What Happens Next?

Here are some responses to the questions asked in this mission:

1. Which challenges and social problems should Evoke tackle next? Where to build Evoke communities? Who to encourage to play season 2?

One thought was the problem with Muslim extremism and Israel. If we don't promote harmony somehow among Muslims and the Western world, there will be continued conflict and we will not come together as a wh*** world, into one harmonious entity. Therefore, we should build Evoke communities among the Muslim nations. If we bring Muslims into the Evoke network, they will befriend Christians and Jews who are already Evoke members. This is how we strengthen ties among religions: make friends and understand each other, one person at a time. We can do this by encouraging Muslims to play in season 2--and let the solution come out of that community just as the solutions were targeted to come out of Africa in season 1.

2. How would I change the game in Season 2? What new tools would I want as an Evoke agent?

I think a powerful new tool would be some way to create groups (as on the Diigo social networking site). I would change the game by promoting more collaboration: let groupings spontaneously and naturally emerge with the new tool and then require collaborative missions so that group members have to rely on each other. This would be a way of team-building. As it was in season 1, I was able to complete most missions without having to do much networking with others, and could remain pretty isolated if I wanted to. That's what ended up happening for me (because I didn't have time to engage the "social networking" part of this social networking game as much as I wanted to), so some grouping and collaborative mission-work could overcome this.

The new tool should perhaps have a way of logging and/or tracking any collaborative projects (whatever they may be--art projects, educational initiatives, economic partnerships, "sister-city" connections, whatever).

Most importantly, I think that Evoke should work toward deepening the relationships that have already been established. I met some amazing people among the handful of friends I made, and many of them are from all across the globe. I'd like to develop these relationships, so if there is a way that Evoke 2 can encourage this kind of deepening, I think it will make the world a better place....

Other tools: integration with other social networkign tools like diigo. Missions might include "create a diigo group that reflects your new Evoke group's interests and start saving websites to that group" or "create an educational ning that works on Evoke-related world-saving projects that have two or more classrooms from different countries working together in some fashion."

In other words: enhance the collective intelligence nature of this ARG.