Music entrepreneur Pete Lawrence has launched a crowdfunding initiative to finance the development of a social network for creatives that intends to ‘blur the boundaries between business and leisure’.
Pic-Nic Village shuns the advertising-funded model favoured by larger social networks such as Facebook.
A modern day co-operative, it aims to connect like-minded creative thinkers who want to share, enjoy and benefit from each other’s talents, ideas and thoughts of a personal, business or social nature.
Pic-Nic Village is aiming to get users to help raise investment to £750,000 or more to get the online community to launch in 2011.
In addition to the initial finance raised through crowdfunding, Pic-Nic Village will be financed by subscriptions in the region of £10 per month.
Lawrence was inspired by his last venture, The Big Chill Festival, which spawned a web forum now cited as an early example of social media.
Building on this experience, Pic-Nic Village allows communities to be owned and shaped by members.
Pic-Nic Village will feature an online ‘media centre’ for showcasing members’ projects, hobbies and passions, which will expand into offline networking events, conferences and gatherings for the community.
Lawrence expects the Pic-Nic Village community to attract thinking people who want to collaborate with other lively minds in order to gain fresh, original and often alternative perspectives on business, personal or social matters.
“I’m inspired by connecting people and then stepping back and watching the sparks ignite,”
