Community talk

CC Video Bumpers

Markus Sandy — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:59:40 -0800

Here's a bunch of cool Creative Commons graphics that you can use to make trailers for your CC licensed videos. The good folks at Creative Commons have assembled a collection of black & white and color PNG's for each of the CC licenses. http://wiki.creativecommons.org/CC_video_bumpers You can also find some fun video trailers that people made during Super Happy Vlog House 2008. http://superhappyvloghouse.pbwiki.com/Creative%20Commons%20Trailers

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Internet Archive/CC Promo gig posted at MediaMobz

Markus Sandy — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:03:33 -0800

We just posted a request over at Media Mobz for a promo video for the Internet Archive and Creative Commons. Are you a video producer with a passion for the Archive and CC? Got time to take on a small video production job? Please let us know by submitting a bid! MediaMobz is also one of Outhink Media's web productions, which also include SpinXpress and Ourmedia.

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Upcoming Changes: Upgrades and Cause Channels

admin — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:39:49 -0800

We're busy working to upgrade Ourmedia to the latest version of our underlying Drupal content management system. This will provide many new features, plus increased stability and performance. We are also working on a new theme or skin for the site. Many of you have indicated a need for more tools to embed your media and improved uploading. We are working on both of those issues. We are also testing improved spam blocking features. Last, but not least, we are working on social media tools for promoting and sustaining cause related channels. What features are important to you? Please let us know by leaving a comment below.

Community talk

Spam

NoiseCollector — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:51:08 -0700

Anyway to delete items from my channel? I spent a good 30 minutes looking for a way to delete a bunch of spam and auto playing sneaker adds and stuff. Also, The most recent channels added look like spam to me as well, fake paystubs? As a mortgage professional I find that a bit much considering what has happened in the housing and credit markets. Examples: http://channels.ourmedia.org/node/3092 http://channels.ourmedia.org/low-car-loan-rates-people-bad-credit http://channels.ourmedia.org/http%3A//www.fakepaycheckstubs.com Any instruction would be appreciated, thanks!

Community talk

Reporting from Social Capital Markets

JD Lasica — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:17:57 -0700

Given Ourmedia's increasing focus on assisting nonprofits and social change organizations, I thought it would be instructive to post some notes from two days at the first Social Capital Markets conference in San Francisco this week. The three-day gathering, with 650 attendees, focused on social enterprises, the blurring line between nonprofits and socially conscious for-profits, and the tidal wave of interest in organizations that promote the common good (especially in the wake of the stock market's meltdown). VCs, entrepreneurs, foundations, aid agencies and journalists all attended.

At the Pitching in Action session, organizations gave presentations on social enterprises they're planning to launch. Each had a compelling story.

Kevin Starr of the Mulago Foundation said investors look at four things in deciding whether to invest in a social enterprise startup:

What is the compelling problem you want to solve?
Do you have a solution to connect the dots on a path to impact?
Do you have a plausible path to go to scale?
Do you have the right organization to deliver on your vision?

BAVC

Ken Ikeda, executive director of the Bay Area Video Coalition here in SF, outlined the prospects for a new venture called FUSE, an online platform and portal to provide digital media training online.

The appeal of FUSE, Ikeda said, is that its short, intense classes last two to three days rather than the weeks or months in schools or other programs. "Most of us don't want to go back to school," Ikeda said.

BAVC, which brings in $2 million a year in revenue, now serves 6,000 students a year, and it wants to move these training courses online and serve tens of thousands of students.

The current plan is to launch FUSE as a free-standing company and sell equity in it. (Ikeda said of BAVC, "We get buyout offers every year." Which is interesting, given that they're a nonprofit.)

Change Agent

I was blown away by the presentation by Bob Cabeza, executive director of Change Agent, a startup in Long Beach, Calif, whose Native American ancestry informed his storytelling prowess.

Change Agent offers digital media training in such subjects as digital video production, graphic design, Web design, audio visual services, youth development and more. Their market includes nonprofits, community organizations, school districts, small companies and more.

Money quote: "If you need us after 6 months, we've failed you."

In 2007-08, they built the business from zero dollars to $110,000 in revenues from 19 new clients, and they're on course to hit $200,000 in 2009. The staff includes high school interns ("these kids are digital media geniuses!" Cabeza said), an executive director, art director, two graphic artists and two digital media artists. They're seeking $3.7 million in funding.

Their goal, in short, is to "get kids into jobs and into college through digital media training."

Youth Media

I've long followed the work of Youth Media International (Joaquin Alvarado, a member of Ourmedia's Board of Advisors, has worked with them.)

Lissa Soep, research director of Youth Media International, showed off the impressive track record of Youth Media/Youth Radio: distribution on such media outlets as NPR, BoingBoing, Jezebel, Slate, KQED, Yahoo! News, Current TV and the San Francisco Chronicle.

They're all about creating relevant, quality content about, and of interest to, youths. YMI is positioning itself as "the gateway to the next-generation producer-citizen ... through transformative content that helps shape the lives of young people," Soep said. They're on track to bring in $350,000 in sponsorships and advertising in year two, and hope to break even on this new program in two years.

Community talk

Hard Quorum 1 - Music

matt.p.davies — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:29:05 -0700

Hard Quorum. A Podcast of Christian discussion.
This first episode is on 'music'. Join us for hard questions and hard to follow answers.

