CommonsCommunities: Frequently Asked Questions

Helping small rural communities self-organize,
save $$$ and CO2, and become stronger.

Frequently Asked Questions about Commons Communities, Classified Ads, Carpooling, Communications, and more:

	General questions about the Commons: Why not just use Facebook? ~ Does it cost money to join? ~ Why are you building this? ~ ~ What about Commons privacy and safety? ~ Is this a phone app? ~ How do you make money? Will you sell my data to the highest bidder?
	Questions about Carpooling: Why not just use Lyft or Uber, or a taxi? ~ What do you mean by "Carpool"? ~ Why can't I find a Trip from my wee hamlet to a tiny village? ~ What's the policy on masks? ~ What do I get out of it as a Driver, and as a Passenger? ~ What about an EV electric car? ~ What about Commuters? ~ I don't have a car. What do I do? ~ I have something I just need picked up. Can I have the Driver do that? ~ What about kids? ~ Who sits where? ~ Why can't I see today's Trips, like this afternoon's?!? ~ What about Insurance? (separate page) ~ What happened to "Rural Carpool"? (separate page)
	Questions about Classified/Want Ads: ~ Who can see the Classified Ads? ~ Who can post a Classified Ad? ~ What does it cost to Post a Classified Ad? ~ Why did you choose those categories?
	Questions about Events & the Commons Calendar: ~ Who can see the Events and the Calendar? ~ Who can post to the Events Calendar? ~ What does it cost to Post an Event? ~ How far in advance can we Post an Event?
	Questions about Commons Communications: What's the difference between Notifications, Q&A Messages, and Alerts? ~ Why can't I send a message to a Group of people? ~ Can I get a copy of all my messages? ~ What parts of the Commons are Public, and what parts are Member Only?
	General questions about Commons Membership: How many Members are in my Commons? ~ What are the limits on Membership? ~ Who is allowed to join? ~

Why not just use Facebook? Back to Top	The "Commons" is a suite of online tools that can be adapted to a local community's particular needs, and is focused exclusively on building local strengths and accomplishing community goals. Facebook can be great for lots of things -- reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, laughing at shared jokes, being reminded of their birthdays -- but helping local communities is not Facebook's strong suit. We expect to work with Facebook in lots of ways -- posting weekly updates (at the choice of the Manager), linking to permalinks, etc. A local Commons is an online Membership site designed to serve as infrastructure for local folks to build efficiencies, save money, share costs, and build our best lives.

Who can see my Classified Ads? Back to Top	Only Members are able to see the Classifieds, after they've logged in. A community could decide to make them public, but that's for later.

Who can post a Classified Ads? Back to Top	Only Members can post in the Classifieds, after they've logged in. Sorry, no ads from the ad-mills of Facebook.

What does it cost to a Classified Ad? Back to Top	Nothing. We consider it part of the community service of the site, since there is virtually no cost to the system for any individual post. Because each Ad is posted by a Member, there's Member oversight if someone goes too far. Sorry, no third party ads, either -- again, that's sort of abusing the Commons' attention. Each Ad is reviewed by the Manager (after it's posted), and it can be removed if necessary. Later, if this wide-open, self-regulated Commons Classifieds model needs tweaking, we will do so.

Why did you choose those Categories? Back to Top	They seemed appropriate. If there are specific categories that belong to your community, that should be added, please contact your Manager and put in the suggestion.

Who can see the Events and the Calendar? Back to Top	Every Member can see the Calendar and post Events; Commons Guests and Visitors can only view the Calendar and Events, but not create a new Event. We think of it like a public bulletin board -- but control needs to stay within the Community.

Who can post an Event? Back to Top	Post your local meetings, happenings, performances, fundraising breakfasts, and special events! Only Members can create (post) the Events listed on the Calendar, and in the Events listings. It's always best to be sure that there nobody else has posted an Event, before posting it yourself. The Manager reserves the right to remove any Event that looks like spam, or a scam, or is inappropriate to the community.

What does it cost to post an Event? Back to Top	Nothing. We consider it part of the community service of the site, since there is virtually no cost to the system for any individual Event. Because each Event is posted by a Member, there's also Member oversight if someone goes too far. Each Ad is reviewed by the Manager (after it's posted), and it can be removed if necessary. Later, if this wide-open, self-regulated Commons Calendar model needs tweaking, we will do so.

How far ahead can you post an Event? Back to Top	We have ended up with a year ahead. This may cause some troubles (in that schedules and plans can change), but we hope to have systems in place to help prevent any problems in that regard.

