AI-Admin-Assistant: Unify the 9 founding-question words into one page with anchors (Theo 2026-06-13)

2026-06-13T18:48:25Z

Unify the 9 founding-question words into one page with anchors (Theo 2026-06-13)

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{{KidsIntro|WikiDeal's whole project is one big question: ''Can users own, run and sustain a global marketplace?'' This page explains what each word of that question really means.}}
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== The founding question ==
''[[#CAN|Can]] [[#USERS|users]] [[#OWN|own]], [[#RUN|run]] [[#AND|and]] [[#SUSTAIN|sustain]] [[#A|a]] [[#GLOBAL|global]] [[#MARKETPLACE|marketplace]]?''

This is the founding research question of WikiDeal. Each word below carries a precise meaning. Together they form the hypothesis the whole project tests. Use the '''Discussion''' tab to debate the question as a whole.

== CAN ==
'''In simple words:''' “Can” here means: is it possible? It's a challenge we set ourselves — and a way of doing research together.

“Can” is asked in the sense of ''“is it possible?”'' It frames WikiDeal as a '''challenge''' and a '''research and development''' effort: maybe we will be able to apply this model at large scale, and we hope it can demonstrate something meaningful. WikiDeal is a '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_concept proof of concept]''' — a question we test rather than a promise we make.

This stands in the pure tradition of '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science citizen science]''': open, participatory inquiry whose values and criteria belong to the community, not to a single owner. The whole project is an experiment run in public, documented openly, and improved collectively.

''See also: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science Citizen science] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_concept Proof of concept] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_research Open research].''

== USERS ==
'''In simple words:''' “Users” are the people at the heart of WikiDeal — not customers, but actors who help build and run it, and who have a say.

'''“Users”''' is the fundamental element of the question. It signals that WikiDeal is an '''agreement''' — a set of shared rules that bind people together so that they all feel like '''users''', not '''customers'''.

The notion of the user is at the core of WikiDeal's dynamic. Users are '''not consumers''': they are '''actors''' in the project. They take part, they must agree, and they have a say in how things work. Their key role — contributing, governing, deciding — is what makes a community-owned marketplace possible.

''See also: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosumer Prosumer] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_(corporate) Stakeholder] · [[Gov/en/Portal:Community/Main|Community Portal]].''

== OWN ==
'''In simple words:''' “Own” means owned together by everyone — shared ownership, like a commons.

'''“Own”''' is used in the sense of '''shared ownership''' — the '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons commons]'''. WikiDeal is not owned by shareholders or a single company; it is meant to be held in common by its community of users.

This connects WikiDeal to the long tradition of the commons and commons-based peer production: resources that a community governs and stewards together, for collective benefit rather than private profit.

''See also: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons Commons] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons-based_peer_production Commons-based peer production] · [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Innovations:Exit To Community|Exit to Community]].''

== RUN ==
'''In simple words:''' “Run” means it actually works — efficiently, smoothly, and it keeps going and grows.

'''“Run”''' means the platform '''works''': it is efficient, lasting, fluid and manageable. It implies '''quality criteria''', '''coherence''', and operational soundness — the marketplace doesn't just exist, it functions well day to day.

It also captures the idea that the platform '''deploys and scales''': it can grow and spread while staying coherent and reliable.

''See also: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_excellence Operational excellence] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalability Scalability] · [[Gov/en/Portal:Institutions/Governance|Governance]].''

== AND ==
'''In simple words:''' “And” is the key condition: it's not enough to run the platform — you must also keep it sustainable for the long term.

'''“And”''' marks a '''key condition''' in the question. It expresses that '''managing the platform is not enough''' — you must '''also''' guarantee its '''durability'''.

“Run '''and''' sustain” means both halves are required: a marketplace that works today but cannot last is not the goal. The conjunction links short-term operation to long-term sustainability (see '''[[Gov/en/Portal:Onboarding/Glossary:SUSTAIN|Sustain]]''').

''See also: [[Gov/en/Portal:Onboarding/Glossary:SUSTAIN|Sustain]] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability Sustainability].''

== SUSTAIN ==
'''In simple words:''' “Sustain” means lasting over time — being able to keep going for years without harming people or the planet.

'''“Sustain”''' is the dimension of '''durability and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability sustainability]'''. A marketplace must be able to last — economically, socially and environmentally — not just launch and fade.

This includes the broader meaning of sustainability captured by the '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)]''': social fairness, ecological responsibility, and durable institutions. WikiDeal's model aims to be economically self-sustaining without advertising, speculation, or shareholder extraction.

''See also: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability Sustainability] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals UN Sustainable Development Goals] · [[Gov/en/Portal:Economy/Main|Economy & funding]].''

== A ==
'''In simple words:''' “A” means just one — a single shared platform for everything, instead of many separate ones.

The article '''“A”''' carries a strong idea: there should be '''only one''' marketplace that handles everything — '''not many'''. A '''single''' shared platform for all is one of the important keys to success.

The reasoning: we '''deprivatize by commonising''', and we commonise by enabling a much more '''dynamic internal competition''' — one that is energetic precisely because the rules of the game build '''trust''' and reward '''merit''', while at the same time fostering '''real cooperation'''. WikiDeal is meant to be cooperative '''and''' meritocratic at once.

''See also: [[Gov/en/Portal:Onboarding/Glossary:GLOBAL|Global]] · [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Innovations:Coopetition|Co-opetition]] · [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Innovations:Deprivatization|Deprivatization]].''

== GLOBAL ==
'''In simple words:''' “Global” means one single worldwide platform that covers everything, shared and open to all.

'''“Global”''' expresses that there should be a '''single''' platform covering '''everything''', rather than many fragmented ones. A unified, worldwide commons is treated as a '''key success factor'''.

WikiDeal '''deprivatizes by commonising''': instead of many competing private silos, one shared platform hosts a '''dynamic internal competition''' grounded in '''trust''' and '''merit''', alongside genuine '''cooperation'''. The result is meant to be both '''cooperative and meritocratic''' — global in reach, common in ownership.

''See also: [[Gov/en/Portal:Onboarding/Glossary:A|A (only one)]] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons Commons] · [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Innovations:Coopetition|Co-opetition]].''

== MARKETPLACE ==
'''In simple words:''' “Marketplace” is where people make deals — both in the physical world and online. Many small players team up on one platform to outdo the giants.

A '''“marketplace”''' is by nature '''mixed: physical and digital'''. WikiDeal builds on the principle behind the marketplaces that took the lead by serving the '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail long tail]''' — and it is precisely where the long tail can be re-placed at the centre.

The fundamental mechanism: '''all the small players ally on a single platform''', and together they can outcompete the large incumbents easily. This is the key answer-hypothesis to the founding question — combined with the whole '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia Wikipedia]'''-style ecosystem of open governance around it and WikiDeal's granting and reward innovations.

''See also: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail The Long Tail] · [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_marketplace Online marketplace] · [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Innovations:Main|Innovations]].''

----
''See also: [[Gov/en/Portal:Onboarding/Glossary|Glossary]] · [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Main|Governance & R&D]] · [[WikiDeal|Home]].''

[[Category:Founding Question]]
[[Category:Migration June 2026]]

Gov/en/Portal:Onboarding/Glossary:Founding Question - Revision history

AI-Admin-Assistant: Unify the 9 founding-question words into one page with anchors (Theo 2026-06-13)