This was a comment that I just posted to the Ning Network that Matt Cheney set up for the Alternative MBA program that Seth Godin is offering this winter in New York. Check it out and tell someone you know that would be good for it. Here’s the links:
http://alternativemba.ning.com/forum/topics/financing-how-are-you-coming
And here’s the comment I left. Thanks!
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Like the rest of you, a lot of thoughts concerning the real world financing of this apprenticeship has been coursing through my head as well. Being an online developer with a wide range of experiences, my creativity tends to run in all things web/Internet related. Here’s a series of thoughts that just might help more than one (or four) of us:
1. Most all of us applying have online presence. Either with our own blogs, web sites, various social media presence, etc. This all translates to advertising inventory.
2. We all know at minimum, 150 other people closely. Likely into the 1000’s as it relates to online social contacts.
3. Whether you get chosen as an apprentice or not, clearly you are interested in seeing Seth’s program succeed and the participants be able to make it to and through. So, what if,
4. Everyone in this Ning network, and all those that are applying (or should apply 
) agreed to “donate” ad units to the “cause”? Again, those ad units could be on your own sites/blogs or others you have control/influence with. Personally, I run a server and host sites for family and friends all the time. I alone (and I am sure I am not alone in this aspect) have roughly a dozen or so sites that have tons of ad inventory that could be donated.
5. Administering something like this would be as easy as setting up an install of OpenX ad server and the code to place ad units across this Tribe of Alternate-MBA supporters would be easy to install.
6. Next, all of us would not only place ad units in the sites they influence, but also make the pitch to those friends, family and associates that have online sites/presence. “Hey, could you put up one more ad unit on your site? This is the cause, why its important, and what you’ll get out of it” (and what they would get is exposure into the ad network we’re creating here, for a very reasonable rate”
7. Finally, anyone that was interested in supporting the cause could purchase some display ads, and have them appear across this network we’re proposing.
Clearly, for something like this to work a lot of transparency would be required. The “recipients” would need to be open about their needs, costs associated, etc. But this could all be set up online and administered there. The operation could almost act as a foundation that provided grants to the participants that needed assistance with the necessities associated with participation.
What do those that do not get chosen to participate get out of helping with this proposed financial aid (if you will)? My hopes will be that the actual folks chosen as apprentices will be very open and communicative of what is happening during the 6 months. With the understanding that Seth has already indicated he doesn’t want to set up a telecommute scenario, and there will likely be certain bits of info he’ll not want made public, there will still be a lot that the participants should be able to share with the rest of us.
And to me, that would be worth the effort of setting all this up in order to help them make it to and through Seth Godin’s Alternate MBA program!
