Screen name

Password

Forgot your password?
 

Community team meeting notes archive

Follow up to Aug 22 team meeting

Team meeting agenda, August 22

  • Tracking
    • Mike on sources of August 17-19 uptick
    • Review of new Twitter metric
  • Encouraging proposals
    • James to relate details on Enabling Cities exchange
    • Newsletter re: Expert input + Tree Hugger
    • Discussion on inviting micro-proposal authors to combine and providing existing proposals with invitation to modify (or inviting authors to submit)?
  • Lisa update
    • Universities
    • Youth climate organizations (Sept 6 UKYCC event?)
    • Can Mike help with universities or youth climate groups?
  • Josh update
    • Proposal naming functionality
    • Wiki CSS bug
  • Rob update on UN and 2012 activities

Current outreach focus (mid-August)

  • Expert feedback
  • University outreach
  • Twitter
  • Tech update
  • 2012 activity planning
  • Tracking

Expert feedback

As of last Friday, Rob recruited Climate Interactive and Fireside Advisors to provide feedback on proposals. We will provide feedback on proposals that are in the system by Aug 15th.

Rob will change the text on the Spotlight section of the home page to reflect this and will ask Lisa to prepare a brief "CoLab News" entry and send it today.

University outreach

We had a meeting with Tom during the week of Aug 1-5 to update him on our outreach activities. He noted that our top priority should be to solicit as many high quality proposals as possible--fewer higher quality proposals is preferable to more of lower quality

Based on this input, Lisa is trying to schedule calls with leaders of energy/sustainability clubs at 10 universities to get insight into what the best way would be to elicit good proposals. There will also be a mass mailing to the contacts in the College Energy Association and to top environmental studies programs identified in a web search.

Rob will check in with Lisa on August 15 to get an update. If James and Mike have time, it would be good if they could pitch in on this effort.

Twitter

While we try to contact student groups, we will continue our Twitter outreach. Key question: How to make members aware of tweet-length proposals so that they can contribute to/augment them?

Also, we have begun outreach through the MIT Alumni Association and have attracted the notice of the former CEO of Conoco Phillips, a leading U.S. oil company. Given this, we will want to be careful not to appear to be assuming a position, but rather, providing an open forum where people who hold any positions are welcome--as long as they use scientific evidence and reasoned argument.

Tech update

Key feature that needs work is proposal naming. Whatever fix has been put in did not work for proposal that was entered earlier today, which is untitled.

There are a number of other features that have been put in the queue in recent weeks, and Josh is working on them, with timing tbd:

  • redesign for proposal creation page
  • replace the word plans/proposals (profile)
  • width of editor?
  • timeout during plan creation

Design of 2012 activities

During our meeting with Tom, design of activities for 2012 also came up. A key feature will be decomposition of the problem into a series of issues with clearly delineated positions, and a proposal will effectively constitute a selection of positions for all the relevant issues.

We met the week of Aug 8-12 and developed a plan to connect with 6-10 experts to try to develop a preliminary problem decomposition.

Tracking

Mike has completed analytics for Aug 1-15. Can Josh send him contributions spreadsheet for that time period also. In addition, can Mike add two new items:
  • Twitter followers
  • Facebook likes

Current outreach tasks (late July-early August)

  • Soliciting new proposals
  • Twitter
  • Members
  • NGO-universities
  • Tracking

Soliciting new proposals

  • Messages were sent in late July to several categories of prior CoLab participants by Josh, James, Rob(categories of participants listed below in "First half of July 2011" section). Prior participants were specifically asked to submit proposals or join teams; there was limited response in terms of proposals and entries in matchmaking forum.
  • Team decided that we would send another message to the same groups, plus a message to members who have voted or commented this year by Lisa, asking them to submit tweet length pitches. Josh drafted message, which appears at end of this section
  • Team discussed potential for survey to see if (a) members are waiting until September (b) entire proposal is too much to ask (c) need for interim milestone/incentives such as expert review (d) other. Josh drafted questionnaire and Rob provided comments and Josh completed another iteration. One possible option is to do 20 skype interviews with random selection of members, tweak survey based on that experience, and then field it with a larger pool, either via skype or SurveyMonkey

Quick sample message asking for tweet length proposals

Hi, We know you have some great ideas about grappling with climate change. Can you sketch it out in 140 characters or less? Then come to the Climate CoLab and add your idea!

Click here to add an idea for a global plan.

Click here to add an idea for a national plan.

Your 5 minutes could make a huge difference!!!

Thanks for all you do, The Climate CoLab Team

Mini-article introducing the CoLab Change the policies not the climate!