Why not just use a bus, or Lyft or Uber, or a taxi service? Back to Top	Low population densities determine a lot about rural living. The economics of transit make rural delivery of nearly any service hugely expensive. Bus service is nearly nonexistent, and Uber and Lyft and taxis require high population density to be a viable job. Such transportation (much to the surprise of anyone urban) simply doesn't exist in rural areas. A Commons helps a small community self-organize a variety of forms of cooperation. Carpooling occasionally or routinely, with local neighbors going the same way, is not a business. The Commons is not an on-call taxi service, and doesn't expect to be. The Commons Carpool does not take money from members, nor pay any drivers -- the sharing of transit costs between Members is purely voluntary, and is covered by anyone's normal car insurance. We provide a suggested cost per kilometer (or per mile), and make both the meeting up and the cost-sharing easy, convenient, and predictable. We expect all travelers -- driver included -- to share Trip costs. Nobody can try to make an income by driving others via Commons Carpool; one can only decrease one's travel costs. This system is designed to help enable a small town region to organize its own shared transit, to save $$$ and CO2.

What do you mean by "a Commons"? Back to Top	Small rural communities have few options for online coordination besides Facebook, which while powerful and impressive, is not designed to facilitate local needs. The "Commons" is a set of online tools that can be adapted to a community's particular needs, and is focused exclusively on local strengths and goals. A Commons is an online Membership site where local folks can build efficiencies, save money, share costs, and build our best lives.

Does it cost money to join the Commons? Back to Top	No. There will likely be supporters, and sponsors, and advertisers, but no charges to join, nor to remain a Member.

What about privacy and safety? Back to Top	It is a fine balance, between privacy and safety. Often they are in competition. We try to let every Member of a local Commons have individual control over what information they share, and with whom (see your Preferences, if you're logged in, or experimenting with a Demo). You local Commons does require some information: your email address, your cellphone number, your full name, and your local hamlet or village, and your preferred destinations. But as you can see in the demo, we don't require that all that information be made public. You decide how to share your information -- only with Travelers on a specific Trip you're in, or with any local Commons Member, or only when you proactively add it. You can privately "favorite" folks if you want, and can privately "filter out" Members individually. We do our best to prevent hacker/harvester access to any Member info, and to discourage non-community members from trying to sign up, but can make no guarantees beyond "our best efforts." In the end, it is the individual Members of the Commons community who will self-regulate; the local Commons Manager and the Commons Advisory Board can respond if a community identifies a stranger.

Why isn't it easier to find a Carpool from my wee hamlet to a tiny village and back? Back to Top	Commons Carpool is optimized for helping folks in a small area coordinate shared Trips to places they're all going to, which ends up being towns large enough to support doctors, dentists, and businesses large and small. Day to day, very few people (among the few hundred Members) drive from any tiny hamlet to another village, 5 or 50kms away. So it's deeply unlikely that your trip would coincide with someone else's desired trip, who lived nearby. To avoid oversaturating the lists with Trips that few (if any) would ever join, we keep our focus on supporting shared Trips from smaller communities to the larger destinations in our region. That said, we are working on ways to expand the options. For now, it's only big towns and cities that are the destinations.

What's the policy on masks? Back to Top	Given the current status of Covid and our heightened recognition of the risks of proximity, the default policy is that a face mask should be worn by all Travelers, unless there is explicit agreement from every member sharing a Carpool Trip. If any Traveler feels strongly that they must be mask-free, they should inform the others prior to the Trip, in the Trip Chat. Any Driver can require masks, and can reject any passenger who refuses; similarly, a Driver could specify "mask free" Trip as a Special Request, I suppose.

How do I see if Commons Communities are available in my region? Back to Top	Currently, we're just getting warmed up. We are in the beta testing stage, with three "live sites" in different parts of the continent -- southern Utah, and southern Indiana (in the US), and the North Shore of Nova Scotia (in Canada). We will have Demo versions for each site, and working Membership sites for community members to sign in. If your local community seems ideal for your small town, or know just the person who might organize it in a small town you know, either can signal your interest by signing up. We won't be rolling out any new Commons sites until 2025.

Is this a phone app? Back to Top	Not yet, but it works on your cellphone's Web browser pretty well (especially turned sideways). The Commons is currently optimized for larger screens -- a laptop, desktop, and web-and-email engagement. You can choose options for getting SMS texts for system reminders, as well as email. Brief In-Commons Member-to-Member notifications, questions, and replies are easy, for Classified Ads, Carpool Trips, Announcements, and more. Chats -- specific conversations about Trip Planning, or a Classified Ad -- allows for discussions or information sharing. Currently, the additional cost of developing a true-blue "phone app" is not justified. That may change if there's sufficient interest.

