This is a re-post of my comments on the Foundation Forums:
Perhaps apocryphal (all apologies to Suetonius's credibility), as Julius Caesar gazed at the Rubicon in 49 BC he contributed the prescient phrase Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast) most likely from a Greek comedy writer Menander or some bastardized inspiration. We as an organization have now arrived at our Rubicon moment. Now begins the transition from the bootstrap phase of appointment and assumed power to democratic election.
During the campaign, I've seen an overwhelming amount of passion for just a faint spark of power transfer.The daily operations of our organization will not change. We will still enjoy the excellent wisdom of Jon Matonis as our Executive Director, Patrick and Marco as our legal minds and Gavin will continue to expertly develop the protocol with his volunteers. But now the conversation and perception has changed about the Foundation.
When one asked the forums what type of organization we were just a few months ago, it was a beacon for some of the harshest criticism possible. Now the forums are flowing with a debate about which candidate should represent them. It's an astounding change and one we shouldn't discount. The Bitcoin community is starting to entertain the notion that this Foundation is an effective vehicle for their many agendas. I do not know where that will take us, but I do know that next week one of five candidates will represent the individual voters with our first democratic mandate.
The purpose of this thread is not to endorse a particular candidate, but rather to offer some advice for the transition. I hope many others can also offer some advice.
First Remember Unity
You will be the first democratically elected board member of this organization and the first person who had a whole lot of people actively campaign against your leadership. The community will be fractured and passion will be at its highest. Some people have developed strong opinions for or against you. Use your transition time to reach out to those who didn't win and build bridges. There is a reason why some voted for your opponents and not you. You now represent us all.
We are an International Organization
This organization will only thrive if its international membership continues to grow and feel engaged. Spend some of your time reaching out and trying to understand the unique needs of our international population. Bitcoin provides far more opportunity and excitement to emerging economies with unstable sovereign currencies and corrupt financial systems. It's a rare privilege to help so many people leave systems that chain them to impoverishment.
It's also a rare opportunity to learn about other cultures. I've interacted in my short time in this world with people from over 35 countries on six continents and I've been invited to attend conferences as far as China. It's an overwhelming and surreal experience you should embrace.
Bitcointalk and Reddit need to be Onboarded
We have less than 800 members the last time I checked and they have a total of over 75,000 aggregate. Combine facebook, meetup groups and Google+ pages and the community is orders of magnitude larger. You are the first member voted into power by the members directly to represent the members giving you a different brand than the other board members. You have a chance to represent us in these communities and encourage them to migrate into the Foundation or at least partner with it.
The reality is we are only as powerful as the size and wealth of our network. The more members who enter the Foundation, the better it is for all of us. Fix our brand and recruit. There are some amazing people living in those pools who just need to be asked politely to come join us. You can do that better than anyone else.
You are not a Polymath; Seek advice
No one person is an expert on everything. Focus on crowdsourcing solutions. Even if the answers are the same, you'll get more buy in from the community as a whole.
Veritatem Cognoscere
A phrase loosely translated as "To Know the Truth". Education is the most effective tool this organization has to survive and thrive. Regardless of your background, experience or agenda, please invest a portion of your time making sure we as an organization are diligent in propagating refined, community vetted knowledge.
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That's all I have to say. I want to thank you all for running and the passion that you have brought to this process. You have given me hope in the future of the Foundation and I wish you well. Goodluck
