Fractor: act on facts
Location
About You
Location
Project Street Address
131 Essex Street, Second Floor
Project City
New York
Project Province/State
NY
Project Postal/Zip Code
10002
Project Country
United States
Your idea
Will you launch your idea as a business or non-profit?
Non-Profit
Web site (url)
Name Your Project
Fractor: act on facts
Describe Your Idea
Innovation
What is your idea? What makes it innovative? Why is it important?
Often the influx of daily news can be overwhelming. Disasters, violence, poverty, crime & war are the regular tally. Readers comment on the world being out of control or at least out of their control. They might ask, "What can I do?" In fact, there is much that can be done, & developing a path to the solution is the first step. This is where Fractor will come into play. Fractor is a groundbreaking web application that dynamically links daily news stories to the specific needs of non-profit organizations, whether they are requests for financial donations, volunteer opportunities, in-kind donations or online actions. 'Facts' & 'acts' are organized on a single, intuitive page where every news story will be linked to real-world actions that users can pursue.
By combining news aggregation with nonprofit needs & social networking tools, Fractor brings a new level of interaction to news readership & civic activism. It introduces users to a world of positive change by giving them a simple, engaging platform through which they can 'Act on Facts'. Drawing on our growing database of 'Acts' (non-profit needs), Fractor is uniquely able to respond in real-time to unfolding news stories & promote civic engagement across the entire spectrum of issues covered by the news media. An unfolding news story on an earthquake, for example, might bring up 'Acts' requesting supplies or financial donations. A story about education might bring up volunteer opportunities with local mentoring organizations, after-school programs or online petition writing efforts. Fractor's unique ability to capture the entire cycle of civic participation from interest & commitment through completed action offers a truly innovative contribution to news reading & public service communities.
We are currently in an alpha stage of developmt. Our test site may be viewed at http://dev.fractor.org. A video overview is at http://fractor.org
Impact
What will be the impact of your idea?
In answering the question "what can I do about news stories that inspire me to action?" Fractor will bridge the divide between inspiration and action. Building on recent developments in the technology-for- social-change sector, Fractor's unique combination of news and action has the potential to engage mass audiences and effect systemic change. Fractor's ability to port information into 3rd party websites (such as the New York Times, which has expressed interest in incorporating a Fractor widget) and reach users via multiple platforms means that Fractor can overcome the inherent limitations of self-selecting audiences and reach more users in their preferred environments.
Fractor will change the way we approach civic participation, just as Expedia and Priceline revolutionized the way we purchase travel. With a rapidly-expanding database of Acts provided by a growing network of non-profit partners, Fractor users will have more information and more choice when deciding which charitable actions they would like to commit to. As Fractor's news aggregation tools become more comprehensive, users will be able to pin-point issues that appeal most to them, ensuring they are served Acts that correspond directly to their interests. As Fractor's network of strategic partners expands, Fractor will increasingly leverage its unique content to wider and wider spheres of Internet users.
This Entry is about (Issues)
People: We are looking for ideas from people who can make them happen.
The three founders, Hugo Berkeley, Josephine Dorado and Benjamin Robison first conceived of Fractor in 2006. Over the last 2½ years, we have developed our initial concept and challenged ourselves to understand the project in its many incarnations. In addition to refining the web application, we have developed a sustainable Social Venture business model that will help Fractor achieve its long-term goals. In March 2007 we received a $72,000 award from the MacArthur Foundation/HASTAC Digital Media and Learning Competition. Since then, we have successfully built the Alpha version of the Fractor website and demonstrated the strength of Fractor's core concept. We have begun a non-profit outreach campaign and intensive product testing has begun. By the end of 2010, Fractor aims to establish itself as the leading socially responsible social network. Despite our current inability to pay salaries, we have recruited talented and dedicated collaborators, and have assembled an experienced Advisory Board of academics, news, non-profit and technology executives who are aiding Fractor's development. In all areas we believe our first-rate team is making Fractor's ambitious vision a reality.
Sustainability
How much will it cost to launch your idea?
With the $72,000 received from the MacArthur Foundation/HASTAC Digital Media and Learning Competition, we were able to develop an alpha version of Fractor. The newly constructed alpha version of our website demonstrates that Fractor is creating the first web-based application that seamlessly allows anyone, anywhere to apply his or her news interests for the common good.
While offering free services to individuals and non-profit organizations, Fractor will be self-sustaining based on revenues from discreet advertising, data mining and new product development. Excess monies will be used for further research and development of open-source software and as donations to non-profit members. The $25,000 requested from this challenge will aid to further refining the news aggregation and recommendation engine, as well as building a widget for use on external sites.
In 2010, the Fractor project will enter a new phase of self-sustainable development. Fractor will continue to refine and expand its core competencies: as a teaching tool, to clearly demonstrate the association of current affairs and responsible citizenry; as a rich-media social network, to engage young audiences on their own terms and inspire real-world collaboration; as a game, to reward its highest-ranked users with educational funding and monetary donations to charities of their choice; and as a rich data source for academic and public policy research.
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Comments
Hi!
First and foremost congratulations on being nominated as a finalist.....
We really liked your idea very much...It is interesting that we were actually thinking almost on similar lines...and we had entered our idea ForgottenHeadlines.com (http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/17088). Coming from India, we were trying to tell that apart from being bombarded by news, people get frustrated by changing news lines...put otherwise they end up following sensationalism...we are planning to create a platform which can aggregate public opinion so media is kind of 'forced' to relook at issues which people want to be taken up and pursued to its/their logical end...
Let me know who heads this initiative at Fractors so that we can connect ...
Thanks and congrts once again!!!!!!
Mouli & Veena
Hi, Mouli & Veena -
Thanks for the congrats and kind words!
Agreed - there could be some interesting synergies between our initiatives and I really like the idea behind ForgottenHeadlines - sort of a shift in perception of historical info using crowdsourced opinion - nice.
I, along with co-founders Hugo Berkeley and Ben Robison, head up Fractor, so I'll loop them into this.
cheers,
~Josephine Dorado
ps: just saw this and it reminded me of your efforts:
http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/02/citizen_journalism_from_groundreport_sho.php
GroundReport & WorldFocus teaming up to create 'Talk To Us', a segment that asks for global views on top news stories.
Hello,
For someone that works in the non-profit sector (at risk youth) this is an excellent idea and great tool. I often spend a great amount of time looking for information related to my population, latest developments, funding options, etc. Having a repository of related information will be so helpful to any cause. Well done! Congratulations and good luck !
-Juan
thanks, Juan -that's good to hear! :)