Operation Education: Spreading The Message (Sample Results Included!)

[nelsonwinters]

My partner and I are happy to announce the public unveiling of a new site. We have already begun spreading the message with great success, as I believe you will agree after reading below.

We both were trying to figure out an alternative means of spreading the message to passing out DVDs to people. Passing out DVDs is a great idea. For $1 or $2 you can educate people on the truth about the Federal Reserve, IRS, RealID, Fractional Reserve Banking, Ron Paul...

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't watch them, they just toss the DVDs out (in my personal experience). And if they do watch them, how do you know what impact it had on them? What if they have any questions? What if they want to learn more? What if they want to get involved?

Don't get me wrong... I think giving out the DVDs is great! Especially to people who don't use the Internet. However, we kept thinking about what could be a better way to distribute the videos and came to the following idea: we'll pay people to watch videos. Jamie figured out how to make the idea work. Paying people $1 or $2 in exchange for their opinions will create the motivation. After they watch the video, we could ask (or answer) questions and get instant feedback which we will share with the community, which will create excitement, just as a successful encounter during canvassing creates excitement.

So we set up a sample and on April, 15th (ironically, tax day) we offered 10 people (Americans) $2 each to watch "America: Freedom to Fascism" and give us their opinions on it (we offered a bonus for the best response). We used Amazon's Mechanical Turk which is a service that allows you to pay people for completing tasks. The reaction far exceeded our expectations! Within minutes 10 people took the offer. The next day we read the responses. I was so surprised and pleased by the responses. Here are few excerpts:

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"I have learned a great deal about how the federal income tax is not really supported by law. That it is the lower courts that prosecute and impose as if is law. It was a really thought provoking film. Makes me leery of a lot of decisions that on the surface sound good for national security, yet when you look deeper take on a whole different meaning. I will definitly be doing research on this and follow these types of issues more closely."

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Favorite parts? "The interview with Ron Paul. After watching this video, I have been educated on many subjects that I knew little about. I wasn't really sure what the federal reserve was and what purpose it serves. I wasn't aware that we only started paying federal income taxes after 1913. These are both very new to me. I also found it quite frightening that the IRS cannot point out a law that requires U.S. citizens to pay federal income taxes. It was a coincidence that I happened to save my taxes for the last second and then watched this video. I almost don't know what to do."

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"This film impacted my opinions in that I am going to research, investigate, and ask questions on my own, before voting in the all-so-important PA Democratic Primary next week. I want to share this information with people close to me and get word out to those who go about like "blind sheep."

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I believe this could be an incredible tool in Spreading The Message to people who otherwise would not have found this information! We can see how effective the videos are to people who are unfamiliar with the information and we can direct the people who are interested in finding out more to useful websites. We will also be able to request a donation if they want to help get others educated as well, especially since some of them seem pretty fired up after watching these videos.

After we offered A:FTF, we offered "Money As Debt" to 20 Americans for $1 each with a bonus for the best response. We got great responses to that too:

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"I learned things that I'd never learned before and really never even thought of, which is scary considering that this whole money cycle is a part of life. I kept asking myself, "Why didn't I ever wonder where money really comes from?". I have always thought it was that it was the gold = paper and that the paper and coins in the world only represented what was available in tangible gold. However, now I feel a bit ripped off and angry."

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"This movie makes me realize that our system needs change, and I want to show it to everyone so that change can actually happen. If I had seen this a month ago I would have thought much more intensely about taking out my student loan."

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"This video made me realize a lot about the secret side of the banking system I was previously unaware of. I'm going to try to not rely on my credit/debit card as often and I'm going to research what each Democratic candidate (I'm undecided) wants to do about the economy, national debt, and other subjects covered in the video."

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You can read more responses for A:FTF and MAD here:
http://operationeducation.org/responses.cfm

We've tried this, we know it works, and it's a low cost way to educate people. We want to continue to do this and reach more people.

