Software:Loomio

From HandWiki
Loomio
2014 Loomio interface elaboration
Stable release
3.0.5 / 7 September 2025; 13 months ago (2025-09-07)[1]
Written inRuby, JavaScript[2]
Platformweb
LicenseAGPL v3[3]
Website{{{1}}}

Loomio is decision-making software and web service designed to assist groups with collaborative, consensus-focused decision-making processes. It is a free software[3] web application, where users can initiate discussions and put up proposals.[4][5][6][7] As the discussions progress to initiating a proposal, the group receives feedback through an updatable pie chart[5] or other data visualizations.[8] Loomio is basically a web based forum (has optional email delivery interface) with tools to facilitate conversations and decision-making processes from starting and holding conversations to reaching outcome.[9]

Loomio was built by a small core group of developers, based out of Wellington, New Zealand.[10] Most of the work was made by this core group but more than 70 contributors from around the world participated occasionally with small contribution.[11]

In 2014, Loomio raised over $100,000 via a Crowdfunding effort to develop Loomio 1.0. The Loomio web interface supports mobile access and other enhancements.[12] As of 2016, Loomio was used by over 20,000 groups in more than 100 countries, with the software translated into 35 languages.[13][14]

History

Loomio emerged from the Occupy movement. In 2012, it launched its first prototype. It was utilized in the Occupy movement in New Zealand. After using the first prototype in this, the team behind Loomio felt that it would be easier to give everyone a voice with an online software, leading to the launch of Loomio 1.0. Since the launch of Loomio 1.0, Loomio has stopped using occupy hand-signals in the interface.[8] It has since been developed into a social enterprise as Loomio Cooperative Limited that is a platform cooperative.[15][16][17]

How Loomio works as diagram

Funding

Loomio says it is funded through contracts with government and business, and donations from its users.[18][non-primary source needed]

Product Overview

LOOMIO 2.5.4 discussion view
LOOMIO polls & notifications

EU specific

Loomio has committed to address the needs and regulations of the EU market. In 2018 the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect and Loomio confirmed that it is GDPR compliant.[19] In 2019 Loomio started planning a Loomio.eu service to use EU based hosting in response to requests from EU users.[20]

Integrations

Recent versions include more features of integration with other software. It is possible to connect Loomio group notifications to Slack, Microsoft Teams and Mattermost. It is also possible to add a Single Sign On (SSO) using central authentication provider like Microsoft Azure Active Directory.[21]

Projects using Loomio

Template:Primary sources section Prominent projects that have used Loomio for collaborative work based on democratic process:

