1. What is sustainability?
The United Nations formally defines the term “sustainable development” as:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Here at Caydoo, we see “sustainability” as a lifestyle choice for the present and future. It is how we can lead our day-to-days lives with what we already have. We will always consume and this will never change. But how we consume and how we make our lifestyle choices are key to being sustainable. With resources dwindling and there being more and more of us on the planet, living sustainability soon won’t be niche, it will be normal.
2. What can I do?
The simple, short answer is: Whatever you want!
We have created this platform to be the first port of call for all things to do with sustainability. By virtue of the fact that you are reading this, you have demonstrated a desire to want to either change the way you consume, or share ways to do this with others across the planet. It is up to each and every one of us to decide how they go about this. It is not about chastising those around us that could do better, but to rather help and educate in a way which brings us all together to affect change on a global scale.
So what can you do? Whatever you are able to. Whether this means joining local community groups to help those close by; blogging about what you already do to educate and inform people everywhere; becoming active within existing organisations to aid their specific goals; or to promote your business’s sustainable credentials to your clientele, the choice is up to you.
3. Where does the name come from?
After literally brainstorming for 8 months with over 3000 potential names rejected, we settled on Caydoo (pronounced kee-doo if you weren’t too sure). It derives from a coral cay, a land mass formed from biological waste and sediment that has been deposited over time thanks to currents in a reef ecosystem. A more thorough definition can be found on Wikipedia.
We like to think that this process of creation from waste epitomises the values of sustainable living. Whilst not necessarily solely focusing on recycling, we all need to consider not only where our consumables come from and how they’re made, but also what we do with them after they’ve been used (ie. where do they go?).
And if you were wondering about the “doo” bit, we weren’t going to call the site “Caydont”, were we??
4. Can I invite my friends?
Of course you can! The more the merrier we say. What we haven’t done is make a distinction between “friends” and “peers”. By virtue of them being your friends, they will probably have similar views to your own. And if they don’t, then it’s up to you to explain to them why you feel the way you do.
At the time of launch, we have only a simple email invitation process, but we do have plans to make importing your address book contacts easily in the very near future.
5. What is a peer?
On Caydoo, a peer is anyone that thinks the same way you do. It is a person that has the same interests, desires or goals as you. As opposed to a “friend”, a “peer” should be seen as someone that can be considered like-minded. Don’t be afraid to ask people you don’t know to become their peer. We simply ask that you respect other people’s privacy and not request their “peerage” unless you see a tangible benefit to both yourself and the person in question.
6. Can others see where I live?
No, not unless you want them to. By default, this setting will always be turned off. We can envisage some people wanting to show others their general vicinity so we have allowed this to be changeable. Once again, it comes down to what you want to share.
Caydoo will never share your location with anyone at all. We take the privacy of our members very seriously and will do everything in our power to protect our members’ basic web rights.
7. What sort of information should I be sharing on Caydoo?
Our whole approach here at Caydoo is to help. We have spent a great deal of time creating this site to facilitate the collaboration of individuals and organisations with the common goal of promoting and fostering sustainable beliefs. Our members should always be aware that unless they are commenting in a private or secret group, all of their postings will be viewable by the wider internet community.
At all times, we ask that members respect their fellow peers, whether they be the chap down the road or a large printing company. The simple fact that a member has joined Caydoo is evidence enough to us here that they are wanting to engage with the sustainable community. If you do find the need to critisise, please do so in a thoughtful and constructive manner.
We do reserve the right at any time to remove a member for abusive and/or slanderous language. And of course, if you partake in any illegalities, we will gladly pass on your details to the relevant authorities. Having said that, we will take all reasonable steps to avoid these drastic actions before the need arises. If in doubt, please have a read through our user friendly terms and conditions.
8. How do I upload pictures or videos to Caydoo?
To begin with, we will not be hosting user media as we simply don’t have the funds to make this possible. Video especially uses a tonne of bandwidth and storage which we cannot accommodate at this foetal stage.
Instead, we will allow our members to embed images/video from a wide variety of third party vendors. You will need to create an account with a site such as YouTube or Flickr if you don’t already have one. You will then be able to post this content straight into Caydoo. We do have plans to incorporate this into the site fully at a later date.
9. What happens to my personal data?
This has become an incredibly important topic across the internet as a whole, and especially in relation to social media. Caydoo is committed to protecting the privacy and general information of all of its members. We will NEVER share your personal data with any third party for any reason whatsoever. We will take all reasonable means to keep your data secure from hackers and other malicious activities.
With regards to advertising, we are looking into a few options, however all future decisions will be discussed openly within the public forums. For the forseeable future, we will be partnering with brands that we consider reflect our sustainable beliefs so the only personal information that we will access is your country in order for the ads to have relevance.
10. What is the Caydoo Trust, and when does it kick off?
The Caydoo Trust sits alongside the core social platform and has only one central job to perform. That is, to provide a place where groups can apply for funding to further their local sustainable initiatives. A percentage of the revenue from the dotcom will go straight into the Trust in order to keep it ticking over.
At the time of writing, we are working closely with our lawyers and accountants to create a charitable trust that will fulfill this brief. We are also formulating a simple set of minimum criteria that all groups must meet in order for them to be considered. This is not going to be for our launch and testing phase, but we do hope to have it up and running before the end of 2011.
