it appears that the intention certainly is for the current forum to act as a filter for what will then get backed and floated in the Lab's forum. How this process will work effectively and in a fair and operational sense in a forum environment is certainly a challenge and certainly some forum tools might be required to help facilitate the process.

It is all a bit of an unknown at the moment, but this is just the beginning of the journey and I am sure as Mike said, if the Moderators can get some airtime with the forum developers/creators then all for the better in achieving the goal.

You put this very well Chris. I would go a step further. I do not think the exchange of information should be restricted to a conversation between moderators and developers. This process should in my view be an open exchange between the community (all those who sign up to this public forum and wish to participate with feedback about the site and project) and the LM1 team and web developers. I believe broad engagement is an integral and necessary part of building a community. I assume the developers are reviewing the website feedback topic and forum on a daily basis. If they aren't, they should be as for this project, this and participating in the dialog is very much part of the job.

New visitors to a site as well as those frequent members all have a different point of view. Listening to and learning from those views is invaluable. It is all too easy when developing web sites in a closed in-house environment to mistakenly assume solutions will work well with a community of visitors and users. The more extensive the user testing, and the more inclusive the testing environment, the better the solution.

The site is the critical core component to making this whole project function. Without it the project cannot engage with its community, publish and disseminate information, nor generate revenue. As such, all the elements of the site have to work superbly. Moving forward, I hope the same principle of community engagement will also apply for other interactive digital contexts (Apps, games, software, ePublications etc.).

Active engagement with the community is a crucial element of this project:

lunarmissionone.com/index.php/Lunar-Miss...ne/you-involved.html

"...any contribution you make will help to make this project grow and become a reality..."

I couldn't agree more.

I've been considering the difference in purpose of a public and private space: the public forum could be the place of interaction where the community at large provide feedback, and comment on all aspects of the project. It is also a place where the community meet and communicate more generally. In contrast, the Labs is the private place where LM1 Members help build the project - it is essentially a development environment and therefore focused on seeking solutions to a challenge of one kind or another. Contributions to the Labs would be strategic, technical, or practical. In summary everything I've said here is summed up in a quote from Lunar Mission One...:

lunarmissionone.com/index.php/Community/...te-and-innovate.html

"...how we innovate: with Everyone and Anyone..."

Hi Mike, thanks and I fully agree. Collaboration and engagement is what makes this whole venture so special. I am sure that going forward we will work out the best way to ensure the forum and labs work together in the development of ideas form the forum.

Onward and upwards, one step at a time

I don't know why but this SUBJECT line hit me....Hints for 'NEW' FORUM MEMBERS

And the last posting to this particular one was 2 years & 2 months ago!!!

Well ok, we know LUNAR MISSION ONE has shifted over to FACEBOOK now with it's official website (can u believe I actually joined up but not for LM1 but to get back in contact with some OLD FRIENDS I noticed there, OTHERS are no where to be seen I guess OUR GENERATION is still trying to get to grips with strange texting everyday or other day, or with some every hour )

But I do WONDER just how many more members (OFFICIALLY) LM1 now has, there was a place here that had the number but for now I can't find it?

Is it still around the 7,300 mark? if so that's pretty SAD isn't it?

I have NOTED that even on the FACEBOOK PAGE the earlier & yes fun members that used to post on kick starter & here for the first 6 months or so are still no where to be seen....I WONDER IF THEY HAVE GIVEN UP ON THIS PROJECT?

For it will SURELY require something impressive probably from a BIG COMPANY to get this off the ground.

We took the risk but it would be oh so sad if we got NOTHING to show for it...hopefully that piggy back idea might yet run which might get DATA up there? but what of the planned DNA we hoped & paid to see on the MOON?
To me that was a MAJOR PLUS for signing up...my father is not getting any younger (SADLY) and so although a PRESENT for him I LOVED the idea of looking up to that ALIEN MOONBASE / SPACE STATION....Sorry!!!!! I mean MOON and saying "Hi DAD" with his DNA up there.

I still can't believe they couldn't SOMEHOW????? make this IDEA WORK...it surely WOULD APPEAL too MANY (NOT just the SPACE fans!)

Well i'm ALWAYS hopeful & have NOT given up on LM1 until OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED so, perhaps they will yet pull a RABBIT out of the HAT for ALL US ORIGINAL BACKERS & that will LEAD to HUGE NUMBERS being added here (or rather over on Facebook)

Watch out LM1 I may well head over there for a POSTING eventually

And I might not be able to HELP MYSELF in bringing ALL THESE WONDERFUL THINGS DISCOVERED but kept in the SHADOWS to the masses!
In reality i'll probably keep posts simply with regards to SPACE & LM1 and not these OTHER STRANGE & WONDERFUL THINGS no one else believes? i'll leave those postings to this 'cult' audience

COME ON LUNAR MISSION ONE....You can DO IT!!!