So, why not start by introducing yourself in the forums? If you don’t have a number yet and want one, be sure to make a note of it in the forum and I’ll set you right up!

So, if you’ve got any ideas of your own, be sure to drop by the forum and participate.

Now, I realize in order to keep this momentum, we need to start making progress, and this is where many of you come in. We need volunteers to start reaching out to existing members and potential new ones in a personal, one to one kind of way. I don’t want this to be spam. Besides, I’m sure many people will have loads of questions, and we will need to address every one of them.

As for me, I’m currently putting the finishing touches on the DVD, fighting off a mild case of exhaustion from trying to adjust to a slightly chaotic new life of couch surfing and trying to not overstay my welcome in any one place.

Where to Start:

I think our goal in the next month is to reach 100 confirmed members. Once we reach the official 1/3 mark, we’ll be able to shift our focus to creating the organization. Keep in mind that roughly 80% of members are funders only (and have expressed a desire to continue to do so). Trust me, that’s a vital part of this plan, but that means until we get to 100, we won’t have enough of a pool of potential volunteers to get anything really rolling off the ground. Small groups can be devastated by the departure of any one member if they have failed to create adequate redundancy.

We already have these numbers in terms of hard-core subscribers, but my fear is a few of them might not like this bold new idea. That’s OK; in fact, it’s important to encourage anyone who isn’t enthusiastic with the idea to unsubscribe, leaving room for more excited and energetic new members. As I’ve mentioned on the show many times, some listeners tend to be transitional, as they struggle with the conflict non-belief often creates in the outside world. Sometimes these factors go away (like moving to a place not filled with religious nutjobs), and their interest in TGA may wane. The entire purpose of the show is to help non-believers gain confidence, so if I do a good job, they should eventually get over their need to listen. In a way, doing my job right means steadily losing my older audience.

Of course, that’s a gloomy way to look at things. A positive way would be to keep in mind how many atheists out there desperately need a bit of a confidence boost, and a series of powerful and easy to understand arguments they can arm themselves with. The DVD will be an easy way to compensate for member attrition, and keep the flow of new blood steady. It too, will be a part of TGA’s marketing future.

Which is why I must go back and finish slaying this beast while it still breathes. In my spare time, I’ll be continuing to craft out the idea of “The 300” and creating a FAQ that can be used to help answer member questions. If anyone else has a few ideas or criticisms, don’t feel shy!

The forums never did well on TGA, but I think that’s simply because there was never much thought put into what they were all about. These forums are for us alone: to discuss ideas for growing the organization, making TGA more fun and accessible, or even just trying to make new friends.

I’m also asking members for some ideas for virtual environments for us to hang out in. For now, this will do!

I’ll be making each of your profiles myself. These will allow you to comment, and eventually, other features that other members of The 300 will desire. Remember: this isn’t just about me! The purpose of this group is to create an environment of co-operation, sharing and support. My whole goal in creating this group is to allow me the chance to invest the profit of my enterprise into creating an ever growing organization. We aim to continue to help spread skepticism and rationality in that characteristic ‘TGA style’, in order to have fun and utilize the creative energy of groups without any of the trappings of irrational cults.

I know it all sounds a little vague now, but that’s because it’s still the growing idea of only one man. Your first task is to start spit-balling ideas on this giant forum we’re slowly building. As ideas become refined and we learn from our successes and failures, I have no doubt we’ll manage to create something pretty special.

Transparency: Creepy organizations have hidden dogmas, closely guarded secrets, and everything is done behind closed doors. This is because of their sinister nature. The way to avoid this is by making the organization transparent. As the organization grows financially as well, openness will avoid corruption and the misappropriation of funds, while creating a positive environment of trust and openness.

Humor: I’ve yet to encounter a serious cult that doesn’t take itself way too seriously. Humor is a litmus test of sanity, which explains why satire and ridicule seem so dangerous to large and powerful cults, like the Catholic Church. Humor is an inoculation against the sacred or the holy.

Limited size: When organisations are small, you benefit from the creativity and energy of people. But as these things grow, they become increasingly difficult to manage, and combined with increased power and money, is an easy breeding ground for corruption. The size is roughly “2 Dunbars”, the cognitive limit of people you can manage at any given time.

Encourages People to leave: unlike weird cults who pressure you to stay, The 300 would actively encourage people to leave if they felt others would better fill that role. The purpose of limiting the number is to ensure everyone who is there wants to be there, is enthusiastic, and has found a good place among the group.

Values open dialog: TGA has never censored anyone on the site. Ever. There may come a time when that is needed (if someone becomes too aggressive or threatening), but within the membership, I cannot imagine a worse situation than people resorting to censorship. The 300 cannot be composed of only similarly minded people, lest it suffer from group polarization. I fear people who agree with me too much! There must always be a part of them who disagree and help balance our own opinions.

It has to be fun: I felt this was the biggest gap in the atheism scene, especially after watching Blues Brothers (essentially a “Catholic” movie). In the old days, church had to be a spectacle to wow the masses and entertain them. Why else would they bother to learn parlor tricks? The point is, I want The 300 to feel like paying 1.25 a week to be well worth it. And my hope is that they value it enough to increase it if they feel I deserve it. I will leave it up to them to determine my salary, since the projects I produce will go to the organization they will be a part of.

People Choose their Own Roles: keeping in mind that we need a minimum of 80% of members to be funders, it still leaves plenty of room for individuals to try and  find a role in the organization. 15% need to work on building the organization: structure, organization, fundraising, event planning. 5% need to be collaborators, working on projects in order to fund new projects. For instance, to start the comic project, we would need to sell roughly 5 books a day.

Members, be sure to leave your thoughts!

First, many of you will be receiving emails inviting you to become members. In the coming days, I’ll be outlining all of the ideas and principles of the group and then slowly but surely upload all the content I’ve worked on over the years. It will act as my catalog and an open invitation to The 300 to collaborate and help develop these projects with other talented members.

The rest is all a challenge, but I’m sure that the rest of you will help me overcome each one as they come up. I don’t know about you, but I’m having fun already.

Jake #13