How do I pay for my Carpool Trip? Back to Top	You don't pay the Commons. Instead, you share the Trip's cost with the Driver, by paying the Driver your suggested proportion of the suggested total cost of the Trip, currently assessed at around 0.20 per kilometer. We display those costs and their splits on the Trip page. With one Passenger, those Trip costs are split 50/50 with the Driver. With two or three Passengers, it's split in thirds or in fourths. Basically, the more Travelers, the cheaper it is per Traveler, for the Driver and for each Passenger. We do the calculating for you!

As a Driver, what do I get out of it? Back to Top	You save at least half, perhaps two thirds, and even three-quarters of the cost of driving alone. In exchange, you may need to be a little flexible in your route and timing. The Driver has the final say on the travel and meet-up times (within reason), knowing that most Passengers could be Drivers if they needed. Please use the Trip Chat to coordinate these arrangements. Note: No Driver is required to take anybody along -- but please, work that out in the Trip Chat as well. You also are significantly reducing the carbon costs of the Trip, by essentially saving the exhaust of the single-person trip your Passengers didn't take.

As a Passenger, what do I get out of it? Back to Top	You save at least half, perhaps two thirds, and even three-quarters of the cost of driving yourself. In exchange, you may have to be flexible. The Driver has the final say on the travel times (within reason), knowing that most Passengers could be Drivers if they needed to be. You also are significantly reducing the carbon costs of your travel, by essentially saving the exhaust of the car you didn't take.

As a business, how do you make money? Will you sell my data to the highest bidder? Back to Top	If we are able to succeed, and our communities embrace the Commons as a useful platform for saving $$$ and CO2 by sharing car trips and costs, and sharing skills or tools or time -- then we will use local support, local sponsorships, local advertisements, nearby special events, and other methods to support the local Manager's time and effort, and the Commons Communities' continuing work. We have designed the individual Commons sites to be (relatively) inexpensive to start up and maintain, and (relatively) easy to administer, but there are certainly significant costs that must be eventually recovered. Our first goal this year is to see it succeed; our next goal is to see it continue to succeed; only then will we seek our third goal: to be sure that Commons Communities can pay for themselves, so they can successfully expand. I'm Michael Jensen, the founder (and funder) of Commons Communities. I'm 66. I don't need or even want an IPO. I don't need or even want gigantic wealth. I want to see this idea succeed wildly, and succeed honourably. I want this project to be financially sustainable, to pay good salaries and pay freelancers good rates, and to be highly effective at saving people money while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The world is burning, and this is my drop in the bucket to throw at the fire. If I'm lucky enough to succeed, I will do my level best to build a business model for the Commons Communities that is equitable, ethical, sustainable, and purposeful. And no, I won't sell your data.

*Why can't I see today's* possible Trips, like for this afternoon?!?!** Back to Top	Commons Carpool is made for planned Trips. Rarely does a rural driver decide to travel far away, on a whim. In general, for real-life activities that have carbon costs, our human systems probably should not facilitate whims anymore. Rural trips of some distance require a little arranging, and last-minute arranging is usually the dumbest. For the kinds of rides that the Commons Carpool can help arrange, at least 24 hours of potential planning time is required, by default. We provide a tool to let someone get an SMS text, if they're willing, up a few hours ahead of time. This is useful for certain circumstances (like one-way Trips to or from an airport). And honestly, if you're in a hurry, or in dire need -- then go ahead and drive yourself, and plan earlier next time, to save some $$$ and CO2. Note: if a particular Commons wants to vote to shorten or lengthen that 24-hours-ahead-of time, the Manager can change that gap's duration -- though we don't recommend it.

How big is the Membership? Back to Top	Each small community is different, so look to your local Commons home page for this data point. In general, we target a Member base of 100 or more, and hope these folks will each end up sharing a Trip every week or two. The more active members, the more interesting opportunities for saving CO2, energy, and money become possible. More than 1,000 local Commons Members is likely clumsy. If we get that many in a Commons, we should have enough data to suggest how to develop more fine-grained filtering options for Carpool and Classifieds. Let's hope we have to cross that bridge sometime in 2025!

