URLs: brightworks.me & tasket.dharmafly.com

People like to help out with a good cause, but it can be difficult to find the time. What if, through the Web, we could gather enough people and bring them together to achieve something great?

At Dharmafly, we’ve been hard at work creating an open source tool called “Tasket“, which we hope will do just that. It’s a visually immersive web app, riffing off some of our data visualisation work, that engages volunteers in performing tiny tasks for a cause.

Essentially, it’s a “micro-volunteering” task management tool that lets people create tasks that need doing. Anyone can claim those tasks and Tasket helps everyone track the progress of the community.

BrightWorks: mobilising the crowd

We’ve designed Tasket with the not-for-profit company Bright One, who enable volunteers to work on projects for charities and third sector organisations. Bright One are an ethical Public Relations agency who provide a specialist, low-cost service for social good organisations, by connecting student volunteers with expert mentors. They help their volunteers to train and gain skills, and to work together as a cohesive team.

Using Tasket, we’ve built a website for Bright One called “BrightWorks“. The first version has just launched. You can explore it, click around (and even complete a task or two) at: brightworks.me

Bright One have only been going for two years, but in that time they have grown to be impressively successful – so much so that they have too many volunteers and too many charities wanting to get involved. It’s what you call “a nice problem to have”.

They needed a way to activate their volunteers more quickly, increase their capacity to work on more campaigns, and help everyone to stay informed and engaged with each other’s projects. BrightWorks now helps them to maximise their output from a dispersed, but eager, crowd of individuals.

The leaders of each project add information to the website, posting the highest priority tasks to be done. Anyone can offer to take on a task. And when a task is complete, it can be verified by its creator. Each volunteer accumulates a record of completed tasks (which in future might be used as part of a CV or resumé, or plugged into the volunteer’s professional profile on LinkedIn).

Gaming

There is a light layer of game dynamics incorporated into the web app. Projects rise and fall, as the weight of their tasks is unburdened by people completing them. Tasks can only take a maximum of four hours each, so a heavy task will need to be broken down into smaller ones. A volunteer can only take a limited number of tasks at one time, and there is a time limit for them to complete each one. (Tasket lets all these variables be configured for the requirements of its target website).

In future, we would love to add analytics, to show the performance of the community. We’d also like to expose the networks that emerge when people become connected via the projects that they contribute to. The tasks are a kind of currency; it’s actually the connections created between people that matter within the community.

Oh, and I’d also add to the wishlist: task notifications, alerts, messaging… and an app-load of other features.

Early feedback

What people have said so far:

The BrightWorks concept is genius because it fits right into a mould that we are all already comfortable with – microblogging. BrightWorks has taken a social networking concept and adapted it to the needs of non-profit organizations and volunteers – giving them the ideal meeting ground to actually get something done.

- The Next Web

I love the idea of a more loose visual representation of a collection of tasks. It’s an area that’s been vexing us for a while… how to say “I’ll do this” for any given component of a larger project. All around, one of the most interesting/ smart/ exciting microvolunteering apps that I’ve seen to date.

- Sparked.com

Really lovely concept, like the dashboard-style interface – makes it feel like a tool rather than a site. The sign up form is very slick and quick. Also big bonus points for the photo upload being one-step: no resizing, no restrictions. Just works.

- Oxfam GB Digital Manager

Sometimes, people are more than willing to volunteer yet have very little time to look for charities. And that is really frustrating. Well, if this new application manages to take off then that should stop being a problem.

- Killer Startups

Tasket for Carers: a prototype

Early on, before we started building Tasket, we presented a prototype for the concept at the Government’s “DotGovLabs Developer Weekend“, organised with Rewired State. Our frame of reference was a bit different – instead of dealing with projects, the main focus was on carers – people who live with and care for others.

There are 6 million carers in the UK (that’s one in ten). Many suffer from being overburdened, isolated and stressed. Poor health and depression can often result. We believe that, if carers could get help with just the little things in their daily lives, the result could be a big improvement in their quality of life.

Our 24-hour prototype shows how Tasket could be used to let carers add tiny tasks, such as collecting groceries or putting out the rubbish, and allow friends, family or neighbours to complete those tasks for them.

The prototype was a success. We won the Government’s “Carers” category prize. You can take a look here: dharmafly.com/tasket-carers-prototype/

We’ve gone on to make it into the DotGovLabs top 3 innovative solutions for the extended project.

