Community talk

Bored? Don't know what to do? Got to www.wikibios.com and add something... anything... to the fictional wikibio of Sumanguru Gyra Jones. It is a never-ending, social writing project. Anything goes as long as it isn't just plain sick, racist or beyond stupid. Be creative and have fun. Write there or be square.

Peace2U
Sumanguru

Greetings Ourmedia users
I am happy to announce that I've just added video chat to my personal blog and collaboration with 123 flash chat. It is a public channel but it is open to all our media users. What better way for video bloggers to collaborate projects than with video chat! Now you will be a community with each other in real time.

It is a flash chat client and requires no download you will be logged on automatically when you access my blog and select the experimental chat room post. The system will assign you a guest name which you may change as soon as you are logged on. It is my suggestion that you add OM to your nickname to identify yourself as a ourmedia user to other oumedia uses

either click on my user name to get to my blog page or follow this link

http://ourmedia.org/node/405876

I hope all organizations and causes will put this feature to good use

Windsong

Just a quick note to let the community know that we'll be taking Ourmedia in some new directions in the coming months. We're still figuring things out as we move forward, but the gist of it is this:

This summer we'll be relaunching Ourmedia as a social media platform and tools provider for cause organizations. We just hired a programmer and we're in the process of upgrading the site to Drupal 6 as we build "cause pages" with specific calls to action (many more
than are available on Facebook Causes) and customizable widgets -- all part of an effort we call cloud campaigning.

Ourmedia's existing service as a platform for uploading media files for free hosting and long-term preservation at the Internet Archive will remain intact.

Stay tuned for a fuller conversation about all this.

I hope to head to the Net2 conference next week in San Jose, Calif. If you're not familiar with NetSquared.org, a project of CompuMentor, they're (motto: remixing the web for social change), they're about helping enable nonprofits and social benefit organizations to take up the tools of the social web.

Megan MacLeod in Los Angeles passes this along:

Within the past month Asia has experienced grave tragedies including the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit southwest China claiming 34,073 lives and injuring 245,209 more, and the Myanmar cyclone that counts its current death toll at 78,000 and an estimated 56,000 still missing. As the long term effect of this disaster takes its toll on Asia's economy with some estimates reaching over $20 billion in damages, these regions and its people are in desperate need of the world's help.

In response to these tragedies, SocialVibe.com, a new way to make a difference for charities online, is establishing a cause called Disaster Relief that will enable SocialVibe to quickly mobilize fundraising efforts when a global or regional disaster strikes. SocialVibe.com's Disaster Relief launches today on the homepage and as the featured cause of the site. SocialVibe.com "Points " earned by selecting Disaster Relief will be allocated to charities within SocialVibe making a difference for Asia. This month, Direct Relief, which provides medical assistance to improve the quality of life for people victimized by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest throughout the world, and charity: water, a non-profit bringing clean and safe drinking water into impoverished communities, will benefit and split the proceeds 50/50.

SocialVibe.com is designed to enable interaction between people, the brands they love and the causes they are passionate about. The platform mobilizes millions of social media consumers to easily promote, distribute and support brands and charities and distribute these alliances via social networks like Facebook and Myspace, blogs and personal websites. Members simply choose a charity to support and a brand to endorse, earning opportunities to get brand perks and points. The points that members earn are then turned into funds for the charitable cause of their choice. Since the public beta kick-off in February, SocialVibe has already donated more than $30,000 to 14 charities.

Here's a 6-minute video interview with AJ Tesler, founder of the Independent Television Festival, a showcase for independent producers who create videos for the Web or television.

It's now in its third year, and the deadlines for entries in this year's festival is May 21. Head over to itvfest.org for more info.

Last week's cyclone that decimated Myanmar (Burma) killed an estimated 21,000 people, with 40,000 still missing, and left hundreds of thousands homeless. The need for outside help is overwhelming.

Here are some of the noteworthy relief efforts that we've identified. Please make a small donation, and add any other sites in the comments below:

The Seattle Times has a great roundup of additional agencies providing relief efforts.

At top: Red Cross photo

Later: To make donations to the villagers displaced in the earthquake in China that took place less than a day ago, go to the main page of the aid organizations listed above.