DateLine | TagVillage
Oct. 29, 2011
Over the past several weeks I have been wrestling with a gut feeling that made me feel sick and uneasy, but I could not identify what was causing it. My gut kept telling me there was something wrong, something that would have a profoundly negative effect on the future of tagvillage. Our business has been growing consistently like a weed for almost a year. Then, suddenly out of the blue, it seemed like someone threw on the brakes. Numbers don’t lie. And the data from our site was telling me tagvillage was not performing as it should. The data confirmed to me that my gut instinct was correct. In my gut I knew something within tagvillage was not in line with our mission and principles.
So, I immediately began diving deeper in to the data. I was looking at traffic trends, content delivery, member activity, and member feedback. I began to read and re-read Skype chat rooms and Facebook Group posts, and emails from various members. After several weeks of intense research, prayer, reflection, and meditation, I have arrived at the source of our troubles. The problem with tagvillage lies within the Bazaar.
Those of you who know me personally know that I have a personal mission to change the way Corporations and Humanity interact. You know of my dream to see a First Fruits Movement come to life where people start businesses and grow them fully for the intent of giving at least 10% of their earnings to charity. I am sick and disgusted by the disparagingly widening gap between those in poverty and those in control of the wealthy greed that has become the modern corporation. I believe in free enterprise. I believe in a market that enables opportunity and gain. However, I believe that we are given so that we may give. I believe that we are blessed so that we may further bless.
Over the past few weeks I have read and reflected upon my last letter to the members of tagvillage titled Will You Help Us Change The World? I have watched the video several times and felt the pain of poverty rampant throughout our globe. I have seen news reports and read articles about the Occupy Wall Street movement building steam in many cities. I have learned of more and more blatant abuse of money and power by huge corporations so they may continue to grow their stock values. I have even been disheartened as I learn of major charitable organizations that pay their CEO’s multi-million dollar bonuses and spend over 75% of their budgets on salaries, promotional activities, and “investments” in their own stock portfolios.
I have been reading many books seeking enlightenment regarding poverty and corporate greed and our global tagvillage Cause. I have studied micro-lending and social business concepts such as those Muhammad Yunus discusses in Banker To The Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty and the inspirational book Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs. I have read about the scope and effect of global poverty and the initiatives that are and are not working as discussed in books such as The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It and the incredibly well researched and insightful book Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. Along with this, I have spoken to wonderful people on the ground-level who are working to truly affect change, such as Maggie Lane-Baker at Help is Here and Jessica Flannery at Kiva.
In the midst of all this research, discussion, reflection, prayer, and meditation, I came across a revelation. Who profits most from the tagvillage Bazaar? When I answer this question honestly, I must admit it is the very corporations creating the poverty divide. After all, it is gift cards and products from some of the largest companies in the world that are being sold in the Bazaar. And the proceeds for these sales go to these corporations. Not only that, our Bazaar is structured in such a way that one person wins and many people lose. So, we have inadvertently created a situation where we are allowing powerful, greedy corporations to profit while many members lose.
As I began to reflect on this fact, I realized a glaring truth. Tagvillage is off track. I have been so involved with the development and implantation of the Bazaar and the dream of its capability to earn profits, that I have not kept my eyes on the true mission and principles of tagvillage. Therefore, it is with this letter you that I will be doing two things. First, I apologize sincerely for my mistake. Second, I lay out a plan to get tagvillage back on track.
It is my job as CEO to keep tagvillage in line with the root mission. The mission of tagvillage is to pour out financial blessings on our members and worthwhile Causes. We state: "We will work tirelessly to create an extremely useful platform where our members connect, earn, and share. We will become the single greatest source of financial blessings for great Causes throughout the world." And behind all of this is my personal mission to create a First Fruits Movement where millions of people start businesses that are established and grown for the sole purpose of donating at least 10% of their revenue to charity.
