SEATTLE – What if ownership of the social media website Twitter was turned over to its users?

That question isn't just hypothetical anymore. Shareholders at this year's annual meeting will vote whether to commission a study on what cooperative ownership would look like for the technology company.

Nathan Schneider, a media studies scholar-in-residence at the University of Colorado-Boulder, proposed the idea in the Guardian last fall after rumors swirled that Twitter was up for sale.

Schneider says he's been involved for a few years now in a movement called “platform cooperativism.”

"An effort to bring the cooperative business model into the online economy as a way of dealing with some of the abuses in terms of labor and surveillance and this sort of thing,” he explains. “And it just seemed like Twitter is an interesting case for that."

The vote on whether to commission the study on a Twitter co-op will come sometime before May 22. Schneider notes that the proposal isn't likely to pass, but says the goal is simply to keep the conversation going.

Opponents to the proposal argue that users could be more involved in decisions simply by buying stock, giving them a vote at meetings.

In fact, the Buy Twitter campaign encouraged users to buy stock so they could vote on the proposal. But Schneider says that misses the point.

"The way that a publicly traded corporation is set up – legally as well as culturally – and the way a stock market operates, it really orients participants to focus on the short-term value of the stocks that they own," he explains.

Schneider says successful co-ops span many industries, and include Washington-state-based clothing retailer REI, the Associated Press and the Green Bay Packers football team.

He also says the movement toward cooperative business models is something that is catching on among tech companies.

"This is a kind of model that we think can unlock a lot of value that the really investor-driven tech economy that we've had so far is not unlocking and that it can create some new potential in a huge variety of sectors," he states.





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As hurricane season kicks into full gear, Pennsylvania officials are reflecting on the impacts of Hurricane Agnes 50 years ago, and urging property owners to consider getting flood insurance to protect their homes.

Hurricane Agnes was the costliest big storm to hit the United States at the time in 1972. It affected much of the East Coast, but Pennsylvania was hit the hardest, with more than 3,000 businesses and 68,000 homes destroyed.

Michael Humphreys, acting insurance commissioner for Pennsylvania, said natural disasters create hardship and stress for property owners left to deal with the aftermath.

"There are too many Pennsylvanians who have lost everything and didn't have flood insurance to help them rebuild," Humphreys recounted. "Even if your property is outside a federally designated Special Flood Hazard area, and you are not required to buy flood insurance by your mortgage lender, you should consider flood insurance. The risk of flooding doesn't go away just because you paid off your mortgage."

Just last summer, Tropical Storm Ida caused severe flooding damage throughout the Commonwealth, with cleanup costs estimated at $100 million. People looking to purchase a home or property should do their research before buying to determine if the area has had previous flooding.

Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said flooding continues to be the most common natural disaster experienced in the Commonwealth. He said over the past 28 years, 90% of flooding incidents in the state have occurred outside the Special Flood Hazard Zone, meaning places that have never seen flooding before.

"Please take the first step and at least inquire as to what a policy would cost," Padfield urged. "You may be surprised to how affordable a policy is, depending on your individual circumstances and the peace of mind it affords you and your family."

There is more information on the National Flood Insurance Program and other resources in the event of severe flooding on the state Insurance Department's website. In most cases, there is a 30-day waiting period after purchase before flood insurance policies become active.

Many recent Montana high school graduates are setting off on their own, meaning it's likely their first time being financially independent. A few tips could help them better manage their money.

Ally Haegele is the programs manager with Montana's Credit Unions for Community Development. She said first, young adults should understand their long-term financial goals.

Haegele said keeping the big picture in mind is an important way to draft a budget, but she also noted that people should give themselves grace.

"Not structuring a budget that it's so strict trying to achieve those big picture goals that you never go out to eat," said Haegele, "or you never let yourself get a coffee or whatever kind of indulgence you might allow yourself - especially as a young adult. Because then, they're just kind of setting themselves up to fail with the budget or be frustrated."

Haegele said people can download free budgeting apps to help guide them with their finances.

Jordyn Rogers is deputy director of the Great-Falls-based financial nonprofit Rural Dynamics. She said young people going on to higher education might have some additional considerations when it comes to saving money.

For instance, Rogers said, there are ways to save on textbooks.

"Consider renting textbooks for a fraction of the cost," said Haegele, "and you can even do that with e-books over a period of time that you have access to it."

For all young adults, Rogers said it's important to become creditworthy, since credit plays such a big role in people's finances later in life.

She said the easiest way to do this is through a credit card - keeping in mind that you have to be responsible and know your own habits.

"Buying a gas card that can report positively to the credit bureaus, because you pay it off every month," said Haegele, "is a great way to build your credit utilization and also pay for a cost that you know is going to be there."

A campaign in Maine is gathering signatures to replace the state's investor-owned energy grid with a consumer-owned utility.

Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant serve the majority of Maine utility customers, but they consistently rank lower for customer satisfaction, have more frequent power outages and have high rates, compared to consumer-owned utilities.

Seth Berry, former Democratic state representative from Bowdoinham and former House chair of the Maine Legislature's Energy Committee, left office recently to work on getting the initiative on the 2023 ballot. It is based on a bill, passed in 2021 to invest in a consumer-owned utility, but vetoed by the governor.

"This is a great opportunity for us to change it up and say, at least here in Maine, we're going to be independent," Berry explained. "We're going to have local control. It's a better business model, has proven to work better and that's where we're heading. "

Berry pointed out the campaign is on track to have enough signatures. Opponents argued a publicly-funded model would be too expensive.

But Berry noted CMP and Versant charge 58% more for service than consumer-owned utilities, which are currently in 97 Maine towns.

"They have better reliability, their customers are happy," Berry emphasized. "If they're not happy, they have a way to walk right into that board meeting and complain about it, which you certainly can't do with CMP; their governing board is actually based in a skyscraper in Spain."

He added as Maine looks to move toward improving the power grid, it is important to have accountability. Research showed by removing the profit incentives for current investor-owned companies, Mainers could save up to $9 billion over 30 years.