First off, the idea of a more relevant about.com sounds like it would work really well. But, the idea of a book has bounced around in my head a few times when I've read the board here, and I think it can be a truly valuable resource for the activists that make up this community.

I think it would be very interesting to treat the book as an artifact of activism and of the board itself, both of which hinge on building with others. To represent this is, a book could consist of threads or excerpts from threads, the principle authors of which would meet and discuss this topic, what they've learned from okayactivist, and their own local activism. And/ or, activist A can visit and write about B who visits and writes about C. So a essay/ chapter would be followed by a relevant thread/ excerpt which would relate to the next essay/ chapter.

Threads or excerpts could be chosen that represent this community, whether for their depth of discussion or relevance to the lives of the people here. Particular activists could also be featured and threads or excerpts representative of their activism could be selected.

The threads would be like interludes within the meat and potatoes/ tofu with peanut sauce of the project, which would be spotlights of individuals that make up the community and their interaction with others from the community. One person from a thread could visit another and write about them and their work, or a third person could write about discussions between them. Then the subject of this chapter could visit the subject of the next, and so on. This way it's collaborative, and somewhat mimics the nature of boards like this one.

One thing that would be important is to emphasize action/ activism rather than coming off as some kind of social club. Profiles of activists should include information about what they do outside of the board and how that experience benefits others on the board and those who read the book. This would certainly deflate notions of the death or hip hop activism or apathetic attitudes of younger generations or of message boards as largely aesthetic. With grassroots activism on the rise, this could be a really important project.

Logistically, bus fare could be the only expense for some folks who participate. Driving may be an option for some. We can solicit more submissions than we need and choose the best. The entire community would serve as editors in this capacity, although a handful of us should probably serve as editors for other responsibilities. Any profits could go to groups chosen by the okayactivist community, a fund could be set up to benefit members of the community who can apply for grants for local activist projects, or there could be a combination of the two. A simple PayPal fund could be set up to refund the $68 or less for a bus ticket for anyone who needs it that participates, which could probably be funded by contributions from folks on this board.

I think this project could represent individuals and the collaborative body at once. It could also have some general interest outside of this board, with the current rise in interest in cyberculture from political/ sociological/ cultural studies/ literary standpoints. It probably wouldn't be as funny as or sell as many copies as "Stupid White Men" but it would give a voice to elements of hip hop, activism, and cyberculture that are all too often overlooked.

Peace