As CEO, I constantly look for ways we can improve tagvillage revenues, costs, and profits. I look for ways we can add value to our bottom-line. I seek business models and products that will generate revenue and expand profits. And the reason for this focus is that the more money we can make, the more we can give to charity. So, it was from this good intent that I became a proponent of the Bazaar. However, now that the Bazaar is live and I am reviewing the data, I realize I made a grave mistake. In the interest of profit for tagvillage, I have sacrificed the good of the members. More importantly, I have made the effect upon Causes to be the left-over after thought. So, I sincerely apologize to you our members for this mistake. I have allowed tagvillage to take their eyes from our mission. I have allowed tagvillage to mimic the very bottom-line thinking and humanitarian disregard that prevails in most modern, greedy corporations. I have taken us off track. And I intend to remedy this.
As of Monday, October 29, 2011, we will shift 100% of our energy and budget back to the development of our Social Platform and Cause Platform. We will also halt the Items Bazaar. We are not going to do away with the Items Bazaar all together, we are simply going to re-build it in a manner that is in line with the true mission and principles of tagvillage. Over the next several weeks, we will be implementing the following on the tagvillage site:
1. Basic Social Networking
2. Basic Cause Platform
3. Basic Search Functionality
4. Improved Site Function and Navigation
5. Improved Account Management and Transaction Reporting
6. Basic Tagvertising Platform
7. 100% Charity Driven Items Bazaar
Now please read my words carefully as I describe the game-plan for the next few months. As you read this article and learn of the features we will be adding to the site, please remember that in all cases we must first crawl, then walk, then run. So, please understand when I use terms such as “basic” and “initial” and “beginning stages” that I mean these will be simple, scaled-back systems that will be improved upon over time.
We fully intend to launch basic Social Networking throughout tagvillage over the next few weeks. While it is our intent to develop our Social Platform into a robust system that is equally, if not more powerful than Facebook and Google+, you must understand that we cannot do so from the very beginning. At first, we will have simple functions and simple processes. These will grow and become more and more powerful over time. For now, we will add the following to the site very quickly:
1. Basic Member Profile Pages
2. Features to Find/Connect with Friends
3. “Tweet” or “Post” Functions
4. Features to Create/Join/Participate in Groups
At first the Social Networking system within tagvillage will seem very primitive by modern standards. Just remember we must first crawl, then walk, then run. Initially there will be NO ACTIVTIY POINTS SYSTEM attached to basic social features. For a while you will NOT earn Daily Profit Shares from your social activity. However, as we collect data on the social network usage we will begin to implement Activity Points, enhance current features, and add new function. Over the next year, we fully expect our Social Platform to grow to be as robust and powerful as Facebook or Google+, with the added interaction of the Cause Platform, Activity Points, and Daily Profit Shares.
Along with the basic Social Networking features we will add a basic Cause Platform to tagvillage. We expect this platform to be live on the site very quickly. Again, I stress that we must first crawl, then walk, then run. Therefore, the initial Cause Platform will seem very primitive by modern standards. Causes will be able to create a profile and interact with our members via the basic Social Networking features. As time goes by we will enhance the Cause Platform and add many amazing features. Eventually, you will be able to support various Causes and help them earn money simply by using the site.
We are going to establish a very cool feature where there will be two levels of Causes within tagvillage. This system will be in place very quickly. There will be ‘Official Causes’ and ‘Unofficial Causes’. Think of ‘Official Causes’ as sanctioned Causes such as 501c3 organizations and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) that are formally ratified and documented. ‘Unofficial Causes’ will be efforts and movements to assist a particular person or family or situation that is not formally organized. Tagvillage members themselves will be able to create/join/participate in ‘Unofficial Causes’.
We will be eliminating the Quick Tag Search on the right column of the page and begin utilizing the Search Bar at the top. We plan to quickly implement some basic search functions within tagvillage. Again, I ask you to remember, we must first crawl, then walk, and then run. Initially the search features will work only within TagTrading. Very quickly we will add functionality to search the Bazaar, and our Social Network. Over time, we will have a completely functional Search that provides results from the World Wide Web, Social Networks, TagTrading, the Bazaar, and much more!
