WORKSHOP SESSION THREE/FOUR
DIGITAL CONTENT DISTRIBUTION FOR THE PRODUCER/ACCESS CENTER
This is the part of the conference where things started to get really interesting. As discussion moved away from policy and its related implications, people began to learn some pretty startling things about the state of technological innovation and its impact on community communications.
Session Three: Digital Content Distribution for the Producer
Moderator:
Jay Dedman, Node 101/Fireant.tv
Speakers:
Ann Theis, Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Aaron Valdez, Public Access Television, Iowa City
Shawn Van Every, Interative Telecommunications Program, NYU
Jacob Redding, Manhattan Neighborhood Network
This was perhaps the most exciting and beneficial workshop of the entire conference, so far. It addressed the myriad possibilities which can now be used to deliver information and foster dialogue inside communities, and between them.
Let's begin with blogging. The fact that you're reading this...and that some of you have engaged in conversation and communication by posting replies...is evidence that this internet-based form of a bulletin-board is an effective tool for speech. Using nothing more than simple text (since my videocamera was damaged during the trip), we're exchanging information and talking about ideas and concepts. It's not that difficult to add pictures to the mix, either. Depending on yor blogging service or software, it's nothing more complicated than a drag-and-drop operation. If a volunteer can use Final Cut Pro in only the most rudimentary way...they could still be a successful blogger.
Take that to another level with podcasting. Sit in front of your computer...or just find a tape-recorder and sit somewhere else...find a friend and have a conversation. Or just talk to yourself. It doesn't matter. As long as you have a way of recording yourself, and then digitizing that audio, you have the foundations for a podcast. Just a shade more complex than creating a blog, podcasting allows for producers to not only offer an audio component to their web interactions, but they can begin syndicating that content to an audience. By creating a simple RSS feed*, volunteers can offer their thoughts to the universe-at-large, and see what comes back. Jump up another level of complexity, and you can begin to offer not just text, still images and audio, but video content as well.
There are a number of exciting services which offer to host short-form video content for free. Networking volunteer producers with those resources is how a small, but growing, number of Access centers are getting volunteers connected and communicating in the digital age.
Especially in places in Iowa City, volunteers at the local access station are being gathered together to work on net-based mapping projects which highlight their communities. Acting alone, but working together, they spread out and cover their neighborhoods, posting content that enriches and celebrates their hometown.
Simply learning about the alternatives that are available for volunteers to exploit was extremely exciting.
Workshop Session Four:
Digital Content Distribution for the Access Center
Moderator:
Jason Daniels, Lowell Telecommunications Group
Speakers:
Jesse Lerman, Princeton Server Group
Donna Liu, University Channel/Princeton University
This was a bit heavier and sadly, a bit more pedantic than the previous meeting. Since next to no one in the audience had any familiarity with the technical processes behind this process, the workshop was a sort of very basic training. What it boiled down to are the following two choices:
1. Host material yourself, on your own server using your own bandwidth.
OR
2. Purchase hosting services from someone else.
Those are the two main options...but there is a third alternative, which involves some home-brewed peer-to-peer filesharing software. This application is called "Digital Bicycle", and is used to facilitate the rapid sharing of massive video files between access centers. I believe (I'll need to check to be sure) that this is one example of an open-source piece of software development which is free of charge to use.
The use of distributed file-sharing in a peer-to-peer environment using bit-torrent-style tools is pretty interesting, but may be just beyond the comfortable technical grasp of our Access facility. Unless there's a culture of computer users that our center can engage in a meaningful way, that is...hmmmmm.
This morning, I learn about (re)designing websites to be cutting-edge presences on the web, take in the keynote luncheon speakers, and then (time willing) hit the last of the confernce tracks before rushing off to the airport to catch my flight back home.
I may or may not get a chance to update this blog today...so please forgive me if you don't see anything new for a while.
*I didn't want the post to be too technical, but RSS feeds aren't just for audio and video information, they're for ANY kind of updated information on a website. That can include new text announcements, new pictures...whatever. Your aggregator will check for xml updates on a regular basis, and download the approrpiate content when it's found.
DIGITAL CONTENT DISTRIBUTION FOR THE PRODUCER/ACCESS CENTER
This is the part of the conference where things started to get really interesting. As discussion moved away from policy and its related implications, people began to learn some pretty startling things about the state of technological innovation and its impact on community communications.
Session Three: Digital Content Distribution for the Producer
Moderator:
Jay Dedman, Node 101/Fireant.tv
Speakers:
Ann Theis, Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Aaron Valdez, Public Access Television, Iowa City
Shawn Van Every, Interative Telecommunications Program, NYU
Jacob Redding, Manhattan Neighborhood Network
This was perhaps the most exciting and beneficial workshop of the entire conference, so far. It addressed the myriad possibilities which can now be used to deliver information and foster dialogue inside communities, and between them.
Let's begin with blogging. The fact that you're reading this...and that some of you have engaged in conversation and communication by posting replies...is evidence that this internet-based form of a bulletin-board is an effective tool for speech. Using nothing more than simple text (since my videocamera was damaged during the trip), we're exchanging information and talking about ideas and concepts. It's not that difficult to add pictures to the mix, either. Depending on yor blogging service or software, it's nothing more complicated than a drag-and-drop operation. If a volunteer can use Final Cut Pro in only the most rudimentary way...they could still be a successful blogger.
