Questions... Investment, Business, Joint Venture, Sponsorship Opportunity...

Questions.

Introduction.

The following does not lay out every possible Question... just some broad categories that need to be addressed... are Road Accidents a serious problem? Could this Concept/Plan offer a viable solution? Is it possible to get through Stage 2 of development? Is it possible to generate and sustain enough Interest to successfully move into Stage 3 development? What are all the costs involved? What are the possible Revenue Streams?

"Dragons' Den". Anyone seriously considering getting involved in this Project on a commercial basis will need to do their own Homework... make their own objective assessments... and draw their own conclusions... based on their own priorities and motivation. We cannot give conclusive answers to any of these questions.

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Are Road Accidents a serious Problem?

World wide... Road Accidents claim about 1.2 million lives a year... [and seriously injure 10x that number] a figure which is steadily rising. The majority of lives lost are actually in developing countries where there are relatively few private cars. Traffic tends to be a mixture of large vehicles... public transport and commercial... a few private cars... mixing in close proximity with a lot of vulnerable road users... motorbikes: scooters: bicycles: and pedestrians.

To a large extent we have become used to the current level of Road Accidents... they are hardly front page news any more. For the E.U. and the U.S.A. it is a problem that costs each one... over 40,000 lives a year: claims ten times that number of seriously injured: is the biggest cause of premature death for young people: leaves each with an annual bill of about U.S.$150 Billion: are a huge drain on the Health Service: cause untold delays: and create additional costs for Industry. If this level of death and destruction was happening in any other way there would be a National outcry. So yes... they are definitely a serious problem!

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Is this a problem people are interested in?

It may not be at the forefront of every persons' mind but their are many, many people who are directly affected by this issue or have opinions on the subject. There are already Websites that cover just about every aspect of... Driving: Safety Issues: and the Law: run by... Individuals: Private Companies: Voluntary Organisations: Local Governments: and National Governments.

Those interested might include... anyone directly affected by the consequences of a serious accident: i.e. Friends and Family of those killed and seriously injured. Professional Drivers... people who drive for a living... or any High-Mileage Drivers. Driving Enthusiasts: Safety Campaigners: Pro-car Groups: Anti-car Groups: Drivers who hate Speed Cameras: Insurance Companies: Manufacturers: Politicians: Emergency Services: Medical Groups: Cyclists: Motorbike Riders: Horse Riders: Learner Drivers: Elderly Drivers: People who enjoy driving and abhor the idea of having their car being controlled by a Satellite: the Police. In fact... Road Users of any age... living in any Country... and have access to the Internet. Definitely not a small niche market! Read: Who should support this system?

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Could a Road Supervisor's system offer a viable Solution?

Read... The Concept and judge for yourself. So far, we have had a lot of positive feedback... both from Pro-motoring and Anti-motoring groups... [it is possible to go out and enjoy the driving experience... safely!] We recommend you read the Website and make your own judgement. Although this system is 'original' it has not been developed based entirely on our own opinions... there are links to many in-depth Articles which explain the problems. There has been a lot of research in this field, so to a large extent, we already know what works and what doesn't.

For instance... there has already been a variety of programmes with commercial vehicles where they carry a sign which says, something like... "How's my driving? If you have any comments, please phone............" Anyone can just phone up and make a complaint. There is no restriction on who can complain... no consistency in the Information gathered... and no formal follow up strategies to deal with the problems... and yet, some of these programmes have produced reductions of more than 20% in Accident Rates. If it works for trucks why wouldn't it work for everyone else? We believe you can make a case for extending this system to include all drivers within an official scheme. Done properly it should be able to reduce Accidents by significantly more than 20%... and it would not cost a fortune.

One fairly common criticism... [if you could call it that] has been that the Concept/Plan is too ambitious... and people say that their Politicians would never go for it. Even getting one simple law passed can take years. Looking at it strictly from a Commercial point of view... a long, hard fight is not necessarily bad for business... it doesn't matter whether Politicians like it... or that it may take a long time... only that you can sustain a critical level of interest and momentum. Any Politician who actively campaigned against the system would have to come out and defend the current system... or offer a new alternative... which just gives you something else to write about and discuss... and in the process, if they come up with an even better system... then great!

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Can you generate and sustain Interest over a long period?

Unless Technology suddenly makes Road Accidents a physical impossibility and resolves all the other areas of conflict between drivers... this problem is not going to go away... not in the next ten years... probably not even in the next twenty years. New Technology will bring many changes... we already have the ubiquitous Speed Cameras... and in future the EU are hoping to control vehicle speeds using G.P.S. Satellites... or using an 'Electronic Vehicle Identification' system... which would mean fitting every vehicle with a Microchip and recording its' movements.