We plan to completely re-design the website over the next few months. We feel the site has become cumbersome and cluttered. Our goal is to simplify the site while at the same time adding Social and Search features. You will see many improvements over the next few months to the function and navigation of tagvillage. Along with these changes, we will be adding many features to help you manage your account and produce useful reports. For example, you will be able to download a spreadsheet of your transaction histories. We plan to implement much more powerful reporting tools that you can filter, search, sort, and download. This will greatly enhance your TagTrading experience and your ability to manage your finances, trading history, bid history, and overall account.
Many of you have been asking what was meant when we posted in the BackOffice to “get your Tags ready!” Along with all of the changes mentioned above, we will be implementing a basic Tagvertising Platform very soon. This will be live on the site sometime between now and December 31st. As many of you know, there are advertisements running in a few segments of the site. We are currently delivering ads from a 3rd party media group. We have been testing features to allow us to Tag-target these ads. Again, I stress, we must first crawl, then walk, then run.
When we implement the basic Tagvertising Platform, members will begin to earn commissions for ads that target the Tags they own. These initial commissions will be very low in quantity and value. You simply must understand that we cannot attract mainstream advertisers and major advertising dollars until the site has millions of members and is serving millions of page views each day. As the site membership grows, so will the quantity and value of Tagvertising commissions.
Also, you must understand, you WILL NOT BE PAID Tagvertising commissions for clicking on ads that target a Tag you own. You will also NOT BE PAID Tagvertising commissions when your referrals click an ad that is targeting a Tag you own, unless that person actually performs a valuable action on the advertiser’s site (such as making a purchase). Our goal is to deliver legitimate advertising results to legitimate advertisers. We CANNOT attract mainstream advertisers and major advertising budgets if our members are clicking ads simply to earn a commission. Again, I repeat, YOU WILL NOT BE PAID Tagvertising commissions if you or your referrals click on ads that target Tags you own. We will be implementing very many tools to discount clicks on ads that are solely for the purpose of getting commissions. You will only be paid Tagvertising commissions on valid clicks by true customers who truly responded to an advertisement. If you are found to be manipulating your Tagvertising commissions, your account will be closed and you will forfeit all your Credits and your Tag inventory.
Tagvertising will be a huge part of Social Networking. So it is in your best interest to use tagvillage to socialize! Get your friends to join and socialize with you here. The very day Social Networking features are live on the site we will also be starting to deploy Tag-targeted ads within the social pages. So, even though it may be a while before Activity Points and Daily Profit Shares are a part of Social Networking, Tagvertising will be a part of it from the very beginning. However, please note, it may take a few weeks for the commissions to begin appearing in your BackOffice. This is due to the fact that Tagvertising Commissions are actually paid when the advertiser pays for the ad. Advertisers are charged after their ads are delivered because we must first calculate and remove all invalid clicks from their invoice. We do not charge advertisers for invalid clicks (cheaters and manipulators) and we do not pay commissions to cheaters and manipulators for invalid clicks.
Now for the most important change coming to tagvillage, as I stated in the opening sections of this letter, I have had a revelation. The problem with tagvillage lies within the Bazaar. We now feel the current Items Bazaar is not in line with the root tagvillage mission and principles. Therefore, we will be halting the Items Bazaar while we re-build it in a different manner. We have decided to make the Items Bazaar a complete function of the Cause Platform!
Very soon, ‘Official Causes’ will have a system that allows them to place items into the Items Bazaar. Then, when the item sells, 100% of the proceeds will go to the Cause, not to a business. We are rebuilding the Items Bazaar so that businesses and individuals can donate items to Causes. Then, these same Causes can place the items into the Bazaar for sale. We feel this will re-align the Bazaar with our root mission and principles. Members will get incredible discounts on goods and services. Causes will receive 100% of the money. Bidders and winners will be able to deduct 100% of their costs from their taxes as a donation to Charity. And finally, corporations become donation sources rather than profit centers. What a perfect solution!
I truly apologize for spending so much time and energy over the past few months getting us all off track. Tagvillage is an amazing company. We have a powerful purpose. We truly intend to change the world. I hope all the changes I mentioned above will put our business and our membership back on the right track. Let’s get back to building a Social Network and Search Engine. Let’s focus on ways to help our members and great Causes. I assure you that as our staff returns to work on Monday morning, 100% of our energy and budget will be focused on Social, Causes, and Search. Every reason you have been building your Tag inventory is about to be proven valid. If you have a lot of great Tags, you are about to be really, really happy!
