Wikicracy/Study
The general goal of the Wikicracy project is to create a communication tool that can operate governments and organizations, such that the communication tool's collaboration capabilities are at least on the order of a wiki. The communication tool should improve the way governments and organizations are operated. The communication tool should also eliminate, as much as possible, obstructions to progress as well as obstructions to the success of good ideas.
A project of this magnitude requires thorough research of the subject. This is a study that has four main parts.
Since we are working on a new kind of communication tool, the first part of the study deals with communication tools that are already available. We should look into the properties, features, advantages, disadvantages, capabilities, and limitations of: wiki, forum, chat, IM, blog, vblog, bliki, video conference, and e-mail. We should also consider the properties, features, advantages, disadvantages, capabilities, and limitations of communication tools outside of the internet, like: fax, telephone, teleconference, radio, CB radio, television, newspapers, pamphlets, mail, and books. We should also consider the basic properties of live & in person, conversations, debate, and public speaking.
The second and third parts of the study deal with organizational structure and government structure respectably. We should consider the properties, features, advantages, disadvantages, capabilities, and limitations of: various organizational structures, town/village/city/planning/school boards, congress, parliament, democracy, direct democracy, republic, aristocracy, autocracy, monarchy, meritocracy, demarchy, anarchy, elections, federation, confederation, bureaucracy, and so-on.
The fourth part consists of looking into similar attempts at running an organization/government with a communication tool.