FIoJ Museum
Project Analysis
This room of
the museum is rather dirty, with papers covering desks and the floor. An
expedition member picks one up, and finds it covered with scribbles about
a failed idea. After spending many hours organizing these notes, the expedition
came up with the following information on the FIoJ Project...
What Worked:
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FIoJ Diplomacy
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For the most part, the diplomatic efforts of the
FIoJ were a total success. Despite the fact that FIoJ was never a large
country, nor one that was well developed, it was listened to and respected.
This is mainly due to the unity of the nation. FIoJ stood for several things,
and the other nations around it knew what they were. There were no surprises,
no corruption. This is why we believe the diplomatic efforts of the nation
succeeded.
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Departments of Research/Economy
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These succeeded for two reasons:
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1) Out of the four FIoJ departments (Research,Economy,Peace,Information),
these were probably the easiest and best laid out departments. Research
is basically searching for new technology, and once an economic formula
is created, it functions with only regular updates. The other two involve
many more people, thus making them more complex.
-
2) The department leaders of both departments were
both very competent and willing people. They did their job well, and their
departments flourished because of it.
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'Timed Democracy' Voting System
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This is perhaps what FIoJ is best known for: every
person, no matter how long they have been here or what position they hold,
gets one vote. The President has as much voting power as someone who has
been here one day. Because of this, elections always reflected public
support. Something could not be passed without at least 50% in favor, some
votes required more.
-
This system worked because all votes lasted 4 days
at the beginning of the nation, and 2 days once Timed Democracy was developed.
Some people thought that this system didn't allow enough time to vote,
but two days is more then enough if the people are informed. From the time
someone sees a topic to the time they cast their vote may be only 5 minutes.
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The systems made sure that FIoJ wasn't bogged down
in procedures that did nothing but slow the growth and progress of the
nation.
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Small Population
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At the end of it's life, FIoJ had 20 members. Most
nations of it's development had double that, or more. Of course, most of
these citizens were inactive and only counted for an economy boost in the
population category. FIoJ had as many active citizens as these countries.
About 40% of the FIoJ was majority active, and another 20% or so was moderately
active. I doubt another country around could boast such statistics.
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The FIoJ Skyline
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Without a doubt, this newspaper was a total success.
Offering much more information then other micronations' newspapers and
a better "user friendly" format, the FIoJ Skyline not only improved information
flow at the FIoJ but also forced other nations to upgrade their newspapers
as well, making information flow better all around.
What Was Questionable:
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The Enlightenment
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Despite the best efforts by the president, the strange
music and glorified titles never really caught on with the public. Perhaps
these should have been more important to the citizens, or perhaps that
would have just made them dislike it more.
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FIoJ Forums
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The FIoJ forums were never the popular, bustling
centers of communication they were at other nations. Then again, that means
they were never filled with the misleading propaganda the other ones were.
The forums were adequate for the job they were needed for, which isn't
saying all that much.
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Jasonia Palace
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The capital of the Flying Islands never had a really
large roll. Of course, neither do the capitals of other micronations. Still,
FIoJ tried to make the capital important, and it never really caught on.
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The "Flying" Islands
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Although I can't think of FIoJ without seeing those
flying islands, some people believed that this gave us a bad image towards
the more serious nations. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. It's hard to really
tell now that the project is over.
What Didn't Work:
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Home Cities
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When FIoJ was first designed, the idea was to have
each of the three cities be marginally independent and have their own local
laws. This meant that where you lived would actually make a difference.
As any FIoJ citizen can tell you, this never mattered in the least. A larger
population would be required to even think about making this
actually function like it was supposed to.
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Departments of Information/Peace
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These are the "other two" departments of the FIoJ;
the ones no one really cares about. The problem with these departments
was lack of interest, staffing, and planning. With proper time and effort,
they could have been developed further. The only two well known things
to come out of these departments were the FIoJ Skyline and the Epoch-class
Fighter. Considering the size and importance of the departments, more should
have been accomplished.
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FIoJ FAQ
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This was designed to help new members figure out
what the heck was going on. Unfortunately, the actual FAQ was filled with
pro-Jasonian propaganda that gave it a bad image before it ever because
useful. It probably should have been deleted after this.
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The Join Form
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ARGH!! This was supposed to be redesigned in an easier
format, but never was. If this would have been easier, maybe the population
would have been higher.
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The Prototype Flag
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Even the President had to roll his eyes at this one.
Over a month into it's life, FIoJ still didn't have a flag, so the President
designed one to be a temporary flag. Unfortunately, it was never replaced,
so the stupid thing remains as our official flag.
Grumbling about how untity this
room was, the expedition finally gathers all the notes into an easy to
read form, and leaves them on a desk for others to find. They would like
to take the notes with them, but other rooms beacon...
