Maria RessaWe feel unbelievably lucky to be at this time and place - to feel the ground shifting beneath our feet and see the world change in ways we can barely imagine.

Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves). It's a new world of limitless collaboration enabled by new technology and connected by social media.

We at Rappler promise uncompromised journalism that - hopefully - inspires smart conversations and ignites a thirst for change.

We are veteran journalists trained in broadcast, print and web disciplines working with young, idealistic digital natives eager to report and find solutions to problems. We are web artists, designers, publishers and professionals combining the best of broadcasting and IT processes.

We won’t be complete without YOU.

Technology now allows us to work in ways never before possible to create connected communities and to tap “the wisdom of crowds,” the process of harnessing a group's collective answer which, under the right conditions, have proven to be better than any single expert opinion.

To help set up these conditions, we began nationwide workshops with our Move.PH chat series. In the age when everyone is a reporter, it’s good to discuss standards, responsibilities and ethics. Our journalists are running workshops and engaging the public in ways we have rarely done before.

We also believe in the power of emotions. Studies show that up to 80% of the way people make decisions in their lives are determined by the way they feel. Neuroscientists also say the act of labeling emotions increases our ability to reason. Please share how you feel about each story through our patented moodmeter.

More than at any other time, how we feel collectively is important because brain imaging scans show that the Internet and social media are stimulating our emotions and rewiring our brains. Globally, emotions are spreading quickly through large swathes of societies with both positive and negative effects. Social media helped spread courage and hope to challenge dictators during the Arab Spring, but it was also used to plan riots in London and challenge traditional power structures in Occupy Wall Street.

We hope our hearts and minds approach will help encourage greater self-awareness and lead to greater transparency and responsibility – for each of us and our societies. Only then can we avoid some of the pitfalls of our brave, new world as we build the future together.

Tomorrow begins today.

Thank you for joining us!