By default, when you register for a user account on the Initiative website, you gain access to users-only sections of the site such as areas of the message board, and you also gain access to the project file repository so you can download project information, diagrams, and instructions.

However, this isn't all there is to the initiative...

Once you become a user, you have the opportunity to take the next step and become a collaborator. As a collaborator, you can participate in discussions with contributors and help shape project development. Collaborators act as extra eyes, hearts, and minds, and are encouraged to help flesh out issues that might be missed during the development process. As a collaborator, you can discuss your ideas on projects directly with the people that will be making those projects work. And in return, the contributors for each project have the ability to credit collaborators who proved invaluable, and through this can show the world who was instrumental in helping convert mere ideas into tested working plans.

If that's not enough, if you have the technical expertise to contribute directly to a project's development, and if you want to participate directly in the development process, you can become a contributor. Contributors not only work directly with projects and the plans and data relating to them, they are also eligible for royalties for their contributions should any project they helped with see commercial application. Yep, that's right, contributors get paid for projects that become products.

Both collaborators and contributors are also tapped to participate in the steering committees that manage project development by category and area of influence. So, not only can you help shape an individual project, you can help shape them all!

 

By now you may be asking, "So, what do I need to do to become a collaborator or contributor?"

To become a Collaborator or Contributor, first become a user if you haven't already done so. Then, simply read this page and follow its instructions to become a Collaborator.

For Contributors, there's one extra step to discuss: a contract. Because collaborators and contributors will have specific legal rights and requirements and a specific agreement with OSAEI regarding their activities on the Initiative website, we require a signed contract between OSAEI and each person that wishes to take their involvement to the next level. The procedure is simple:

1. Print out the contract relevant to what you'd like to do. More to the point, be sure to print two copies - the reason for this will be evident in a moment.
2. Read it thoroughly. If you need to consult with an attorney, by all means do so.
3. Sign and notarize both copies you printed.
4. Obtain a legible photocopy of any state, national, or military ID you have that shows your full name and mailing address. (For most of North America, a driver's license will be perfect.) This will help document that you're you if there's ever an issue with who owns what submission.
5. Send both contract copies and the ID photocopy to OSAEI. Our address is on the contact page.
6. When we receive the contracts, we'll sign and notarize both copies and send one back to you. The other will be filed in our document archive. We'll also set your user account here to reflect your new status and you'll gain access to areas of the website you haven't seen before.

 

The Contributor contract:

OSAEI Contributor Participation & Licensing Agreement - Coming soon (once our lawyer says it's ready!)