#18DaysInEgypt Revolutionizes Multimedia Documentaries

January 23, 2012 Leave a Comment

Upon the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, a group of journalists and technologists have come up with an innovative way to document the historic events from the last few months online.  18DaysInEgypt is a new online, group storytelling module that allows anyone to submit any digital media they created while witnessing the beginnings of the Arab Spring.  Instead of filming a traditional documentary, 18DaysInEgypt co-founders Jigar Mehta and Yasmin Elayat are using their private beta site, Groupstre.am, to solicit submissions of tweets, video, pictures and other media to create an interactive product.

Participants can go to the website and register their own account or “stream” and invite friends in their online social circles to participate by submitting their own media to tell a story in a slideshow module.  Participants can also add tags and map locations for easier navigation.  Viewers are able to look at the stream and see other streams that took place at the same time or at the same location.  So far, many of the streams represent an array of the Egyptian experience, ranging from press freedom, women’s rights to even some underwater humor.  Pretty cool, right!

This project is supported by the Tribeca New Media Fund, and Mehta and Elayat are hoping to fully launch Groupstre.am in the next few months.

Filed under Entrepreneurship, Facebook, Films and filmmaking, Flickr, Middle East, Online Journalism, Twitter, Video, YouTube Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Twitter: The New Journalism, Part 2

April 2, 2009 Leave a Comment

g20-protestsBelieve it or not, citizen journalism didn’t just start recently with blogs and Facebook. The Independent Media Center (IMC) was established in 1999 to provide grassroots coverage to the Seattle WTO protests. IMC has since become an international “network of collectively run media outlets for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of the truth.” Nowadays, the network is also using new media tools to report the unreported. Today’s Financial Fool’s Day protests in London once again spotlights how IMC still reigns in digital activism.

With world leaders in London for the special Group of Twenty (G20) meeting to discuss the global economic downturn, protesters in Trafalgar Square provided news about the protests throught text messages and Twitter. Some tweets looked like this from ur32daurt: “Police are section 41ing pple cos of riots elsewhere.helicopters overhead.traffic been blocked 4 an hour” and from panda_power: “Riot police have just enetered the camp with raised batons. Ppl chanting ‘this is not a riot”, campers still peaceful.” Some reporters are also posting pictures from the day’s events.

Later in the evening, there were reports from the police published in the mainstream media that a protester died after collasping; however, Indymedia London said it can not confirm this information. Protesters with any information are asked to contact Indymedia London dispatch and the legal team at Bindmans Solicitors on 02078334433 to clarify the circumstances of this death.

 

Join IMC Reporting: 07588 479 039: Voice / SMS / MMS 08444 870 157: Audio recording for publishing Twitter: add hashtag #imcg20 in your message (more info) Mobile: get (((i)))mobile

Filed under Flickr, Online Journalism, Text Mesaging, Twitter Tagged with ,

Israelis, Palestinians unite through technology

June 4, 2008 Leave a Comment

Description: Since the deterioration of the Oslo Peace Accords in 2000, business relations between Israelis and Palestinians have been incredibly difficult to sustain, especially in the technology sector. Palestinians need permits to enter Israel, while Israelis are not allow to enter any Palestinian areas. However, a technological advancement created through a business partnership is uniting these two groups in an innovative way.

Tools Being Used: Google Docs, Flickr, Zoho

What Are they Doing: G.ho.st, short for Global Hosted Operating System, was created in 2006 by Israeli and Palestinian venture capitalists to give users a free, Web-based virtual desktop that lets them access their files from any computer with an Internet connection using one sign-in. Instead of recreating the wheel, G.ho.st uses familiar tools like Google Doc and Zoho to organize word documents, spreadsheets, web-conferencing, music, database applications, email and a calendar and Flickr to upload and share photos. Not only does this service make life easier for those of us with busy, computer-hopping lives, but G.ho.st also, in a unique way, provides a “digital” olive branch between the warring factions. In addition, G.ho.st’s charitable foundation provides free or subsidized cyber cafes and technology training in disadvantaged locations for both Palestinians and Israelis.

“We are doing something across cultures and across two sides of a tough conflict,” said Zvi Schreiber, G.ho.st’s chief executive to the New York Times. “I was prepared for the possibility that it might be difficult, but it hasn’t been.”

Filed under Flickr, Google Docs, Middle East, Zoho Tagged with ,

Jamaicans Blog for Prison Reform

May 14, 2008 Leave a Comment

Description: Jamaica has one of the most controversial criminal justice systems in the world. There have been reports of overcrowded prisons throughout the Caribbean island. In recent months a Jamaican nonprofit has made strides to give prisoners training on how to use citizen media to document their grievances.

Tools Being Used: blogs, Flickr, podcast

What They Are Doing: The S.E.T Foundation, a grantee of Rising Voices, is a program that works with prisons to reduce recidivism, by helping prisoners become productive citizens after they are released. As part of the Prison Diaries project, prisoners will be trained on how to use the group blog, as well as edit their own audio and video clips. Prisoners are also using Flickr to post photos. The goal of the project is to give the world a reality check about Jamaica’s prison system.

“Through blogging, inmates are able to tell their stories,” said SET Foundation leader Kevin Wallen. ”They are able to paint a realistic picture of life behind bars and the consequences of crime. Currently, Jamaica’s music and media idolize the ‘badman’ or ’shotta’ and portray as role models those who have been incarcerated. Many of our youths now think that prison is a ‘cool’ place to be, until they themselves are faced with the harsh truth. The Diary of an Inmate blog will allow all Jamaicans to learn about the realities of Jamaica’s overcrowded prison system with the hope that this will counteract the false ideas implanted by the media.”

Filed under Americas, Blogs, Flickr, Podcast Tagged with

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