What about commuters? Back to Top	We recently integrated Commuting into the system, addressing the needs of rural-to-urban commuters. The needs of commuter travel are different from the "individual trip self-organization" model at the heart of Commons Carpool. Nobody wants to enter the same thing over & over. So we have settled on a simplified, single-form entry process for the Driver, that results in many individual-day Trips being created. That is, when Jane enters a M-F 9-5 commute to Truro, we create a single Trip time/description entry for each of that week's M, T, W, Th, and F. That way, Mary might join Jane on Tuesday, and Sam might join Jane on Wednesday, and co-commuter Abby might join Jane all of those days -- and big savings are had by all! (See the Trip Type cheat sheet for further clarity.)

I have an electric car. Does that change anything in the Carpool? Back to Top	The arrangements between Driver and Riders are, as always, up to them. The Commons Carpool can only make recommendations. In this case, we recommend you use the same suggested "cost per kilometer" model for dividing the Trip costs.

I don't have a car. What do I do? Back to Top	The Commons has no requirement for a car of course, but the Carpool system is optimized for having folks meet at an agreed-upon spot, and to then continue on to a destination. Carpooling can't be treated as a door-to-door taxi service; no Driver is required to accept any potential Passenger. That said, most people are happy to help, especially if it doesn't cost them anything but time. If, as a Driver, you have time, and you're feeling neighborly and are willing to pick up a neighbor down the road, then the system can help calculate the cost of the extra pick-up kilometers. As always, arrangements between Driver and Passengers are up to them, and should be discussed and resolved in the Commons' Trip Chat, ahead of time.

I have something I just need picked up. Can I have the Driver do that? Back to Top	If you pay the Driver your portion of the Trip, the chances are good -- though it is a choice only a Driver can make. However, it's a win-win: it saves you the time, and saves you both CO2 and $$$. That request ("Will you pick something up for me?") is currently not a special option that we have built into the system. You would need to self-organize: Sign up for the Trip, communicate with the Driver directly or through Trip Chat to confirm, and work out the specifics. When you meet, to pick up the thing from the Driver, you'd pay your proportion of the Trip cost, as if you had travelled along and made the pick-up yourself. If we find this is a really desireable feature for our Members (both Driver and Passenger), we can make it even easier to make such a request within the Commons.

What about kids? Back to Top	Ultimately, this is a choice the Driver needs to make. Any Driver can say "no" to any Passenger request; the Driver is "in charge" of such matters. Some Drivers may not be willing to take kids, and the Passenger (and kid) should not take offense at this. Others tend to be delighted by children. We recommend that a full "share rate" is paid by the parent for the kid, as well as him/herself (since a seat is a seat), and have full disclosure in the Trip Chat (i.e. "my nine-year-old will be with me. She's a little chatterbox, btw.").

Who sits where? Back to Top	Unless otherwise arranged, we recommend that Rider A sits in the front passenger seat, Rider B sits behind the front passenger seat, and Rider C sits behind the Driver.

What's the difference between Notifications, Q&A Messages, and Alerts? Back to Top	Notifications are mostly about Carpool Trips (people Joining or otherwise affecting Trips that you're involved in); Messages are sent directly to you from any Member, or from you to any Member, about any old thing, could be a Trip or a Classified Ad or a Business or other Commons item; and Alerts, for when you have Trips coming up, someone has dropped off a Trip, or something could use your attention.

Can I send a message to a group of people? Back to Top	For "Direct Messaging" within the Commons, communication is one-to-one. For communicating to Groups, we have... well, Commons Groups! Otherwise you'll probably just continue using email. The Commons tries to do what it can do well, and would otherwise be difficult.

What's the purpose of a Group, in the Commons? Back to Top	Groups can be used by local committees, social groups, book clubs, church committees, advisory boards, and similar gatherings of common purpose. Groups can be public, or can be invitation-only. A Commons Group can share files, share links, share posts, and have discussions amongst the small list of Group members, without it being broadcast publicly to all Commons Members.

Can I get a copy of all my messages? Back to Top	We will be developing a bunch of Member tools -- personal statistics, reports and listings of activities, for you as a Member -- and that's among the things that might be useful. If enough Members request it, we will put in the time to produce it.

What parts of the Commons are Public, and what parts are Member Only? Back to Top	Part of the Commons' job is to support its members, communities, and businesses, while still remaining insulated from the worst aspects of social media. Every Business we list internally also gets a Public Page, with content the business owner controls. This can be super-useful to Farmers-Market-table-sized businesses, and can be helpful for even larger businesses with their own sites. Events entered in the Commons also get a "permalink" Public Page, so that something like the Community Hall's Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser can have a page they could link to, in other places. All other information is for Members, Visitors, and Guests only, and not for the public Internet to get interested in or try to spam or scam.