Take that to another level with podcasting. Sit in front of your computer...or just find a tape-recorder and sit somewhere else...find a friend and have a conversation. Or just talk to yourself. It doesn't matter. As long as you have a way of recording yourself, and then digitizing that audio, you have the foundations for a podcast. Just a shade more complex than creating a blog, podcasting allows for producers to not only offer an audio component to their web interactions, but they can begin syndicating that content to an audience. By creating a simple RSS feed*, volunteers can offer their thoughts to the universe-at-large, and see what comes back. Jump up another level of complexity, and you can begin to offer not just text, still images and audio, but video content as well.
There are a number of exciting services which offer to host short-form video content for free. Networking volunteer producers with those resources is how a small, but growing, number of Access centers are getting volunteers connected and communicating in the digital age.
Especially in places in Iowa City, volunteers at the local access station are being gathered together to work on net-based mapping projects which highlight their communities. Acting alone, but working together, they spread out and cover their neighborhoods, posting content that enriches and celebrates their hometown.
Simply learning about the alternatives that are available for volunteers to exploit was extremely exciting.
Workshop Session Four:
Digital Content Distribution for the Access Center
Moderator:
Jason Daniels, Lowell Telecommunications Group
Speakers:
Jesse Lerman, Princeton Server Group
Donna Liu, University Channel/Princeton University
This was a bit heavier and sadly, a bit more pedantic than the previous meeting. Since next to no one in the audience had any familiarity with the technical processes behind this process, the workshop was a sort of very basic training. What it boiled down to are the following two choices:
1. Host material yourself, on your own server using your own bandwidth.
OR
2. Purchase hosting services from someone else.
Those are the two main options...but there is a third alternative, which involves some home-brewed peer-to-peer filesharing software. This application is called "Digital Bicycle", and is used to facilitate the rapid sharing of massive video files between access centers. I believe (I'll need to check to be sure) that this is one example of an open-source piece of software development which is free of charge to use.
The use of distributed file-sharing in a peer-to-peer environment using bit-torrent-style tools is pretty interesting, but may be just beyond the comfortable technical grasp of our Access facility. Unless there's a culture of computer users that our center can engage in a meaningful way, that is...hmmmmm.
This morning, I learn about (re)designing websites to be cutting-edge presences on the web, take in the keynote luncheon speakers, and then (time willing) hit the last of the confernce tracks before rushing off to the airport to catch my flight back home.
I may or may not get a chance to update this blog today...so please forgive me if you don't see anything new for a while.
*I didn't want the post to be too technical, but RSS feeds aren't just for audio and video information, they're for ANY kind of updated information on a website. That can include new text announcements, new pictures...whatever. Your aggregator will check for xml updates on a regular basis, and download the approrpiate content when it's found.
posted by Paul Green at 3:40 AM
2 Comments:
Dave H. here. The following doesn't directly have to do with the workshops which are the subject of this post, so forgive the off-topic comments, but I think this needs to be discussed.
I just fininshed listening to the "PEG in a Shifting Media Landscape" podcast. I thought one of the really interesting things was (as Paul alluded to in his summary) Fred Johnson's comments concerning content. Fred's stance (to summarize) is that access content needs to serve the community better. "Vanity TV" is a waste of time.
Fortunately, we don't have that kind of programming here at Access, but back when I managed a station in New Jersey, we had a fair amount of it. It really left a bad taste in your mouth.
Nevertheless, I think we really do need to consider how Access is used in the community, and how that is going to impact our future. Let me cut to the chase here: I don't believe donors are going to give us large sums of cash if all we're telling them is that it's to let people post any old kind of program/podcast/videoblog. I wouldn't give money for that, and perhaps that's why we're not raising a lot of money on our own right now. I don't think most citizens see any intrinsic value of donating to an organization so that John Doe can blog about his dog's recent illness or where Aunt Mary spent her vacation.
What I *would* give for is if allowing people access to such technology was going to lead to some defined benefit for the community. This is where I think added educatioinal opportunities would play a part. But we also need to push people to make programming that will be important to Salina (and perhaps the surrounding region). This should be a conscious effore as we recruit new producers and volunteers. I'm talking about things like community forums, live call-ins, programs with audiences, programs (or a series of videoblogs) that look at specific topics in-depth, etc. At the same time, we would never turn anyone away if they don't want to do this type of programming. But our focus would be on recruiting and training people that will do programming that is truly meaningful to the community and builds value for what we're doing.
Public access, in its 30+ years of existence, has done a wonderful job of carving ourt a niche for itself. The tools of production are readily available to people, and that is great. But perhaps we have been concentrating too much on giving people a voice without giving them direction. I think it may be time to seriously consider doing so. This will make Access even more valuable and meaningful in the community. Audiences do count. And in some ways, content is still king.
The only danger I see inherent in directing programming is the problems that may cause when an access center gets into the practice of "steering" content.
There is a real activist orientation within the national access community, and while I applaud that in a large part, it worries me that those with a message or concept that doesn't fit what's defined and accepted as "substantial" content may very well be marginalized as "vanity producers".
Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't encourage the kind of programming we feel our community is lacking - rather we need to take great care in how we define and implement that strategy.
I do have one idea, which dovetails nicely with a recent series of conferences and workshops sponsored by the Spirituality Resource Center at KWU.
Belgian economist Bernard Leitear came to Salina and spoke about the concept of "complementary currencies" - an alternative form of money which is used in conjunction with our current system of exchange.
I have a few thoughts about how such a system might be put in place to both encourage programming at Access as a whole, and in particular, encouraging the kinds of programming that will resonate well with our community.
If we can create a unit of currency which rewards the creation of substantial content on our public channel, and have that currency begin circulating among the for-profit and non-profit sectors of Salina, then I think we could really see a dramatic increase in the number of content-rich productions at Access.
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