'HQ - Things could be better'

Community talk

Nonprofit Boot Camp: Where good causes gather

JD Lasica — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:55:19 -0700

The Craigslist Foundation's annual Nonprofit Boot Camp is coming up later this month in San Mateo, Calif. Ourmedia is one of the sponsoring partners.

The Boot Camp is always one of the highlights of the year for nonprofits showing off their latest initiatives or individuals looking to get involved. Here are some highlights of the event:

Where:
San Mateo County Event Center

When:
Saturday, October 18, 2008
8-9 AM Check-In
9 AM to 3PM: Boot Camp

What:
On Saturday, October 18, 2008 Craigslist Foundation will produce its fifth annual San Francisco Bay Area Nonprofit Boot Camp, a unique community effort planned, produced, and promoted in partnership with over 100 organizations. Its focus is simple: to educate, empower, and connect the next generation of nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs.

Nonprofit Boot Camp is already one of the most widely anticipated, well-attended and established nonprofit programs in the San Francisco Bay Area calendar. In 2007, Boot Camp attracted a crowd of over 1,500 emerging and established leaders and supporters for a day of workshops, keynote addresses, one-on-one coaching, and professional development. The program earned a 98% approval rating and making it one of the fastest growing and best received nonprofit gatherings in SF Bay Area history.

2008 participants will have the opportunity to choose between seven Educational Tracks:

Nonprofit Basics
Fundraising
Social Entrepreneurship
Technology
Big Ideas
Marketing
Lobbying & Advocacy

Nonprofit Boot Camp 2008 will feature:

1,500 emerging nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, and key sector figures
More than 100 partner organizations, representing virtually every nonprofit management support organization from the SF Bay Area
A choice of over 21 seminars, panels and interactive workshops across 6 educational tracks, covering the essentials of starting and running a nonprofit or social enterprise
Keynote speeches from leading figures including
An Exhibit Hall featuring up to 70 organizations that support nonprofits and social entrepreneurs
One-on-One Nonprofit Consulting and Career Counseling sessions
Facilitated Networking
Greening strategies to reduce environmental impact

Registration costs just $75 per person. More information here. To register, go here.

Community talk

3D1on FROM WIRELESS TO OPTICAL

remaerdyaD — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:59:25 -0700

PILOT TO THE THIRD SEASON OF MY VIDEO BLOG: APLYING WHAT I LEARNED FROM WIRELESS TECH TO PRESENT OPTICAL NETWORK AND SOMETHING I CALLED "HOMEFULNESS". UPLOADED DIRECT FROM MY NEW GENERIC HD CAM LIVE FROM MY NEW HIDEAWAY ON THE LOCAL ABORIGINAL TRAIL. 23 MINUTES.

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Midi Accordion JON HAMMOND Blues Band JAZZKELLER FRANKFURT 1992

laterent — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:10:50 -0700

First-time ever Midi Accordion controlling Hammond Organ played (with bass lines on the buttons!) by JON HAMMOND Blues Band at JAZZKELLER Frankfurt. With sponsorship from Philip Morris, Jon was able to fly guitarist BARRY FINNERTY in from New York. Joined by DERRICK JAMES (alto sax), ALAIN NAU (drums), UWE GEHRING aka WESLEY G (guitar). Mixed live (under the piano with some guy blowing cigar smoke in his face) JOE BERGER. *special thanks: SENNHEISER Microphones, Hammond Suzuki, EUGEN HAHN Jazzkeller. **Note: Guitarist HERB ELLIS was sitting next to bandstand in front during Frankfurt Musikmesse. Jon Hammond plays Excelsior Accordions & Hammond Organs *Official site: http://www.jonhammondband.com c)2007

Community talk

The Wikibio of Sumanguru Gyra Jones

Sumanguru Gyra Jones — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:56:14 -0700

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

Community talk

Ourmedia now has video chat!!

Windsong — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:30:48 -0700

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

The New Videoblogging Channel Reloaded !

New directions

JD Lasica — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:00:59 -0700

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.

Community talk

Around the World #23-08

Ren Zwiers — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:53:57 -0700

Original broadcast date: Wednesday, 4 June, 2008

Hosted and produced by Ren Zwiers

1. John Crook reviews a new book ideal for travellers with time to read on their hand - ‘Nothing to Lose’.
2. Euro correspondent Frances Beasley explores the Rocamadour Cheese market in southern France.
3. US-based hosts Arthur von Wiesenberger and Richard Mineards chat with African tour expert Christine Eigen about visiting Victoria Falls.
4. Back in Australia, John Cook interviews the owner of Montalto Vineyards, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

Community talk

Around the World #22-08

Ren Zwiers — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:57:42 -0700

Original broadcast date: 28 May, 2008

Hosted and produced by Ren Zwiers

1. John Crook presents a wine and dine report on Oyster Rest, Melbourne and Tyrrells Semillion.
2. Buddy Winston and Richard Mineards chat with travel writer Diane Covington about her experiences of European rail travel.
3. Our European reporter Frances Beasley interviews Jim Fisher who runs a popular cooking school in provincial France.
4. John Crook interviews Christine Dixon at the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra) about a current major exhibition as well as the gallery’s other attributes.

Community talk

Net2 conference coming up

JD Lasica — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:16:17 -0700

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.

Community talk

Another way to donate to China or Myanmar: SocialVibe

JD Lasica — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:55:43 -0700

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.

Community talk