And so it is with great excitement that we would like to announce http://OperationEducation.org . We have started a Chip-In on the site with a goal to raise $2000 and use it to reach 1000-1500 more people in the next month. 100% percent of the money raised will be used to spread the videos (we've covered all the website costs ourselves). We will post the responses we get on the website, so everyone can read the exciting success stories of people "waking up".

"Such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing. The sun needs no inscription to distinguish him from darkness." -Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man"

If you feel this is a worthwhile effort please donate.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments please post them here or feel free to email us.

In Liberty,

Jamie@operationeducation.org
Nelson@operationeducation.org

[Mahkato]

Interesting. Paying one person $2 to absorb the video is a lot more effective than spending $2 on a few tossed DVDs.

[revolutionary8]

Wonderful :)

[wgadget]

Maybe rename it to:


OPERATION WAKE-UP CALL??

:)

[revolutionary8]

I was reading some of the responses, and many are very interesting, intelligent, and detailed.
However, this one is my favorite-

Money as Debt Response #10
1. Enjoyability: 10
2. Familiarity: 5
3. Importance: 10
4. Need to disseminate: 10
5. Likelihood to research more: 8
6. State: VA
7. Age: 27
8. Pros: The information was very interesting
9. Cons: There wasn't anything I disliked
10. Review: Well, I already knew that money is the root of all evil and banks are crooked. But now I realized that banks are like the pimp and we are the hoes.
lmao.

[nelsonwinters]

Interesting. Paying one person $2 to absorb the video is a lot more effective than spending $2 on a few tossed DVDs.

Plus we give them an opportunity to refer people and/or contribute money

[liberteebell]

Great job and I wish you much success!

Sorry I'm too broke to donate right now.

[amy31416]

Very interesting. Creative idea.

[mkeller]

This is great! Good work!

[wgadget]

Can somebody sticky this?


Also, Nelson, how do you determine who the next viewers will be? Do you have a place on your questionnaire that asks for names of friends, etc, who might be interested?

[nelsonwinters]

Can somebody sticky this?

Also, Nelson, how do you determine who the next viewers will be? Do you have a place on your questionnaire that asks for names of friends, etc, who might be interested?

The way it works right now is that we post the task on Amazon's Mechanical Turk site. The Mechanical Turk site allows you to post a task to be completed in exchange for a specified amount of money. It handles the order in which workers claim the task to be done. All work that is submitted can be reviewed prior to awarding payment. Here's a link to a task that we will be posted:

http://www.operationeducation.org/mad/step1_intro.cfm

People that are referred to the site outside of the Mechanical Turk site (like if you click on the above link) will not get paid for watching the video.

Hope that's not too confusing... it's pretty straightforward for those actually going through the process... they just follow step-by-step.

-Nelson

[wgadget]

Nelson, you're a genius, and I'm proud to have met you!

:)

[Adam Smith]

I second that Nelson is a genius.

[nelsonwinters]

I second that Nelson is a genius.

You guys are kind but misguided... I have a partner helping me with this project and would therefore claim only to be half genius. Seriously though, I'm just helping in the way I know how. Some people can make youtube videos, some can canvass, some can write and perform songs, some can run for office, some can fund other peoples efforts, etc. We each have a role to play... I happen to be a web developer and this is how I can help.

A quick update... we've already received some donations and should be close to running our first "campaign" (for lack of a better word).

Thank you everyone for your encouragement. We hope this is the start of something big!

-Nelson

[phrizek]

Ideas like this are why I love our revolution. It is an honor to be working for a common goal with such innovative, dedicated individuals. Thank you and keep up the terrific work!

[Primbs]

This is what marketers and trend watchers have been predicting for years. That time would be so valuable, the advertisers might have to pay people for their attention.

I like the idea, but many have been thinking about this concept for a while. There are probably some good case studies out there.

[mczerone]

We must keep in mind we are trying to sell the ideas.

There should be an entire funding site, where you can donate to specific videos, or to the general fund.

After watching the video, but before being paid, ask them if they would then like to donate to help educate others. They can take the payment, leave it so one other person can watch, or donate small amounts - 5 to 10 dollars should be the most asked - so that many others can share the education.

