In a week, I’ll be attending the Upgrade Democracy Unconference.
It’s very frustrating- I have so much to say! Luckily, I have my blog.
There’s a spreadsheet that lists various sessions. One is about Transition Strategies.

Marketing has the answer to this. There are two parts.

1. Entice people to try the new solution

Recommendations: Have authorities recommend the solution to their followers to address an existing concern. Have groups recommend it to their members to fulfill their stated purpose.

Compelling stories: The population targeted by democracy is “everyone”, which is useless in creating a story for a specific audience. The solutions are 1) to create a compelling story for the general audience, 2) segment the audience and create compelling stories for each.

Partnerships: Getting partners to market for you for their own benefit is a great way to expand your reach.

Media buzz: These days politics is especially dramatic. Many are worried. The media is salivating for a real breakthrough. Any solution should have a list of reporters and publications ready to spread the word. Plus, materials should be prepared for a social campaign. Exciting and interesting graphics should be ready for sharing on social media.

Advertisement: This is usually expensive and ill-advised for a start-up, but should be considered. There may be a specific audience that can be cost-effectively reached.

2. Give a rewarding and memorable experience for the effort

When people begin participating, this must be a positive experience. I’ve tried most of the political sites that have been launched. Few have been at all rewarding. A few users, such as myself, are willing to invest time to see how it works and what its promise is. You can’t expect that from most users.

Deliver the promise: The promise of the site must be tangible. While democracy is not an instant-gratification process, it’s a purposeful process. A few people do it to “be responsible”, but most participate to get results. Along the way they might get to express themselves, but this is not the purpose of Democracy. It’s to be heard, not to be expressed. If you want to be heard and acknowledged, you go to Facebook. While many want a “social media site for politics”, that’s a sloppy thought. If you can do it, great, but focus should be on making politics effective.

If the result is not there in the beginning, let the user participate quickly, be thanked, and leave. Don’t make them interact with endless content if it doesn’t mean anything- that is, if there’s no real reward. A “real” reward is a real goal accomplished or a real pain-point relieved- it’s not just a “thank you” for participating or earning a few points. For Democracy, this almost always means a real law changed.

Deliver on the promise: A new solution should focus on delivering real Democratic change, and soon. Luckily, in America, this is pretty easy. There are a number of things Americans are in wide agreement on. Any new solution should plan on delivering a real change quickly.

Above I said to let them participate quickly and get out. You also need a way to bring them back when it’s time to participate again or when real change is happening.

Imagine that America passed an anti-corruption bill. Or reversed Citizens United. Or ended the Electoral College. Or passed a term limits law. Or created a real solution for health care. Or changed our voting system to Instant Runoff or Approval Voting. Now imagine that you were part of that.

I’ve participated in lots of Change.org petitions. I was alerted about the success of a few of them, but I didn’t know if my signature made a difference. That’s not enough.

PeopleCount has a quick transition planned

Well, except for advertisement. If we need advertisement, we’ve failed.

PeopleCount is a real solution for today’s world. It’s purpose is to actually upgrade democracy by adding something few know is even missing- accountability. With that added, We the People will be able to finally wield the power we’ve been given. You’re welcome to find out more about our solution on this set of 6 blog posts.

Note though: PeopleCount has a great plan and most of the technology implemented. But we’re currently stopped. We can go no further without funding or a team…