Status Update

Ok - I know it has been a little while. Let me tell you where we are at. First, we canned Intrepid as our PR firm. They were really bad. They took exactly what I told them I didn't want, and told me I should do it. Um, thanks for listening. I am currently looking for new PR representation if you know anyone. We can only do a $5K/month retainer right now, so that kind of limits our options.

Next - We are filing for our 501 (c3) status! Looking for a good deduction? Give us money!

The site itself is still be written. There is a lot of copy. And, we are developing several Facebook applications right now.

Anyway - remember to check back. Thanks!

Jeremy Votaw

Update

I kick off my PR this week with Intrepid. I am very excited to move forward. The site is progressing OK... we are having some IT difficulties right now. We are setting up a server cluster system to handle the traffic we are going to pump to this site. As it turns out - some of our application development is going to have to be adjusted to handle a cluster environment. Bummer.  No delay yet, but that may be coming soon. 

Finding Funding

To date, I have spent a lot of money on Mormonpedia. I don't mind... and I will keep spending my money. However - I have decided to shift more focus to fundraising today. I am doing this for a few reasons:

1. I believe when people donate to something - they become connected with it, and will work to make it succeed.
   
2. Anti-Mormon organizations spend millions of dollars each month fighting the LDS. There is just no way to keep up with this without additional funds - and I cannot afford to fight on my own.
   
3. It opens up the opportunity to fight for those who don't know what else to do.

I have a different take on fundraising though for this project. While large contributions are nice... hint hint... I am actually looking for smaller, sustainable donations. $25/month through $250/month. Look, there are millions of us. Imagine what we can do with a bunch of us spending just a little bit of money.

What does the money go to?

Good Question - and here is the answer:

1. Marketing. This is the primary element we spend on (well, once we finish development). Marketing is what gets the word out, allows us to own the search engine results pages, and place media on national sites and stations.
   
2. Content Development. To date, we have 2,346 articles being worked on. While volunteers are helpful, it takes skilled and trained writers to present the content in a way that properly reflects the values and message we are trying to deliver. Your money is paying for writers, and support staff to keep the content alive and fresh.
   
3. Overhead. This is by far the smallest expense of the organization. We are keeping a very tiny warehouse in West Jordan where we run the IT and Content Development operations. Originally, we were going to have people work from home to have an even smaller operating cost - but after working as a group for a couple days - the benefits of real-time collaboration outweighed the expense of a tiny warehouse/office.

So, shoot me an email: mormonpedia@gmail.com and we will setup an auto-debit from either a credit card or your checking account. Please help.

Yukihiro Matsumoto - Coincidence?

Ever since I started the Mormonpedia Project, I have been surrounded by coincidence. New customers calling me out of the blue, people willing to get involved, finding an agency that will enjoy a mutual benefit, getting a contract that will cover the additional expenses from Intrepid... etc... etc... It's amazing. 

My mom has a saying, and yes, I am sure she stole it from somebody else. It goes "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." I think she's right. And tonight - another coincidence. As we are in the thick of developing this project, the language we chose, Ruby, has been mysteriously outperforming every other language. Yes, we are co-developing this project in other programming languages. I know it sounds stupid - but the end product will be proven. Tonight - I have cancelled the co-development contracts. I have been kicking against the pricks long enough. 

How did I come to this conclusion? Well, I have been helping my writers work on content today - and they assigned me (who works for who, right?) the topic of famous LDS people. Fair enough... Glen Beck... David Archuletta, the girl from Boy Meets World... no problem! Well, then I came across the name Yukihiro Matsumoto. Hmmm, that name is incredibly familiar. Where have I heard it before? Oh - that's right - he's the creator of Ruby. 

Ever feel like you were meant to do something? 

Watch It Get Built!

So Mormonpedia is being developed in a technology called Ruby on Rails. I chose this platform for it's speed of development, reliability, scalability, and general web tool set. Gems and free code are available that make tasks ridiculously trivial. Watching all that code get developed wouldn't be much though. So - I have decided to have the front end built seperately so you can watch that being made. Here's the link to the Mormonpedia Front-End Development Site.

Do me a favor - take screenshots and email them to us! mormonpedia@gmail.com

Thanks!

Why Mormonpedia Is Using SMS

I have been getting a lot of questions on why Mormonpedia is focusing so much on rich media, and SMS. I will talk about Rich Media later (short: most people don't read anymore, and they need to be fed audio/video). But SMS (text messages) just made logical sense. 

Most of the time, when people are looking for an answer, they are looking for a short answer. Say, under 100 characters or so. And, I must admit - I am including the SMS features of Mormonpedia because I want to use it. I am in the most incorrect Gospel Doctrine course ever. It's really almost comical. A member of our bishopric once said that children that die before the age of 8 can't obtain exaltation. Nice. Good thing there aren't two women in that course that lost their kids. 

Pulling out the phone to visit mormonpedia and perform a search will be easy, especially since we are developing a mobile version. However, by simple texting a keyword to mormonpedia, our search engine will automatically reply with the synopsis of the most relevant result. Bam! You search for Abortion? Within seconds the correct doctrine shows up in your received messages. It's sweet.

My problem, and arguably most people's problem, is they don't know enough to really present a decent rebuttal. And when you argue these points and fail... it makes the false points look even more correct. So - there you have it. The easy way to fight the inner-garbage. 

Great Meeting - LDS Church

I have been getting in touch with many people throughout the LDS community for the past couple months. Yesterday, I met Larry Richman - pretty much the head honcho (aside from the Brethren) when it comes to the Mormon Church and the Internet. First let me say how impressed I was with him. Most large organizations have people in his position that just aren't with the times. (It's a sad truth). Larry however was really on top of it. Within minutes of getting my thank you email, he was already following my twitter account (Jeremy Votaw Twitter). He knew exactly where the church is needed to go. He really got it. 

I am really looking forward to working with him more on this project. Thanks Larry!

On a more personal note, my favorite Apostle is Dieter Uchtdorf. It's mostly because he was a pilot, but I also admire his class and insights. Yesterday, as I was pulling out of the Church Office Building, Who waves at me as he drives by? None other.... 

That was really a highlight for me. The only selfish agenda I have in this Mormonpedia project is the opportunity to perhaps meet him and speak with him. But, is that really so selfish?