Creating a Tribe

    Anyone can create a tribe. You don't need to ask for permission or apply for any prior approval. All you have to do is create a proposal and charter explaining what your tribe is for, it's name, theme, culture and how it will operate. You then need to submit it to the global assembly's main website. Creating a tribe is a lot like creating a group or community on a social network. You have wide privileges and can run your community any way you want, but you still have to follow the general guidelines of the website or your club can be shut down. In the same way, all tribes must follow the Digital Bill of Rights listed here that guarantee their members certain freedoms. Tribal charters should be very thorough, since they define everything the tribe is allowed to (and supposed to) do. 

Once you upload this charter it's time to collect digital signatures. You have to find 10,000 people willing to join your new tribe for it to become "active". This is a tall order, and it takes time. Requiring a certain number of members screens out some of the less diligent or poorly-planned ideas, leaving only the best. At the same time, 10,000 is a low enough number that smaller communities still have a chance to get through the net. If your tribe ever falls below 10,000 members once it becomes active it will automatically be dissolved and all assets returned to their original owners. 

Tribes function as their members' portal to the economic world, and hold a large amount of power over their finances. Nobody would be able to buy anything without being a member of some tribe because their paybands wouldn't work. They act as a centralized record of access and ownership, which is very important since they also provide dispute resolution for their members. With all of this power comes great responsibility, and if a citizen believes that their charter has been breached they could take the tribe to court. 

Starting a tribe is a serious commitment with plenty of risks and even more rewards. It will take a lot of time to get off the ground, but once it's growing there is the potential to make millions, or even billions. Tribes led by popular figures usually grow even faster due to network effects. 

Target Area and Input Radius

  If anything could best describe tribes, it would be "virtual countries". Each tribe has it's own created history and culture, and is expected to provide a sense of kinship and belonging to it's members. Even though they are mostly virtual, tribes still need to have a presence on the ground so members can get together and have meetups. Otherwise, citizens would be spread too far apart to feel a connection. This is why when you create a tribe you have to select a "base" (really, a point on a map), and an input radius, which is a distance from this point. Everyone who initially signs up for your tribe has to live within this circle. The circle can be any size, but people who want to sign up may frown on small tribes with large circles of influence. Your base does not have to be your headquarters (you really don't need one), and has no bearing on what your tribe can and cannot do. Tribes are only answerable directly to the global assembly, not the cities their members are based in.  

When you set your radius, you will be able to see the competition: Other tribes who have set up shop in the area. Their mission statements, constitutions and charters will all be visible so you can refine your concept and make sure it's not being duplicated. Those who are looking for a new tribe can signal this on their profile, and you will know exactly how may people are "searching" in this area. Even if you are already a member of a tribe, you can leave and create a new one at any time. This is a fundamental right. 

Internal Organization: The two types of tribes

  There are two types of tribes: closely-held and public. Closely-held tribes are defined as any with less than 100,000 members (but more than 10,000). They can be organized and run any way the creator wishes, which means they could be monarchies, democracies, dictatorships etc. The common factor is that the tribe's original charter reigns supreme, unless they choose to issue stock.

Things change once a tribe gains more than 100,000 members. Past that point, it must go public and issue stock to any and all buyers. The process of issuing stock is taken care of automatically by the global assembly, and cannot be stopped by the creator unless they decide to stop accepting new members. A tribe starts off with 100,000 shares, and gains one for every new member that joins. The tribe can later decide to split the shares if the need arises. The cash from the sale of this stock goes directly to the creator of the tribe. 

Going public requires internal restructuring. Public tribes must put the interests of their shareholders first, which means that a simple majority of them has the ability to change the direction of the company, edit the charter or choose a new board of directors. All public tribes must be set up with a ceo and elected board of directors. Until an election is held, the temporary CEO will be the original creator, or someone they choose. The creator of the tribe always maintains a permanent seat on the board of directors and voice in the company, but their vote is worth the same as any other. 

Immigration 

Tribes can choose whether they want to be open or closed no matter if they are publicly or privately held. Open tribes allow anyone to sign up and join, usually without a review period. Closed tribes require a review or may even be invite-only. All of this must be specified in the charter.