Memetic Infrastructure

Memetic Infrastructure

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  Memetic InfrastructureBuilding Self-AcceleratingSystemsBy David Weekly for SVLUG :: February 3, 2010
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  Goodness & InfrastructurePeopleare Good, but not relentlessly so.People will first explore Good options, then the less-good ones.Bad actions almost always mean a lack of Good options.Infrastructure (buildings, society, business) defines the options that are easy or hard.Therefore, Infrastructure is moral destiny.
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  ( Wait, Really?)Society could not exist if most actors were Bad. Like TCP, too much counts on good behavior of untrusted intermediaries.The fact that Society exists is therefore prima facie evidence that people are Good.Note particularly: Wikipedia, Open Source, &c.
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  But we cando better…Observing the systems around you, what’s broken? How could it be made better?Good news: you are that change.Society is consensus, but one person can start a movement. The tools for creating change are more powerful than ever.
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  The Code ofOrganizationAn organization’s principles and structure are its source code.An amendment is a patch.A franchise is a fork.Building organizations = coding systems.
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  What is aMeme?You can think of ideas like viruses / genesCan be something silly.Needs to be self-replicating“Have kids. Teach your kids this.”“Tell other people about this.”Some memes are like the 24-hour fluI KISS YOU! (and almost anything on YouTube)Some last millenniaFarming as a memeReligion as a meme
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  Memetic InfrastructureWhat ifthe blueprints for a society are copyable?Churches have been doing this for thousands of years.Physical building of certain designCertain rituals performed at a certain timeRoles of the participants (priest, altar boy, choir)More recently: commercial franchises.
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  Infrastructure 2.0BarCamp, DevHouse,LUGs, TED => TEDxSpreading cultural concepts & structures at Internet speed.“You should use Open Source” / “You should use wikis” / “You should check out our LUG”Deliver tools, attention, and excitement along with case studies.#leanstartup applied to community design.
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  New ProblemsCommunity MarksHowdo you enforce a global mark of an organization / movement that is 10 months old and has no money or formal organization?First-to-file regimes: ignore them? (Mexico)Good answers: transparency and communication.
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  Good IdeasSteal!Look atwhat others are doing in the communityLook at how other communities spreadLearn from your “franchisees”!FranchiseDocument your founding, tools, problems, and discoveries. Every action is a case study.AdaptLet the end users figure out what this means to them. Reduce your mandatory principles to that which is truly core.
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  What are EffectiveCommunities?Shared vision and values.Members feel they belong & are doing work.Outsiders know how to join and are encouraged to do so.Members are encouraged to be more involved and are rewarded for doing so.
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  Is Your CommunityEffective?Has the organization written down its vision and values?Is the community is meeting regularly?Are tasks are getting done with visible, regular progress from clearly responsible individuals?Are you assisting sister (and child) orgs?Are you candidly assessing and addressing what’s not working well? (Post-mortems)
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  Community EvolutionBuild onlineinterest & discussion.Have a first meeting.Start meeting regularly.Acquire a venue.Become a movement.
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  hackerspacesc-base [1995] {Berlin}C4[1999/2003] {Cologne}Metalab [2006] {Vienna}Noisebridge [2008] {SF}Resistor [2009] {NYC}Hacker Dojo [2009] {Mountain View}150+ hackerspaces in <15 years
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  Explosive Growth ofHackerspaces
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  Things are FasterNow! Shriners: started 1872, 2nd temple 1875, 48 by 1888, 79 in 1898, 82 in 1900, 146 by 1920.~50 years from founding to 150 facilities.
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  Exciting Times!We arediscovering satisfying organization.Hack the planet by bringing people together.
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  Thank You!I needyour feedback on [email protected]@dweekly