Forum Initiative MVP Roadmap

Building a Transparent, Decentralized Civic Engagement Platform

The Forum Initiative is committed to bridging the gap between people and policy through a transparent, community-governed and user-owned platform.

This roadmap outlines our phased approach to developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)—a foundation for participatory democracy powered by CivicAI and blockchain-based governance.

Our goal is to validate governance models, community engagement, and real-world value exchange before scaling to full implementations.

I. Immediate Actions (Next 1-3 Months)

• Content and Engagement Strategy:

  • Develop a content calendar for the network.

    • Policy discussions

    • Legislative analysis

    • Civic engagement resources

    • Community-building activities

  • Explore opportunities for cross-promotion and joint initiatives.

  • Create guidelines for respectful and productive dialogue within the community.

  • Begin hosting regular online events (e.g., Q&As with experts, policy debates) to drive engagement.

  • Seek out new partnerships with other organizations that align with the mission (e.g., educational institutions, advocacy groups).

• Refine Onboarding:

  • Optimize the user onboarding process to ensure a smooth and engaging experience.

  • Create a welcome video or guide to introduce new members to the platform and its features.

  • Gather feedback from early users to identify areas for improvement.

• Branding and Messaging:

  • Ensure consistent branding and messaging across network pages, landing pages, blog pages.

  • Develop messaging that clearly articulates the value proposition of the Forum Initiative.

  • Highlight the unique aspects of the platform (e.g., AI integration, focus on ethical governance).

• Pilot Project:

  • Identify a small group of highly engaged members to participate in a pilot project.

  • Focus the pilot on a specific policy area or community issue.

  • Use the pilot to test and refine your engagement strategies and governance models.

II. Medium-Term Development (3-6 Months)

• Feature Enhancement:

  • Based on user feedback, explore additional features of the network. Consider how to incorporate elements from the "Forum Initiative" documents, such as:

    • Tools for policy debate

    • Mechanisms for transparent voting (for civilian lobbying)

    • Full integration of AI tools (like CivicAl) to aid in informed decision-making

  • Prioritize features that align with the core principles of transparency, inclusivity, and evidence-based decision-making.

• Continue Partnership Building:

  • Seek out new partnerships with other organizations that align with your mission (e.g., educational institutions, advocacy groups).

  • Explore opportunities for cross-promotion and joint initiatives.

• Content Diversification:

  • Expand the types of content offered on the platform. Consider:

    • A podcast series featuring expert guests

    • Regular summaries of key policy debates

    • Educational resources on civic engagement

• Community Moderation:

  • Develop a clear moderation policy to ensure a safe and respectful environment.

  • Recruit and train volunteer moderators from among your engaged members.

  • Implement tools and processes for effective community management.

• Data and Evaluation:

  • Establish metrics to track the success of your community (e.g., user growth, engagement levels, impact on policy discussions).

  • Regularly analyze data to inform your strategy and identify areas for improvement.

  • Gather qualitative feedback through surveys and interviews.

III. Long-Term Vision (6+ Months)

• Scaling the Initiative:

  • Based on the success of the pilot project, begin to scale the Forum Initiative to other regions or communities.

  • Develop a replicable model that can be adapted to different contexts.

• Platform Development:

  • Explore the development of a more customized platform, potentially incorporating blockchain technology for enhanced transparency and security, as envisioned in the documents.

• Governance Model Validation:

  • Prioritize the validation of your governance models, ensuring they are both effective and ethical.

  • Incorporate feedback from the community to refine these models.

• Financial Sustainability:

  • Develop a long-term financial plan to ensure the sustainability of the Forum Initiative. The documents suggest exploring options like:

    • Campaign donation rebates

    • A secondary reserve for CivCoin

    • Partnerships and grants

• National/Global Impact:

  • Work towards expanding the Forum Initiative's impact beyond Maine, with the long-term vision of influencing national and even global governance.

📩 Join the Network: theforum.community