Fellow tagvillager, will you help us change the world?
Sincerely,
David Ruebush
CEO
So, I immediately began diving deeper in to the data. I was looking at traffic trends, content delivery, member activity, and member feedback. I began to read and re-read Skype chat rooms and Facebook Group posts, and emails from various members. After several weeks of intense research, prayer, reflection, and meditation, I have arrived at the source of our troubles. The problem with tagvillage lies within the Bazaar.
Those of you who know me personally know that I have a personal mission to change the way Corporations and Humanity interact. You know of my dream to see a First Fruits Movement come to life where people start businesses and grow them fully for the intent of giving at least 10% of their earnings to charity. I am sick and disgusted by the disparagingly widening gap between those in poverty and those in control of the wealthy greed that has become the modern corporation. I believe in free enterprise. I believe in a market that enables opportunity and gain. However, I believe that we are given so that we may give. I believe that we are blessed so that we may further bless.
Over the past few weeks I have read and reflected upon my last letter to the members of tagvillage titled Will You Help Us Change The World? I have watched the video several times and felt the pain of poverty rampant throughout our globe. I have seen news reports and read articles about the Occupy Wall Street movement building steam in many cities. I have learned of more and more blatant abuse of money and power by huge corporations so they may continue to grow their stock values. I have even been disheartened as I learn of major charitable organizations that pay their CEO’s multi-million dollar bonuses and spend over 75% of their budgets on salaries, promotional activities, and “investments” in their own stock portfolios.
I have been reading many books seeking enlightenment regarding poverty and corporate greed and our global tagvillage Cause. I have studied micro-lending and social business concepts such as those Muhammad Yunus discusses in Banker To The Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty and the inspirational book Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs. I have read about the scope and effect of global poverty and the initiatives that are and are not working as discussed in books such as The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It and the incredibly well researched and insightful book Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. Along with this, I have spoken to wonderful people on the ground-level who are working to truly affect change, such as Maggie Lane-Baker at Help is Here and Jessica Flannery at Kiva.
In the midst of all this research, discussion, reflection, prayer, and meditation, I came across a revelation. Who profits most from the tagvillage Bazaar? When I answer this question honestly, I must admit it is the very corporations creating the poverty divide. After all, it is gift cards and products from some of the largest companies in the world that are being sold in the Bazaar. And the proceeds for these sales go to these corporations. Not only that, our Bazaar is structured in such a way that one person wins and many people lose. So, we have inadvertently created a situation where we are allowing powerful, greedy corporations to profit while many members lose.
As I began to reflect on this fact, I realized a glaring truth. Tagvillage is off track. I have been so involved with the development and implantation of the Bazaar and the dream of its capability to earn profits, that I have not kept my eyes on the true mission and principles of tagvillage. Therefore, it is with this letter you that I will be doing two things. First, I apologize sincerely for my mistake. Second, I lay out a plan to get tagvillage back on track.
It is my job as CEO to keep tagvillage in line with the root mission. The mission of tagvillage is to pour out financial blessings on our members and worthwhile Causes. We state: "We will work tirelessly to create an extremely useful platform where our members connect, earn, and share. We will become the single greatest source of financial blessings for great Causes throughout the world." And behind all of this is my personal mission to create a First Fruits Movement where millions of people start businesses that are established and grown for the sole purpose of donating at least 10% of their revenue to charity.
As CEO, I constantly look for ways we can improve tagvillage revenues, costs, and profits. I look for ways we can add value to our bottom-line. I seek business models and products that will generate revenue and expand profits. And the reason for this focus is that the more money we can make, the more we can give to charity. So, it was from this good intent that I became a proponent of the Bazaar. However, now that the Bazaar is live and I am reviewing the data, I realize I made a grave mistake. In the interest of profit for tagvillage, I have sacrificed the good of the members. More importantly, I have made the effect upon Causes to be the left-over after thought. So, I sincerely apologize to you our members for this mistake. I have allowed tagvillage to take their eyes from our mission. I have allowed tagvillage to mimic the very bottom-line thinking and humanitarian disregard that prevails in most modern, greedy corporations. I have taken us off track. And I intend to remedy this.
