Guesthouse Talk:Shunpiker Guest House Mission Statement

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As an exercise, I tried to link Todd's "Keywords" into Tim's first draft of the mission statement. There were two outliers:

• Community -- I'm not sure exactly how we are using this keyword, so I wasn't sure where to link it in the mission statement, though there seemed to be a couple of likely places.
• Sustainability -- I couldn't find anywhere to link this concept in the mission statement. We may want to find a way to integrate this idea.

-- Riley 17:01, 27 February 2006 (GMT)

Fat

Well that's a start. I suppose the Mission Statement is the place to be a bit grandiose, but I'm not sure if it's helpful to wrap it in too much descriptive "fat" (as my journalism teacher used to say.) I'm not going to dare any constructive surgery on it now, but here's some thoughts:

I think it might be wise to use some basic journalistic principle and begin with some larger concrete things before we drown the reader in our dream. It's a matter of instilling confidence quickly. I know it's not the business plan, but we don't want to lose our reader.

If I was reading this, and didn't know anything about the Shunpiker, I'd want to know a little more than "It's gonna be reallly, reallly, reallly groovy". I mean, we can wish that the Shunpiker be a place "to exchange ideas", but what's going to make our hotel more condussive to that than the Luna Magica, for instance. OR am I missing the point of a Mission Statement? I know it's just a draft...

We might briefly make a mention of the dual structure of the Shunpiker, its Hotel and its Foundation. Also, why don't we have a seperate page for the Foundation? hmmm, ok I'll start one: The Shunpiker Foundation. What are more illustrative ideas about the community, the village. I don't think we can underestimate how important the foundation is for propaganda.

It might be helpful to list a couple of the ingredients of the keywords. I wrote a bit on the discussion page of the Keywords which is a start.

Todd 12:14, 28 February 2006 (GMT)

Getting better all the time

Strange, but now that I read it again it all seems more coherent. Did someone change it? Or am I jsut in a better mood?

I would suggest that the following paragraph be subsumed in other more informative paragraphs. I myself am a bit allergic to --forgive me-- truisms such as "life is an adventure to be celebrated":

The Shunpiker is a collaborative effort. It will be the result of the creative energies of many people. But everyone involved shares a common understanding; life is an adventure to be celebrated, not a race to be won. It is this spirit of authenticity which will animate the project.

some proposed phrases:

• The collaborative spirit of the Shunpiker will not end after its construction, but will continue with the interaction between the guests and the Shunpiker foundation. We will give guests the opportunity to contribute to the local community, and to receive what the community has to offer.

• The Shunpiker seeks to help guests see beyond a world of waste and consumerism, and leave them with an impression of authenticity and relevance.

• The Shunpiker will be built according to the principles of Appropriate Architecture as practiced by a number of progressive Indian architects. This might include a green roof, a traditional step cistern, compressed earth blocks, passive cooling, and more, while paying homage to traditional Indian forms, such as vaults and arches. This will leave the guest with a notion of Sustainability and Authenticity and distinguish the Shunpiker from the run-of-the-mill concrete hostel.

I find it's really hard not to be florid, so I hope that someone else can trim the fat from my phrases.

Todd 13:11, 28 February 2006 (GMT)

Contest: "Life is a __________ to be __________."

Yes, that line is a bit much.

I found an old notebook I kept in Bangkok in 2001. In the margins of an early sketch of the Shunpiker I had written, "I can't do this alone." I have a tendancy to drift off sometimes, and need to be reeled in a bit. Luckily I have smart friends around me who know when to do this.

I am going to send the mission statement, Todd's suggestions and concrete details to my good friend Jim L. He is a creative, funny guy who is working in public relations. He also has little patience for preciousness of the "Life is an adventure..." variety, and can be trusted to be a ruthless editor. Then I will send the results to Charles W. Charles is a gifted writer who will be able to shape it up and make it shine.

We'll see what comes out of this process. It will at least give us something concrete to work with at the meeting in India.

--Tim 10:10, 24 March 2006 (GMT)