In December, I took a little cross-country drive to narrow down our location for Construct Zero.

Along the way I had a pretty major epiphany that we turned into a new Simpleology course. This video explains ...

In addition to the personal growth I experienced, I discovered a number of other (equally exciting) things along the way ...

1. I Created a False-Constraint: "One Location"

At first I believed that all of Construct Zero needed to exist in one single location.

Yes, the reasons for moving away from "virtual" operations are still quite valid. Namely, despite the giddy adoption of overseas outsourcing these days, business is far more efficient when run locally. The constraints of running a business across multiple locations and time zones are very real. (see point 2 below)

However, the missions of ConstructZero.ORG and ConstructZero.COM are really distinctly separate. In fact, keeping the two separate is a good idea for many reasons.

So, my search for the "perfect city" is over.

(Sorry, Houston ... It didn't work out.)

2. Grouping by Function

The biggest problem one finds working across time-zones is the approval process.

Consider this scenario:

Step 1. Team member A submits work at 8PM your time

Step 2. You review it the next morning during your normal work hours

Step 3. You reply with some edits

Step 4. They re-submit their work at 8PM your time

Step 5. You review it the next morning during your work hours ...

Step 6. And so on ...

Three simple revisions then burn up three days of time.

More complex projects are stretched out to infinity.

So, what I am considering now is ensuring that any work in our organization is governed by a local approval process.

ConstructZero.ORG will be mostly autonomous, as will .COM

Any teams we create overseas we'll likely begin grouping similarly: by function and by approval.

These seem like minor distinctions. They're not. That is ... If you want to get anything done. (You guessed it: we do.)

3. The Holy Triumvirate of Locales (SF Bay Area - Austin - NYC)

When I realized that I could (and should) spread things out across multiple locations, the problem became far less complex.

ConstructZero.ORG - being non-profit in nature - can now be run anywhere. The tax consequences no longer matter.

So, where then does one find the scientists and engineers we'll need to realize the vision of DC3D?

Open challenge to anyone ... Disprove this statement: the San Francisco Bay Area has a higher concentration of scientists and engineers than any other place on the planet.

Why work to convince them to come to us, when we can just show up on their doorstep?

What about ConstructZero.COM?

For a business, Austin is a hard place to beat. It's hip, it's metropolitan, and it's experiencing a tech-renaissance. No, it ain't Silicon Valley - and likely won't ever be - but it's getting there. And it has the benefit of the low-tax pro-business sensibilities of Texas.

All it needs is better access via air and it would be perfect. (Hey, rail-tech might make this constraint obsolete in a decade or so anyway ...)

Finally, we'll be setting up a satellite office in New York City for marketing and PR operations.

But let me just say this ... after driving across the States one thing is clear: anyone who thinks "America is over" has another thing coming. The entrepreneurial drive, and thirst for freedom, of the people here is as inspiring as ever. Yes, many of us feel let down by our government. Yes, some people are demoralized by the media's "you are in a recession" brainwashing. But the people here want prosperity and peace. They are working their tails off to get it. And they will.

4. What's Next?

I'm currently hunkered down in San Francisco so we can find the perfect location for .ORG

Meanwhile our new executive team is amazing me daily with their speed and brilliance.

The final locations may change, and our plans may require some tuning, but the vision is still quite clear and moving ahead rapidly.

So, is it in the bag?

Not hardly.

Make no mistake - this is going to require the talents of thousands of people, require possibly billions of dollars, and require everyone on my team to step up their game to a whole new level (including me).

And that's what we're going to do - having a helluva lot of fun along the way :-)

ConstructZero.ORG and ConstructZero.COM need a home.

(reference: Construct Zero)

Up to this point we've been running the organizations almost entirely virtually. We have staff all over the world. That works suprisingly wonderfully, but it has its disadvantages - and we can't very well conduct scientific research on the scale we're planning via the Internet.

Moving forward, we need to select a location for the corpororate HQ that will be very close to the research center.

