I finally decided to start archiving all of my work (that I’m proud of) from the past 4-5 years, partly to remind myself of the journey I’ve taken to get to this point in my life/career, but also to showcase the wide range of work that I am capable of producing (if for no other reason than to add to the great For some time now, myself and my brother-from-another-mother - Joe Whittaker - have been toying with an idea for yet another social networking website. What will make this one different (how many Venture Capitalists have heard that opener!) is that it will be aimed solely at creative individuals (from any field) with the purpose of encouraging collaboration on projects.
Well we’ve talked and talked, and we think we’ve got most of the finer details sorted out. We’re not going to be asking for funding for this - it’s going to be a labour of love, in our own time (which is kind of the whole ethos of the site anyway). I’ve started work on the technical side of the site, and hope to launch it very early in the new year. In the meantime, we’ve set up a group on Facebook to serve as a temporary home for the service (the irony of using another social networking site to launch our own is not lost on us!!!).
So, what’s this site all about? From our Facebook group…
The Digital Collective is a place where creative individuals from any field can meet, network and - most importantly - collaborate on projects. The Collective will provide all the tools necessary to successfully collaborate on projects - from online file storage to live chat and project tracking utilities - absolutely free of charge.
The Digital Collective is a not-for-profit organisation whose only aim is to encourage and nurture creative collaboration. Membership to the Collective is free (although we will be accepting donations!), with all income being generated through sponsorship and advertising. Eventually, as the Collective becomes financially buoyant, all profits will be ploughed back into the service, providing monetary assistance to help get projects going.
The first phase of the Digital Collective website is currently under development and will launch early in the new year. In the meantime, we’re using this Facebook group to get the ball rolling. The Collective is just that - a collective free-for-all. If you have an idea for a project that you would like to collaborate on just share it here and see who’s interested in getting involved. Once the main website is complete, sharing these ideas will be much more structured (and hopefully simpler!).
In the first instance we’re going to use some fantastic online services that already exist for the project management tools. Eventually, we will be developing our own. If you’re interested in getting involved with that, just voice your interest on the appropriate discussion thread.
There are no entry requirements to the Collective - so long as you consider yourself to be a creative individual, or work in a creative field (hobby creatives are most welcome!). Artists, musicians, writers, designers, photographers, software developers, advertising execs… you are all welcome here!
We will be ’seeding’ the initial idea pool to get everyone’s creative juices flowing - please feel free to add to it. We’re currently drafting the Digital Collective charter/manifesto/mission statement, and will get it up online ASAP.
This is NOT going to be just another networking site. It will NOT be trying to replace Facebook or Virb (but hey! you never know!!). This is going to be a networking site with a specific purpose. If you have any thoughts or comments, add them to the wall (but please be polite - there’s no place for rudeness here).
Let’s get collaborating, shall we?
Interested? Why not join the group here…
UPDATE: I’ve started work on the ACTUAL Digital Collective website - so while you’re here, why not mosey on over to http://collectivehq.com and become a member. You won’t be able to do much once you are a member, but that’ll change shortly!