About six months ago, I launched a non-profit website that enables visitors to upload videos, comment on and rate them, and engage in online forums about the American elections. The site, ThePeopleChoose, is linked to the non-profit television channel, Link TV, which will broadcast the best videos that have been uploaded. My experience tells me that there is opportunity here for NPOs.

• I learned that there is an appeal for some foundations to experiment with this new form of creative relationship building and communication.

• I learned that private companies in this field are new enough that they welcome non-profit partners because they see they traffic enhancement and branding potential.

• I learned that online promotion is necessary to build traffic and that blogs are likely the best way to do it.

• I learned that it can excite an NPO's staff and board and raise morale to see their work in video, especially video that others have gone to the trouble to shoot and post.

Why do it?

1. Video can deliver unique impact and reality about your work. By asking people to upload video, you avoid production costs and achieve a powerful authenticity. Your appeal to donors and funders will go up as they see and get engaged in your work and even upload videos of their own. You will build relationships with film schools, local high school and college classes where the faculty are assigning video projects, and with new foundations that found you through video.

2. Video websites appeal to young people – a source of new members and volunteers. They also showcase new talent, like the students and volunteers who upload videos and text to ThePeopleChoose.

4. The technology is widespread and the cost is low if you partner with a private sector video site – a good way to build a corporate relationship that can grows into other things.

3. Video sites can build relationships with users and commenters.

How do you do it?

1. Unless your organization has large amount of server space and bandwidth, form a partnership with a video upload company. This is a win-win for them because your members and promotion will bring more traffic to their site, increasing ad revenues, and they provide the space, upload applications and bandwidth to you at no cost.

2. Have your IT person or a contract programmer add a "new clips" section to your site's back end. This is a site which allows your staff to grab videos uploaded to your partner's site and post on you own so they open theirs, preferably in Flash.

3. Put a button or a box on your home page that asks people to upload their video and takes them to a page where they agree to your terms of service, and then sends them to a page on your partner's site that has your logo on it where they actually upload the video. Your staff then reviews it to make sure it meets your terms of service (TOS) and rules, like no profanity or copyrighted material. (In your TOS, let them keep the copyright to their videos, which they license to you at no charge – take a look at the TOS's on some of the upload sites and then have your lawyer or a volunteer attorney draft yours.)

Questions? Comments? Jump in the conversation.

scottbeale50 - Oct 3, 2006 2:08 pm (#1 Total: 37)
Scott Beale, Founder, Atlas Corps www.atlascorps.org

Thanks Patrick for a great topic!

I am starting a new citizen sector organization (NPO, NGO) that takes rising NGO leaders from the developing world to volunteer for one year in the U.S.  Since this is a new model of international service I decided to upload a video of myself describing the organization.  It does not look as fancy as I would like, but I am pleased with the start.

See: http://www.atlascorps.org/about/where.htm

Or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeVra0s2lbY

I am using a simple logitech camera and a free windows movie maker software.  It really is easy!  I have a lot of work to go before it looks very professional.

Here is my question.  Do most people have and know how to use video cameras to post video replies?  Are there bandwidth problems with these videos?  And, is there a "best" video site to use?

Thanks!

Scott Beale, Executive Director, Atlas Service Corps

http://www.atlascorps.org  

SusanE - Oct 4, 2006 8:00 am (#2 Total: 37)
Footpath Pictures, Inc.


After volunteering in Peru with CARE my husband and I were inspired to use our skills as video producers to start a small company dedicated to telling the stories of non-profit organizations. Our company, Footpath Pictures (www.footpathpictures.com), has been working with non-profits for the past several years and we've seen tremendous success using video as a fundraising tool. And although portions of the video are often used online, generally, the video is used as part of a presentation with donors or the main event of a fundraising gala. That personal "live" connection of an event or a one on one meeting seems to me to be critical in fundraising. It seems video, for all of it's strengths can't replace the relationships that must form in successful fundraising. So I guess my first question for the discussion is, are there examples of successful online fundraising campaigns that use video as the primary call to action? I know I've been moved by video online, and I've certainly sent friends links to videos I felt were important. But I've never donated to a cause after watching a video online, I don't think-other than political campaigns, I've ever been asked. There must be someone using it successfully and I would love to see how it's working.

