xigi.net

about xigi

frequently asked questions

What and why?...

Q. What is xigi?
Q. How is xigi different from other sites?
Q. Why would I use xigi?
Q. I'm part of an organization seeking funding; how would I use xigi?
Q. I'm a new social investor; how would I use xigi?
Q. It's useful to see other organizations and projects, but how does it benefit my organization to put ourselves in here?
Q. I'm worried about the confidentiality of my company's data in xigi; why would we publish it on the web?
Q. What are xigi's security procedures? ... it seems like anyone can edit anything.
Q. I love it!... what can I do to help?

How to?...

Q. How do I register for an account?
Q. How do I log in?
Q. How do I enter data in the database?
Q. My organization is entered, but the data is wrong; how do I edit it?
Q. My name or organization is listed twice; how can I fix it?
Q. I don't see the "Edit" and "Add New" buttons you're talking about; what's going on?
Q. How do I write a blog entry?
Q. How do I make a link when I'm writing a blog entry?
Q. How do I put a picture in a blog entry?
Q. How can I contribute to xigi?
Q. What's an entity?
 
Q. What is xigi?
A. Xigi ("ziggy") is a discovery platform, a place we are creating as a community we can all learn about the emerging capital market that invests private debt and equity in enterprises that create good for people and the planet. It's an interactive, searchable database for information about people, organizations and investment offerings in social enterprise, microfinance, housing, fair trade, cleantech, nonprofit facilities and many other sectors. Xigi is a nonprofit creative commons: a volunteer-driven resource by and for this emerging community.
Q. How is xigi different from other sites?
A. While there are other databases out there, what makes xigi unique is that it combines the structured format of a market database with an unstructured place for conversations and discussion through the blog: you can read about -- or write about -- the organizations, projects or players in this space, or about trends and ideas in the market. This group blog is interlinked with the database. It's also different because it knows it's not the answer, but wants to connect the collective intelligence in the community that has or can find the answer.
Q. Why would I use xigi?
A. Xigi enables research and discovery in this nascent capital market, so people can figure out what's going on, where they fit in, and how other people are thinking about this new investment category. These tools enable investors and entrepreneurs trying to raise funding in this space to research the organizations, the people and the market offerings they need to know about. It is the first step on the path toward efficient research on comparables, market size, market growth -- the indicators that are crucial when money is starting to flow into a new market. Xigi is not at this point a source for those metrics, but you can't get to those yardsticks until you know who's doing what, what they call it, how they value it, how they're trying to sell it, what messages they're sending out, and what's the success and failure of those messages.
Q. I'm part of an organization seeking funding; how would I use xigi?
A. Xigi provides competitive research: you can find out what other companies are out there that might be your competition, or your partner, and how are they getting funded? Who's funding them? What messages resonated with which investors? And maybe, what is the structure of the funding?
Q. I'm a new social investor; how would I use xigi?
A. Xigi is a source for investment research and collaboration. Let's say you want to start investing in enterprises that help civil society via independent media, but you don't know the space deeply yet. You want to either build a small yet diversified portfolio of for profit and nonprofit groups, or you want to co-invest with other more experienced and credible investors. Xigi can help you learn the landscape, seeing both the deals that other people have done and the potential co-investors you want to connect with.
Q. It's useful to see other organizations and projects, but how does it benefit my organization to put ourselves in here?
A. The more accurately you describe your organizations and projects the easier it is for others in the field to find you for partnerships, alliances, employment, an much more.
Q. I'm worried about the confidentiality of my company's data in xigi; why would we publish it on the web?
A. You can enter useful information about your projects and deals without disclosing confidential financial details. The information we've entered in xigi comes from web sites and other publicly available sources.
Q. What are xigi's security procedures? ... it seems like anyone can edit anything.
A. We're in beta now, with a trusted list of invited users who are able to edit. When we launch to the general public, we'll have levels of users with different privileges; not everyone will be able to edit. We trust the community to not be malicious -- but we also can always roll back to previous versions of entries, and can revoke editing privileges from any user who doesn't respect the system. to report any problems.
Q. I love it!... what can I do to help?
A. Xigi is created and supported by the community. You can help in several ways:
  • Register for an account if you don't have one already
  • Enter yourself and your organization into the xigi database (search first to see if you're already there)
  • Write a blog post to introduce your organization or to discuss a trend you're excited about in this space
  • Contribute to the ongoing discussions by commenting on other people's blog posts
  • Tell your friends and colleagues in the space; blog about xigi on other related sites
  • Support xigi by making a contribution
  • about partnering opportunities
Q. How do I register for an account?
A. Click "log in" at the right end of the top gray bar. Click "new user". Fill in the requested fields and click "Register".
Q. How do I log in?
A. If you've already registered, just click "log in" at the right end of the top gray bar. Type your username and password (if you check the "remember me" box, you won't have to type them again). Click "log in".
Q. How do I enter data in the database?
A. You have to be logged in to edit data. On the menu panel at the left, click "entities", "people", or "offerings" to see what's already in the database. (What's an "entity"?) Click "add new entity" (or person, etc.). Fill in as many of the fields as you want, and click "save".
Q. My organization is entered, but the data is wrong; how do I edit it?
A. You have to be logged in to edit data. On the record you want to edit, click "edit". Make the changes you need to, then be sure to click "save".
Q. My name or organization is listed twice; how can I fix it?
A. For security reasons, users can't delete database entries. Please and tell us the URL of the entry that should be removed. We're working on better algorithms to prevent data duplication, but we don't catch alternate spellings or typos.
Q. I don't see the "edit" and "add new" buttons you're talking about; what's going on?
A. You're probably not logged in. Once you're logged in, you should see them.
Q. How do I write a blog entry?
A. Click "write post" on the top gray bar. Don't worry that it doesn't look like xigi any more -- WordPress hosts our blog. The formatting options on this page are straighforward. To get back to xigi, click the "View site" link at the top left. Note: please enter any people or organizations you want to talk about into the database first, so you can link to them in your entry.
Q. How do I make a link when I'm writing a blog entry?
A. On the WordPress "write post" page (see above), highlight the text you want to be a link, then click the little chain icon in the formatting bar above the text box. Type the url to link to, and the title (which appears in a tool-tip box when the pointer is over the link) in the box that comes up. Note: please link to the xigi database listing rather than the external website or email (which is shown in the database listing); this way we can add other data and links creating a rich information network around the entity or person in xigi.
Q. How do I put a picture in a blog entry?
A. On the WordPress "write post" page (see above), you can insert a graphic that's already online somewhere by clicking the tree icon in the formatting bar above the text box. You can also attach files by following the directions on the lower half of the page.)
Q. How can I contribute to xigi?
A. Here are three ways you can help (thanks!):
  1. You can make a direct, tax-deductible contribution through the Network For Good, by clicking the "Donate Now" button at the bottom of the left menu panel. (Xigi's fiscal sponsor is the Calvert Social Investment Foundation; please designate "xigi" in the box provided.)
  2. You (or your organization) can send us a check (no amount is too small -- or too large!) at:
    XIGI
    2601 Mission Street, Suite 400B
    San Francisco, CA 94110
  3. You can contact us about partnership opportunities or other ways to help.
Q. What's an entity?
A. We used the term "entity" to refer to organizations and people on all sides of the donation equation: foundations, social venture funds, or community development funds who have money to invest; non profits, social enterprises, or fair trade companies in need of funds; and brokers, intermediaries or consultants who go between them. (If you can think of a better term that encompasses all this, please tell us!)