Criteria:

- large (50 to 100 acres), developable, flat land plots easily attainable within 20 miles of the city, preferably connected by a direct highway

- a truly metropolitan city with a rich culture of arts and entertainment

- at least two universities

- a major air hub (so people don't have to take connecting flights)

- temperate climate (we'll accept a bit of heat - we won't accept freezing cold)

- responsible citizenry and government (we don't want to live in a city where people don't care enough to keep it clean and beautiful)

- in the USA (we're more likely to get the diversity of talents we need here)

- favorable tax regime

- housing and land must be relatively inexpensive

- a government that is pro-business and unlikely to hinder our activities with undue scrutiny or regulation

Yes, yes, some will say I'm looking for a Utopia that won't be found this side of Galt's Gulch, but why not ask for everything you want?

Now, here's what's really surprising ...

We loaded all of these criteria into a matrix and you know what we found?

Houston.

Houston?

Well, it surprisingly seems to fit these criteria. Who would have guessed? It's the 4th largest city in the USA and seems to be what we're looking for.

The problem is, I've never been there.

So, I'm putting the question to you.

Can you suggest another city?

Or, if you've been to Houston, what do you think?

(Other cities we've considered of particular interest: San Diego - ruled out because of the tax system in California and the cost of land, Las Vegas - lowered in consideration because of freezing winters, Austin - ruled out because it's not an airline hub.)

Can Twitter be used to trigger spontaneous social change?

That's what I'm trying to find out. Here is a new experiment I just conducted and my "observations from the front" thus far.

(This is a follow up to my earlier experiment outlined in Twitter: the Psychotherapeutic Tool.)

First, a little background ...

It's relatively easy to increase the C-Rate of an information-virus with any of the following methods:

• spreading bad news or sniping at people
• creating false epidemics or catastrophe
• causing undue worry or fear

But is this a good idea? Well, if your only measure of a "good idea" is "does it work" then you bet. If, however, you want to take a bit of responsibility for the impact your words have on people, then maybe not ...

Side note: many marketers not only deliberately weave those elements into their marketing to increase its effectiveness, but advise others to do so as well. How about we stop that?

It's not hard to understand why negativity tends to have a higher C-Rate (rate of viral transmission) than positivity: if something threatens you, it's of more immediate importance than something that "could be useful."

Which story are you going to read first?

• Tornado warning.
• How to make your kids smarter.

And which one are you more likely to pass on to your friends? Of course the tornado warning because you want your friends to be safe.

"So, all you have to do is give your message the importance of a tornado warning and you're golden!"

OK, but is this the world we want to live in? Where everyone is running around in a constant state of stress and fear?

It would seem that we're all participating in the fear fest. Marketers, politicians, and reporters create false fear to hypnotize us into a receptive and docile state. The recipients of these messages accept them without filter and willingly pass them on.

What if we stopped participating in that process?

What if instead we decided to stop spreading messages that ...

• tear people down
• rant
• complain
• hate
• gossip
• spread rumors

.... and instead spread messages that focused on the things we want?

Why not, instead of complaining about the people who are behaving in a way we don't like, notice and praise the people we admire?

Now, I'm not saying "ignore evil and it will go away." Sometimes that works, but not always. There is a time and place for shining a light on darkness as well. But instead of freaking out and dwelling on it, let's simply present the facts and move on. Then begin giving our attention and support to people who are actively engaged in making the world better.

So, this brings us to my latest experiment ...

Can we trigger this positive temperament in the minds of others?

The "I love you" experiment was great, but this time I wanted to go a little further. Instead of just triggering a sense of euphoria and happiness (which is useful in its own right) I wanted to get people consciously thinking about peace.

It started out with a rather overt attempt that was re-Tweeted 20 times:

Let's see how many people on twitter we can get 2 think about peace at the same time. Go! pls RT (pass it on)

Since I'm using ping.fm to simultaneously broadcast my tweets to my Facebook account, I got a bit of feedback about it on my fan site.

Thom Quinn an entrepreneur who just read The Irresistible Offer handed some of my own advice back to me ...

Try again on Monday, not Follow Friday. I'd re-craft the 140 characters as well to make it an irresistible offer to promote peace on twitter. Perhaps we should start "Twitter Peace Day" and try to generate support so a million people talk about peace on a single day.

