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guide
So how can PePol be used? In a similar way to how you currently use a number of online tools: internet searches, event creation and status updates on social networks, time or skill sharing on volunteer networks, and article creation on wikipedia. The key difference is that PePol aggregates these kind of functions, not into 'yet another network', but into a set of 'web apps', so that you can search, share and collaborate more effectively from any of dozens of online networks.
When you login to a network (like Facebook or Orkut) you will be able to add the PePol 'app'. You will then be able to use the tools outlined below, in the same way you would any other app. Through the PePol tools you be able to search, share and collaborate not only within the online network you're using, but simultaneously across all the networks on which the PePol tools are used. This gives you a massively increased pool of knowledge, resources and inspiration to draw on. It also saves you a lot of time that would have been taken up by managing lots of separate user accounts on multiple networks. For more specific examples, see user examples.
Some networks that are more focused on sustainability issues (see our resources page) may choose to integrate the PePol tools more closely with their website, so that they provide some of the core features of the site, making for an even richer and smoother user experience.
You can think of the existing crop of online social or volunteer networks as an expanse of walled gardens (with some limited pathways between them). PePol will let you build a pathway between a very large fraction of them, so that you can more easily find what you want and benefit from all of them. By focusing on the cause of building a sustainable future we hope that PePol will remove some of the barriers to people who would like to make a difference in this area and empower them to take effective, collective action.
The heart of the PePol service is a set of online, cross-network tools. These tools are designed with the principle aim of making it easier to share knowledge and resources, get inspired and take action.
The Index tool makes it easier to find community and expert rated content on exactly the subjects you're interested in, as well as add new content for others to find.
The PePol Index catalogues items (articles, audio, video, events, groups, ideas, businesses) that are found on the web. Index items are tagged with appropriate keywords, reviewed and moderated by the collective PePol community and may be filtered and sorted by any attribute the user specifies (such as location, date, source, type, as well as key words. e.g. type: video, search phrase: 'how to insulate your loft'. Or, type: event, location: 'within 30 miles of me', search phrase: 'green shopping').
The Daily Action tool is about getting people to share their voice and move their feet on a daily basis.
This tool rolls together personal action suggestions and logging (your 'Daily Actions' and 'Action Log') with a number of key features, like opinion gathering (PePol Policy) and carbon footprint tracking (via services like thecarbonaccount.com).
'Daily Actions' will offer suggestions to save energy, such as placing a brick in your cistern to save water, or using LED lighting, or otherwise further the cause of creating a sustainable society (such as writing to your MP about an issue, or offering a few hours of your time or services to the PePol community).
The Gather tool is for creating an event or project and helping you publicise it.
Gather allows you to broadcast your event, project or other action involving a number of people over your PePol channel and puts it in the Index.
With this tool you can specify details such as what resources and volunteers are required. According to their PePol Receiver settings, other users may get automatically notified of this new Index item where it fits their profile of available resources, geographic location, skills and time to contribute.
The Receiver tool lets you choose exactly what news and updates you get from your networks and from the Index.
You can think of it as an intelligent, highly configurable personal news aggregator. It is the customized path through which you view content on the 'PePol channel'. Each user has their own personal receiving channel (and also a sending one), which they can filter with various parameters for networks, people and content type.
The Receiver can display your friends 'Daily Actions', notification of response to events or discussion topics, relevant new index items as well as scheduled reminders. The idea is the user can completely configure what and how information from their networks and the PePol tools is presented to them.
The Sender tool is for telling either specific groups or your collected networks what you're doing and what you find interesting.
The Sender allows you to broadcast status updates, content, available or requested resources and new events to your PePol channel. Other users in participating networks can receive this content in their Receiver channel according to their personal settings. So, with a single time saving action, you can make relevant and direct contact with a lot of people!
The PePol tools are designed to be integrated into existing networks in as seemless a fashion as possible. The idea is to maximise the benefits to the existing and new users, while minimising the need to get used to a new way of interacting with the existing network. The tools will be fully themable and configurable by participating network providers.