As of Monday, October 29, 2011, we will shift 100% of our energy and budget back to the development of our Social Platform and Cause Platform. We will also halt the Items Bazaar. We are not going to do away with the Items Bazaar all together, we are simply going to re-build it in a manner that is in line with the true mission and principles of tagvillage. Over the next several weeks, we will be implementing the following on the tagvillage site:
1. Basic Social Networking
2. Basic Cause Platform
3. Basic Search Functionality
4. Improved Site Function and Navigation
5. Improved Account Management and Transaction Reporting
6. Basic Tagvertising Platform
7. 100% Charity Driven Items Bazaar
Now please read my words carefully as I describe the game-plan for the next few months. As you read this article and learn of the features we will be adding to the site, please remember that in all cases we must first crawl, then walk, then run. So, please understand when I use terms such as “basic” and “initial” and “beginning stages” that I mean these will be simple, scaled-back systems that will be improved upon over time.
We fully intend to launch basic Social Networking throughout tagvillage over the next few weeks. While it is our intent to develop our Social Platform into a robust system that is equally, if not more powerful than Facebook and Google+, you must understand that we cannot do so from the very beginning. At first, we will have simple functions and simple processes. These will grow and become more and more powerful over time. For now, we will add the following to the site very quickly:
1. Basic Member Profile Pages
2. Features to Find/Connect with Friends
3. “Tweet” or “Post” Functions
4. Features to Create/Join/Participate in Groups
At first the Social Networking system within tagvillage will seem very primitive by modern standards. Just remember we must first crawl, then walk, then run. Initially there will be NO ACTIVTIY POINTS SYSTEM attached to basic social features. For a while you will NOT earn Daily Profit Shares from your social activity. However, as we collect data on the social network usage we will begin to implement Activity Points, enhance current features, and add new function. Over the next year, we fully expect our Social Platform to grow to be as robust and powerful as Facebook or Google+, with the added interaction of the Cause Platform, Activity Points, and Daily Profit Shares.
Along with the basic Social Networking features we will add a basic Cause Platform to tagvillage. We expect this platform to be live on the site very quickly. Again, I stress that we must first crawl, then walk, then run. Therefore, the initial Cause Platform will seem very primitive by modern standards. Causes will be able to create a profile and interact with our members via the basic Social Networking features. As time goes by we will enhance the Cause Platform and add many amazing features. Eventually, you will be able to support various Causes and help them earn money simply by using the site.
We are going to establish a very cool feature where there will be two levels of Causes within tagvillage. This system will be in place very quickly. There will be ‘Official Causes’ and ‘Unofficial Causes’. Think of ‘Official Causes’ as sanctioned Causes such as 501c3 organizations and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) that are formally ratified and documented. ‘Unofficial Causes’ will be efforts and movements to assist a particular person or family or situation that is not formally organized. Tagvillage members themselves will be able to create/join/participate in ‘Unofficial Causes’.
We will be eliminating the Quick Tag Search on the right column of the page and begin utilizing the Search Bar at the top. We plan to quickly implement some basic search functions within tagvillage. Again, I ask you to remember, we must first crawl, then walk, and then run. Initially the search features will work only within TagTrading. Very quickly we will add functionality to search the Bazaar, and our Social Network. Over time, we will have a completely functional Search that provides results from the World Wide Web, Social Networks, TagTrading, the Bazaar, and much more!
We plan to completely re-design the website over the next few months. We feel the site has become cumbersome and cluttered. Our goal is to simplify the site while at the same time adding Social and Search features. You will see many improvements over the next few months to the function and navigation of tagvillage. Along with these changes, we will be adding many features to help you manage your account and produce useful reports. For example, you will be able to download a spreadsheet of your transaction histories. We plan to implement much more powerful reporting tools that you can filter, search, sort, and download. This will greatly enhance your TagTrading experience and your ability to manage your finances, trading history, bid history, and overall account.