More popular videos would have more donations, and the more they are available to watch, the more people have incentive to watch them. You could even tie the payouts on certain videos to their popularity, so that featured videos would pay more than others.

Post a ticker of both total amounts donated and videos watched, as well as how many videos are currently funded to be seen.

Most of all, you need to establish that this is a non-profit.

[pinkmandy]

*standing ovation*

[raystone]

Better than sharks with fricking laser beams!

[Fritzy]

I'd like to get a copy (or 5) of the movie. Does the RP campaign sell them or is there another place, and about how much is it?

[LittleLightShining]

Better than sharks with fricking laser beams!Yes! Yes it IS!

[wgadget]

You can watch it online--just Google Debt as Money.

[fight4liberty]

...that is Google "Money as Debt". :D

[wgadget]

...that is Google "Money as Debt". :D

LOL...What WAS I thinking???

:D

[fight4liberty]

My hats off to you and your partner!

FYI, as one of your surveyed viewers said I, too, experienced some delays/stopping of the video while it was playing which I personally find very distracting. You might want to keep an eye out for answers from future viewers to see how many viewers experience this.

If it turns out to be a significant number of people maybe you could figure out the why and correct it or if that's not feasible maybe you could give the viewer an option to download the video (if they have problems with it) and then play it.

Again wonderful idea!

[jmdrake]

Wow! Great idea! Education is the key to winning this fight longterm. I only wish someone had thought of this a year ago.

[nelsonwinters]

We must keep in mind we are trying to sell the ideas.

There should be an entire funding site, where you can donate to specific videos, or to the general fund.

After watching the video, but before being paid, ask them if they would then like to donate to help educate others. They can take the payment, leave it so one other person can watch, or donate small amounts - 5 to 10 dollars should be the most asked - so that many others can share the education.

More popular videos would have more donations, and the more they are available to watch, the more people have incentive to watch them. You could even tie the payouts on certain videos to their popularity, so that featured videos would pay more than others.

Post a ticker of both total amounts donated and videos watched, as well as how many videos are currently funded to be seen.

Most of all, you need to establish that this is a non-profit.

Great ideas! This is the direction that we plan to move in. The current incarnation off Operation Education had a specific goal of getting the site up and running as quickly as possible. The next phase will involve begin to incorporate these type of ideas.

I'm not sure what you mean exactly in regards to establishing that this is a non-profit. Do you mean legally? If so, I agree that would be a good thing, but hiring a lawyer to help is expensive. Same reason we don't have a profession (or even amateur) looking logo yet (if anyone here is artistically inclined... feel free to offer any logo design or site design ideas!).

[rpfan2008]

Its a great idea...I'll try to donate a few bucks soon, is it OK for non-citizens to do?

[nelsonwinters]

Its a great idea...I'll try to donate a few bucks soon, is it OK for non-citizens to do?

Thank you. As far international donations are concerned, I think it should be fine. We're not affiliated with the campaign in any way. If anyone else has any information on this, please share.

[Knightskye]

Awesome. I'll donate later this week.

And I second the request for a sticky.


Can somebody sticky this?


If anyone else has any information on this, please share.

Is 'Operation Education' a non-profit? Is it registered with the IRS? Is it a for-profit business?

[nelsonwinters]

Is 'Operation Education' a non-profit? Is it registered with the IRS? Is it a for-profit business?

'Operation Education' is not registered legally as a non-profit. That being said. We have and will continue to cover the costs of developing and hosting the site so that all money that is donated goes directly toward paying people to watch videos. The only exception is the fees we must pay to Paypal and Amazon's Mechanical Turk system for using their services. My partner and I will never pay ourselves a salary.

[wgadget]

Nelson, I have a pretty basic (dumb) question for you:

If I wanted to have a friend watch some of these videos, could I just send them the link to your website? Is it that simple?

[syborius]

Interesting. Paying one person $2 to absorb the video is a lot more effective than spending $2 on a few tossed DVDs.
it is pure genius!

[wgadget]

Moderator:

Would you please consider stickying this?