Are you confident that the world's climate negotiators and politicians have all the ideas they need to tackle climate change? Is an effective international climate agreement just around the corner? If not then you don't have to stand by. Instead of waiting for policy makers, you can help by figuring out new ways forward at MIT's Climate CoLab. Working alone - or in collaboration with people from all over the world - you can create exciting proposals for what to do about climate change. Your proposal can be entered in a contest and the most outstanding proposals will be publicised to the world and put under the noses of key policy-makers. Perhaps your work will become tomorrow's global climate deal?! The deadline for contest entries is September 30, 2011 but please start now so more people can lend a hand with your ideas. Visit the Climate CoLab at http://climatecolab.org/ and check out the current global and national proposals at http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans

Twitter/Social media

  • Tweets by James and Debbie Beribichez have led to large number of new followers; followers doubled to approximately 150 in a week, many new tweets and retweets.
  • Josh suggested sending a tweet to solicit tweet-length proposals and drafted several possible draft tweets, which are included at the end of this section. Rob reviewed and asked James to send. James suggested that we simply ask for a reply via Twitter and then encouraged the person to go to CoLab and enter the proposal there. Josh also had ideas for simpler user interface going forward (but that will take time).
  • Through tweet exchange, Rob arranged call with head of social media at treehugger.com, who is very interested in running coverage, with possible article in early August and also articles on proposals on ongoing basis, as well as coverage on their site for winners as one of the prizes. He also urged us to get more images/video on the site to attract eyeballs. Rob discussed with Tom, and he was on board, Rob to follow up withe treehugger.com week of Aug 1st
  • Lisa and Rob discussed possible approaches for Facebook outreach, Lisa had several interesting ideas. We will continue discussion week of Aug 1st.

Tweets soliciting tweets as proposals

  • If we could count on expert feedback (Note: More on expert feedback below)
    • What is your proposal to solve climate change? Tweet your idea at us (http://bit.ly/nlseoA) - we'll get you expert feedback!
  • If not
    • What's your proposal to solve climate change? Tweet your ideas at us! Twitter + #collectiveintelligence = crowd inspired solutions!
    • What's your proposal to solve climate change? Tweet your ideas at us! #climate #policy #emissions #ghg #energy http://bit.ly/nlseoA

Member outreach

  • Newsletter focused on proposal creation process went out Monday, July 25; several new proposals and contributions to scrapbook came in during the following week.
  • Rob sent message to Tom suggesting that we invite 3 experts to provide feedback on proposals (Mort Webster, Max Tavoni, Bill Moomaw). CoLab team would do preliminary review and then forward top proposals to experts to provide brief comments. If each expert reviews 4-6 proposals, we can provide review by two experts for 6-9 best proposals. Tom's response focused on need to recruit end-of-contest judges. Rob replied by expressing a sense of urgency to recruit experts to provide interim comments and also concern that it might be too much to ask these experts do both--matter is in Tom's hands.
  • Rob forwarded initial proposed debates to Tom, who requested another iteration. Rob will resubmit three debates focused on three primary issues. He will also post to Google documents for input by community team:
    • How much risk should we take with regard to climate change (limit risk as much as possible, limit risk while not spending too much, incremental approach with limited action until there is less uncertainty,
    • What interventions in the physical system should be taken to reach goal (consume fewer goods and services, use less energy to produce goods and services, emit less carbon in production of energy, capture carbon after it has been emitted, reduce power of greenhouse effect, adapt to climate change)
    • What interventions in the social system/economy/politics can ensure that the needed physical interventions occur?

NGO-university outreach

  • Lisa is trying to schedule call with UK Youth Climate group and will follow up with calls to 6 NGOs she had previously emailed
  • Adil Najam of Boston University provided email introductions to 4 people he recommended, Rob will follow up
  • Telecon with Kiliparti Ramakrishna of Woods Hole Institute (who will soon become UN envoy to Seoul) generated offer of introductions to heads of Stakeholder Forum, Climate Action Network (CAN) International and USCAN...still awaiting intros, Rob followed up with email on July 29 and hopes to hear back
  • Rob has made headway with old lists of outreach targets and will discuss this with Lisa week of Aug 1st
  • Social media head at treehugger.com suggested art schools as potential place to elicit images/animations for CoLab...Rob followed up with Tom about this, Tom felt it was not a high priority, so this has been shelved for now

Tracking

  • Team has reviewed latest iteration of Mike's monthly dashboard and suggested several possible additions (uncertain when Mike will be able to get to this, given impending new arrival in his household)
    • Explanation of spikes (requested by Tom)
    • Twitter/Facebook followers at end of each month
    • Insert two proposal creation periods for 2010 contest: Oct 1-15 (initial phase), Oct 16-31 (end of contest flurry)
  • Tom asked about what outreach efforts have been undertaken since 2011 contest launch. Lisa is developing spreadsheet to track outreach efforts, including her NGO/university efforts + data from Mass Messaging Tool Josh has packaged and sent. Columns of sheet to include Outreach date, Organization, Result/status (and for groups contacted via Mass Messaging Tool: # unique users opening message, # of clickthroughs to links, # of new registrations)
  • Mike had some some suggestions for wording changes--he will propose some edits and we will implement them or review them with Tom

Current outreach tasks (first half of July)

  • Soliciting new proposals
  • Twitter launch
  • Member outreach
  • External outreach
  • Tracking

Soliciting proposals

After the team meeting of July 5, Rob spoke with Tom. Tom is on board with including a brief summary (which we will call a "pitch") on the proposal page and proposal index. Josh should have it ready for review on the devt server by Thur, July 7.