People have strong views on this subject... Road Safety: Enforcement Policies: Congestion Charging and Road Pricing can have a profound effect on their lives and their livelihoods. This Website presents an alternative system which empowers drivers rather than the State... it gives people the opportunity to become pro-actively involved in issues that affect their lives. There is no reason to think that the general public are suddenly going to become disinterested in this subject.

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Can you develop strong online Communities?
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One essential point to consider with Websites... how do you get Visitors to come back again and again? What will they read, or do on their third or forth visit? Developing a strong online Community is the key to getting people to come back again and again. This is very hard to do just by writing Articles... even very entertaining Articles [and even if people do keep coming back... that does not mean that there is any sense of Community.]
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People need to become actively involved... helping to develop ideas... to express their opinions... and to come back and see responses to those opinions. To have their own space where they can upload their profile... show photos of their cars... or their street. Find like minded individuals that have similar difficulties... share their feelings and develop relationships. To feel like they are an integral part of something. This Website would aim to give Visitors every opportunity to do these things!
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You've built a Website but will they come?
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We have taken a recent Article from an Internet Magazine which explains what you need to create strong online Communities and tested our Project against their criteria. Do we have all the essential ingredients? Some categories come down to a matter of opinion... i.e. what exactly is 'good' moderation? Other things we could do even though we might not have done them so far. Have a look at the detailed section below...
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According to this Article... there are 10 ways to make sure they do!
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1. Stimulating Subjects.
"Without interesting things to talk about... a community will never get off the ground".
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Road Safety: Enforcement Policies: Driver Behaviour: Speed Cameras: Traffic Problems: Parking: Congestion: Road Pricing... are all things which do or will, effect every single person that uses the roads. There are difficulties and problems that people encounter on a daily basis and many of them have strong opinions on these subjects. They could also express their views about... the Concept: the online Project: submit their Ideas: give their Opinions: write Articles: and provide Content of various kinds.
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2. Interesting People.
"The best communities include people of all ages, backgrounds and interests".
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You don't get a much broader range of people than those that use the roads... it includes every Age... every Social Background... and every Nationality. As the Website expands... it could be broken up geographically: i.e. Some Countries given their own section or sub-site... eventually every individual State might have their own sub-site... each with its own... News: Chat: Forums: Message Boards: Discussion Lists: Blogs: Newsletters and Advertisements. If there were sufficient numbers of Visitors some of these 'Interactive' elements could also cater for specific demographic groups, like... Seniors: Teens: Driving Enthusiasts: Police: Bikers: Pro-Motoring Groups: Anti-Motoring Groups: Safety Campaigners: Parents: Employers: etc. etc. And if the website was sophisticated enough... it would enable people to form their own groups. Different Demographics... different perspectives... different opinions... same basic Issues!
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3. Warm welcomes.
"Newcomers receive a warm welcome and are encouraged to join the conversation".
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Point taken... this is not difficult to do... we can give Visitors a warm welcome and also encourage others to do likewise whenever someone new joins a Chat room... or any Interactive part of the Website.
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4. Sensible software.
"If the Chat or Forum software is too complicated, it will deter new visitors".
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This is not something we have to much control over at present... initially Stage 1... we signed up for a free Chat Room service and Forum that was basic but easy to use... [presently disconnected.] We have not actively tried to promote these services yet... and may not until we are further into the Stage 2 development. As we progress... from Stage 2 and beyond... we would aim to have all our own 'Interactive' elements hosted on our own Dedicated Server. And while you may not want something complicated it would still need to be pretty sophisticated. Websites like Facebook have set the standard and just having something like a message board and chat room is not going to be enough to develop a proper social networking site these days.
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5. Moderate moderation.
"Blocking spam is good... but censorship isn't. Good moderators aren't too heavy-handed".
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Obviously what is 'Good' moderation is a matter of opinion. The bigger a network becomes... and more power you give users to set up their own groups... the more difficult it becomes to monitor and control. There obviously needs to be a balance between freedom of expression and saying things which are offensive or libellous... but point noted!
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6. Constant conversation.
"If existing topics of conversation dry up... good moderators revive older topics or start new ones".
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On the latest social networking sites the topic of conversation is general set by the individual users or groups. The controllers should try and make it as easy as possible for these users to get involved... to set the agenda... or focus on particular points of interest.
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7. Honest exchange.
"People respect each other's opinions... even if they don't agree with those opinions".
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Many of these points come down to the same few things... making Visitors feel welcome... encouraging them to express their Opinions... and ensuring that everyone treats... and is treated by others with Respect.
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8. No Trolls.
"The community doesn't let Trolls... [wind-up merchants] cause huge Flame Wars. It just ignores them".
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Point noted... Trolls to be kicked out!
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9. Educating and Entertaining.
"If a community is Entertaining as well as Interesting... people will keep coming back".
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Most people will not become "addicted" to visiting a website just because it has a good supply of interesting articles. People find social websites Interesting and Entertaining once they have made friends with some other like minded individuals... and/or they have a common cause. Once they actually feel like they have become a part of a community they will keep coming back again and again... and to a large extent, provide their own Entertainment.