[PlzPeopleWakeUp]

nt

[newyearsrevolution08]

incentive marketing is proven to work in many niches, I actual used to teach it in the freebie site realm as well. Great idea and I hope it works out well for you. Keep up the fight!

[nelsonwinters]

Nelson, I have a pretty basic (dumb) question for you:

If I wanted to have a friend watch some of these videos, could I just send them the link to your website? Is it that simple?

There are some videos posted at http://operationeducation.org/video.cfm, but you may want to point to this link for starters:

http://OperationEducation.org/mad

[DaisyFL]

There are some videos posted at http://operationeducation.org/videos.cfm, but you may want to point to this link for starters:

http://OperationEducation.org/mad

This link works http://operationeducation.org/video.cfm

[DaisyFL]

Bump

[ronpaulhawaii]

bumps are usually better than a sticky and there are plenty there already. I can probably replace this for the GOP state rules one, but, like I say, bumping usually works better. PM if an issue and sorry I didn't see this earlier

Great project !!!

[Knightskye]

I'm not sure if this question's been covered yet, but how do we know these aren't just Ron Paul supporters out for a quick buck? Is there any way to know who's watching these videos and getting paid when they're done?

[nelsonwinters]

I'm not sure if this question's been covered yet, but how do we know these aren't just Ron Paul supporters out for a quick buck? Is there any way to know who's watching these videos and getting paid when they're done?

Knightskye,

Very reasonable question. I'll do my best to answer the question and if I fail to do so adequately, let me know how I can better answer your question.

As I see it there's two questions:

1. Can I confirm who I am?
Well, my username is my name, which wouldn't be too smart if I'm trying to hide something. It's also my username on DailyPaul. If you do a whois search at http://www.networksolutions.com/whois for operationeducation.org you'll see my address and cell phone number. On DailyPaul if you pull up my profile, you'll see I've been a member for awhile and you can look through my posts. You can probably look up my name on some white pages site and see my address matches. As far as others vouching for me, I met wgadget at the Georgia state GOP convention where we were both delegates. It was her idea that she posted to the Atlanta area meeup that inspired me to create the GOP delegate database (http://www.operationeducation.org/rnc) for which I am receiving no money whatsoever.

2. How do we know who's answering the questions?
Well unfortunately, I don't know either (other than the email address for some people who chose to refer others to the site... which I'm not going to share out of respect for their privacy and there's only about ten or so anyways). I can tell you that so far we've been using Amazon's Mechanical Turk to find people to watch the video and complete the survey. But I don't know who they are. However this is only temporary until we build out the functionality of the site so that we don't need to "recruit" people from mturk.com. Also, we will be working to decentralize the running of campaigns, so that eventually we won't have to manage raising funds, running campaigns, reviewing responses, approving payments, etc.

I will say that if I was trying to make a quick buck I would be paying out more to each person so that I would have to come up with fewer responses.

We've already put a lot of effort in building the site as it is. We've spent some of our own money for the original tests and for web hosting and domain registration. It hasn't been much... we're trying to keep the expenses low since it's coming out of pocket.

I don't know if what I've written will come off as a bunch of talking around the issue or as somewhat answering the question. I do take both this project and this question very seriously. If there's any further information I can provide to satisfy your concerns, please let me know. If there's no convincing you, that's okay too, we will continue to work on the project (it will continue to evolve over the next year).

Nelson Winters
Operation Education
"Because Freedom Isn't Free"

[ronpaulhawaii]

Well, that was certainly the type of answer this grassroot likes to see :). I look forward to seeing this develop. Thanks.

[skyorbit]

Here's the Delegate List for South Dakota

http://www.southdakotagop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=7369

McCain's taking them all because he's the only one who got 20%.

Tracy

[nelsonwinters]

Here's the Delegate List for South Dakota

http://www.southdakotagop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=7369

McCain's taking them all because he's the only one who got 20%.

Tracy

Thanks! I'll make sure to get them added to the database.

[skyorbit]

There SHould be a way of looking up their adresses I would think.

Tracy

[nelsonwinters]

There SHould be a way of looking up their adresses I would think.

