Flancia Collective and the spheres of commoning

planted: 11/12/2021last tended: 01/09/2022

As a fun thought experiment, I'd like to have a think about how Flancia Collective is doing stuff in each of the Spheres of commoning.

Also to be thought about: what commons are we actually stewarding? And who are the commoners?

We are creating digital commons of software and a knowledge commons, I guess.

Mike Hales' handbook on meet.coop would be a good reference point I reckon.

I guess should look at each of the patterns through the lens of how does Flancia Collective do these things? Or how do we do these things in relation to a particular commons? Comes back to defining what actually are our commons.

1. Social life (The Social Life of Commoning)

1.1. Cultivate Shared Purpose and Values

We kind of have this, but I don't know what it means to cultivate it, and whether we're doing that.

1.2. Ritualize Togetherness

We have a few chat spaces on Element. This is async togetherness.
node club - kind of a shared 'custom' each week (/month…). Async togetherness also. As a way of fleshing out the knowledge commons.
there is a weekly online flancia meet, and a weekly Agora Meet, to meet in person.

1.3. Contribute Freely

We do this - both code and info.

1.4. Practice Gentle Reciprocity

1.5. Trust Situated Knowing

1.6. Deepen Communion with Nature

Bit of a wild card one for digital commons. But could link it in via sustainable tech.

1.7. Preserve Relationships in Addressing Conflicts

1.8. Reflect on Your Peer Governance

2. Peer governance

2.1. Bring Diversity into Shared Purpose

Some diversity in views. But not a huge amount of diversity in background.

2.2. Create Semi-Permeable Membranes

2.3. Honor Transparency in a Sphere of Trust

2.4. Share Knowledge Generously

Check.

2.5. Assure Consent in Decision Making

Happens roughly through Element chat.

2.6. Rely on Heterarchy

2.7. Peer Monitor & Apply Graduated Sanctions

2.8. Relationize Property

2.9. Keep Commons & Commerce Distinct

At present, we do not have any commercial activity associated with the commons that are produced by Flancia.

2.10. Finance Commons Provisioning / Choose Commons-Friendly Financing

As of August 2022, Flancian has been donating and continues to donate around half of his discretionary monthly income to Flancia related projects. This includes Give Directly / Effective Altruism funds donations, but also funding roughly 5 basic incomes directly month to month on 12 or 24-month basis. And some open source projects. We also provide hosting for Anagora, and moa, and would like to provide the same for other ethical services.

So I guess this probably classes as collaborative financing.

As stated by Flancian:

the idea here is for the community to decide how we spend this money ethically :) this is why I started working on the Agora essentially – to find ways to do this kind of work more intelligently/effectively/compassionately together

– https://matrix.to/#/!WhilafaLxfJNoigHCj:matrix.org/$MID6gaTAhKL_6srQef9fMzkb8jrTLwfXQTQBr9cT86s

3. Provisioning (Provisioning Through Commons)

3.1. Make & Use Together

3.2. Support Care & Decommodified Work

3.3. Share the Risks of Provisioning

3.4. Contribute & Share

3.5. Pool, Cap & Divide Up

3.6. Pool, Cap & Mutualize

3.7. Trade with Price Sovereignty

3.8. Use Convivial Tools

I think we do, yeah. We tend to work with Free software.

3.9. Rely on Distributed Structures

We like distributed structures, for sure. And we'd like Agora to be distributed (or at least federated). Do we make use of them though?