Frequently Asked Questions

What is livesimply:promise for?

Making a livesimply promise shows that you want to live more simply, sustainably, and in solidarity with people who are poor. This online action helps you join a promise and get other people to carry it out with you. Making a promise is about making the world a better place for all of us.

Can you give me some examples of promises?

Sure. "I, Jo Bloggs, promise to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with people who are poor communities by ... but I'd like 30 other people to join me."

How does it work?

livesimply:promise has a series of online promises for people to sign up to, consisting of simple actions to change something in their lives. Each promise has a target number of people it wants to attract.

The promises take the form: 'I promise to live simply by doing X, but only if X number of people will do the same'. The creator of the promise publishes their promise online and encourage people to sign up within a fixed time frame.

If a promise pulls in enough people to reach its target in time, then we send a message to everyone who signed up, saying "Well done, now live out your promise!" You can also post comments to discuss how you are doing.

If the promise doesn't get enough subscribers before its time is up, we'll send a message round so you can choose whether to go ahead with a reduced number of people or join a different promise. You can manage all this by sending a message to all signers (using a link in the "Spread the word" section).

How can you be sure people will bother to carry out the promise?

We can't. livesimply:promise is based on a psychological bet. We believe that if a person wants to do something, and we help connect them to a bunch of people who also want to do the same thing then that first person is much more likely to act.

What do I get out of it?

You get the satisfaction of knowing you've put your faith into action. As part of an online community, you have a greatly improved chance of achieving whatever change it is you want — you're raising money, for example, the more people who sign up, the easier it is. You also have the comfort of knowing that other people are making changes to their lives too.

Can I contact other people who promised the same as me?

Only people who started a promise can send an email to everyone who signed up to their promise. If you want to get in touch with people who started or signed up to other promises, just post a comment on the relevant promise page.

Is it free?

The site is free to use. SMS messages to livesimply:promise (available in the UK only) cost your normal text fee.

Organisational Questions

Who is behind livesimply:promise?

The livesimply:promise is managed by a group of Catholic agencies and organisations in England and Wales who together form the livesimply network. This site was built by mySociety. mySociety is a charitable organisation which has grown out of this community of volunteers. mySociety's primary mission is to build Internet projects which give people simple, tangible benefits in the civic and community aspects of their lives.

livesimply network is managing this website as a space for people to take action in response to the livesimply challenge. The network is not responsible for the content of the promises themselves.

If you feel that a promise breaks the Terms and Conditions of the website you can report the comment to the network by clicking on "Anything wrong with this promise? Tell us!?" link underneath each promise.

The network reserves the right to decide if a promise violates Terms and Conditions of the website and if it needs to be removed.

Promise Creators' Questions

What can I ask people to promise?

The point of livesimply:promise is to do something that either shows your solidarity with people who are poor, or your concern for a sustainable lifestyle, or your desire to live more simply, and then to inspire other people to do the same.

So, we'd suggest that you check first if any of the promises on this website appeal to you. By signing up to a promise you are building the livesimply:promise community, making that promise more successful.

If none of the existing promises resonate with you, then start your own promise. Use your creativity to think of a great promise that will get people involved. You should not ask people to do anything illegal. This is a family friendly site, so anything offensive will be removed.

What sort of promises work and what sort languish in obscurity?

We think a few general rules apply. A low target in terms of numbers of people is easier to reach. Then, the action itself should be achievable so it doesn't put people off. It needs to be worded in a clear and interesting way. Lastly, the sheer energy with which you push the promise you've signed up to will make a big difference. If you email all your friends and talk to them about it, you're more likely to be successful than someone who signs up and then forgets all about it.

Can I contact the people who have signed my promise?

Only people who started a promise can get in touch with other people who signed up to their promise using a link in the "Spread the word" section. For cost reasons, this will not go to SMS signers. If your promise succeeds you will be given a link to send a message to all your signers, including those who signed up by SMS. You will not see their addresses, so if you want you should give your email, and ask for theirs, so you can stay in touch as you carry out your promise. If anybody signs your promise later, the last message that you sent will be automatically forwarded to them, and they will be given a link to read older messages. If you want to get in touch with people but you are not a promise-starter, you can post a comment on the promise page.

If I make my own promise, how many people should I ask for?

We recommend you pick a low target, but with enough people to motivate you to carry out your side of the bargain! This makes it most likely your promise will succeed, and more people than you expected can always sign up.

Do you remove silly or illegal promises?

We reserve the right to 'backpage' any promise which we consider inappropriate. This means that your promise will work, but will not show up on the "All promises" page, or in the search. We will delete promises which are offensive, abusive, promote or incite illegal behaviour.

Why can't I modify my promise after I've made it?

People who sign up to a promise are signing up to the specific wording of that promise. If you change the wording, then their signatures would no longer be valid. You can contact us if there is a cosmetic change that you need to make. For larger changes, you can create a new promise, and ask your subscribers if they want to move across. There's a link to do this from the 'Spread the word' section of your promise page.

Can people sign up by SMS (text message), and if so how?

Yes, but only in the UK. The flyers for your promise describe how to sign up by SMS. So the easiest way to remember is to print some out and carry them with you. You can find the flyers from the 'Spread the word' section on your promise's page. Otherwise tell people to text promise REFERENCE to 60022. Here REFERENCE is the short reference for your promise which you chose when you made it, and which appears at the end of its web address. For example a shortcode for a promise that would be on this URL promise.livesimply.org.uk/testcode is 'testcode'.

How do I add a picture to my promise?

Go to your promise page and click 'Add a picture to your promise (creator only)' under 'Spread the word on and offline'. Either find a picture of something to do with your promise, or just use a photo of yourself!

Privacy Questions

I don't want my name visible to everyone when I sign a promise!
: You can add yourself secretly to a promise by unchecking the 'Show my name on this promise' box when you sign up. Alternatively, you can sign up by SMS (in the UK only).
Who gets to see my email address?: livesimply network will never disclose your email address to anyone, including the creator of your promise, unless we are obliged to by law. We do let the promise creators send emails to promise subscribers to explain what's going on, to motivate them etc. However, we don't show the promise creator the addresses of the subscribers getting their email. If you reply to an email from the promise creator yourself, you will give them your email address — please be aware! livesimply network is also reserving the right to use your email addresses to get in touch with you very occasionally during the life of the livesimply challenge (due to end May 2008). mySociety, who built the site and run the servers, obviously have access to the email addresses, but will only use them on behalf of the livesimply network for the purposes described in the rest of this paragraph.
Will you send nasty, brutish spam to my email address?: Nope. After you sign up to a promise we will only send you emails in relation to your promise or to the livesimply challenge. You may receive a message from the promise creator, asking how you're getting on, and status emails from livesimply promise stating whether the target has been reached. The members of the livesimply network will never give or sell your email addresses to anyone else, unless we are obliged to by law.
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