Community Call 2017-12-13: Brainstorming a new media platform

Campfire
1

Untitled.png2113×1262 216 KB

Attending

@hazem, @unknown_author, @mahmoud, @owen

Summary

This week we had an interesting discussion about developing a new media platform exploring how storytelling can amplify citizen journalism and activism, how to bring very local stories to a global audience, and filmmaking combined with digital nomadism.

Discussion

@unknown_author brings up the idea of a platform to create stories that revolve around building a sustainable future, as discussed recently here, a new media platform where people can get help publishing new stories using a process that creates value for a community, similar to what is already happening on Edgeryders but with a focus on creative storytelling.

@owen - currently working on a distributed tv platform that could be combined with the above idea. The platform’s premise is to make it easy to build TV channels based in different locations around the world - sort of ambient location based TV. First plan is to set up in Exarchia, Athens. Will be using an open Wi-Fi mesh network in Exarchia that already exists, anyone using the network in the area can upload content to the channel. So a highly localised TV channel, viewable to anyone in the world. Something that could also easily be deployed in Essaouira, for example.

@unknown_author - expands on this with his experience with independent radio networks, and how this could be useful in bringing very local cultures that are essentially disconnected from the online world - and find unique stories from these places that can be shared.

@hazem - mentions the opportunity to produce original content in Essaouira and other locations around Morocco. Excited about the idea, has a list of potential locations to visit. Believes that many locations are undervalued by marketing/tourism efforts that are misaligned with the realities of a place - usually far more interesting than the way in which they are presented to visitors.

@mahmoud joins from Jordan, where he is currently working in online media, with aramram.com - a web TV platform producing regional content in Arabic in the Middle East. Excited about new storytelling ideas - media initiatives including in Amman, where the target is to build an alternative image of a city or place that is not touristic but real. Also interested in how this fits with digital nomadism, exploring ways to live and work remotely in the fields of graphic design, programming, filmmaking and photography.

@owen - thoughts on how filmmaking is evolving to become more and more (already is) a nomadic creative form, not only in a technical sense, where locations are improvised and shooting is free form, but also in how the story arc encompasses multiple perspectives, influenced by an ever changing context and the people who exist in them. call it ‘agile storytelling’ - a form that absorbs the stories and characters of the immediate environment, rather than sets out with a predetermined script.

@mahmoud - expands on the nomadic + storytelling theme talking about spicyroad.org - with the mission of “Hitchhiking for feminism and refugee support”, collecting recipes along the way and documenting with video and photography. Started in Berlin and ended up in SE Asia - the journey they took can be seen on a map, with documented entries on every stop of the way. More of a generic platform Tripline, allows you to map your stories in a similar fashion.

@owen - the idea of embeddable maps, or context aware (unobtrusive) information overlays, while you watch a video, with a link to an article or someone’s entry on the Edgeryders platform, sounds pretty cool and an interesting use of mixed media. Combining maps with video also plays into the theme of storytelling and nomadism.

@hazem proposes a centralised wiki to outline the idea, production plan, stories to tell, logistics involved (travel, equipment). What it needs will be planning, clarity and ideas for stories. How much of it will rely on online discussion, how much will be searching for something unknown out in the field - remains to be seen.

What is clear is that we all see a great opportunity to start working on something soon, and the Essaouira retreat seems to be a likely fit.

cc / @nadia @noemi @anique.yael @nabeel_p @alberto

6 Likes
3

I have no competence in media production. I would strongly suggest – seconding @hazem and @unknown_author – that the Essa prototype is well documented, also with professional-level photos and video. I know @nadia has hopes for what we do there to become a source of fascination for people, and this goes through media uptake, and media uptake goes through good storytelling with good visuals.

1 Like
4

Not so much external media, but rather our own documentation and storytelling that is true to the project and community. At this point in time I feel we should keep outside journalists etc out of it. Possibly make this the default for all houses.

1 Like
5

Please guys keep the word “pirate” or “pirate radio” out of this whenever talking about anything edgeryders/openvillage related in public fora (including this platform). Security etc.

2 Likes
6

“Independent radio”.