Second, is something that we at Footpath have started to focus more on and that is reaching out beyond the standard fundraising events to the general public- raising awareness. We have so many new possibilities emerging every day thanks to the web and ever expanding broadcast opportunities, film festivals, etc. We've taken a proactive approach to developing this part of our business by finding partners with complex stories that will resonate with a broader audience and then developing a communications strategy that includes both a fundraising video (about the organization) as well as a longer documentary on the issues (not the organization) that can be shared through a variety of avenues. We believe that most foundations will actually be more interested in raising awareness than simply funding a marketing video about the organization. By producing the two programs simultaneously, we can make the most of our production time. We're big sticklers on efficiency. That applies to production but also to the use of the videos once they are complete. We want our partners to get the most bang: money, support, awareness for their buck. And we personally want our documentaries to make a measurable difference. These stories can move mountains, they truly can. Having the will and the insight to raise money to tell the stories takes a lot of faith and belief in their power. It's not hard for me, because I've seen these stories raise literally millions of dollars and change the perception of an organization from the inside out. Patrick, you are correct, and I've often been surprised by the non-profit's reaction to their own story. Sometimes a video gives them a new perspective on their work and the importance of it. It can be very uplifting to the entire staff.

Scott, I watched your video and I thought it was a great approach to giving visitors to your website a sense of your organization in a very personal way. I will be sure to pass this idea along to the non-profits we work with. Especially when you are working internationally, making a personal connection like this is essential. Thank you for sharing it!

Best, Susan Ellis Footpath Pictures Inc.

tutormentor - Oct 8, 2006 6:55 am (#3 Total: 37)
Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Connection

We've had a small video program  in place for about 10 years. It's aim has been to connect innercity youth with mentors who work in the communications, video, film industries. There are many benefits from such a program and one is that the material youth create can tell of their involvement in a NPO and invite others to participate. Until YouTube there was no way to distribute the video effectively to a large audience.

We put one of our videos on YouTube recently at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuPfJcCEpsk

People who view this can see how teens are rapping their experiences and the expectations of Cabrini Connections.  This is just one of many videos that have been created over the years. You can view clips of others at http://www.cabriniconnections.net/IYP/Videos.html

One of my goals is to create a network of youth arts/video programs, using central Internet web sites as interchanges to connect viewers, volunteers and donors with hundreds of youth organizations, and using the videos created by youth and volunteers as the entertainment and advertising that draws more and more people to this sector.

In the Links SECTION of http://www.tutormentorconnection.org/ there is a sub section on arts/mentoring where people with youth video programs can submit a web link. That's the first part of our own effort to create a web library of such programs.

 

 

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 10, 2006 11:28 am (#4 Total: 37)


Scott It is amazing just how many people have cameras and know how to use them...however,most of these people are under 30. But the plunging prices of cameras, the rising simplicity of USB and Firewire connections are expanding both the number and the age range. Several million peole do it every week at YouTube; we get 25,000 hits a week at ThePeopleChoose, and other sites are also growing.

One thing to watch out for is cell phone video. Not all sites accept cell phone video as it is a different format (jumpcut.com does not, as of now). Since many people shoot video with cell phones, you may have to post instructions on how to convert cell phone video to .mov or other usefull file formats.

However, the real key is generating the videos...giving people a reason to do it. In our case, we can offer to show their video on a national TV network, which is cost free for us and a boost for them. Contests are an even better way to do it. The blog Crooks and Liars <http://www.crooksandliars.com/> is now running a contest for liberal videos. Current offers TV time; Sunlight Foundation and moveon.org ran contests for the best ads, with Sunlight offering cash prizes. You might consider teaming up with a corporate sponsor to offer a prize consistent with your mission and their products.

As to the best video site, tht is raidly changing as the industry matures (recall that YouTube has been around les than 2 years). I like jumpcut.com. Even though they were bought by Yahoo, they seem to be staying independent and open to the non-profit sector. They are good at promotion and understand the value of co-promotion with NPOs.

With YouTube's purchase by Google for $1.65 billion, there will be advertising and possibly some policy changes at YouTube. However, given Google's great reputation and its Google ads progrm, YouTube may be a good source. For the time being, I am staying with Jumpcut.

Good site, incidently.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 10, 2006 11:44 am (#5 Total: 37)


Susan, I love your multi-use approach to video. Thatis how Ted Turner got riach - he took each piece of film and used it in many different ways - CNN, Hedline News, CNN International, affilliate feeds, specials, etc. etc.-- the same newsfilm, different audiences and advertisers.

