The Cluetrain Manifesto taught us that markets are conversations. The same is true of making a better world. Open philanthropy must include constant engagement and conversation with partners, activists, policymakers and (god forbid) customers. Knowing what people think in real time with 75% accuracy (using cluetrain-style market research) is way better than finding out with 99% accuracy five years too late (using the rigorous and expensive evaluation processes that foundations love). This is especially true if people think what you are doing sucks, as you've still got time to fix it. Our aim is to do kind of listening in a very systematic way, and then to use what it is hearing and learning to steer the ship. Of course, this is probably the biggest challenge on our open philanthropy plate.