People are doing great work in their local communities, but stories about their work frequently stay local or go untold. LikeMinded is launching today, collecting stories of local innovations, success, and sometimes even failures and is helping information get where it needs to go. Such a needed tool!

An online tool for offline action

Over the past year, Craigslist Foundation has been working on LikeMinded, a new online tool for local change makers that launches today.

The idea is that people are doing great work in their local communities, but stories about their work frequently stay local or go untold. LikeMinded is collecting stories of local innovations, success, and sometimes even failures and is helping information get where it needs to go, whether that is to other community activists, potential collaborators, or the media.

Last summer, Craigslist Foundation received a 3-year grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Technology for Engagement Initiative to build and develop LikeMInded.

Who can use LikeMinded?

Anyone who cares about their neighborhood or town. The service is free and no login is needed to discover local stories. LikeMinded was built especially for people who want to change something in their community but don’t know where to start. It’s also designed for leaders of successful community projects to get credit for their good work and inspire others. Craigslist Foundation has also been working with stakeholders in local communities (mayors, city managers, museums, libraries, communities of faith, local business, etc.) to spread their insights across the community and encourage greater collaboration.

Reaching Out to its Community to Build LikeMinded

We are really impressed by the way the Craigslist Foundation started the concept. Following a community-driven approach, they involved people in their community. They wanted to build an online program that complimented its successful annual Boot Camp event. They realized people were doing great work in their local communities, but they felt that stories about that work were frequently staying local or go untold. They hosted more than a dozen community discussions in cities throughout the country (San Francisco, Washington DC, Portland Oregon, Oakland, New York, and Minneapolis) to get a reality check. Were stories traveling where they needed to go? If not, what should be done to fix the situation?

Participants in the discussions agreed that stories needed to travel better, and they thought an online service might help – with an important requirement. It had to be an online tool for offline action. It had to go beyond liking, networking and discussion and inspire action in the real world.

The answer turned out to be LikeMinded, which launches today.

WiserEarth are thrilled to be a partner with LikeMinded and trust that this will finally bring community stories together.

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