I don't have an example of a video itself generating money, but I have a great deal of experience that confirms that the intimacy and immediacy of a video can provide the focus for an ask and re-inforce the points of your presentation. I find videos especially useful in house parties. One tht I sponosred at my home for a small foundation funding sustainable development agricultural projects in the Peruvian Amazon (email me for a contact) used controlled lighting, sound recorded in the Amazon, and film shot in the village, to enthrall an audience....and the group made its donations goal.

However, having said that, I note that we are entering a new environment in which our members and supporters and visitors make the videos and the power is not all inthe picture, it is in the communication and the relationships.

To my knowledge ThePeopleChoose is the first non-profit site to launch user-generated video as a community building process in a non profit environment. We don't know yet if we are successful, or even exactly what the metrics are we should use to determine success. Given that video uploaders may be mostly young - a demographic that does not donate a lot - it is not clear yet how this dynamci will impact fund riasing.

But, as you and others travel in developing countries where you work and you and those you travel with - especially your donors - post their videos, you may develop an audience that will become a donoar audience. Again, this is all very new and we are all experimenting....we are all social entrepreneurs here.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 10, 2006 11:51 am (#6 Total: 37)


I love the program you are describing, and the emergence of user-generated sites makes them not only posible, but can give them national impact. You might upload any videos from your program to www.thepeoplechoose2006.org if they talk about policy.

You might also check out the Film Arts Foundation in SF <http://www.filmarts.org/services.php>. They have 6000 members around the country who communicate on FAF forums and may be able to point you to resources like screening rooms, editing suites, classes, etc. in Chicago for your program,

kanter - Oct 10, 2006 3:20 pm (#7 Total: 37)


Patrick:

My question is: Should nonprofits be concerned with ownership of their content and what is the best way to become educated about user agreements?

I wrote a roundup of nonprofits and vlogging about a month ago http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2006/09/nonprofits_and_.html

I came across an interesting blog post the other day:

Participatory Media: Who Owns the Work You Share? http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2006/10/participatory_m.html

That was before the Google/YouTube announcement.

Makes me want to add question about how concerned we need to be with ownership of our content?

Scott:

I wrote a brief roundup of video hosts here: http://www.netsquared.org/tags/video-vlog-vlogging-youtube-dogoodertv-channelg-nptechtv-ourmedia-witness There's a link to an article that compares hosts.

Also, TechSoup published an article on video hostings http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page5876.cfm?cg=searchterms&sg=video

I think the "best" video host -- depends on what your strategy is, who want to reach, what your concerns are about ownership of content, etc.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 10, 2006 3:45 pm (#8 Total: 37)


We thought long and hard about this and finally decided not to own copyrights. In our case, the videos would not likely have a life beyond the elections, so there was no reason for us to hold onto the copyright. We were also told by one of our partners, that they could not let us upload video unless they kept the copyright because some of those videos would be needed for court cases.

It will depend on what you want to do with the vide4os. YouTube keeps the copyright, some others don't. Think thorugh how long any video you receive will be interesting, to whom and for what purpose. Then check with a lawyer.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 10, 2006 3:50 pm (#9 Total: 37)


Today the upload world is YouTube and the itty bitty ants nibbling on it. However, I suspect that just like The People Choose is taking a segment of the market, others will come along and take segments...in other words, the upload world will eventually look like the cable world of 500 channels, some with only 100,000 viewers and others with 2 million and few with 5 million.

What has not yet ocurred in a big way is the non-profit entry into the upload world. LinkTV ws able to move into the TV world as a non profit, get into 28 million homes and keep a respectable audience of of 5 -6 million a week. Small, non-profit upload sites will do the same when they find their nieches.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 10, 2006 5:21 pm (#10 Total: 37)


Evefryone should check out Beth's blog: very useful

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 10, 2006 5:30 pm (#11 Total: 37)

scottbeale50 - Oct 11, 2006 6:41 am (#12 Total: 37)
Scott Beale, Founder, Atlas Corps www.atlascorps.org

Patrick, thanks for an interesting conversation, Beth for the information and everyone for their feedback.

I like the idea of giving people an incentive (or at the very least directly soliciting video submissions) to get people to send in videos.  I have to imagine with the incredible popularity of blogs that video blogs and communication is going to be twice as big in the next 2 years.

We still have a long ways to go at Atlas Service Corps (http://www.atlascorps.org) but especially since we are an international nonprofit with an international audience, we are excited about the possibility that video provides.

In fact, my next initiative is to make a 90 second Atlas Corps video in Spanish and then invite people to submit videos about Atlas Corps in other languages to put online, as a solid way that demonstrates our global orientation.