2 Likes
7

@thomasviscom @natalia_skoczylas

8

This is just awsome - the connections continue #meshthenet styles.

I’m wondering where to from here? Love your idea @hazem of a wiki to coordinate - could it be worth setting up a separate workspace even?

It seems there’s a meta-media movement across many Edgeryders’ ideas, and then also prototypes that we can play with at Essouaira and OpenVillageFest2019.

Perhaps an idea could be to get clear on
a) the prototypes people are willing to try out
b) and where,
c) and map out how the map could be a mesh that holds it together and continues to gather momentum? (Nice hook up by the way @mahmoud!)

I know @natalia_skoczylas has been talking about writing-writing and @unknown_author @owen you two more photo, video and radio. I’ve done some “independent radio” projects and would be up for more.

Mainly though think I can pitch in with you @hazem in mapping the mesh-map-movements so we can keep clear on how this feeds into bigger Edgeryders pictures and continue to be a place where voices gather among the mycelium. I think I could be particularly useful in possible strategic partnerships so planting that seed here too.

10

Hey everybody,

this is a great great idea.
We had a chat yesterday and the day before with @SyMorin & @unknown_author about the opportunity to work together on a project that would lead us to create content. Anthropographic kind of content, whatever the formats could be (vlog / short/long films / videos / story telling articles / so many options can be plugged together).

Now in terms of platform, media(s) platform, I think it could be efficient if targetted as a whole pack of several types of formats. Efficient for both the audience and the content makers & producers. A platform that would give access to audio stream, photo-anthropographic content, stories written in articles, or short documentary films, photo feed (on IG for instance) would allow everybody to be able to PRODUCE and MAKE content.

Also, and as @unknown_author said just before, that pack/kit could easily be deployed on other areas / cities / events / projects, in order to create somekind of an independent, decentralized web of content.

1 Like
11

oh, and by the way, I did several videos, including the filming and editing processes, and also managed and produced several radio shows, so I can help with both the brainstorming and the actual and concrete making of it.

12

@unknown_author for sure, I think media ecologies are a big one here, not to mention immaterial networks and speculative design. It could even be interesting to have some reading and discussion groups around how the philosophy is for the many different perspectives and knowledges among us (I know I’ve only just touched the tip of those above concepts!).

In any case, as I understand it, most important is that its coming from the voices of this growing network and is accessible to those voices and connecting constellations.

@gregoiremarty love where you’re coming from here in terms of content, platform and a pack/ kit. I’m wondering if there’s a way we can adapt what we already have rather than create anew. Any ideas at this early stage @matthias?

1 Like
13

thinking while writing but I see it growing slowly but surely just near/with the making of projects. It would be interesting to see it as a needed reflex of documenting what the community is doing, and how it moves forward both the community itself and the local scale where the documented project is plugged.
Nat Geo is a good example of what is doable and how versatile the tools used could be. It is about scientific projects, being documented and shown to the audience through several formats, with a global complementarity.
Now think about Nat geo also having a radio, or even several local meshnet / online stream of radios…

Now back to your question about what “we” already have. I think it would be more interesting and also logical to let it grow and adapt itsef by the needs of the local community driving it on a daily basis.
While a team of thinker / doer / devs could help at the development of the tools that are needed there, and of course making them open source and available for any new project starting somewhere else.
And that way, we’re definitely into “independent” decentralized yet “gathered” meshnets of media platforms and contents.

1 Like
16

This is a great point @gregoiremarty and so vital in terms of the building better and building organically principles I’ve encountered chez Edgeryders. Makes me think of Graphryders actually, the tool @alberto and others have developed that traces connections and co-occurencies in our conversations.

In fact @alberto or anyone else, anything come to mind re: the possibility of using the social semantic network tool as a kind of mesh-map? In terms of some sort of user-interface/ infrastructure trail of the conversations and then their “child” media…?

17

Definitely backing the idea of bringing Geoffrey somehow

18

Makes complete sense in my mind - because building a new online community around anything is always more effort than imagined at first. At the same time, this edgeryders.eu platform could profit from adding more options to combine it with and embed rich media. So yes, if those here behind the media platform would like to join efforts using this very platform, I’m open to assist making that happen.

