Glossary
- Main name: What the person usually prefers to be called, or for public figures, what the general public usually calls them.
- Example: Bob Dylan
- Other names (a.k.a.): Other common names for the person, or to differentiate between other people with the same [main] name. The goal is not to “doxx” every single possible nickname or middle name, etc of the person unless they are commonly used or necessary to distinguish them from other people.
- Example: Bob Zimmerman, Robert Zimmerman
- Niche/career: The main “jobs” the person is known for, usually limited to around 3-4 or less. Many people have tons of side projects and hobbies, the purpose of our directory is to keep focused on their primary role in the ecosystem of the internet, business, media, and government (including what they were best known for in the past).
- Example: Musician, Activist
Honesty Score:
For our purposes, and similar to what you might study in a Western Philosophy class, the Ethics score is not about if someone is “nice” or “mean”, religious or not, leftist or rightist, or otherwise. It has nothing to do with how likeable someone might be, or even if they have a criminal past. For our purposes it refers more to how consistent and transparent (honest) someone is about their beliefs and actions, and what effects that approach tends to result in (esp. regarding society in general). Someone can be an a*****e, admit they’re an a*****e, and bring tremendous selflessness or value to the world at the same time. This might be considered highly ethical and transparent, for our purposes. At the same time, someone might be very charming, have no criminal history, very outgoing and friendly, and yet be defrauding thousands of people out of their life savings; this might be considered very unethical and insidious, for our purposes. What motivates someone? Is it selfishness? Altruism? Hate? If it’s hate, what do they hate, and why? Is that hatred rooted in ethical beliefs? These are some questions we pose.
- Example: Linus Torvalds = good ethics
- Bernie Madoff = poor ethics
Political Spectrum
- Far-Left: Supports totalitarian government/corporate control of citizens, including restricted speech, vast welfare programs, etc. Often extremely secular to the point of hating cultural traditions, religion, and traditional family units. Often believes in social tribalism, where the government party matters more than anything else.
- Center-Left: Believes in a powerful centralized government to offset (potentially) powerful corporations, and typically opposes corporate monopolies and corporate welfare. Traditionally supports labor unions and various forms of citizen welfare programs. Free speech and individual liberties matter, but thinks government should regulate these.
- Center-Right: Believes individual liberty and free speech is more important than most anything else. Supports limited government primarily for the purpose of military and national defense, basic law enforcement, and to break up (potential) corporate monopolies. Skeptical of labor unions and government regulations, or anything that gives government more power.
- Far-Right: Evermore rare in the modern world, but typically supports a narrow ethnic/national identity or religion, and wants to eliminate most anyone from society who does fall into that preferred ethnic group. The role of government should be to enforce policies that promote this ethnic identity. Individual liberty and free speech beliefs vary wildly, but generally a powerful centralized government is acceptable as long as it is performing its ethnic-guardian role. Traditional families and culture are often championed, along with family businesses, but often skeptical of large corporations which inevitably tend to promote globalism.
Niches (Career Industries):
- Politician: Someone who works in government, and whose salary is typically funded by taxpayers. Differs from general government employees in that politicians are usually more interested in self-promotion, publicity, achieving power or fame, establishing legacy, or similar. They are also often “elected” by the general public, or “appointed” to a role by a more senior official.
- Executive: Typically refers to someone who is on an official Board of Directors of a company or organization, or has a key role in establishing, running, investing in, or otherwise. Often these people are the ones “behind the scenes” that are responsible for decisions and the direction of a company or organization, but might not be very publicly known. This term is usually avoided for smaller businesses or organizations, in place of other terms like Entrepreneur, Consultant, Freelancer, etc.
- Examples: Board Of Directors (Corporate, etc)
- Freelancer: Sometimes they can also be considered Consultants, but for our purposes they are usually people who offer commodity services and might maintain profiles on freelancing marketplaces like Upwork, Fiverr, etc. Also they are typically not licensed for a niche industry, e.g. they are not attorneys, doctors, or other licensed professions.
- Examples: Graphic Designer, Virtual Assistant, Video Editor, etc.
- Consultant: Usually people who have many years of experience in a certain industry or field, and companies or organizations might seek them out for advice and guidance, or even complete project management and long-term contract work. Generally speaking, we consider this to be higher paying and more experienced than Freelancers.
- Examples: Business Planner, SEO Consultant, College Admissions, etc.
- Journalist: Nearly always refers to someone who has had professional training (higher education) in media and reporting, and typically is employed by one or multiple outlets. Also usually adheres to certain publishing standards outlined by bodies like the Associated Press or otherwise. Their work is often reviewed or approved by editors or supervisors.
- Examples:
- Blogger: Typically has not undergone professional training in journalism, although they might have (or might be a current/former journalist as well). Usually their work is not peer reviewed or approved by editors or supervisors before being published, and they are often the founder/owner of the website where their articles are first published. Unlike Journalists, they might address a wide array of topics and genres (and websites) in contrast with Journalists who often focus on a certain “beat” or area of news.
- Personality: Someone who aggressively promotes themselves, often blurring the lines between being a Consultant, Journalist, Author, etc… perhaps even a micro-celebrity of sorts who is trying to make a name for themselves in political commentary, mass marketing, or otherwise.