Tom also asked that we start directly asking selected members to submit proposals as soon as possible (or to submit their names as potential members of a team that could create a proposal). So after the new proposal page is online, moderators should send personalized messages to members with whom we have had contact and/or who have participated heavily in the past. Josh should be able to turn on the new functionality early the week of July 11 and we can send messages after that. We can discuss at our meeting on July 11.

Please add to the a list below any additional members you believe would be fruitful to contact.

  • Rob = Friends of CoLab: yangr (ask her to invite pihulic), jermain + Members who submitted complete proposals last year: cle2010 (Team LHS), james (Apportioning national emissions targets based on sustainable, rather than existing, or other arbitrary population levels) + Members who submitted partial proposals: mridul (Action Plan 2050), australiana (Animal byproducts tax possibility? and Charles Draft Proposal), abbieclare + alybatt + rinchen (Oxford), tray (Carbon Price),jananib (Major Reduction of Animal Product Consumption), peteryunzhang + mfreiregormaly (Draft proposal for M&P), genevieve (Gen’s new proposal), dypoon (Dana Deal), dhs (Untitled)
  • Josh = Interview subjects: phil.henshaw + others
  • Lisa = please send individual notes to everyone who has added comments to debates or forums this year (Can Josh generate a list automatically? And if mass messaging system is used, will users see that it is a mass email? or will they only see their name in the To: field?)
  • James = Current proposal supporters: ralflippold, agregwilson, dave1. Previous proposal supporters: stellaroo, sherwood-shlomo, lizzie.overton, strandedwind, peter, narda, barryclemson, chato, mel.pullen, rjb, vovietanh2, jimmy, adrienne-campbell, delody, oliverdvh, tom, matt, donaldg, bcgmail, rosa, biogeochemist, sydoudousy (message sent 16th July)
  • Mike = please add names of people with whom you interacted and might be potential contributors
Another possibility would be to send messages of invitation to people who have contributed to debates since launch of new contest in mid-May.

Refer to CoLab Mass Messaging Tool, under the message entitled "Invitation to 2010 proposal submitters," for proposed text (note that you must be logged in as Administrator to access this part of the system): http://climatecolab.org/group/control_panel/manage?p_p_id=mass_messaging&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&doAsGroupId=10136&refererPlid=16101&_mass_messaging_struts_action=%2Fext%2Fmass_messaging%2Fview_message&_mass_messaging_messageId=1503 JG: sent messages in the mass messaging tool have links that are changed by the tool to track 'conversions' so not suitable to be copied and pasted into new messages. The new Moderator messages 'child page' records proposed and sent messages (including a note of who they were sent to - which doesn't seen to be recorded in the mass messaging tool). However the Moderator messages page also doesn't handle links. I can email copies of messages if that helps. We may want another kind of wikipage in future that records links.

Mike will also create and then subscribe to a new matchmaking forum on the Discussion for members who want to participate on a proposal development team and would like to be matched with other members who possess similar interests and perspectives.

Rob will also prepare a group of new debates on the devt server, based on:

  • debates James G has developed
  • debates Mark Klein of CCI has prepared
  • input from John Reilly of MIT's Joint Program on Global Change
Tom wanted to ensure that the quality of these debates is high, so once they are up on devt server, Rob will send Tom a link so he can review. After this review, we hope to get those debates online, including a new "Issues" tab that directs people toward them. Target deadline is middle of next week.

Also, Rob and Tom discussed inviting experts to provide input on proposals and also serve as judges in the later phases of the contest. Rob will draft a message for Tom to send to the CoLab's Expert Council this week. We'll see how many responses we receive by the end next week and based on that, develop a strategy for how expert input can be used as a potential carrot to encourage members to submit proposals early. This strategy will not be in place in time to mention it in next week's newsletter, but it could provide another opportunity to ping members at the end of July or in early August.

Twitter (re)launch

See Moderator messages Proposed and sent mass messages by moderators. http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/resources/-/wiki/Main/Moderator+messages

Rob will review James current draft tweets and also submit some of his own, and after joint review and approval, James will start posting about 5/week.