Play in the sandpit

You can have a play with the open source Tasket app (in glorious black n’ white), at tasket.dharmafly.com

Go ahead, sign up, create a project, add some tasks. You can claim tasks that others have created, click around, explore. And remember, because it’s all open source, you can re-use the code for your own task management applications (or contact Dharmafly to adapt it for you).

One data server, many apps

We’ve built the server as a kind of pure data engine. How the actual application looks and behaves can be wildly different, but still use the same underlying data.

As an example, the screenshot above shows a notepad style “to do” list manager, built on Tasket. It’s much more focussed on an individual and their own tasks, but could equally be used for sharing lists between a group of people. A very early version of the app can be seen here.

A little note on technology (for the geeks)

Tasket uses a collection of HTML5-related technologies. It is a “thick client”, built with the JavaScript library Backbone.js, and communicates with a JSON-based API (e.g. here are all the unfinished tasks on BrightWorks). The server is created with the Python-based framework, Django (this may be swapped with Node.js in future).

Projects and tasks are laid out with force-directed physics, to prevent them from overlapping each other and the walls of the website. The lines connecting tasks are in SVG (although the circles that represent each project instead use simple CSS3 border-radius).

You can download the code and run it on your own server (it has the permissive MIT license), or fork the project on GitHub. Improvements and pull requests are welcome.

Created by

Tasket and BrightWorks have been brought to you by:

• Matt Weston – social design
• Gavin O’ Carroll – visual design
• Sym Roe – server-side
• Aron Carroll – JavaScript, CSS
• Kyran Dale – force-directed physics
• Christian Thrower, Ollie Bettany and Andrea Fiore – front-end design & dev for the Notepad app
• Prem (that’s me) – concept, JavaScript, coordination
• …and the brilliant minds at Bright One. Big thanks especially to Ben, Katy and Dan.

You can follow the further developments of the BrightWorks project on its blog.

The BRIC award - photo by Jane Middlehurst

At last week’s beautiful UnLtdWorld first birthday gathering, I was honoured to collect a shiny BRIC award, for “using technology for social good in the most creative and innovative way”.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Dharmafly, and to all who have supported us in the last 2 years.

There were five award categories, with an array of nominees, each of them involved in the finest of projects. Although UnLtdWorld is an online social network (it brings together those with an interest in positive social change), it was a particularly rich experience to meet in person so many passionate and focussed individuals. And there is a growing number of meetups in this area, such as Social Innovation Camp, the Shine Unconference and 2gether.

Felix Gonzales produced this video:
(please excuse my slightly gushy, tongue-tied jabbering – I must have been having a rush)…

And here it is on my desk, as promised:

Update: And another very special, double award was received over the weekend. More on that later today very soon right here…

Dharmafly are chuffed to have been nominated for a BRIC award with UnLtdWorld, the social network for social entrepreneurs. You can vote with your feet (erm, your mouse) right here.

Since its launch, one year ago, UnLtdWorld has gone from strength to strength as a platform for collaboration, helping people to work together for social change. We’re listed in the Digital Award category, for those “using technology for social good in the most creative and innovative way”:

The BRIC Awards aim to recognise the most active, inspiring and original members of UnLtdWorld, as voted for by its community.

They encapsulate what UnLtdWorld stands for: Business, Resources, Insight and Community – and members selected as nominees reflect a well-rounded approach to those elements.

Voting ends Friday 24th April, 5pm (UK time), and the winners will be announced at UnLtdWorld’s first birthday celebration, on May 5th.

This month, we’re taking great pleasure in helping out both the London and Brighton Twestivals on the 12th of February. We’re donating a mind-expanding, floaty prize to the London Twestival raffle, and we’re a main sponsor for the Brighton Twestival.

Why the sponsorship?

As ever, we’re interested in helping out with events that are run for the community and by the community. This time, we’re extra-enthused because the Twestivals also embody several other passions of ours:

1. We love gatherings where positive, chance meetings happen between like-minded people.
2. We want to support events in aid of charities (all proceeds help Charity:water‘s efforts to bring safe drinking water to the world).
3. We’re excited about events that have been enabled by social media (in this case, the ever-growing community on Twitter), where online communities create events in their very own neighbourhood.

What’s this about Twitterers floating?

At the London Twestival, one lucky raffle winner will win our prize of a year’s supply of float tank sessions.

Sometimes you need a rest from all the hubbub, wittering, twittering and chasing about. At London’s float centre, Floatopia, you’ll find a haven from the mad rush of life in a warm, relaxing, womb-like pool:

Whilst suspended in a dense Epsom salt solution, warmed to skin temperature, one soon gets the illusion of floating in air. The resulting sense of serenity and deep well-being will stay with you for days after your float.

