Today marks The Point’s official “launch,” i.e. it was our first day talking to the press. We’re in New York, doing a few interviews and attending the Pepcom digitalfocus event.

I did my first radio interview this morning. My preoccupation with trying to imagine what the interviewer’s voice would sound like on the radio made it almost impossible to pay attention to what he was saying. And for some reason, I was paralyzed by the realization that radio personalities can not only see you, but they look at you while you’re talking. The dropping of those two bombshells scattered my pitch, but in an awesome way; I like to think that the wreckage fell into the shape of a flower. Or an apple.

Had you attended the Pepcom event, you could have picked up a custom The Point yo yo and the following press release:

The Point Unveils New Social Platform for Organizing Group Action

Site Leverages the Power of the Web to Empower People

November 12, 2007 – NEW YORK – The Point (www.thepoint.com), a community for people to make things happen through a new model of coordinated group action, has launched. The Point takes the concept of the tipping point – the point at which group action will produce a clear result and inevitable change – and applies it to organizing group efforts, from organizing a get-together to boycotting a multi-national corporation.

Those who join a campaign pledge to take specific action, but no one acts until a campaign reaches its stated tipping point. When the tipping point is reached, when enough people have pledged to act or enough people have pledged funds to reach the stated goal, the action is triggered. Targeted at communities trying to make things happen, large or small, The Point enables activism, employee action, group purchases, event planning, and group agreements that would be time-consuming or impossible for one person to address alone.

“The Point is a new way of thinking about collective action,” said Andrew Mason, founder and CEO of The Point. “People need a way to know where their participation adds the most value. That’s what The Point offers – an environment where people are only asked to participate when their action can be combined with others to create a solution.”

People can create campaigns of any type, size, or scope simply by posting the details and inviting others to join the effort. Each organizer establishes a unique tipping point for his or her campaign and then provides ongoing commentary, news, and progress reports. Supporters can also post comments, discuss strategy, and link to related campaigns.

When a campaign tips, members are notified via e-mail and spring into action, knowing they have the numbers to make a real difference.

HOW IT WORKS

The Point’s “conditional participation” makes a lot of things easier:

Activism: Channel shared frustration into action that forces change. Use The Point to say “do this, or else” to a bad corporation citizen, an employer, or the government. Even organize anonymously until the campaign builds to a safety in numbers that allow people to comfortably reveal their identities.

Fundraising: Unlike traditional fundraisers, on The Point, no one parts with a dime until enough funds are pledged to reach the tipping point.

Social Contracts: Do something – but only when enough others cooperate to make the action worthwhile.

Planning an Event: Use The Point to schedule an event that only occurs if enough people attend.

ABOUT THE POINT

Established in 2007 in Chicago and empowered by tipping point methodology, The Point is an online community that helps individuals organize efficient group action, leveraging the power of the Web to solve problems and be a catalyst for change. Learn more at thepoint.com.

-Filed in Uncategorized

This week, we rolled out a new homepage that focuses on introducing the idea of The Point rather than featured content.

We also added a site tour that does a great job at showing off the different ways The Point can be used to enable all kinds of group actions.

Finally, a couple blogs caught wind of The Point: WebWare and Green Living Tips.

-Filed in The Point