What is this? Where am I?
ChangeThis is a new kind of media. It's calm and thoughtful and direct and transparent. And unlike almost every other form of media, it reaches people through community. If an idea is a good one, it'll spread, because people like you will send it to their friends. Unlike a broadcaster, we're not using FCC frequencies to send our ideas to people who don't want to hear them.
Unlike a book or a newspaper, it's free. And there are no ads.
Unlike a web site, we're not a place you go to. You're more likely to get a manifesto from a friend or find one on a blog. (But if you want them before anyone else, sign up for our once-every-two-weeks newsletter.)
The ChangeThis website is our archive, our info center and an easy place to subscribe.
Who are you?
ChangeThis was built in the summer of 2004 by Amit Gupta, Catherine Hickey, Noah Weiss, Phoebe Espiritu and Michelle Sriwongtong. You can read their bios in this blog entry. The original idea behind ChangeThis came from Seth Godin. You can read about him on his website.
In the summer of 2005, ChangeThis was turned over to 800-CEO-READ. In addition to selling business books, they keep ChangeThis up and running with their love and tender care. To learn more about 800-CEO-READ, read their daily blog.
Why are you doing this?
Because we're tired of the yelling, tired of the irrational posturing, and tired of the lies. We decided to do something about all three. Our bet is that smart people will embrace being talked to with respect and will spread the word.
We have no secret plan. No ulterior motive. We wanted to see if it would work. The fact that you're reading this sort of implies it did, at least a little.
What is a manifesto?
That's what we call one of our PDF files. It's an argument, a reasoned, rational call to action, supported by logic and facts.
What happens if I subscribe? Will you spam me?
We won't spam you. We will never ever sell or rent or lend your email address. It belongs to you, not us. The promise is simple: no more than once every two weeks you will get a short email from us telling you about our manifestos. You can click on the links to read whichever ones you choose to. That's it.
What can I do with a manifesto?
You can print it. You can read it. You can email it to anyone you have a relationship with. You can post it on your website. You can post it on your blog.
You cannot spam people with it. You cannot change it in any way. You cannot sell it for money.
Why can't I see the manifesto? What is a .pdf?
If you click on a link and nothing happens, it's probably because the file has downloaded to your machine (which is good) but hasn't opened automatically in your Acrobat Reader or Acrobat program. Visit Adobe to see how to fix this problem.
Do you have a political slant?
Yes. We are against demagoguery, dishonesty, shortsightedness, superstition, fundamentalism, unequal rights and violent argument.
We are optimists and we believe that an informed, motivated electorate is likely to do the right thing, given the facts and given a chance.
We reject the status quo of both parties if it is just the status quo.
And we're realists. We don't believe it's a good idea to cut off your nose to spite your face. We don't believe in anonymity. We don't think someone should do something just because they can.
How do you choose what to publish?
We choose arguments that at least some of the people on our Editorial Board believe will change the discussion for the better, that if implemented will make a bad situation better, and that will spread. None of us agree with everything we choose. We don't think you will either.
Can I get published through Change This?
Yep! Find out how you can write for us on our author's page.
I hate a manifesto. Who do I yell at?
Don't. We're very sensitive. If you hate a manifesto, the two best things to do are:
- nothing (if it doesn't spread, it's invisible)
- write your own and spread that. Even if we don't publish your manifesto, that doesn't mean you can't.
What is a Slush Pile Manifesto?
That's what we call the manifestos that come in from readers like you. It's not the commissioned stuff from people we sought out. It's the other stuff, the stuff that could very easily grow in popularity and surprise people.
What is a Manifesto Proposal?
We don't want you to waste your time writing a great manifesto that no one is interested in. Instead, go ahead and send us 300 words that sell the world on why your manifesto is important. If our readers agree, we'll ask you to write it. If what you write is as good as your proposal, we're likely to publish it.
Readers will be given 30 days to vote on your proposal. After 30 days, the authors of the most popular proposals will be asked to write their manifestos.
I submitted a Proposal why haven't I heard back?
Because we are non-profit, we don't have a fancy staff of trained editors to read what you wrote. We rely on people who volunteer their time because they want to see this project succeed. So we apologize in advance, but we can't promise good customer service. Our systems should notify you in the time we promise, and if they don't, well, we screwed up. We're sorry.
Why can't I vote for a manifesto proposal?
We want everyone to vote for their favorite manifesto proposals. In order to prevent abuse of the voting system, we only allow one vote per IP address. That means that if you've already voted for a particular proposal, you won't be able to vote for it again. It also means that if you share an IP address with someone else on your network, you may not be able to vote for a proposal if someone else on your network has already voted for it.
I subscribed, but never got any email. What gives?
Yikes! It might be blocked by your company's spam filter, which would be horrible, since it's not spam. Try subscribing again and watch your spam folder (if you have one) for the confirmation message. You might also try dropping a note to your IT person to let them know what's up.
I subscribed and I need to get off the list, what do I do?
Every single note has an unsubscribe button on the bottom. Just click it. Boom. You're done. Or use our subscribe / unsubscribe page. Easy as pie.
I tried saving the manifesto using the 'save to disk' button on the first page, but it didn't work. What gives?
First, make sure you have the latest version of Acrobat Reader 6 which you can download from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. If you still continue to have problems, it may be due to your Acrobat Reader settings. A reader, J. Hansen, was able to correct the problem (for Windows) by going his Acrobat Reader Preferences > Options > Web browser Options. Check the "Display PDF in Browser" option. (Thanks, J. Hansen!)
What's a blog?
Check out The History of Weblogs for a great explanation.
I have a blog, how do I get linked?
On each manifesto's page on ChangeThis.com, we link to a small number of blogs that have chosen to post that manifesto for download from their site. If you'd like to be included in this list, simply subscribe to our bloggers newsletter. We'll email you a few days before we publish to give you an opportunity to post our manifestos. Once you post the manifesto for download directly from your site, email us and we'll link you up. Finally, if you talk about one of our manifestos on your blog and want to get linked as a "recent mention", just use the trackback URL listed on each manifesto's page at ChangeThis.com!
What can I do to help?
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Post a manifesto on your blog or website
- Send a manifesto to friends
How do I contact you?
Write to us using our feedback form. No yelling, please.
I want to help! How can I get involved?
Although we're currently a small team of interns struggling to get by, perhaps down the road, we'll have a team of volunteers working to help maintain everything.
Where can I send a suggestion?
Simply fill out our feedback form.
Do you have any advice on how to write a manifesto?
Sure. Check out our manifesto on manifestos (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ).
How is this all paid for?
Fortunately, we have a couple of generous patrons who were inspired by our goal - to change minds and spread important ideas.
Hey, I thought you guys said you weren't partisan? This manifesto sure looks like it's got a point of view!
We're defining partisan as someone who follows the party line, and does so with volume. We'd like to believe that we don't care which party has a great idea and can explain it calmly and well.
As always, your mileage may vary. If you don't like the point of view you're reading, write your own manifesto and try to persuade others with it.