Frequently Asked Questions

Over the years countless Questions and Answers have been exchanged, here are the Top 10 most frequently asked Questions & VoxWorld.Coop Answers:

1. Q. Who owns VoxWorld.Coop?                                                                                                                 A.While based on the principles of the Cooperative movement, VoxWorld.Coop (VWC) is designed for 100% ownership by its Community Brand member organisations and for exclusive application to the Communities they represent. Each Community Brand will be owned by its Local VWC Chapter. Each Local VWC Chapter will become a member of each Regional VWC Chapter. Each Regional VWC Chapter will become a member of the Global VoxWorld.Coop - an international community cooperative organisation. Each local, regional and global organisation will be implemented and operated by elected representatives of Community-based Organisations registered at launch date. The VoxFranchise, Studios and Mobile corporate service providers are being developed with and also independently owned by their founders, funders, contributors and partners as multiple stakeholders at: www.franchise.voxworld.coop. The VoxLabs new business model on which VWC functions was founded in 1991, created and market tested/ trialled at enterprise level in over 40 countries since and continues to be operated through its custodian and founder-owner, Richard O'Farrell at: www.labs.voxworld.coop. It was developed in Ireland under the stewardship of VoxLabs and will be implemented under stewardship of VoxFranchise - both business names registered in Ireland from where all entities will continue to be operated.
2. Q. What is VoxWorld.Coop?
   A. It is a new International Community Cooperative Organisation being created for Virtual Communities in Social Marketplace. It is open for membership by any Community-based organisation representing or interfacing through their members with Diaspora Orgs, Social Causes & Social Movements - especially Cooperatives, TeleCentres, Social Enterprise Centres, Self Help Groups and Culture-driven Communities. You may apply for membership and learn more about VoxWorld.Coop or simply meet and exchange experiences and views with other Community members at www.voxworld-coop.ning.com.
3. Q. How does VoxWorld.Coop differ from other Community organisations?
   A. VoxWorld.Coop is a Top Level Domain with dotCoop Directory, on the .coop domain, the only domain name created specifically for the use of co-ops and co-op organizations. VoxWorld.Coop has exclusive rights for use of customisation and servitisation from VoxFranchise, Studios and Mobile entities - together designed to deliver the VoxLabs virtual eBusiness model, created for and dedicated to the advancement of Community-driven trading. It is a three dimensional model - Enterprise, Digital and Social. It's Catalogue and Storefronts uniquely features Education, Innovation and Microfinance services. The Social Marketplace Outlets are located at WorkPlace, Meeting Place and HomePlace locations - in collaboration with Coops, Colleges and Corps - where members can learn, earn, shop and save. The model supports Social Purchasing, Culture Showcase-ing Exchanges and Online Opportunities to Work at Home. All product and service Programmes support fundraising for the creation and operation of Community Development Hubs - with Investment administration and oversight through the VoxWorld.Coop-authorised Foundation. VoxWorld.Coop will manage Community Outlets as metamediary, providing a Visitor Centre with weekly promotional activities and deep discounts for bulk purchasing as enabled by creation of your own interactive Community Brand- aggregated at VoxLabs Smartshops in cross-border Social Enterprise Centres locations.
4. Q. Does my Community have to register as a Cooperative and what are the criteria for eligibility?
   A. You do not need to be a Coop to register at VoxWorld.Coop Social Marketplace (refer above), but Cooperative membership is required for your Community to begin trading at VoxWorld.Coop Community Outlets. To be approved you need to first be registered for use a .coop domain name at www.coop, and where you must qualify under at least one of the following criteria, seen at http://www.coop/Buy/EligibilityCriteria.aspx. In short, only cooperatives, cooperative service organizations and subsidiaries of cooperatives are eligible to register a .coop domain unless specific exception is made by application to dotCoop, the sponsor of the .coop TLD. DotCoop will review your eligibility at no charge to ensure your eligibility for a .coop domain prior to registration.
5.  Q. Kindly share with us your experience in partnering with Diaspora Orgs, Social Causes & Social Movements.?                                                                                                                                     A.This is an entirely new idea from VoxWorld.Coop, this next stage development being the creation of the Community Development Hub is a link up locally with Smart Traders and globally with Smart Outlets via Local Affiliated Orgs. VoxLabs has traded the enterprise dimension of the model in retail outlets across 40 countries, under private label.