(Warning: You may have to leave your iPhone outside).

Six months of the prize is courtesy of Dharmafly and this has been generously matched with another six months by Floatopia. You can read more about the benefits of floating on the Floatopia site or Wikipedia.

Happy Twestivals! We’d love to hear your experiences if you’re the winner of our floaty prize, and even if you aren’t, drop us a comment below and let us know how the Twestival went for you.

Update: Another prize – Green Hosting

We’re also now offering a prize of one year of our 100% renewable energy web hosting for the Brighton Twestival raffle. Best of luck, raffle peeps!

We want to spend a little time reminiscing about last month’s Brighton BarCamp, one of our favourite events of the year and a time when we get to roll up our sleeves and muck in with the community.

BarCamp is a self-organised gathering of New Media enthusiasts and an important opportunity to share knowledge with peer businesses and enthusiasts. Naturally, we were keen to get involved, and we found no less than four different ways to do so:

1. Mingling

The best thing about BarCamp is the opportunity to hang out and discuss technology and business with a great bunch of like-minded people. As ever, there was an eclectic mix of developers, designers, thinkers and doers – mainly Brighton-based, but the event attracted people from all over. Andy Mitchell, from Leeds, had this to say:

Coming down from the North I find it a real different culture, so mild-mannered and alternative (sessions on “GeekYoga”? “Getting Things Done” and “Meditation”?!) I must admit I’m somewhat fascinated with it.

2. Organising

In the run up to BarCamp Brighton3, we played a part in getting sponsors on board, as well as being mini-sponsors ourselves. BarCamp is entirely free and inclusive, and without the many sponsors and volunteers, it just wouldn’t have been possible.

One minor feature that was unexpectedly well received was the hand-crafted, recycled newspaper goodie bag given to each attendee on arrival at the event. The bags were made by a local greengrocer in Suffolk, and they’re so special that they now have their own mini-cult following.

3. Speaking

I gave two talks: one for BarCampers interested in business development and one for those curious about new methods for social media.

The First Talk: “Can Your Business be Franchised? (And Should It)?”

A little while back, we were considering what would happen if Dharmafly was a franchise – or, rather, not if it was a franchise, but if it was capable of being a franchise.

This is loosely inspired by the ideas of Michael Gerber in his book ‘The E-Myth‘. He suggests that if all the procedures of a business are clarified, systematised and documented as if the business was to be replicated to a different location, then the business will benefit, even if it isn’t actually replicated. (He also goes into a lot of other detail about other stuff that I didn’t connect with as much).

Think of something as efficient and repeatable as the McDonald’s experience, but with a focus on people, purpose and quality (and none of that meat, despondency or environmental destruction).

We discussed:

• The development of business goals
• Establishing consciously intended outcomes
• Developing a system to achieve them

Jonathan Markwell from Inuda raised an interesting question:

How would it be possible to systematise and franchise Dharmafly, when your business values require those working for the company to feel it and mean it, and not just follow a list of procedures?

That got me thinking. An ethical approach to business must surely be genuinely felt and not just acted out by rote. On the other hand, it is said that if a person wants to cultivate a particular habit or value, then he or she could start acting as if they already possess it and, one day, they actually will possess it. For example, cultivate generosity by giving to those in need, and cultivate honesty by being truthful.

Would a person following an ethical system for business be transformed by it? I wonder what the people at Actics would say.

The Second Talk: “What Planet are You On?”

Our enthusiasm for Planets hasn’t waned since the launch of Planet Crunchy, a site we built to demonstrate the virtuous role of Planets in social media campaigns. (Planet sites are ones that aggregate content on a particular theme from around the Web).

Apart from taking a look at how Planet Crunchy works, we looked at some examples of beneficial Planets around the web, including personal Lifestreams (e.g. David Cramer’s) and communities like Planet BNM and Planet Microformats.

4. Experimenting

The Planet Crunchy experiment was interesting. We had given everyone at the event a box of Dharmafly Crunchies and invited them to post their experiences online. Some people really liked it, while others really didn’t.

Twitter was the most popular social network that people used to report their stories, with Flickr close behind. Nobody ventured to post a video.

Thank you everyone who took part. We love you most greenly.

After a thorough search, we are now working with a new web hosting provider for the websites that we manage. Web hosting is where a website lives on the Web. It needs to be fast, reliable and supported by a dedicated technical team. And… it needs to be powered by 100% renewable energy.