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10. Everyone's involved.
"People feel a sense of ownership... and generate positive word of mouth".
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People feel a sense of 'Ownership' if something they have contributed appears somewhere on the Website... they don't feel it by simply reading articles. This can be done in many ways... via Interactive elements, like... Chat: Message Boards: Forums: Feedback forms: Questions: Comments: Surveys... or allowing visitors to write... in-depth articles: new sections... re-write existing sections. Or... by letting them set up their own group... have their own 'Space' or Blog... then they really think... this is mine... or this is ours.
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What makes a good Community?
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10 Things that make online Communities work.
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1. Plan ahead.
"Choose a launch date and invite everyone so your community starts off with a bang".
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Stage 1... only requires the website to be up-and-running... at the starting gate... ready to go! It was never our intention to start off with a big bang... but simply to get online... and start adding more and more content. That way we have time to adapt and make changes... address any Technical problems... and respond to initial Feedback. Following this we will concentrate our efforts on the marketing side.
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Stage 2... Just because we have deliberately started in a low profile manner it does not mean that this cannot be changed at any point in the future. As we approach Stage 2 development it is quite possible to have a specific launch date for a re-vamped website... even if it has already been in operation for quite a while. [Stage 2 could even be a totally new website with lots of Interactive features and a new web address... like??? MyRoadSpace.net... or something similar.]
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2. Think different.
"Try to make your community different from others... even if it's just by blocking idiots".
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The Website certainly meets this criteria. The Concept of using the Internet to reduce Road Accidents is fairly original... as is the Implementation Stage: i.e. Developing and Promoting the Concept via an online, Interactive Project which anyone can contribute to. It is radically different from any other Website as it is nearly all original content. Everything on-going would be written by us, an associated website, or our visitors... so most of the content would be totally unique to this Site.
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3. Make it Obvious.
"Your Chat room and Forum should be hyperlinked from the very first page of your site".
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Getting people involved is obviously the key to a successful social network. If someone visits once... and they find few signs of life... they may not come again. Good design... a successful launch... interactive elements... the ability to break up into groups... are all important. There is probably quite a lot that can be learned by looking are current successful sites.
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4. Seed your Site.
"Encourage people to Chat by adding 'discuss this in our Forum' links to your pages".
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We will have many 'Links' throughout the Site asking people for their opinions. Just putting Links to Chat and Forums is not sufficient... if visitors go to the discussion Forum and not much is happening they tend to immediately click to something else. Promoting these elements does take time and effort... they need to reach enough momentum that they take on a life of their own... and as we start moving through Stage 2 this will become a priority.
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5. Boast by Post.
"Mention your Forum in your Site's e-mail updates and highlight any interesting topics".
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This can certainly be done once we start sending out e-mail up-dates... but generally the e-mail address should and will appear on all correspondence.
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6. Search for Soul Mates.
"People in other communities may be interested in yours... so tell them about it... but don't spam".
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There are many, many Sites on the Internet that deal with some aspect of... Road Use: Safety: the Law: or general Traffic Problems. We have created several hundred links to other Websites and on the first page... indicated how to quickly access their links. This gives access to well over 1000 other related Websites within a few clicks. We have already started the process of e-mailing other groups... enquiring about reciprocal links... and/or asking them to view our Website... and give us some Feedback.
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7. Time is Right.
"Set specific times for live Chats so that people don't join an empty room".
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If launching a Chat room type service... we will organise a particular time and date... and make sure people are available. However this type of technology is changing so quickly that it is impossible to say what type of service it could or should be at present.
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8. Join forces.
"Consider sharing your Chat Room or Forum with similar Websites to boost Visitor numbers".
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Something to be considered if necessary... but we hope to continue development and at some stage put a concentrated effort into these Interactive elements.
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9. Use your Sig.
"Add your community's URL to the signature of your e-mail and Newsgroup messages".
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The Website URL should and will appear on every type of correspondence we send out as a means of promotion. This may be a useful tip when it comes to promoting a Website but we do not feel it is particularly relevant when it come to creating a good online Community.
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10. Get in the Ring.
"Join a Webring [dir.webring.yahoo.com] to associate your community with similar Sites".
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This is something to be investigated... and in time do expect to engage with other Websites with similar interests. To date... we have joined something called the 'Roadweb'... which is a loose association of pro-motorist Websites based in the UK.
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The Bottom Line is...
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Even if you have all the basic requirements necessary to build strong online Communities it still takes a lot of... Time: Energy: Skills and Resources. If visitors click on a Forum and there isn't much happening they are very likely to leave again... if there are lots of things happening they will probably hang around. Very few Websites just take off... they require a sustained effort to generate and maintain interest before they take on a life of their own. We believe we have all the basic requirements... but you still need to Generate the Momentum!
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