This is Our Year!

So often, the changing of calendars is just a formality. But, Goodly is prepared for a year that truly ushers in the new!

There are a lot of ways this is year is going to be new, different, and better –– for the world and for Goodly Labs. With new vaccines, we’re going to get a decent handle on the coronavirus, allowing many more of us to renew old friendships and begin fresh collaborations. We’re also about to experience a new executive leading the US government. This shift will be positive for many people on its own. But it will also mean a new mission for the media. Instead of leading “The Resistance,” or amplifying messaging from the White House, news and media outlets will be focused on stories that aren’t about outrage and obstruction.

These shifts will lift the mood of the nation and globe, allowing people the mental and emotional space to think big and imagine a better future. With changing perspective, more people will open to the idea that we can build a better society together instead of fighting partisan death-matches. Concretely, more journalists will understand that civic technology projects, like those led by Goodly, are the real change agents and power brokers in society. And more foundations, donors, and investors will leave the stale “white papers & conferences” version of social change behind, so they can maintain their reputations for being on the cutting edge.

The timing of this swing to the future could not be more perfect for Goodly. We’ve been developing three projects empowering people to Defend Democracy by providing direct checks on the misinformation, violence, and political shenanigans that turn people away from civic life. Now, Goodly will expand the reach of these projects –– Public Editor, Demo Watch, and Research Ready Archives, respectively. But, we’re also moving into the more optimistic and futuristic aspects of our mission. When Democracy is (relatively) secured, we will start building the Internet collaboration tools that will allow us to strengthen our bonds of trust and cooperation, and renew our society. So, if our present work is about defending the future of democracy, our future work will be about redesigning it, and empowering people to take more direct action to improve society.

Key to all of this will be our partnership and fundraising efforts. Goodly has created immense value (perhaps billions of dollars worth, if we consider the costs of failing democracy) thanks to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers over the last years. To move into the future, at scale, Goodly is now preparing to hire talented and good-hearted engineers, social scientists, and project directors. None of this will be expensive (especially when compared to inaction), but we need to find a set of heroes who are ready to team up with humanity and fund the building of a future for all of us. We know they’re out there –– people who think big, care about more than themselves, and want to make a decisive impact on global history. If we can only ask one thing of you in the year to come, we ask simply that you connect us to these people.

There’s more coming –– so much more. So, stay tuned, and send reinforcements! This is our year to start making global scale impacts!