumbed down the message for laymen, our current audience would get bored. Also, there's so much context that new people don't really know about.
So we're going to build a website called Objectivism101. The site will be dedicated to presenting Objectivism to new people. It will discuss the actual philosophy, the structure of the philosophy, and some explanation of why it's useful. The site will also explain some of the history of Objectivism, the movement, the people, etc. It'll be a place where people can come and get answers to their questions, and find out about some of the questions they might not have known about.
The site will also be a resource. It'll provide reading lists for people who want to learn more about ideas. It'll provide links to other organizations. It'll give information about Solo and how to get involved. We're also hoping to add a variety of tools for sale that can help you better understand the philosophy and apply it. The long term goal of the project is to facilitate the learning process for those interested in Objectivism, as well as provide a positive, life-affirming portrayal of the philosophy.
You get the idea. This is going to be a very large scale project, and we may not start with all of the functionality at once. But this will easily be the biggest project Solo will try to tackle this year.
Solo Platinum
Objectivism upholds life as it could and ought to be. To this end, Solo will host a mini-conference called Solo Platinum. It's going to be our attempt at showing what the good-life is all about. This is not going to be your standard conference. We're not going to stay in a dormitory or an inexpensive motel. Instead, we're going to spend loads of money and really live it up. One thought is a weekend in a European resort, staying at a 5-star hotel, with luxury dining and plenty of expensive and exciting activities to choose from.
All are invited, but you'll have to pay your own way.
SoloC 2.5 NYC
The next US Solo conference will be held in the NYC area once again. Current thinking is that the conference will occur sometime in the fall of 2003. Details will be announced. Save some vacation days for a weekend of wonder and excitement.
Incorporation
Solo is getting ready to take the next step forward. We've decided to organize Solo as a for-profit organization. We believe that Objectivism is so useful to our lives, that people should be and are willing to pay for it. The exact legal status of the organization is still pending, but we are considering some form of a corporation. There will be a lot more information about this coming soon.
Pandora's Box and Objectivism and Homosexuality Publication
Of the many articles in printed in the Free Radical, Michael Newberry's "Pandora's Box" series is especially important to get out into the world of ideas. Chris Sciabarra's "Objectivism and Homosexuality" series broke new ground in the culture of Objectivism. Solo intends to make these series available in print copy for sale and distribution. They'll be the first of many such projects.
Club Outreach Program
Ashley Frazier has been working on compiling a list of Objectivist and Libertarian groups around the world. We intend to create an outreach program to connect with these groups. We can offer them resources, advertisements, and ideas. In turn, they may be interested in our products, getting articles published, etc.
We will be contacting these organization shortly with information on Solo and ideas for how they can work with us to change the world. The hope is that by making mutually beneficial ties with these organization, we can increase our own audience, and provide support to groups who are contributing to the war of ideas.
SOLO Think Tank
One goal of Solo is to generate new ideas and expand upon established ideas. We've already seen some new and interesting ideas come out of Solo, but we want to help the process. We're going to establish a think tank. It'll start off as a private forum for particular Soloists dedicated to exploring new ideas. This won't be a general forum, in order to keep the content high caliber. It'll be a place to bounce ideas off other Objectivists, and get feedback.
The think tank will occasionally print articles explaining the ideas they come up with. The ideas may not have the blessings of all members of the think tank, or even of Solo. But hopefully they'll spur additional thinking and open up new avenues to pursue.
Executive Update
I plan to do a periodic executive update. It'll probably just an email, but it'll discuss the status of projects that we're working on, anything we've gotten done, and any new projects that we're starting. This'll allow people to see more of the activity that's going on behind the curtain at Solo.
Partnership Program
We intend to start a partnership program with other Objectivist or Libertarian sites. We would run their articles on SoloHQ and provide them with a wider audience. In turn, we'd get more content to run, and we might expand our own audience. This could be a big win for Solo and these other groups.
Audio CDs and Videos
We have audio and video of many of our Solo lectures. Additionally, there are other lectures and interviews that we have access to and will be making available for sale. Now if you missed a conference, or if you want to relive it, you have the opportunity. Soon, anyway.
FreeRadical - The Solo magazine
The Free Radical has been slowly becoming more and more of a Solo Magazine. We intend to continue this process and push it even further. We will give it an even greater international bent, and keep it focused on all aspects of Objectivism. So if you haven't subscribed yet, do so now!
Philosophy Book
We're considering at least one book on philosophy this year. It'll be a short introductory book. Something easy to sample, but provides enough content to get people interested. Don't want to give away too many details. You'll just have to wait.
Lindsay quits job?
We'd like to get Lindsay Perigo working on Solo full time. One job he would take up is the SoloHQ editor. He'd be responsible for finding content for the site, and making sure it's presented in a nice form. He would also work on a series he started sometime back on the history of philosophy. With his copious spare time, he'd be responsible for development of a number of new Solo products. We might even get him to do a blog. Having the first full-time staff member would really push Solo to new heights.
Of course, he still insists he needs to eat and sleep somewhere. To this end, we need to raise a minimum of $4000(US) to cover his rent for a one year period. If you'd like to see Lindsay work full time to bring back the Enlightenment, consider making a donation. Contact me at capitalistjoe@yahoo.com.
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