Background Information

Summarize your organisation’s goals, objectives and mission statement

We are a membership organization comprised of about 400 progressive organizations and individuals who individually use the Internet for their political work and activities and collectively pool our resources to provide ourselves quality web hosting, email and other Internet tools. We do this because we understand the Internet as critical to the movement for social change internationally and as an arena of struggle in which the progressive movement already plays a critical role which must be expanded.

We want to preserve the open quality of the Internet, expand its usefulness and use by the progressive movements internationally, build tools that will make it ever more effective for our movements, expand its use as a vehicle for truth and truthful analysis and expand our impact on it.

Indicate the geographical scope of your work: local, national, regional, continental, international, etc.

International. Although most of our work is in the United States we have been very active internationally around the Social Forum movement. We have worked on the technology for several forums, including the WSF in Belem last year and have participated in many offering our Collaborative Democracy workshop.

We are currently building the International Techie Organization and organization the Techie Congresses at Forums world-wide.

Choose what best describes the character or type of organization you represent: membership-based organisation

Please indicate the type of membership (individual, organisational or mixed),social sector you represent, how many members you have and geographic scope of membership.

We now have over 400 members, about 300 of which are organizations. Most of our members work in the United States although some work or reside in England, Mexico and Canada.

Describe your organisational structure, staffing and decision-making procedures

We are a very loosely structured organization. Our Leadership Committee determines the over-all structure, strategy and focus of our organization and Co-Directors carry that out day to day although several LC members participate in various decision-making functions.

Indicate the main thematic area(s) of your work (environment, human rights, labour, etc)

Our work is within the Internet, one of the largest mass social movements in human history that has arisen out of the need to collaborate and communicate as humanity faces major social crisis and potential extinction. In that context, we find ourselves interacting with movements and organizations focussed on practically every social issue.

Briefly describe your organisation’s activities, campaigns and major focus areas/issues

Our work is divided into two parts: resource sharing and activism. While they are separate, both are related and viewed, in the bigger picture, as part of the same work.

Resource sharing is what would normally be called "services". In this area, MF/PL has been involved in Internet service provision for over 14 years making us one of the oldest "providers" in the world, certainly among the oldest politically progressive providers. But we are not a provider. Aside from membership dues, our members pay nothing for services. Our members collaborate on everything including provider "technical support". All our processes, including discussions about our policies and future plans, are transparently carried on on system that encourages participation by all members.

Activism. MF/PL works in coalitions of all kinds, participates in events, and works on campaigns of all types. Most prominent among these is our leading work within the US Social Forum and the Social Forums world-wide. While we have assisted with technology set-up at several Social Forums, we organize the technology of the United States Social Forum by organizing and leading a team of progressive techies nationwide who come together to do the set up of registration, media center, and collaborative blogging on over 100 computers (running FOSS) which are networked and on-line at the Social Forum venue.

MF/PL is the developer of the Collaborative Democracy Workshop, which is used by groups and events world-wide seeking to collaborate on discussions and issues. It's one of the decision making tools used by the leadership of the US Social Forum.

We've sponsored and/organized dozens of events over the last three years and are represented at public events in the United States virtually every month.

We are also the authors of the book "The Organic Internet: Organizing History's Largest Social Movement" which is available on-line (both for free in pdf format and also in print edition).

• For each area or activity, please describe the outcomes you are working for, achievements and challenges experienced, and the people (beneficiaries or target groups) who you think have benefited, or will benefit, from your work.

We have benefitted by our growth. We have benefitted through the increased consciousness about the political issues facing the Internet, particularly Free and Open Source Software, and

Do you have any organic link with the government, political parties, churches/religions, corporations/companies or other special interest groups. If yes, kindly explain your link/relationship

In which international (or national) campaigns or networks are you an active participant?

The Social Forums and the International Council

How did you learn of the International Council and what inspired you to apply as an IC member?

If accepted, how or what can your organisation contribute to the work of the Council?

Is your organisation aware of the WSF Charter of Principles? Do you agree with the Charter?

Was your organisation active in SF processes within your country or region between WSF events? If yes, please explain the nature of the involvement.

Please feel free to add information you feel was not been covered in this questionnaire.