6. Q. What is the Goal of VoxWorld.Coop?                                                                                         A.VoxWorld.Coop promotes education, innovation and microfinance with the ultimate goal being creation of Culture-driven Homeshores-direct jobs, sustained through cultural differentiation and involvement of Diaspora communities.
7. Q. How is this going to be achieved?                                                                                                          A.We are currently introducing the VoxWorld.Coop Smart Wallet, in three versions; firstly, to leverage money transfers (remittances) with diaspora organisations for increased microfinance availability; secondly, to assist in creation of a community brand with digital culture products and services like Culture Travel; thirdly, to promote Co-op TeleTraded-services in support of job creation at home like TeleTeach, TeleCare & other TeleServices
8. Q. As regards Remittances in first version of VoxWorld.Coop Smart Wallet, there are plenty of options now available, both traditional and innovative models, including those of Western Union and local and international commercial banks. Are there comparative studies available that would serve as guide?                                                                                                                            A.We do promote a very good comparative chart on our web site homepage: Compare Remittances Prices Worldwide (source: World Bank) http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org/RemittanceCosts/?from=197&amp.... It shows how latest rates vary from (for example) US to Philipinnes on $200 transfers from 2.8% to 14.25%, where Western Union best rate is 8.81% and overall average is 6.44%. And that cost is the total cost, including exchange rate margin. Transfer speeds, origination convenience and destination coverage vary radically of course. For $500 transfers that cost range drops - from 1.3% to 12.15%, WU drops to best rate 5.21% and overall average to 4.02%. And yes indeed, the same information is indeed available and true of other countries as that comparison website also shows. As for VoxWorld.Coop - we in fact support and aim to add value rather than to compete with MTO's, Banks & CU's - any of which can equally avail of and be part of our Smart Wallets concepts and Package Deals in primary origination markets. In the past we have supported local efforts to bring FedACHi into Philippines, who went to MOU stage with your country at that time. We also tried to help widen the share of Remittance market held by Credit Unions & Post Offices in particular though high profile Remittances Conferences worldwide. We have actively promoted the idea of introducing lower cost Community based transfer rates to support local community development at Western Union, FedACHi, NAFCU, MoneyGram, Citibank, etc; as well as promoting 'payroll direct to CU's' incentivisation ideas to USA Employers and Credit Unions.
9. Q. I wonder how your eCommerce model fares in the competitive domestic and global marketplaces?. How does VoxWorld.Coop change things?                                                               A.We differ in a number of very important ways from MTOs, Banks & Credit Unions - we help provide access to better financial Education (online, offline or mobile) as an Alliance member of FDIC Money Smart in USA including providing information on comparative rates, mobile transfers and onvenience factors; and on how remitters could leverage money transfers to support wide scale first/dual accounts, microcredit, debitcards, smartcards, ATM's, MSME finance etc. We support innovation in how OFW's/ Diaspora can create jobs at home (effectively-and without having to become returnees) for their families and Community in online opportunities to work at home - through driving Culture Travel, TeleCare, ICT services etc. We introduced and continue to promote the idea of Social Purchasing to generate seed capital for same through Diaspora, Social Movements and Causes Programmes featuring fund-raising to create and operate Community Development Hubs in support of Smart Traders.
10. Q. What makes it different from the rest that could bring about client shift? How does it differentiate from Brand providers and create added value?                                                                    A.We bring all these elements together in triple Smart Wallet Concepts. So in the final analysis- we are not competitors with MTO's, Banks, Post Offices and CU's but instead support them based on best providers- those offering the best rates but also those set within broad based community package deals. VoxWorld.Coop adds something - it acts as a go-between to build the best package deals for Communities, for re-presentation in format of today's Smart Wallets & Smart Culture Showcases, all from multiple marketplace providers that include one or all of three domensions (online, offline and mobile) - education, microfinance and innovation for Smart Traders. In short, VoxWorld.Coop supports with customisable and servitised Smart Wallets the development of global Community Brands for products and services within Community Development Hubs, as enabled by Smart Culture Showcases Outlets offered in cultural exchanges across global communities at homeplace, workplace and meeting places worldwide. That is how VoxWorld.Coop's differentiates and added value creation and am happy to assist further if or when this process can generate added value for your people.