Thanks!

Scott Beale

scott@atlascorps.org

http://www.atlascorps.org

tutormentor - Oct 11, 2006 8:40 am (#13 Total: 37)
Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Connection


I think that the rush to praise YouTube for its potential needs to be slowed with some thinking of how one gets his/her video viewed out ot the millions of other videos competing for limited viewer minutes.

At the same time, one needs to consider why you're posting the video, and who you want to look at it, and what response you want.

I post a video in YouTube for the same reason I poste a message here. I'm broadcasting to a very wide audiennce looking for people who already share the same concerns and vision I have, who are also looking for people like me who can be collaborators and partners in a shared strategy of helping kids living in high poverty areas.

I recognize that each post is like buying a lotter ticket since I'm competing with so many others for attention.

Thus, while I post, I also seek discussion, that might innovate ways a few people with common goals, my work as a team in an environment such as YouTube, to increase the potential that our message will be heard by the people we hope will see it and respond.

I think that this advise would be practical for anyone with a vision of using mass media like the Internet to draw support to a cause or a single organization.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 11, 2006 9:45 am (#14 Total: 37)


Scott What a great idea. Could you send me an embed code for your existing video, if you have one, or email to me as an attachment when it is done. I will post it on my blog on TPC and here as an example of using video to improve international communication and boost social entrepreneurs.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 11, 2006 9:51 am (#15 Total: 37)


YouTube does have a good search and video relationship process, but vidoes posted on YT need promotion elsewhere or they will get lost in the 100 million videos downloaded each day. This is why niche sites like ThePeopleChoose can be successful - as they are promoted to their niche audiences they will gain traction adn become the go-to site for that topic in video. This is an opportunity for non-profits. Once an NPO develops traffic, a site can run associated ads for other NPOs and businesses that serve NPOs and generate revenue.

kanter - Oct 11, 2006 1:09 pm (#16 Total: 37)


Patrick,

Thanks for your kind words.

I see your point about the copyright and think your advice is good. As with anything, it requires some discussion,thinking, and strategy development.

It's good that there are a variety of video hosts and while YouTube retains copyright, a few of the others allow you to choose a creative commons license. Some organizations might refer a host that offers that flexibility, although the audience potential YouTube might be worth considering.

kanter - Oct 11, 2006 7:07 pm (#17 Total: 37)


just because it has been so fabulous and I learned so much!

http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2006/10/more_nonprofits.html

What struck me was that Patrick's take is slightly different from what I've seen so far from nonprofits doing videocasting - the whole participatory media piece. It's kind of shift in thinking and I wonder what it would take to help make that shift - in order to adopt this approach .. well, just some ramblings.

tutormentor - Oct 12, 2006 7:56 am (#18 Total: 37)
Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Connection


Beth has written a great summary of this discussion, and added additional information on her blog. This illustrates how people from different places can work together to share information, build understanding, and create a focus on a specific issue.

In late November I'm going to be hosting a one-day tutor/mentor conference in Chicago, where the challenges facing non-school tutor/mentor programs will be discussed, and where ideas on collaboration to overcome challenges will be proposed.

I would like to find some bloggers, video people, and forum hosts, like Social Edge, who'd like to work with me on this, with a goal of following the face to face discussion in Chicago, with a variety of internet events that increase the number of people who enter the discussion, and impact tutoring/mentoring in every city in the country. We did something like this in May during the spring conference. By doing this in December, my hope is to effect year end philanthropy going toward organizations who offer non-school tutoring/mentoring and various forms of youth development.

If anyone reading this is interested email me at tutormentor2@earthlink.net

scottbeale50 - Oct 12, 2006 8:18 am (#19 Total: 37)
Scott Beale, Founder, Atlas Corps www.atlascorps.org

Patrick, per your request here is the Spanish video.  In the coming weeks I plan to do videos in Hindi, French, Chinees and other languages (I wont do them, but people I know will).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS7j4NRGVXQ

Here is the improved English video I just made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8IDrCOLYg4

And for those who have not seen it yet, here is my organization's site:

http://www.atlascorps.org

Please feel free to share with others.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 14, 2006 9:26 am (#20 Total: 37)


go about doing the translations. Do you have mulitlingual staff? Do you use a service? Do you also adjust for cultural differences?

plamb - Oct 15, 2006 2:59 pm (#21 Total: 37)
Paul Lamb

Some sites like Revver allow you the optiong of making money off of your videos. In Revver's case, for example, they insert an advertisement at the end of your video and everytime someone clicks on it you get paid (a small amount, similar to Google's Adsense).

