06 October 2018
PROPOSAL FOR COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
This proposal will restructure our approach and visibility as an organisation. We believe we need to be more open about our work. We need your help and feedback on how to do this.
Why change?
- There are workers Australia-wide not yet plugged into Red Files. There is a need and desire from workers access safety resources and we do not feel we are meeting that demand with our current approach.
- Word of mouth is not effective. Our current Community Guidelines discourage members from spreading the word.
- We need support in the day-to-day operations and building of Red Files. Estelle and Charlotte are doing all the legwork and this is not sustainable. Red Files was always intended to be a community project, NOT a public service.
What would more visibility look like?
- Red Files would present solely as an information, resource and networking platform.
- We would NOT mention our database, safety resources or ugly mugs. In this respect, the Community Guidelines would remain the same.
Benefits?
- SUSTAINABILITY! Greater numbers equate to increased engagement and contribution to the platform.
- Accessibility for workers not well connected within the industry.
- Greater trust and confidence in our service as we become better known.
- The ability to attract funding and sponsors. At present our financial situation is dire. The website and labour is costly to maintain and there is going to be a point in the near future where we run out of money.
What are we proposing?
- We are putting forth 3 options for you to consider and give feedback on.
- They can be summarised as low/mid/high visibility.
- Change is inevitable – how we change is up to you.
- You must choose which model you prefer otherwise the choice will be made by rest of the community.
Option 1 - low visibility - no change to current strategy
This is what we are at now! This option means NO change to our current level of visibility. There is no such thing as passive support for the ‘low visibility’ approach. If this is your choice then it's your responsibility contribute so that we are sustainable.
Option 2 - medium visibility - taking it to the next step
Our Community Guidelines would be changed to allow members to talk openly about Red Files online and offline. This means we can network and inform others about us on a public level and direct people on how to find us. There will continue to be no mention of a database, ugly mugs or screening information.
Option 3 - high visibility - leading the conversation
Red Files has its own social media presence and identity. This involves creating a social media policy that dictates how we conduct ourselves online. We would have direct control over the conversation on how we function and what we do. It will take the responsibility of networking off our members shoulder and we can reach out to more workers. This can help us with sponsors, funding and support.
Is there an emergency plan?
Good news is we have a fallout plan if things go awry! If either the mid/high visibility approach doesn’t go as planned then we migrate the entire site to a new place on the internet with a new name.
This is similar to re-branding, all current memberships and members would stay the same and have access to the new site under a new name, but Red Files would disappear from the internet and people would not be able to find us again.
If the idea of increasing visibility makes you uneasy, take a moment to consider the number of safeguards and securities in place within Red Files.
Below are just some of the known features. There are also a lot of back-end features (that we don’t share) to keep us protected. We wouldn’t be confident about taking a step forward if we didn’t believe we have enough security in place.
- Stringent verification process including coaching of the community guidelines
- No mention of ugly mugs or screening in the public side of the website
- 3 different membership types to avoid leaks and limit the exposure of knowledge
- The ability to turn your account on/off anonymous.
- Inability to copy and paste content
