So How Does it Work?
Life in the World of Warcraft wasn’t always easy, but at least there were no “influencers” and we never had to watch any ads.
Whenever I explain what it will be like to use Beacon, I am always tempted to bring up video games. In so many of the digital games I played as a kid, I was equipped with simple, powerful tools to help me navigate and succeed in virtual worlds.
In particular, Beacon is inspired by the many many hours I spent in my freshman year of high school playing a massive multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG for “short.” World of Warcraft was my game of choice.
In that game, I played as a made up character, navigating a made up world filled with other made up characters, most of them played by other people. We might call these characters our “avatars.”
Our avatars were imbued with purpose, and the appeal of these MMORPGs was that the purpose was ours to choose. The virtual world was full of challenges and quests of all kinds, to be worked on alone or in groups big and small. There was experience to gain, skills to learn, and missions to complete.
Tools were built into the game, helping us along on our various journeys. With these tools I could guide myself towards the quests and challenges best suited to my preferences and gameplay style. The tools let me have the experience I wanted to have. Everything about their design enhanced the gaming experience, because that was the game-creators’ goal: to facilitate a great game.
Form follows function. Social media corporations exist to make money, and their design prioritizes these goals. As such, all the useful networking tools that social media provides have been stunted by monetization.
In contrast, Beacon’s sole and primary objective is to be useful -a tool that facilitates awareness, connection and action. To do so, we are duplicating the same tools for the real world that we had access to in the games.
Here are some of the tools central to Beacon’s design:
A Map of your World, readily explored with comprehensive search and filter options.
An Action Log, keeping track of relevant updates and your personal objectives in support of the causes you care about.
Public and Private Communication Channels, to communicate with other users near and far, publicly and privately, in both instant chat and ongoing conversation threads.
These features combine to make strategy, outreach, and action possible through a single platform. Direct action and mutual aid initiatives can find both a support network and organizational platform in Beacon.
To further facilitate real-world action, users can list the skills, services, and resources they would like to offer the world, and see the needs and wants of the groups and communities around them. Beacon helps people connect where they're most passionate and capable, so everyone can find a way to get involved with their world.
Our devices give us access to incredible technology and limitless information, but with the wrong design they become nothing more than TVs in our pockets.
Beacon reverses the trend, treating you like a character moving through the world with purpose, and giving you key tools to help you along your way.
We’re raising money to develop the platform prototype, so everyone will soon have access to this valuable modern tool. Sign up or give today to help build Beacon!