As a quick outline how it could work: This Discourse platform already has several ways to embed interactive content from other websites (as an example, the map below). This is done by simply posting the URL to the interactive content on its own line, like this:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8502272,14.2630912,13z?hl=en

This system is called “Onebox”, and the idea is that we can extend it to many more types of media and interactive content from third-party websites to create the “media platform” imagined in this topic. For example:

  • YouTube and Vimeo videos (already possible with Onebox)
  • OpenStreetMap maps
  • OpenStreetMap routes (incl. custom ones via GPX files)
  • uMap crowdmapping maps (also based on OpenStreetMap)
  • Soundcloud recordings of radio broadcasts etc. (I think this is already possible)
  • static and interactive drawings and diagrams
3 Likes
19

As much as we can keep right here on edgeryders.eu the better I think.

2 Likes
20

during the call, @mahmoud and @owen envisioned a map where you can add your video stories on, so you can see the story in relation to the places you live in / visited/ want to visit…etc.

I find this really interesting in terms of storytelling as well as one can choose which parts of the “story” to see, and so on.

I think @owen already is building some sort of a platform to be used in Greece so we can play with it for now

–
in terms of storytelling I guess practically in the house we have 3 interconnected stories to tell.

  • the voices of the local community ( not the tourism normal story @mahmoud already have experience in this in Jordan, myself also have different experience in working with local communities, laurel is already making friends there…:smiley: )
  • the story of the house, its participants, projects, openvillage wider narrative.
  • and touring Morocco to meet interesting people sharing stories, experiences,…etc ( for this as mentioned I will follow with a wiki so we can add people and places and start contacting them )

–

As for setting up a wireless mesh network and an “independent” :smiley: radio, this takes a really interesting turn :smiley: for the tech, as mentioned, we can use the tech of Guifi or freifunk or any other network, but this doesn’t catch up without a local community to maintain and produce the content, so as a first step I guess we need to introduce this to the community and start with a small node, and see how it grows. Actually since we are in a small village this could be a good point, we need to know how they connect to the internet, if there are wired connection or not, as usually in remote places these networks are much needed.

just mentioning that a similar WMN was set up in Sayda in Tunisia with the participation with the local community and kids as well, we can follow up on their footsteps :smiley:

1 Like
21

**Hello **
As all replies mentioned new media tools to cover all the village activities.

Let me to mention some tools we can use during the project:

  • storify.com : lets the user create stories or timelines using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

  • mixcloud.com : Listen to music & talk radio programmes from our community of million’s of trusted DJs, radio stations, radio presenters and music tastemakers

  • https://olioex.com/ As Me & my partner Ala, are ambassador of this tool - we can use it during our stay or we can use it and apply it with all projects related to edgeryders.eu

OLIOEX free app that connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdVt92QOUSQ
1 Like
22

Let me introudce my self

i am from Amman, Jordan - i studied art in visual communication. ive been working for UI/UX for 5 years then i moved to work with Social media tools to increase aramram.com videos.

right now i do my master in New media & Journalism.

I’ve been working with Coworking project in Turkey Redirecting...

and also as well My Traveling Academy TRAVEL MAKERS Redirecting...

The TravelMakers project is a journey from Berlin to Istanbul. The project is a combination of hitchhiking throughout Europe, volunteering and contributing within urban communities in active social projects, creating street art, and raising awareness and funds for Syrian Refugees for our partner organization, “Small Projects Istanbul.” In addition to this, we will also make a documentary about our hitchhiking experience.

2 Likes
23

Hey @mahmoud, Nice to meet you. I’m quite interested by the last app you’re talking about, OlioEx.
As one of my favorite topic of thinking and research is local food cycles, I think I would gladly know more about it. I already know Froody (open source worldwode mapping of free growing food and also a platform for grains and all that kind of things), and think that such apps could help us on projects about food cycles.

1 Like
24

Also @mahmoud do you think we can introduce OLIO there in Morocco, we can start with our house ofcourse , and I assume we can find other houses or hostels that could join, but is the app has an arabic or french version ?

1 Like