Howard Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, has some useful tips for building a campaign (or company). More than tips, these are cornerstones of participatory media frameworks. From Fast Company, Joe Trippi's Killer App, by Linda Tischler:
-Design the organization to be nimble from the start. A decentralized workforce can respond to local challenges more quickly if it doesn't have to wait for clearance from higher up the food chain. Be willing to let go of total control.
-Find ways to let supporters -- or customers -- talk to each other. Make it easy to connect, then step out of the conversation.
-Encourage ways for ideas to bubble up from the field. Understand that the more brainpower that is applied to a problem, the better the solution. Unleash the power of the people to be creative.
-Recognize that it's not about the technology. True, you need a basic level of technical sophistication to make things work, but the technology should be in service to the idea, not the other way around.
From the Arizona Daily Wildcat, by Julie Wetmore:
“Freshman Diaries,” a 12-part series documenting the trials and triumphs of freshmen experiencing their first year of college, is being filmed on the University of Arizona campus...More than 250 applications, from a base of nearly 6,000 freshmen at the UA, have been turned in so far. Project organizers expect roughly 500 students to apply, the project’s executive producer R.J. Cutler said.
All the selected students are given a digital video camera and will undergo a weekly instruction class focused on creating video diaries.
Humans are social beings. Traditionally, writing books and scripts has not been very social. Writer directs movie and enjoys human contact... From The Philidelphia Inquirer, by Steven Rea:
"As a person who's primarily a novelist, I'd have thought that I'd have wanted it all to be my way," says Peter Hedges (author of two novels - What's Eating Gilbert Grape and An Ocean in Iowa), weighing the differences between the solitary craft of writing and the collaborative process of filmmaking. "But the truth is, it's really nice to make something with other people. And it's particularly enjoyable when you like how it actually turned out."
Two interesting articles regarding satellite broadband and the potential benefits to local rural economies.
This one from Europe:
The so-called digital divide that excludes rural communities from the benefits of broadband access could be overcome by using a combination of wireless networks and satellite receivers. A new project aims to bring high-speed internet connections to rural areas of England and Scotland...Enterprises wishing to relocate to the countryside are currently hindered in continuing their business due to the fact that broadband access - ADSL or fibre - is often simply unavailable.
Another from New Zealand (scroll down to title that says $400 Million):
A community-driven initiative estimated to stimulate economic growth of more than $400 million a year in Southland within 10 years was officially launched yesterday by Prime Minister Helen Clark. In a ceremony at Tuatapere, 87km northwest of Invercargill, which has long suffered from poor telecommunications, Ms Clark unveiled the Southland Broadband Project by taking part in the first high-speed, wireless video conference from the first broadband site commissioned under Project Probe...The contract for the community-initiated, Government-sponsored project has been awarded to Woosh Wireless, which has promised to make fast, reliable Internet connections available to between 92% and 95% of Southlanders by the end of next year.
A few interesting posts regarding Google's AdSense and other ways prosumers (i.e., nano-publishers) can earn some money doing what they do. Mixed opinion of AdSense, but I think it is clear that there will soon be sustainable models for prosumer publishers of text. With photos, videos and music, models will take longer to emerge.
Blogs, Blogging and Advertising on Blogsites, from Elwyn Jenkins creator of MicroDoc-News
Blogging For Dollars, from Matt Haughey creator of PVRBlog.
From MediaRights, by Sara Stuart:
Activists often do not have the resources or the time to produce, edit, and distribute documentaries. However, they continue to use video cameras in their struggles for change. Activists have found that video can influence behavior and keep the opposition on their toes... Video is a potent tool for advancing campaigns and building social movements.
Sara gives four main examples, which are:
1) Cameras Protect Activists
2) Video Gives Leverage to Victims of Violence
3) Video Prevents Police Harassment
4) Cameras (Can Go) Undercover
Local TV news broadcasters have some serious competition in the form of prosumer publishing, like this moblog covering the UFCW Strike (via PicturePhoning).
Esther Dyson nicely sums up one of the problems emerging in the prosumer media world:
The first magic of blogging, of course, is that everyone can self-publish. Everyone has a voice. The tools makes that possible. But the next magic, much harder to achieve, is that everyone wants to be listened to.
New York Post's Sara Stewart covers last Wednesday's real world Flash Mob gathering in New York at the Otto Tootsi Plohound store in SoHo. Jessy DelFino blogs about the event here and David at Creamy.com links to his video at this post. Flocksmart shows a Flash Mob scheduled for Italy on Thursday. CheeseBikini has great Flash Mob background info here, NY specific info and photos here, and a link to NPR's coverage via "The Next Big Thing" here.
Sony, Sharp, Canon and JVC have agreed on a consumer High-Definition video format that retains the use of existing Digital Video tape formats. This benefits consumers because vendors will be able to use the video camera's existing mechanical parts, keeping the price of the cameras dropping, while the quality keeps improving. Mass consumer adoption of these high-quality media production tools will provide fertile soil for businesses that enable the emerging media prosumer. And consumer electronic vendors persistant focus on improving the quality of the storymaking and storytelling tools, rather than the process, provides ample opportunity for startups with disruptive business models.
One example of a large company leaving the door open to disruption is HP. HP's "casual capture" project provides limited editorial judgement, one of the most natural storytelling techniques. "The challenge is selecting what's interesting automatically," says Phil Cheatle of HP Labs' digital media department.
My Personal Digital Cinema Revolution, by Dale Launer
See, I could tell you even more stories, infuriating, insulting stories, enough to fill an entire book. But take my word for it -- I was fed up. Fed up enough to do something really drastic. How drastic?
Like make my own movies out of pocket. That way I could: (1.) make whatever I wanted; (2.) have total creative control; (3.) get full credit (or blame); and (4.) make a real profit.
There is no other solution. There is not other way. I was tired of whining, blaming others. This was time to take action. Put-up or shut-up time, and I was ready to put up.