I then tried this approach which was re-Tweeted around 30 times ...

Today is tweeting for peace day. Pass it on.

And then this approach which as of today has spread in various forms 200+ times and is still going ...

@reply this to 3 people - it's tweet for peace day - I love you - pass it on #tweet4peaceday

Why was the last approach 10 times more successful? Several things, but here are a few to notice ...

First, asking people to send it as an "@ reply" made it more likely to catch people's attention. The chances of a single tweet being seen at all are quite low. This is especially true for those who are following many people. If you send your tweet as an "@ reply" it will almost certainly be seen by them as they check their replies. (Of course we're more interested in a reply directed to us than in a random tweet in the tweet-stream.)

Next, the #tweet4peaceday hash tag gave it an air of officiality. Is there a "tweet for peace day?" There wasn't before Thom and I made it up. (Heavy truth to ponder: everything "official" and important was once "made up" by someone like you.)

Finally, the trend was championed by two avid Tweeters: Realestatetips8 and Iconic88. (Nice work, guys.)

How far will this one go? No one can know ... What kind of impact will it have? Equally impossible to predict.

While the future of this experiment is uncertain, I like the idea of enrolling people in the task of actively altering people's consciousness for the better. Maybe someone reading this blog will spread the campaign further. Maybe they'll start thinking about the impact of their words on others - on Twitter and in person.

Maybe that someone is you.

Related links:

Twitter as a Marketing Tool

The Rise of the Author

Follow Me on Twitter

Follow Me on Facebook

As the Construct Zero organization grows, more opportunities for more people are arising.

Presently we have the opportunity for two immediate positions:

Director of Marketing
You'll oversee the entire marketing program for all of our different companies. The scope of this role would increase dramatically over time.

Product Launch Coordinator
You'll coordinate all of our product launches. Over time you'd be in charge of multiple product launches across many vertical markets.

Location: anywhere.

Your compensation: during your first month or two you will only be compensated by the training and experience you'd earn. I ask $5,000 an hour for consultations - you'd be working closely with me every day for the first two months. After that a generous compensation package (to include profit sharing) would be negotiated.

You'll be reporting directly to our CEO and COO, but would be trained personally by me during the first two months.

If you're serious about working with a company that is changing the world, have the skills we need, and are committed to a long term contract, please contact Teresa immediately at: teresa AT markjoyner DOT name.

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After several years of planning and preparation, Construct Zero is now fully under way:

http://www.ConstructZero.ORG

"Mark Joyner, Inc." is no more and has been replaced by Construct Zero (of which I am remaining on as Chairman and CEO).

If you are a fan of the original Construct Zero document that started it all, you'll see immediately how this will begin to actualize the ideas presented there.

This is a new type of organization.

It is a philanthropic research center (www.ConstructZero.ORG), the funds for which will be provided by a sister commercial technology incubator (www.ConstructZero.COM), supported by a global social network (www.ConstructZero.NET).

We are now hiring in the following areas:

Executives
Managers
Marketing an Advertising Professionals (All Disciplines)
Scientists (All Disciplines)
Engineers (All Types)
Inventors

The people in our organization are upbeat, and energetic professionals. If that's you, send your resume and video cover letter to anne@markjoyner.name

Even if you don't work at our research center or technology incubator directly you can still get involved by joining our social network and sharing ideas.

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On the 4th 10th of February I'll be launching a new company: Codename: "GG."

In the process, I'd like to make you famous.

Do you think you're an Internet wiz?

Well bucko, let's put you to the test and find out ...

Step 1: Shoot a 2 to 3 Minute Video

Answer this question in the video:

"If you could give people one piece of advice to boost sales on their website, what would it be?"

Keep the location of the video secret.

Step 2: DM or @Reply Me the Link to Your Video Via Twitter

I'm on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/markjoyner

Step 3: Get Famous - Maybe

The best answers will be getting some serious exposure as we build up to this historic launch.

A service like this does not yet exist - and it will have huge ripple effects throughout the Internet. It's a game changer.

ADDENDUM: To watch the launch of this new company unfold please visit: http://www.codenameGG.com