Patrick, do you or other's have experience with this and other ways to make a profit off of video and not just use it as a communication or promotional tool?

thanks,

Paul

plamb - Oct 15, 2006 3:15 pm (#22 Total: 37)
Paul Lamb

For those organizations interested in conducting video interviews with people in separate locations, check out Rosetimes. With only a standard video camera, a broadband connection and a VOIP tool (like Skype or Gizmo), you can create a free video interview with superb sound quality that doesn't require the interviewer or interviewee to be in the same place - they just both need to have this equipment on either end. Even better, in the final product both interviewer and interviewee appear in the same frame.

Perhaps something that Social Edge should consider using?

Cheers,

 

Paul

scottbeale50 - Oct 15, 2006 8:31 pm (#23 Total: 37)
Scott Beale, Founder, Atlas Corps www.atlascorps.org

We have multilingual volunteers and staff.

In addition, our next step is to ask other volunteers to send in 90 second videos that explain Atlas Service Corps (our nonprofit) and then we will post those videos online.

thanks, scott

www.atlascorps.org

Keely Stevenson - Oct 17, 2006 5:16 am (#24 Total: 37)
Acumen Fund

Hey there,
This has been a really useful discussion- thanks.  I am doing a fellowship whereby we spend most of the year working directly with organizations in India, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Pakistan.  One of the elements of our work is putting together a case study via video as well as a general short video of the social enterprises we are working with.  I appreciate all your ideas here.

Keely

scottbeale50 - Oct 17, 2006 8:01 am (#25 Total: 37)
Scott Beale, Founder, Atlas Corps www.atlascorps.org

The Acumen Fund Fellowship is very prestigious.  Congrats on the good work you must be doing!  It would be great to hear more about your experience and eventually see the video you put together. I can be reached at scott@atlascorps.org.

Sincerely,

Scott Beale

Atlas Corps

www.atlascorps.org

scott@atlascorps.org

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 17, 2006 8:45 am (#26 Total: 37)


Paul I have not had any experience with Revver or with sites that tag videos with ads. I have been at social gatherings recently in Silicon Valley in which the YouTube sale to Google was discussed and the one topic that everyone seems to agree on is that this would be deadly for that community. I think - without any research - that targeted, Google-type ads on the page would work, but tagging videos could turn off people. As a method of social entrepreneurship, I would look for ways to monetize a video site that develops strong trafffic, but not by tagging videos

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 17, 2006 8:47 am (#27 Total: 37)


Great idea. I will suggst it to Victor (Victor, consider it suggested) as a anoher way to build a community

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 17, 2006 8:50 am (#28 Total: 37)


Outstanding. Be sure to promote them: One trick we sued at the peopel choose is to create a proomotion video, post it on Youtube and tag it with the names of candidates and other tags that we expected folks looking for information on elections to search with. When they searched, our promotion video and url came up and sendt traffic to our site. Since there are limits on how many tags you can use, we had our volunteers post it with different ip addresses and different tags

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 17, 2006 8:52 am (#29 Total: 37)


When you have the videos done, can you email them to me to post here. A .mov or quicktime format might work best

tutormentor - Oct 17, 2006 10:28 am (#30 Total: 37)
Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Connection


Hi Keely,

It's great to see the good work you're doing. In past conversations with you and others that I've met on-line, I've recognized a need for local leaders to create non profit hubs, that collect information about local organizations doing similar work in the same geography. For instance, I host a conference in Chicago and have had several people from Africa and South America email me asking for Visa help so they could attend. I've always suggested that a better way to spend the thousands of dollars it would cost to come to the US for my two day event would be to create a local network and hold a conference that connects local supporters at the same time as we hold our event in Chicago. By creating on-line forums like Social Edge, we can connect the participants of each event with each other.

While I'm sure people are building aggregators and web hubs, I'm not sure that this is being done with the narrow focus of connecting youth organizations/supporters, or video-creating/arts/mentoring organizations.

In each of the countries that you visit I hope you'll plant the seed that this can, and should be done. The http://www.tutormentorconnection.org web provides some ideas of what a hub might do to draw programs together, and to draw donors and volunteers to all of the programs listed in a Program Locator that should be part of each hub.

As an intermediary between the Acumen Fund and these local leaders, it's possible that you could help provide the financial support needed to get such a strategy launched in the countries you are visiting. I'd be happy to offer suggestions of the opportunities and benefits. A YouTube strategy, such as we're discussing here, would be a great way to draw attention to each hub, and the organizations represented in each hub.

