Overland Bound Regions

[Michael]

Overland Bound regions are a complicated matter.

For Overland Bound, regions are created to:

1. Put local OLB members in touch with other local OLB Members.
   
   
2. Provide a resource of local information for new and existing members within the region.

Overland Bound Regions are not created to:

1. Support state, national, or religious pride.
   
   
2. Identify as a race, religion, or belief system.
   

No one solution is great, everywhere. What works for one group or area, breaks down in another. Our test of a regional system is that it must work everywhere. If a solution works in the United States, but not the UK, then it is not a solution. We have an approach for defining regions, derived by a few important facts.

1. There is no “official” definition of a region.
   
   
   1. Example: In the United States, The Census Bureau, Department of the Interior, and the CIA (all legal federal organizations) each have a different definition of what a region is. They do not agree. This is the case around the world, therefore, regions are arbitrary.
      
2. Defining by Country (political) does not make sense.
   
   
   1. Example: Countries are of different size, and member density. If we have the “United States” region, we provide no local support (the point of regions) for the “east” for example.
      
      
   2. If we divide every country into multiple regions, we separate members in close proximity, unnecessarily.
      
      
   3. If we seperate by country, depending on country, we are guilty of A and B above.
      
3. Defining by geography (size or natural borders) alone does not make sense.
   
   
4. There is a cost to creating and supporting a region.
   
   
   1. Creating a FB group, Design, Patch, and assigning an ambassador has a real financial cost that must be supported by membership.
      
      
   2. Example: We do not currently have a region for Vanuatu, because member density does not support it.
      
5. Politics change. Overland Bound is not a political or religious organization. Our regions are created for the sole purpose of supporting local members, and putting local members in touch with other members.
   
   
   1. Borders change.
      
      
   2. People like to fight to shift borders.
      
      
   3. This change happens quickly.
      

Overland Bound will create regions in the following way.

1. For Earth (we reserve the right to change this policy for other planets, the international space station, etc), there are seven continents. They are:
   
   
   1. North America
      
      
   2. South America
      
      
   3. Europe
      
      
   4. Africa
      
      
   5. Asia
      
      
   6. Australia
      
      
   7. Antarctica
      
2. Each continent will be divided into regions.
   
   
3. Regions will become “official” once member population supports it.
   
   
4. Each region name will be unique.
   
   
5. Regions may be identical to states.
   
   
6. Regions may follow existing natural or political borders.
   
   
7. Regions will not be completely arbitrary, meaning, there will be some basis for the region that is commonly accepted, which closely supports member density, and geography.
   
   
   1. Example, the United States is based in the Department of the Interior.
      
8. Overland Bound may sub-divide regions in the future.
   
   
9. Overland Bound may create products for specific groups larger than regions. This will not affect or redefine regions.
   
   
   1. For Example: We may create a patch for “Australia”, or “Scotland”, or “Texas” and this will not affect our region definition, or its associated facebook groups or forum threads.
      

 

[AdventureWithDanan]

This sounds good to me!

I would like to nominate my my daughter as ambassador of the moon.

 

[Quicksilver]

Voted "This is great!" just to be contrary, because nobody else has yet. What can I say...I'm a rebel.

 

[The other Sean]

Just so the "regions" aren't too large. Ohio is still "Midwest" but a full days drive for me in MN.