Dear Baha’i Internet Brain Trust...

2008-01-30T10:33:00.001-08:00

On Behalf of me (Rainn), Devon, Joshua and Jamie,
thank you for taking the time to think about the
question we are posing to you.

Here’s the deal. Many months ago, I gathered some
Baha’i friends to help me film a short interview I did
with a Sikh friend of mine about her beliefs. I was
looking for a way to use my celebrity to bring
attention to the Baha’i Faith, but in a way that
wouldn’t make me any kind of celebrity spokesperson.
I thought a website, called “Metaphysical Milkshake”
would be a good idea. As this website idea
progressed, it became defined as an online destination
for a conversation about Spirituality and Creativity –
a place to address ‘life’s big questions”. It would
be a content based site, with my little spirituality
interviews with folks of many religions as well as
other video essays, art contests, boards, essays and
other things to draw young people into a discussion
about God and the Soul and make it hip and cool – and
not in a Christian Rock Band kind of way.

My thinking was that before young people could
directly get interested in the Faith, they would need
to start really thinking about spiritual things first.
After that discussion began and that seed was
planted, THEN you could have them transition to
finding out more about what sparked the site, the
teachings of Baha’u’llah.

This led the four of us to a discussion about how
there was not really any existing internet site for
Baha’i Youth that had a cool, cutting edge feel to it.
There was no place to direct Metaphysical Milkshakers
to. We then discussed creating a second site that
would be a platform for Baha’i Youth to bring their
friends to find out more about the Faith as well as a
tool for youth to get service projects going and
invigorate participation in the core activities.

Then we wondered, is there a way to combine both of
these sites into one… Or is that too much?

Why all this history? Well, we’re a bit stumped and
we need some feedback. Right now, this all feels like
too much, and too unfocused. Basically we have four
really committed talented guys who want to build a
kickass website for Baha’i Youth. We want to put our
resources into creating something that could be an
incredibly valuable tool to both the Baha’i and
non-Baha’i youth. A site that would be of the
greatest possible service.

What should that site be? We prayed and consulted for
many hours about this. We read through the last
letter from the Universal House of Justice. We’re
stuck and need some feedback.

What it boils down to is this. The internet is a
tremendous tool for our community that is not really
being utilized. What is ultimately the best service,
the best use of our time and resources? We have my
name and celebrity to help the site as well as many
other Baha’i artists like Benny Cassette and KC Porter
and the Dawnbreaker Collective.

There are 3 main categories for the kind of approach
we could take.

1) Something similar to “Metaphysical Milkshake”. A
site that is for young people to undertake a different
kind of discussion about religion and spirituality
that includes creativity and the arts.. Whet people’s
appetite for the Faith. Baha’i inspired, but not just
for Baha’is. Videos, humor, talk-shows, contests,
etc… Get a spiritually moribund generation thinking
about God.

2) A site for all youth, Baha’i and or non-Baha’i that
seeks to inspire youth to both a dialogue about
spirituality as well as to action and service. A site
that could be used as a tool to generate some kind of
‘Youth Movement’. Could direct all youth to
participation in the core activities. Baha’i
inspired, but for all. Get Baha’i youth to invite
their friends to this site.

3) A site that is specifically for Baha’i Youth. To
inspire them to socially network and focus on the core
activities. To perpetuate the spiritual fire one
feels after a youth conference. To keep that going on
the web. A focus on service and on ways to host
devotionals perhaps. Blogs, forums, chats, networks.
Information. Ways to liven up Ruhi classes and
Feasts. Basically a service and an inspiration to the
needs of Baha’i Youth.

Now there are many other ways to go with a site.
Trying to take on all 3 of these might be too much.
It might not fit all on one website and might not
therefore do any of it well.

WHICH WAY DO WE TAKE THIS?

Here are some things from our brainstorming sessions.

1) What we’d ideally like to have from a web presence.
In our wildest dreams. IF we could do it all-

• Give Baha’i Youth an identity
• A kickass introduction to the Baha’i Faith (video
collage)
• Spark a spiritual conversation / engage in a new
dialogue about God
• Spark a spiritual revolution, a youth movement
• Bring the focus to the core activities.
• Make the core activities cool
• Give Baha’i Youth a community, an identity to be
proud of
• Use Baha’i arts celebrities to inspire
• Focus on creativity and arts as relates to
spirituality
• Become an epicenter of Baha’i arts and spirituality
• Facilitate action and service
• Make spirituality cool

2) Here are some things (tools and content) that could
be on a website

• Rainn’s mini talk-show
• A FEAST is BORING section (to foster a dialogue about ways to make it better - arts, etc.)
• A RUHI is BORING section (same dialogue)
to strengthen)
• Integrate site into existing social networks like
Facebook
• A place to submit, post artwork of all kinds
• Art contests
• A cool Baha’i introductory video
• A contemporary history of Faith
• Blogs/message boards/forums
• Forums that are based on quotes from the writings
• A devotional program tool
• Library of favorite quotes – integrate with ocean
• Imbed quotes and songs
• Regional boards/localization – to facilitate meet
ups/action
• Setting goals for the membership (50 firesides in a
month!, etc…)
• Consultation based forums
• Spiritual flash mobs
• Online prayer circles
• Online ruhi
• T-shirt designs and contests

There is our quandary. Please give us your ideas.
Thanks for your time.

Rainn, Jamie, Joshua and Lil’ Devon.

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Rainn, Jamie, Joshua and Lil’ Devon.

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