[Imc-alternatives] NAMES: alternatives/solutions/change

[nick at artclash.com]

Hello,

I just posted my intial (rough) design sketches to crabgrass:  
https://we.riseup.net/imc-alt/initial-site-sketches+9583 . Please feel  
free to look them over and comment.

For the name, I prefer Alternatives to Solutions. Solutions sounds too  
elitist/vanguardist and I think could be alienating. It carries the  
implication that we have the solutions to people's problems, but  
really, we are just providing tools that facilitate the process by  
which people are able to come up with their own solutions. And this  
process, in my mind, is an ongoing process without an end. Solutions,  
on the other hand, implies and end point.

I do also recognize the problems with defining yourself in opposition  
to something, as Alternatives does, although I do like the name. But  
maybe it's time to brainstorm some new ideas or strategies.

What if the name took the form of indy_____.org (ie: indytools.org)?

nick


Quoting Jay <jay at fundamentalchange.net>:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm so glad this name conversation is finally
> happening in earnest.  I have no idea how to
> reach a conclusion!  I think clarifying our
> alternatives/solutions preferences does makes
> sense, so let's try that.  Even then, we may end
> up split.  We are going to have to come to a
> conclusion soon, within the next few weeks, so we
> can start using the demo site (how are the
> sketches coming Nick? :)))  So we can't keep
> going in circles forever, but maybe we need just a couple more circles.
>
> To be honest, after thinking about this for so
> long myself, I still don't know what I'd
> prefer.  I still lean toward Solutions, but only
> slightly.  Maybe adding a word in front of Change
> or Solutions does make sense, like Sheri hints at
> below (positive solutions?  fundamental
> change?).  That would still be a mouthful.  I
> think we're going to end up with some kind of
> subtitle, one way for another.  (If the
> traditional indymedia tag line is "be the media!"
> maybe ours can be just as active: "make change!")
>
> Gosh, I don't know.  I don't think we have to go
> back to square one, but we still are in a place
> where it's okay to brainstorm.  As long as new
> thoughts and ideas are coming out and the
> conversation is going somewhere, I think we're at least making progress.
>
> baffled,
> Jay
>
>
> At 6/17/2008, you wrote:
>> hi friends,
>>
>> i want to first off express my gratitude to all
>> those who have been diligently engaged on this
>> project.  i have been following the
>> conversations, just not able to jump in and lend
>> my voice as i would like.  but it is present to
>> me and connects with a number of
>> projects i am engaged in.  i feel like this
>> project is one of the most hopeful ones around.
>>
>> i don't think alternatives is the right
>> word.  back in the 90's when we shifted from
>> alternative media to independent media, it was more
>> than just a different choice of word.  as jay
>> names below, it begs the question, an
>> alternative to what?  the quote at the bottom of my
>> email is from buckminster fuller and it's about
>> if you want to change things, create a new model
>> that makes the old model obsolete.  so
>> for me solutions works better for me.  this
>> project is not about an alternative to
>> anything.  it's about building a new model.  i also
>> agree with josef that change doesn't capture
>> it.  change for the good of all or the good of a
>> few.  there's been plenty of change in the
>> world and it hasn't always been good.  there's a
>> value neutral in the word change.  i'd like us
>> to make clear with the name, as a kind of
>> shared intention we all engage in....fundamental
>> change expresses that.  but still fundamental change toward what?
>>
>> for the good of all?
>>
>> positive solutions?
>> change for good?
>>
>> it may be enough to have fundamental change and
>> there's a clarifying "by line" on the front page
>> which clarifies the name, or solutions,
>> and then a statement which expresses what motivates us to do this work...
>>
>> global collective intelligence...global good, true beautiful.
>>
>> we are in the time of the great turning, earth
>> community, a maturing species which is waking up
>> and the more swiftly the stories from a
>> nexus like alt.indymedia can spread, the better.
>>
>> love
>> sheri
>>
>> On Mon Jun 16  6:00 , "Josef Davies-Coates"  sent:
>>
>> >I like solutions more than alternatives for
>> the reasons Jay mentions below which echo what
>> strypey says here: https://we.riseup.net/imc-
>> alt/official-domain-and-title+8890
>> >
>> >
>> >I prefer Fundamental Change to Change. :)
>> >
>> >Josef.
>> >
>> >
>> >2008/6/3 Jay <jay at fundamentalchange.net>:
>> >
>> >Hi,
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >The top three choices for our site's name are
>> >
>> >Alternatives.indymedia.org,
>> Solutions.indymedia.org and Change.indymedia.org.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >I've been going back and forth between liking Alternatives and Solutions.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >I like Alternatives because it's a general term to cover all the
>> >
>> >kinds of information we're going to gather on the site --
>> >
>> >alternatives to the current political/economic/social/health etc.
>> >
>> >systems. Â Plus, it's comfortable because that's what we've been
>> >
>> >calling ourselves forever.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >I'm less than 100% enthusiastic about it because Alternatives begs
>> >
>> >the question, "alternative to what?" which requires
>> >
>> >explanation. Â Plus, Alternatives seems to marginalize the information
>> >
>> >and also the people who are participating: do we want our ideas to
>> >
>> >just be marginal outside ideas? Â Are we not confident they can one
>> >
>> >day become mainstream?
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >I like Solutions because that gets at what a lot of us are trying to
>> >
>> >do -- find solutions to the world's problms.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >I'm not convinced by the name because calling our site Solutions
>> >
>> >could infer that we're providing a list of things we believe are
>> >
>> >definitive solutions to problems rather than exploring a lot of ideas
>> >
>> >and options.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >I don't think I like Change because "change" seems vague and could
>> >
>> >mean so many things. Â My e-mail is from a domain I own called
>> >
>> >"FundamentalChange.net" which I think of as being more specific to
>> >
>> >the kind of change I work toward, but FundamentalChange is a real
>> >
>> >mouthful for the name of anything.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >So, I'm not sure.
>> >
>> >Jay
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
>> >
>> >Imc-alternatives mailing list
>> >
>> >Imc-alternatives at lists.indymedia.org
>> >
>> >http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-alternatives
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >--
>> >Josef Davies-Coates
>> >07974 88 88 95
>> >http://uniteddiversity.com
>> >Together We Have Everything
>>
>>
>>
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