Many of you have been asking what was meant when we posted in the BackOffice to “get your Tags ready!” Along with all of the changes mentioned above, we will be implementing a basic Tagvertising Platform very soon. This will be live on the site sometime between now and December 31st. As many of you know, there are advertisements running in a few segments of the site. We are currently delivering ads from a 3rd party media group. We have been testing features to allow us to Tag-target these ads. Again, I stress, we must first crawl, then walk, then run.
When we implement the basic Tagvertising Platform, members will begin to earn commissions for ads that target the Tags they own. These initial commissions will be very low in quantity and value. You simply must understand that we cannot attract mainstream advertisers and major advertising dollars until the site has millions of members and is serving millions of page views each day. As the site membership grows, so will the quantity and value of Tagvertising commissions.
Also, you must understand, you WILL NOT BE PAID Tagvertising commissions for clicking on ads that target a Tag you own. You will also NOT BE PAID Tagvertising commissions when your referrals click an ad that is targeting a Tag you own, unless that person actually performs a valuable action on the advertiser’s site (such as making a purchase). Our goal is to deliver legitimate advertising results to legitimate advertisers. We CANNOT attract mainstream advertisers and major advertising budgets if our members are clicking ads simply to earn a commission. Again, I repeat, YOU WILL NOT BE PAID Tagvertising commissions if you or your referrals click on ads that target Tags you own. We will be implementing very many tools to discount clicks on ads that are solely for the purpose of getting commissions. You will only be paid Tagvertising commissions on valid clicks by true customers who truly responded to an advertisement. If you are found to be manipulating your Tagvertising commissions, your account will be closed and you will forfeit all your Credits and your Tag inventory.
Tagvertising will be a huge part of Social Networking. So it is in your best interest to use tagvillage to socialize! Get your friends to join and socialize with you here. The very day Social Networking features are live on the site we will also be starting to deploy Tag-targeted ads within the social pages. So, even though it may be a while before Activity Points and Daily Profit Shares are a part of Social Networking, Tagvertising will be a part of it from the very beginning. However, please note, it may take a few weeks for the commissions to begin appearing in your BackOffice. This is due to the fact that Tagvertising Commissions are actually paid when the advertiser pays for the ad. Advertisers are charged after their ads are delivered because we must first calculate and remove all invalid clicks from their invoice. We do not charge advertisers for invalid clicks (cheaters and manipulators) and we do not pay commissions to cheaters and manipulators for invalid clicks.
Now for the most important change coming to tagvillage, as I stated in the opening sections of this letter, I have had a revelation. The problem with tagvillage lies within the Bazaar. We now feel the current Items Bazaar is not in line with the root tagvillage mission and principles. Therefore, we will be halting the Items Bazaar while we re-build it in a different manner. We have decided to make the Items Bazaar a complete function of the Cause Platform!
Very soon, ‘Official Causes’ will have a system that allows them to place items into the Items Bazaar. Then, when the item sells, 100% of the proceeds will go to the Cause, not to a business. We are rebuilding the Items Bazaar so that businesses and individuals can donate items to Causes. Then, these same Causes can place the items into the Bazaar for sale. We feel this will re-align the Bazaar with our root mission and principles. Members will get incredible discounts on goods and services. Causes will receive 100% of the money. Bidders and winners will be able to deduct 100% of their costs from their taxes as a donation to Charity. And finally, corporations become donation sources rather than profit centers. What a perfect solution!
I truly apologize for spending so much time and energy over the past few months getting us all off track. Tagvillage is an amazing company. We have a powerful purpose. We truly intend to change the world. I hope all the changes I mentioned above will put our business and our membership back on the right track. Let’s get back to building a Social Network and Search Engine. Let’s focus on ways to help our members and great Causes. I assure you that as our staff returns to work on Monday morning, 100% of our energy and budget will be focused on Social, Causes, and Search. Every reason you have been building your Tag inventory is about to be proven valid. If you have a lot of great Tags, you are about to be really, really happy!
Fellow tagvillager, will you help us change the world?
Sincerely,
David Ruebush
CEO
Your It, Tagger
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