A Story Engine? A Diary? A News Source?

Leslie Forman

Leslie will soon join Wokai's core team in Beijing as Marketing Director. 

I've been looking closely at our initial Google Analytics website stats (Thank you Larry!) and the click-through reports from our Vertical Response newsletters, and I've seen an interesting trend: information about big companies (i.e Citigroup and Morrison & Foerster) and regulatory changes (rural development policy) attract the most attention.  This makes me think that our readers are a curious and career-oriented bunch, with a keen interest in learning how Wokai fits into the changing economic climate. 

Today I mentioned this to longtime Wokai supporter Jake De Grazia, and he suggested that we at Wokai have three categories of stories to share:

1. Our Borrowers' Stories: Jake says the most interesting part of our site are the real experiences of these entrepreneurs in rural China.  So far my favorite story on our site is from Lian Hua:

"We have a very cute 6 year old daughter who is very clever and loves to sing and dance. We used to live together in the countryside but in 2001 we moved to Da Ban, a small town, because the government asked everyone to move. There, we did mostly part time manual work to earn a living. In 2004 I thought a lot about starting my own milk tea house and eventually did. Although the range of customers is a little limited, the location is fantastic."

I love this story because I can totally picture her cute and clever 6 year old daughter singing and dancing, but I can't imagine the government asking my family to move to a different city.  This story fascinates me for both its relatability and distance from my own life.  At the Online Giving Markets conference at Stanford, Bennett Grassano from Kiva said that he sees their site as a "story engine," and I think that Wokai could fit this description as well.   

2. The Story of Wokai: Jake mentioned that his favorite part of this blog is Casey's earnest blog posts, ranging from warm and inspiring to radically transparent.  These posts document the story of social entrepreneurs building a new organization in a challenging Chinese landscape.  They update our followers on day-to-day progress, share the backstory behind Wokai, and connect us with other social entrepreneurs.  Maybe someday we'll hear stories like this one from the Social Actions blog, about how Matt from Kiva's blog inspired Tori Tuncan to start Lend4Health, an online space for peer-to-peer microfinance for autism treatment.

3. The Big Picture: New developments in China, microfinance, peer-to-peer lending, the world economy, etc. and how they relate to Wokai and our team members' personal interests.  My dad mentioned that many people are losing their jobs in the current financial mess (myself included... my last job anyways...) and may be looking to use their skills in more socially-conscious ways, so this information could be more relevant than ever... 

Note: Larry's comment below inspired me to add one more type of story, to the three that Jake mentioned, so here it is!  

4. Our Contributors' Stories: The incredible outpouring of support that we've seen from our chapters, advisors, donors, and so many more, has been so important to our development.  Each member's personal connection to microfinance in China has turned our website into a fascinating tapestry of experiences.  Here is one of my favorite contributor stories, from Lisa M: 

 

I am a mother of two girls adopted from Anhui and Jiangxi Province.... My daughters are both from rural China, from areas that are poverty-stricken and very underdeveloped. Poverty and lack of opportunity play a part in child abandonment in rural China. I am happy that an organization such as Wokai exists, allowing me to give back to a country that has given me so much.

By highlighting these stories on our site, our users can make Wokai.org their own! 

Eventually I'd like to see Wokai feature all four types of stories on our homepage, to satisfy all four types of readers.  What do you think about this?  What kinds of stories are most interesting to you?

Comments

[Larr Sun]

There is one more element to the story scene, which has often been forgotten, is Wokai's contributors/donors.

Each loan is weaved together by the story of the borrower, the story of the donor that propelled the giving, the story of the field partner, who acts as the bridge between the donor and the borrower.

Without the kind support of Wokai's donors/contributors, Wokai would not be where it is today. These donors (dream enablers) are the back stage heroes who made what Wokai symbolizes into reality.

[Leslie Forman]

I totally agree with you, Larry! I can't believe I forgot about this crucial 4th element. Elevating donors' stories is so important to building a strong online community and our platform definitely aims to do this :)