Tracy

Are there any south Dakotans on here? If so, maybe you can reach out to the local meetup and find addresses for the delegates on the list.

[ronpaulhawaii]

Are there any south Dakotans on here? If so, maybe you can reach out to the local meetup and find addresses for the delegates on the list.

They come and go, perhaps a request post on their sub-forum with a link to this project?

[-lotus-]

you should offer the people the option of instead of the $2, they can get an actual copy of the DVD for themselves so they can show it to people.

[Crickett]

Dunno..but this is a great Idea and I donated enuf for 10 more people to be "hired" to watch..

[nelsonwinters]

Dunno..but this is a great Idea and I donated enuf for 10 more people to be "hired" to watch..

Crickett, your donation is very much appreciated! For an idea of what your donation accomplished, go to the following link and read TWENTY responses.

http://operationeducation.org/reports/rptResponses.cfm

Hopefully, you're not disappointed with the results.

[ronpaulhawaii]

Dunno..but this is a great Idea and I donated enuf for 10 more people to be "hired" to watch..

:cool::)

[nelsonwinters]

We were able to 'hire' 20 people for the amunt Cricket donated.

[ronpaulhawaii]

We were able to 'hire' 20 people for the amunt Cricket donated.

:cool:


http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb19/mkauai/rpeagle.jpg

[rpfan2008]

bump

[sratiug]

Yes, this is genius! Using their worthless fed notes to take down the evil banking cartel. Priceless.

It's like reflecting the Martian death ray with a mirror to destroy the invaders...

[ronpaulhawaii]

Yes, this is genius! Using their worthless fed notes to take down the evil banking cartel. Priceless.

It's like reflecting the Martian death ray with a mirror to destroy the invaders...

Grassroots Rocks

:D

[skyorbit]

Are there any south Dakotans on here? If so, maybe you can reach out to the local meetup and find addresses for the delegates on the list.

None of those names are in the meet-up group, because they're all McCain delegates.

Tracy

[ronpaulhawaii]

bump

[wgadget]

Big Cfl Bump

[wgadget]

In my opinion, Nelson's "Operation Education" is perfectly in line with some of the goals of Dr. Paul's new Campaign for Liberty. I hope the two have talked about expanding this great idea.

[mport1]

This is an excellent idea. Please don't use Freedom to Fascism though. There are much better things we can use to educate that people than that film which will turn many people off because of its over the top nature and conspiracy theories.

[mport1]

In my opinion, Nelson's "Operation Education" is perfectly in line with some of the goals of Dr. Paul's new Campaign for Liberty. I hope the two have talked about expanding this great idea.

Yes, if they could join forces so we could get more fundraising behind this it would be great.

[mport1]

bump

[Knightskye]

Bomp.

[nelsonwinters]

In my opinion, Nelson's "Operation Education" is perfectly in line with some of the goals of Dr. Paul's new Campaign for Liberty. I hope the two have talked about expanding this great idea.

I have reached out to them and will reach back out to them in a month or so when we're both further along with what we're trying to accomplish. Hopefully there wil be opportunities to work together to advance our common goal. Either way, I'm excited about both initiatives!

[skyorbit]

How are you coordinating with the Revolution by Mail people, to get copies of the Revolution to every RNC Delegate and Alternate?

Tracy

[raystone]

bump

[nelsonwinters]

How are you coordinating with the Revolution by Mail people, to get copies of the Revolution to every RNC Delegate and Alternate?

Tracy

Sorry Tracy... I didn't mean to ignore your question. First I'd like to clear up some confusion. Operation Education is a web site that is paying people to watch liberty-minded videos. Completely separate to that, I created a little adopt-a-delegate app that happens to be located on the Operation Education web site, but doesn't really have anything to do with Operation Education.

With that said, I have exchanged emails with someone over at RevolutionByMail and we need to see if it worth the effort to share our data (there's concerns regarding format of the data and integrity of the data. I've also been working with the dvds4delegates people.

[raystone]

Nelson - what ever happened with this great concept ?

[ronpaulforprez2008]

Very nice website. I'm curious what language of application-set you used to build it?