Web hosting computers are active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Keeping the World Wide Web online takes a lot of energy, and we at Dharmafly want to be as responsible and ethical as possible with our piece of it.

100% Renewable Energy Web Hosting

Renewable energy web hosting is fairly common in the US, where companies such as AISO use solar energy for power. However, there are fewer options available for UK-based hosting. Many of the UK-based companies that offer renewable energy web hosting are actually re-selling US-based hosting. This can be a problem for UK-based businesses who want their websites to rank well in Google and other search engines.

Search Engine Optimisation for UK Websites

When people in the UK search Google, they receive a set of results that favours UK-based websites. Google determines whether a website is UK-based in two ways. It will first see if the web address ends with .co.uk, .org.uk or another UK-based name. If, however, the web address ends with .com, .org, .net or another non-UK name, then Google will work out the country where the website’s hosting is based. Clearly, it is important that we can offer our clients UK-based hosting.

In a Bunker

We found a solution. Housed in what used to be a NATO military bunker, Smartbunker is the UK’s first web hosting centre to use 100% renewable energy. It runs purely from wind power, supplied by a wind turbine from Ecotricity.

The energy is actually renewable, rather than it being a “carbon-offsetting” project, where trees are planted to offset the carbon burned by non-renewable energy, such as coal.

(Techie details: We use high-specification, low-energy IBM Blade servers, with Intel Dual-Core Xeon 5148 LV 2.33 Ghz, 2GB Server Memory, 2 x IBM 73GB 10k SAS Hard Drive RAID 1250.00 43.75 and a Plesk control panel for domain management).

Co-operative

We work with Ecohost to manage our web hosting computers at Smartbunker. They are a worker’s co-operative, based at Manchester’s new co-operative offices, OpenSpace. They’re friendly, über-ethical and they really know their stuff.

Together, we’re happy to offer ethically hosted websites for the UK and beyond. If you’d like to get your website hosted with us, please get in touch.

Social Innovation Camp was a rollercoaster! From the very first evening, when the delegates gathered at the Young Foundation in London, there was a perceptible buzz in the air…

The crowd was a heady mixture of web developers, designers, entrepreneurs and people with all sorts of skills. Although coming from different angles, everyone seemed to have a driven passion for using the web to help solve the problems of society.

The Projects

Six projects had been chosen for the weekend, from over 70 submitted ideas (one of which was my dream for “Social Compost)”:

• Barcode Wikipedia – community-driven database of product information
• Enabled by Design – product advice and support for disabilities
• On The Up – personal development tracking for youth
• Rate Your Prison – accountability for prison visiting conditions
• Rate My CV – support for marginalised workers
• Stuff Share – community network for sharing possessions

Stuff Share

I was working in the Stuff Share team. Our goal was to create a website to facilitate the sharing of possessions – tents, books, power drills, baby gear and all those other bits and pieces we accumulate but hardly ever use – in order to reduce consumerism and increase community. The idea was that pre-existing trusted groups, such as one’s workplace, neighbourhood, hobby group or children’s school, could become a hub for sharing.

We identified a number of hurdles that we’d need to overcome in order to create a successful site – such as how to support trusted relationships between users and how to get people starting to share as easily as possible. The strict time limit dictated that we decide which set of problems to tackle for the first release – and then the build was on…

The Climax

We worked hard until 2pm Sunday, when each group had to give a presentation of their project. A panel of judges then awarded prizes of £2000 and £1000 to help take the most impressive projects forward.

Here is Tom and Seth‘s presentation of the Stuff Share project:

(video permalink)

The Prizes

Alas, Stuff Share wasn’t a prizewinner, but big congratulations to Enabled By Design, who came first, and Rate Your Prison, who were runners-up.

Work is continuing on Stuff Share and is hoped to be launched at stuffshare.com some time in the near future…

We were happy to have attended Tuesday’s launch of UnLtdWorld, a social networking site for social entrepreneurs.

UnLtdWorld brings together people and businesses who make a difference in the world and connects them with potential co-workers and supporters. It aims to be a hot-bed for collaboration, the sharing of services and the pooling of resources.

At the core of the UnLtdWorld site is the social networking software Elgg – an open source platform that attempts to remain flexible and unassuming within the differing needs of social networking projects.

There is also an initiative to build a comprehensive API into the UnLtdWorld data, which will allow third-party developers to access information about social entrepreneurs and their services. This data could be combined with other kinds of data, for example, to marry the needs of a local community with UnLtdWorld members that may be able to assist.

You can find me, Madhava and Dharmafly on the UnLtdWorld site. Come and say hi…