DRAFT ONLY! AND PURELY FOR FTI MEMBERS.

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New Member Pack [Please also read this]

Welcome to FTI!

You are here because you are a leader. Leaders don’t need to be told to do things. They just go ahead and do whatever they know needs to be done. Therefore it is our hope, as a group of leaders with similar goals about India, that you will jump right in and start doing whatever you think needs to be done on FTI. For instance, if you find something missing on FTI, or some defect, either point it out so it can be fixed, or fix it yourself! Not raising questions and not acting to improve things around us is NOT an option on FTI.

FTI conversation takes place mostly on Forum. You can access the Forum using this link: http://freedomteam.in/blog/forum (Use the FTI Blog username/password emailed to you at the time of joining FTI to log in to Forum.)

Please use this forum guide for help with Forum: http://freedomteam.in/blog/forum-guide

What is happening? Where do I find information?

Upon joining FTI you should get access to FTI internal blogs. We have posted a number of guidelines on FTI blogs. When you first log in, please click on ‘posts’ or ‘edit’ under Posts, and you’ll find a list of various FTI blog posts. Select ‘FTI guidelines’ under ‘View all categories’ box. That should show you our key guidelines. Other documents are similarly provided.

Do take a few days to read the various documents and understand what is going on! Read draft internal processes and strategies also at FTI Google Group under ‘files‘. Most of that material is now uploaded on blogs, but a copy is often kept there for convenience. Note that you won’t have access to FTI google group files unless you use a gmail account.

Speak to someone from FTI

Should you wish to speak to someone from FTI over Skype you are encouraged to contact Mr. Shantanu Bhagwat at jai.dharma@gmail.com, with the subject: “FTI new member: wish to talk” and arrange a suitable time with him.”

Mentoring/ buddy system

If you have questions after that please write to the person who vetted your application to join. He or she could provide you with more information. Alternatively, write straight to the main group. We are all here to answer your questions and to ensure we get value from your independent assessment of our current processes.

How can I get involved?

As you’ll find out from our documents, you can get involved in many activites. FTI can’t grow without high quality leaders taking leadership on various roles and sticking to it.

Apply to join FTI sub-groups (as you applied for FTI main group)

• Join the FTI Backoffice group. This group deals with all backoffice activities (draft internal processes, web development, blog process, rules, strategy development, editorial work, etc.)
• Join the FTI Managers group. Members of this group vet new member applications (like yours) and either accepts them or transfers them to FTI Future Leaders group. You can join that group as well to facilitate discussions with potential future applicants. Many times people are put into that group because they didn’t respond to our requests for information.
• Join the team the Accounts Team of FTI that will manage our accounts as we establish and operate a Trust. To do that write to Supratim Basu. He needs all hands on board.

• Write rules for the FTI Trust, such as membership rules..

• Upload your biodata on the Files pages. Or create it as an internal google webpage at http://groups.google.com.au/group/freedom-team-of-india/web

• Write articles for the FTI magazine. We currently publish once in two months, but will increase the frequency and upgrade the content as new members join. Your articles can be in any Indian language including English. Currently, no editing is done of articles submitted for the FTI magazine given shortage of resources. In due course an editorial group could be established (you can lead it if you wish).

• Develop policies. Read the draft policy development process blog, and start developing/proposing policy in a structured manner.

• Take leadership on any topic of your choice (enter the details of what you are leading at http://freedomteam.in/blog/archives/284 (upload the revised Word file always)

• Read the FTI brochure carefully and propose changes where you feel it should be improved. Also review FTI’s website and propose changes.

• All your proposals should be uploaded on this file which is a Google spreadsheet.

• Review all draft documents and propose changes (note everything published or proposed is only a draft until accepted by 1500 full members).

• Research world best policies and educate each other. Since FTI aims to implement world-best policies, members of the should spend 80% of their spare time reading up the best books and journals in the world. Educate other members on what you have learnt. Our job is to absorb the world’s best ideas and to implement them. World-best policy cannot be delivered without knowing world-best research. Write articles on what you have learnt.

• Do work on the ground. This includes work through your own group/party/NGO but also things like a Freedom Family.

• Participate in the fortnightly Skype meeting organised by FTI members/ organize extra meetings if necessary. Take minutes of these meetings. Contribute!

• Suggest innovative ways to network.

• Join/ link to the following public groups:

o        Youtube

o        Orkut

o        Facebook (‘”Freedom Team of India” Supporters’ Group)

o        Linkedin (search for and join the ‘Capitalism and Freedom’ Group)

o        Twitter

• Write about FTI on your blog/s. That is one of the best ways to spread the message.

• Add the FTI symbol on your blog – for examples, see:

http://sabhlok.blogspot.com/ or

http://sagarone.blogspot.com/

Recommended

It is strongly recommended that FTI members subscribe to the following blogs

• Von Mises institute email list: http://www.mises.org/content/elist.asp
• Café Hayek: http://www.cafehayek.com/hayek/
• Centre for Civil Society updates http://www.ccsindia.org/ccsindia/news-letter.asp
• Shantanu’s blog: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/SatyamevaJayate
• Liberty Institute newsletter: http://www.indefenceofliberty.org/Index.aspx

The sky is the limit on FTI. We depend on each other’s commitment and support. Just jump in and DO whatever needs to be done.

[1] Please note that this information is work in progress. It does not fully cover the wide range of activities happening on FTI. However, it aims to act as a brief introduction to what is going on in FTI and how you can get involved.

Tags: Guidelines, new member, Speak with someone from FTI

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Our processes - semi-public. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.