The basic idea

Pause everything and just keep the website alive while money is raised to do something Ambitious. (See the Ambitious Projects for possibilities.)

1) What are the main things we would do, if we chose this option?

We would continue to employ Emma Sangster to maintain the PN website. If there were volunteers who were willing to write news and/or commentary, this could be posted to the site.

2) What are the main needs the project is serving?

Keeping the PN website safe and secure in case it is useful in the next phase of PN’s life.

3) What is the hole that this project is filling? (Are we sure somebody else isn’t already doing this? How much would we be adding?)

This is a not-doing-anything-much-just-keeping-the-website-safe option, keeping PN in a holding pattern while we see if a big grant can be raised for something exciting. It’s avoiding a hole being created by the disappearance/erosion/destruction of the PN website.

4) How would we define the ‘success’ of this project?

If the website remained safe and secure until either funding was found for the chosen Ambitious Project or until a new decision was made about what to do.

5) What are some of the main pros and cons of adopting this option?

This is a cheap-as-chips option, which means we could save some money for future activity. On the other hand, subscribers and supporters would forget about us and lose interest in us if there was nothing new happening on the website and, especially, in print.

6) How does what is happening in the world, right now and over the next five years or so, support or work against the success of this project?

Not relevant.

7) Which kind(s) of people is the project focused on/prioritising?

Not relevant.

8) Which organised group(s) could we partner with to help deliver this project?

Not relevant.

9) What skills/qualities/experience will be needed to deliver this project?

Web skills, in particular Drupal, and intimate knowledge of the PN website. Emma!

10) What seems to be the minimum budget needed to deliver this project?

The current web worker’s pay (there might be fewer hours; maybe £5k a year); some consultant costs to deal with remaining issues from the last Drupal update/transition (maybe £5k one-off) and basic technology/hosting costs (maybe £1.5k a year).