Tom also sent a note to Debbie Beribichez asking to schedule a call to get her input on publicizing the next round of the contest. Thursday 21st July 10:30 EDT

Member outreach

Newsletter to go out after new debates are on-line, target date July 15. Newsletter to highlight variety of new ways for members to participate:
  • Submit short (tweet-length) proposal pitch to attract other members to join your team and work with you
  • List your interests and perspectives in the matchmaking discussion forum so moderators can match you up with other like-minded CoLab members on teams
  • Comment or vote on issues relevant to this year's contests using the new debate interface
  • Add an idea to the scrapbook proposal
  • Start a proposal with friends or colleagues or invite them to join so they can support proposals they like and comment or vote on debates
Other news can also be included (maybe we should mention recent conference award for paper on CoLab?) Please send suggestions to Lisa.

External outreach

Lisa is contacting NGOs focused on Rio+20/green economy and trying to schedule calls to discuss:
  • them informing their members about the CoLab,
  • them possibly submitting a proposal that reflects their perspectives, and
  • exploring other potential forms of collaboration.

She is also contacting student groups with an interest in sustainability and clean energy to let them know about CoLab and encourage them to submit proposals.

James has also developed a list of climate change web sites where we could submit information on the CoLab. Rob has separately generated a 1-page description for outreach to prospective partners, which is attached to this page. If time allows this week, perhaps James can submit the content of this one pager to the first category of sites. We should discuss the latter categories at our meeting next Monday. Some websites where CoLab could add our own content.

Prospective proposals, could be invited

Example of community mapping (members can see others in their area)

Tracking

Mike has developed a draft tracking monthly report using Google Analytics.

Two issues still need to be resolved:

  • How to include tracking of internal site activity that shows level of contributions (# proposal edits, # of members who supported proposals, # who commented or voted on debates, # who contributed to forums). Such contributions are the is core end goal of all our community outreach, and it is not possible to track all of these in Analytics.
  • Google Analytics looks to be great at comparing two time periods (e.g. April vs. May, as in report Mike prepared), but we may want to compare more than two periods (for example, we may want to be able to look at activity for each month from January through December).

One way of addressing both of these requirements might be to augment the Google Analytics 1-page dashboard report, which is very good at showing current month vs. prior month with a small spreadsheet that shows the Google data and the contribution activity (proposal edits, debates commets, etc. as listed above) over a 6 or even 12 month period. I noticed that Analytics allows for downloading--perhaps there might be a way to get the Google data downloaded from Analytics and the data from the site downloaded in a report Josh prepared and them merge them in an Excel file?

Also, in the tracking report, it may be as or even more important to track unique visitors as well as visits.

2011 outreach discussion

In June 2011, several areas of activity concerning outreach were discussed and need additional follow up in July and August:
  • Social media outreach, also see Twitter (re)launch above
  • Live events with panelists (community members and experts) Now on hold and parked below.

Social media outreach

Issues to be discussed are:
  • Content for social media. News from CoLab, invitations to take part, highlighting of new proposals/discussions/debates, posing questions that challenge popular presumptions about climate?
  • Use of Facebook page. After discussion agreed that we would use Facebook page primarily as a billboard and create links to other organizations' pages as part of our broader outreach to those groups.

Great collection of social media history (thanks Josh) http://topsy.com/s?q=climate+colab Treasure trove of people to connect with, who've helped previously.

Live events - Parked

We hope to do one of these perhaps monthly to coincide with monthly CoLab email newsletter. Some possibilities below, thoughts/edits welcome.
  • Suggestions for panellists to invite (please add more). Rob Laubacher (how to engage with the CoLab?), Mort Webster, John Sterman, Andrew Jones http://www.climateinteractive.org/about/staff#Drew , policy experts, policy-maker, lobbyist, conference negotiator, ...?
Panellists to come back to? Last year's winners (invite them to suggest theme?), Thomas Malone (co-intelligence?)
  • Three stages.
1. Introduce topic and invite questions. 1 week. Optional 2 minute video to set theme and engage interest (host on youtube, embed in page). Place video at top of a CoLab discussion page. New page for each event. Invite questions as discussion comments.

2. Publicise in email to CoLab members, facebook, twitter, MIT press release/article. Ask people to join CoLab in advance of event. Email reminder to members the day before.

3. Session with panelist(s) answering questions online. 1 hour, perhaps 11am EDT, 4pm GMT? Remind participants to regularly refresh their browser page. Panellist selects questions if too many to cover. Moderator at hand in case of any help needed. Friends of CoLab at hand in case more questions needed. At end thank panelist and participants, invite continuing discussion on the same page, advertise next panellist theme time and date.

4. Follow-up discussion among community. Panelist can choose whether to return; this is not offered on their behalf.

5. Optional follow up 2 minute video, what did we work out collaboratively? Example of co-intelligence in action.