A cooperative version of NowPublic

a transition model from selfishness to cooperation

This idea has occurred to me before. i've written NowPublic staff about this. i believe i've written other NowPublic authors about this idea.. It's 2012; high time we actually did this thing. :) i'm not suggesting a mass-exodus of writers from here to there (the future writers' co-op). i'm not suggesting NowPublic change their business model. i'm attempting to inspire motivated and connected authors to create this thing for mutual personal gain. Remember, i'm the 'idea guy' and not necessarily the 'well connected' and charismatic leader-type we need to make this thing happen.

Yes, i'll be your whipping boy when/if this endeavor falls flat on its face. i publicly declare that. But you have to admit, it has appeal: all profits go to writers, the better writers (with higher ranking) get a larger fraction of the profits, so there's incentive to be good, and writers have the option to reinvest their cut into the co-op – growing the business. The mechanics would have to be worked out but i'm confident the existing structure could be adapted to the co-op model. In fact, a well-to-do author/reader could probably buy NowPublic, convert it to a co-op structure, take 50% profits for their risk, and still be a viable business plan. Why limit this to NowPublic? This could be the transition mechanism i was looking for in other articles..

We could implement this transition model on a global scale; the 50% investor cut was chosen 'off the top of my head' considering the greed of the typical investor.. Perhaps we could find less greedy investors who might agree to a smaller cut. ^^ You never know unless you try.

There are several things which inspired this article: the Grain Train, my mother, Great Transition, systems science at Michigan State and the great faculty there,.. and of course the Prime Goddess. ;) Things that inspired me to write this particular article at this particular time: Examiner deleting this article reposted here (try to figure out why they deleted the original article), my continuing need to financially support my son, meeting an inspiring friend in Japan on JFF, YankeeJim (who can also be found here), Terrie Lloyd, George Ellis, and of course my friends Z and Russell.

We have this historic chance to change our business models from greed/exploitation to cooperation and sustainability. We obviously need a hybrid model incorporating both cooperative profit/loss sharing and traditional investors. We need this transition model to realistically move from the obviously failing paradigm of greed and exploitation to cooperative sharing and sustainable growth.

..Russell wrote me a letter once that made me cry to read and reread to mom.. i'll try to reconstruct and paraphrase appropriately here.. Sam, you're like a mythological character such as Odysseus. The waves of social indifference crash on you like waves beating an indestructible rock. The rock that is Sam can never be destroyed or altered.. ^^ It still brings tears to my eyes to think about his letter.. [he] But i prefer to think of myself as a lighthouse warning ships from dangerous shallows: the fleet of ships called the Standard Model (and all the physicists piloting them), our governments wasting resources on military endeavors, our overhead-burdened business structures with inappropriate foci, our arrogant religions claiming special Dispensation,.. Does the list ever really end?

Please listen to this lighthouse: beware the shallows .. If all ships run aground, how many generations will it take to make them seaworthy again? Or more accurately, spaceworthy?