This is going to be the beginning of what I hope will be a pretty comprehensive series of discussions about what Mortal Mist is and what we are to become. It is the next step for the conversations that have come before - much more general conversations that have laid the groundwork for what must follow.
We do have a mission statement here at MM. It has never really been hashed out, as I was the only member here when it was adapted. It is simply this, in one form or another: Mortal Mist is dedicated to exploring and promoting the art and discipline of Lucid Dreaming.
As we continue growing slowly, re-evaluating our place among the giants in the Lucid Dreaming world and determining how best to meet the needs and expectations of our member-owners as well as making ourselves as useful and inviting to newcomers as possible, the Mission Statement is beginning to look kind of inadequate. It has been my experience that without a clear and concise sense of mission and purpose, a lot of time and energy get wasted in efforts that end up being way off the mark in final evaluation.
So here is the question: What should our mission be here at Mortal Mist?
Bear in mind that the Mission Statement is the standard by which every direction we consider and everything we do will ultimately be measured.
There are many reasons I believe our present mission statement is inadequate. It is extremely broad - anything under the general heading of Lucid Dreaming fits, more or less. And "exploring and promoting" is equally broad - so we end up with a huge subject matter and an equally huge goal.
As you think this through, bear in mind that we are a non-profit entity in a world dominated by for-profit behemoths. Remember that no matter how gracious and generous we wish to be to our giant neighbors, in the end our very existence is counter to their whole reason to exist - which is to make as much money for their owners as possible. Bear in mind, too, that we have generally failed to draw in newbies to lucid dreaming or keep those few who do find their way in. We also have to consider our limited resources in terms of pretty much everything - attention and time of active members, bandwidth, funding, system capabilities, those willing and able to take responsibility, etc. Our current mission asks us to be all things to all lucid dreamers. Is this really a reasonable expectation? If it isn't, what IS reasonable?
We've clearly done a lot of things right. The member-ownership concept is unique, and the resulting pride in our shared online home results in a dignified and classy atmosphere that is without peer in the Lucid Dreaming world. We have a truly impressive gathering of dreamers here, with a breadth and depth of experience that is absolutely astonishing. We have technical capability that is without rival. We have a comprehensive and focused collection of LDS information that is superb. And we have never lost our focus on Lucid Dreaming - which is, after all, what this is all about in the first place. The very fact that we continue to survive as we approach our 2nd birthday is also pretty remarkable - especially considering that we were pronounced dead in July of '08 in an in-depth evaluation posted at a "rival" site.
So have at it. Do you think our mission statement is adequate? How could it be changed and/or improved? What key aspects should be singled out for our dedicated effort? How do we measure our progress to whatever end we choose?