Research projects

  • 2018: Wild DNA[39]
  • 2019: Genomics Research and Involving People[40]
  • 2022: Core Outcome Measures for Improving Care (COM-IC) project[41][42]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Releases - loomio/loomio". https://github.com/loomio/loomio/releases. 
  2. ↑ "loomio/loomio". Github. https://github.com/loomio/loomio. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "loomio/LICENSE.txt". https://github.com/loomio/loomio/blob/master/LICENSE.txt. 
  4. ↑ Pullar-Strecker, Tom (16 August 2013). "Group decision-making software ready to run". http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/9050560/Group-decision-making-software-ready-to-run. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Can Social Software Change the World? Loomio Just Might". http://techpresident.com/news/wegov/23517/can-social-software-change-world-loomio-just-might. 
  6. ↑ "Occupy Democracy: Loomio attempts to re-invent group decision-making… as a co-op". 2 May 2013. http://pandodaily.com/2013/05/02/occupy-democracy-loomio-attempts-to-re-invent-group-decision-making-as-a-co-op/. 
  7. ↑ de Taar, Charlie. "InterTwinkles: Online Tools for Non-Hierarchical, Consensus-Oriented Decision Making". MIT. http://tirl.org/writing/intertwinkles/cfd-intertwinkles.pdf. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cassano, Jay (April 16, 2014). "An Occupy-Inspired App That Helps Groups Make Actual Group Decisions". Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/3029132/an-occupy-inspired-app-that-helps-groups-make-actual-group-decisions. 
  9. ↑ "Overview | Loomio Help". https://help.loomio.org/en/user_manual/overview/. 
  10. ↑ "Loomio - The Enspiral Network". Enspiral Foundation. http://www.enspiral.com/ventures/loomio. 
  11. ↑ "Contributors to loomio/loomio". Github. https://github.com/loomio/loomio/graphs/contributors. 
  12. ↑ "Out in the Open: Occupy Wall Street Reincarnated as Open Source Software". Wired. 28 April 2014. https://www.wired.com/2014/04/loomio/. Retrieved 28 April 2014. 
  13. ↑ Schneider, Nathan (26 April 2016). "How a Worker-Owned Tech Startup Found Investors—and Kept Its Values". https://www.yesmagazine.org/economy/2016/04/26/how-a-worker-owned-tech-startup-found-investors-and-kept-its-values/. 
  14. ↑ Schiller, Ben (May 12, 2016). "This Software is Helping Groups Make Collaborative Decisions, Occupy Wall-Street Style". Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/3058758/this-software-is-helping-groups-make-collaborative-decisions-occupy-wall-street-style. 
  15. ↑ Nathan Schneider (April 26, 2016). "How a Worker-Owned Tech Startup Found Investors—and Kept Its Values". YES! Magazine. http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/how-a-worker-owned-tech-startup-found-investors-and-kept-its-values-20160426. 
  16. ↑ Jackson, Sam K.; Kuehn, Kathleen M. (2016-10-14). "Open Source, Social Activism and "Necessary Trade-offs" in the Digital Enclosure: A Case Study of Platform Co-operative, Loomio.org" (in en). TripleC 14 (2): 413–427–413–427. doi:10.31269/triplec.v14i2.764. ISSN 1726-670X. https://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/764. 
  17. ↑ Fuchs, Christian (2019-12-02). "We need a full public service internet – state-owned infrastructure is just the start" (in en-US). https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-full-public-service-internet-state-owned-infrastructure-is-just-the-start-127458. 
  18. ↑ "Loomio". https://love.loomio.org/. 
  19. ↑ "Loomio GDPR compliance | Loomio Help". https://help.loomio.org/en/legal/gdpr/. 
  20. ↑ "Loomio dev roadmap 2019 | Loomio Help". https://help.loomio.org/en/dev_manual/roadmap/#2019-02-loomio-eu-beta-launch. 
  21. ↑ "Integrations | Loomio Help". https://help.loomio.org/en/user_manual/groups/integrations/. 
  22. ↑ "Loomio Launches Exciting Collaboration with Wellington City Council". blog.enspiral.com. 15 March 2013. http://blog.enspiral.com/2013/03/15/loomio-launches-exciting-collaboration-with-wellington-city-council/. 
  23. ↑ "From Occupy to online democracy: the Loomio story" (in en). 2014-04-03. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/from-occupy-to-online-democracy-loomio-story/. 
  24. ↑ "Wellington Tech Startup Loomio Wins International Award". Scoop.co.nz. 3 April 2014. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1404/S00129/wellington-tech-startup-loomio-wins-international-award.htm. 
  25. ↑ "Diaspora* project wiki". https://wiki.diasporafoundation.org/How_we_communicate. 
  26. ↑ "Realdemocracy project website". http://www.democratiereelle.fr/. 
  27. ↑ "¿Cómo usar Loomio?" (in es). https://podemos.info/participa/herramientas/como-usar-loomio/. 
  28. ↑ Shaw, Mike. "Get involved in the Students for Cooperation Loomio!". https://www.students.coop/get-involved-in-the-students-for-cooperation-loomio/. 
  29. ↑ MJ Kaplan (August 30, 2016). "Career university unlocks faculty brilliance beyond the conference room". https://www.loomio.com/blog/2016/08/30/neit/. 
  30. ↑ "Contractors and employees - OpenStreetMap Foundation". https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Contractors_and_employees#Service_contracts. 
  31. ↑ "Board Meeting 2020-01-27 - OSGeo". https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_Meeting_2020-01-27. 
  32. ↑ Karwowska, Anita (2020-12-22). "Strajk Kobiet: Popracujmy nad pomysłami na Polskę, gdy PiS będzie już przeszłością" (in pl). Gazeta Wyborcza. https://wyborcza.pl/7,162657,26631082,strajk-kobiet-popracujmy-nad-pomyslami-na-polske-gdy-pis-bedzie.html. "The activists from All-Poland Women's Strike want the work that up to now has been done by the Consultative Council working groups to now include the internet, on the Loomio platform. (Polish: Aktywistki Ogólnopolskiego Strajku Kobiet chcą, by prace, które do tej pory odbywały się w zespołach tematycznych Rady Konsultacyjnej, teraz toczyły się w internecie, na platformie Loomio.)" 
  33. ↑ "Loomio group of Pirate Party of Belgium". https://www.loomio.org/g/w9m0yGeJ/pirates-be-permanent-assembly. 
  34. ↑ Anthony Cabraal (September 18, 2022). "How a 120-person co-op sets strategy by assembly". https://www.loomio.com/blog/2022/09/19/igalia/. 
  35. ↑ Michael Elwood-Smith (October 5, 2023). "Conservation governance at a global scale". https://www.loomio.com/blog/2023/10/05/icca/. 
  36. ↑ Anton Arapov, Rob Guthrie (October 7, 2025). Distributed Governance with Loomio (Conference presentation). OpenSSL Conference 2025, Prague. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Making Democracy Work at Campaign Speed". 2026-02-27. https://www.loomio.com/blog/2026/02/27/nyc-dsa-democracy-at-campaign-speed/. 
  38. ↑ Meg Buzzi and Sarah Durlacher (FixChr) (February 27, 2026). "How a global nonprofit brought transparency to distributed decisions". https://www.loomio.com/blog/2026/02/27/wri-decision-making-across-continents/. 
  39. ↑ "'Campfires and Science' and 'Wild DNA'". June 2018 – November 2019. https://ia802808.us.archive.org/30/items/scienceforallpubliclyfundedresearchreportjune2018november201928.11.19/Science%20for%20All%20-%20Publicly%20funded%20research%20report%20-%20June%202018-November%202019%2028.11.19.pdf. 
  40. ↑ Nunn, Jack (2022-10-14). Genomics Research and Involving People (Thesis). La Trobe. doi:10.26181/21330897.v1.
  41. ↑ "COM-IC – collaborative development of core outcome measures for dementia care - Wikispore". https://wikispore.wmflabs.org/wiki/COM-IC_%E2%80%93_collaborative_development_of_core_outcome_measures_for_dementia_care. 
  42. ↑ "COM-IC – collaborative development of core outcome measures for dementia care" (in en). 2022-06-24. https://chsr.centre.uq.edu.au/com-ic. 



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