Cordelia Salter-Nour - Oct 18, 2006 8:00 am (#31 Total: 37)
FightHunger.org


Hello everyone

We're hoping to put all this great theory into practice!

FightHunger.org is a division of the UN World Food Programme set up to help end child hunger by 2015 which is part of the first Millenium Development Goal

We've just launched a viral video contest and are looking for a short, upbeat video about ending child hunger. Have a look at this link:

http://www.fighthunger.org/contest

The winner will get the opportunity to visit and film a World Food Programme School Feeding project in a developing country.

Any help that anyone can give spreading the word about this contest would be most appreciated

Thanks!

Cordelia

www.FightHunger.org

Ending child hunger by 2015

kanter - Oct 18, 2006 9:29 am (#32 Total: 37)


I did a write up about the VotersVoices project -part of what they are doing is aggregating voter generated content via tags -- including on YouTube http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2006/10/screencast_of_t_1.html

I got inspired and did an interview via YouTube in video with Steve Cliff: http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2006/10/my_youtube_inte.html

Steve talks about the need to have the ability to do your video capture online versus upload. He also shares six great tips for community tagging projects. I also transcribed the interview over at my blog.

There is also metacafe.com - a start up that is planning to pay for videos.

Cordelia: I blogged about your content over at my blog and netsquared http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2006/10/fight_hunger_vi.html

Plus I sent the info to the videoblogging community listserv

tutormentor - Oct 18, 2006 12:08 pm (#33 Total: 37)
Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Connection


Beth, Patrick, others,

On November 30 I plan to hold a one-day event in Chicago with a theme of Collaboration and Capacity Building. At http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com/generic25.html you can read my goals.

I'm posting this message to ask you if you know of a blogger, or a video group, that is using a blog to build collaboration and focus on youth serving organizations in an entire city or geographic region, who might want to be part of a panel that illustrates how technology can be used to build support for a cause.

I'm also looking for people who might blog this topic in December, or create a video exchange, similar to the Non-profit blog exchange, with the goal of building increased donor visibility for youth organizations in the weeks leading up to Dec. 31.

If you can help me spread the word we can demonstrate the power of our ideas by putting them in practice.

chrismacrae - Oct 18, 2006 5:25 pm (#34 Total: 37)

You can spend a heck of a lot of time both searching for videos and watching them. The more so the deeper the social edge learning in our view. So we invite people to tell us their favourite social edge videos so we can list links to them in one place http://worldcitizen.tv/_wsn/page5.html 

We're interested in building sub-banks for different audiences- how for example do we convince journalists at the BBC that they should be focusing mush more on sustainability debates? Or how do we connect video and print around the idea that travel guides to sustsinability heroes need to become as popular as  to hotels if every locality and socila network is to unite and participate.

http://guidemakers.net   http://herstory.tv  http://grameen.tv

I see a great future in open cataloguing sites but leaving others to make the videos

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 19, 2006 8:34 am (#35 Total: 37)


I know that Music for America is starting to do this, but for poltical organizing purposes. Friendster is now running a video contest for its 33 million youth audience.Beth, you might know more in this space. Love to discuss blogging this topic. I have a partnership with Friendster and perhaps could get them to join the blog.

Patrick O'Heffernan - Oct 19, 2006 8:41 am (#36 Total: 37)


Cataloguing: we ran into this at The People Choose and licensed the dynaic map you see on the page. It is a terrific way to catalogue and loate campaign videos, which are usually sought by state. Dynamic mapping can be used in other waysv - it doesn't have to be geographic. The code connects to a data base which can be topical, author-related, country related ...anythihg you want. All you have to do is change the graphics and the pointers. The map is licenses, so the programmer would likely be open to working with other formats. As to sub banks for differnet audiences, I think the challenge is not technical, it is promotional. There ar so many sources of informtion, why should yours be used? I would suggest convening representatives of the audiences you want to attrack and ask them the best way to prsent information, and the kinds of information they want. In the process of couse, you are promoting the site!

Julius - Oct 26, 2006 4:36 am (#37 Total: 37)

I recently made a short video (1 minute) explaining the charity social network site helpalot.org I'm working on.

http://www.helpalot.org

I love how easy sites like YouTube make it to spread a message. I think the main reason its great, is that humans just mostly like visuals and audio over reading. It takes less energy to get the message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5OZRqj5VXQ