There is writing elsewhere on this site and on the SIAI regarding the argument for focusing Singularity related efforts on Joe Science instead of Joe Blow. I believe that this is true as far as Singularity efforts are concerned, in that Joe Science is much more likely to be of a capacity to contribute something meaningful to the development of GAI.
That being said, I do not believe it is the case for general transhumanism related efforts, such as the persuit of lifespan extention, transhuman legal issues, etc. Simplifying the message to reach a broader audience has a lot of advantages, which we already know.
To advance global awareness, the Immortality Institute hosts an online forum, publishes books, produces films and sponsors conferences.
It seems to me, derived from this statement and the nature of the boards being more of an "enthusiast discussion" than a professional forum, that the goal of ImmInst is to broaden the transhumanist message with an emphasis on immortalism.
I think the content organization on our current main page is fine for a person who is already aquainted with the issues of immortalism. I don't think it's very good for someone who doesn't know much and is curious.
Now, I don't want to dumb anything down. I don't think the delivery should condescend or hold hands. This is tough stuff. Challenging stuff. However, when I see "Discovery of CGK733" as a top headline on the site, I don't see something that I think will appeal to someone curious about extensionism.
I think the first page needs to be "three chords and the truth." The boiled down fundamentals, presented in a compelling manner. We should challenge the visitor with provactive questions like "What would you do if you could live as long as you wanted?" and "What if you could cure disease?" These questions could be links leading to subject-focused discussions of how we see the answers. We would soften up Joe Blow to the possibility that yeah, we really CAN do these things if we apply ourselves.
We have a unique chance to take the nerdy sci-fi out of immortalism. It isn't going to help promote the singularity in the direct way that the SIAI would desire, but it will help spread the "longevity meme."
There's still room for the current front page. It's perfect for members or for "enthusiast" level non-members. What I describe may not even be appropriate for the organization itself. (A possible use for immortality.org, for example.)
But I think that we need to consider our ability to simply help develop a brand for transhumanism. We don't have to be skilled scientists to do something that will contribute to the goals we ultimately want to achieve.
Now, I am, to some extent, throwing stones in a glass house. I understand the interim meaning of life and I've done a piss poor job of pursuing it. I'm really busy with my current software project. I've spent more of my spare time playing World of Warcraft than focusing on my ideology. Michael has berated me in an email for not attending to my extropy blog when really any effort on that blog is better than zero effort. My own participation in ImmInst has been limited and probably comes off as more critical than it should. Don't get me wrong, I love this site. I just think that ImmInst, being one of the more open and democratic transhumanist communities, has the potential to harness that grassroots, community power to create an accessible, Joe Blow oriented meme-engine.
We want to teach SL0 level thinkers about SL2 level technology. You can't just lay out a SL2 futurist vision and say "that's how we think it can be." You have to build up to it. Our front page, that initial presentation, doesn't build up to it. It takes pleasure in the deep details of modern gerontological science, it wallows in the latest info-bits on aging research, and it will completely mystify someone who just wants to "know what ImmInst is all about and why would anyone want to live forever anyway?"
I will try and find a way to mock up some of my ideas. To contribute something more than a noisy post. I have zero artistic skill, however.
