Some things just go together.

Found Objects #1

By Jen Gotch (also blogging at http://mypolaroidblog.blogspot.com)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNG1zzrqPMg]
Air – All I need (video  uploaded by someone on YouTube, apparently from Andorra)

from remediate this

Just a mix of social media peppered around the web, with a  common summery little-bit-o’-something. Do you enjoy finding things around Flickr, Youtube and the like, that remind you of other-such found objects? Do you like to connect the dots?

1. A 5 mm tall doll composed of living cells

2. Contact lens with circuits and lights

Green and purple goodness found in my feedreader thanks to the smarter planet Tumblelog

The ability to activate support by those in need or those wanting to help out those in need has never been more available than it is today. The connected cause movement is richly empowered by the Internet – from microlending to individuals through sites such as Kiva or Jasmin’s own page at ChipIn to grand scale movements such as Product(RED), ONE and Earth Hour.

The most popular application on Facebook, the online community of over 100M people, is Causes – an application to connect people to movements for change of all sorts and allow them to declare their affiliation. Indeed, I have several causes I identify with on my profile (the Causes app is proudly front and center on my profile), have declared them and donated to.

There are several parts to the online activism movement (if such a diverse collection of activity could be called a movement), and while not every online cause is the same, broadly, they fall into three categories:

• advocacy – the raising of awareness for a cause
• activation – the prompting of and creation of activity around a cause in those interested, and
• action – the ongoing and followup activity in relation to a cause

In many cases, causes have elements of all three. One need only look at the incredibly successful movement to elect the new US President, Barack Obama, to see just how powerful each of these components can be. Well executed, an online campaign can move those interested in it through each of the three phases of involvement.

For those needing or wanting support for their cause, whether it’s a micro loan to start a small business or something much bigger, the hyperconnected world offers amazing opportunities to seek out interested like minds, to gather momentum around a cause and to ultimately act on its purpose. Finding a community of people who share your concerns, collaborating with them and engaging in a meaningful conversation around your cause is incredibly easy.

Let’s take a quick look at one option – microphilanthropy.

At its simplest, the emergence of microphilanthropy – philanthropic activity on a scale of small amounts – has made engaging with online causes almost trivial. Those of us who are in a position to engage with a cause we believe in can now do so in a way that was previously only truly available to the very wealthy. Sheer weight of numbers – potentially hundreds or thousands giving a little – means that the gathering community can provide just as valuable input as a Buffet or a Gates, with each giving just tens or perhps a few hundred dollars.

For those of us, largely in the West, who would like to engage more deeply in a socially responsible way either personally or on behalf of our businesses, the opportunities are equally significant and many. A simple Google search offers up several possbilities and a wealth of supporting information. Kiva is a perfect example, and one to which I’ve contributed. There are many more options.

Just recently, US-based author and activist, Tom Watson published CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World . It’s a well-considered look at online cause activism, examining joiner culture, the step beyond to action and a fairly significant number of online movements and how they came into being and gained traction. It’s well worth your time to read it if online activism is of any interest to you.

NOTE: This guest post is by Stephen Collins. Stephen runs acidlabs, an independent communications consultancy that focuses on collaboration, knowledge workers and social media.

Meet Sadie. She might not be a real person, but this ‘girl from the country’ got 15,000 fans since she appeared on social media network Bebo last week.  Sadie is the creation of 18 year old film Melbourne student Nicholas Carlton for a new social web show called Oz Girl TV , now listed on Bebo’s global charts as the world’s number 2 video.

I asked Nicholas about his decision to use social networks to market and promote the show, which will be launched in February on the web.   “Bebo seems to be positioning themselves as an online media aggregator with the support of a fully fledged social network system and this appealed to us greatly. The ability to build on an existing community was a key strategic decision as opposed to creating a community from scratch, which I see as a big mistake. I think you need to bring the content to where people and communities already exist and are active as opposed to attempting to introduce a new venue.” Nicholas used Bebo to give the characters a ‘home’ and explained that he sees it “as a platform to develop and extend the story. Bebo was chosen primarily because its primary demographic of 14 – 24 year old Females” (the target audience for OzGirl).

“We have maintained a YouTube channel and Facebook group which has seen moderate growth, and plan to introduce a Myspace page and Twitter channel, however our primary focus has been on developing a community on Bebo.

“All the characters in the show, Sadie, Megan and George, have Bebo profiles….”we have seen a high level of engagement with the characters particularly Sadie. There is a multitude of supplementary content such as childhood photographs and blog posts which exist on each character’s profile, which supports the illusion of the characters existing in the real world. This allows fans to relate and form relationships with the characters. Before the series has even started audience members are already “friends” with Sadie and are giving her advice and putting her in their top friends.

“My generation has grown up with computers and technology being an integral part of our lives. Particularly now in the way that we socialise on social media sites, technology is more relevant than ever. The first film I uploaded to the internet was in the year 2000 when I was ten.”

Through the web, Nicholas says he is directly in touch with his audience and able to distribute  content to them directly.  “As a filmmaker this is far more satisfying than the traditional methods of distribution”

And what about revenue? “I think web video will eventually have to source alternate revenue streams to advertising, however, considering the significantly lower budgets required for web content it is easier to generate profit based on less revenue. We have been in talks with major advertisers and distributors in hopes to generate advertising revenue for Season 2. The goal was to build an audience with Season 1 and turn that into a business with Season 2.”

And just how did I get to know Nicholas? Through social networking, of course (a friend of a friend of a …)!

“My hope is that Sadie will be a friend to thousands of girls and boys. She is absolutely the sweet, innocent girl next door. She is a girl who is chasing her dreams to become a photographer and lead the city life. Hopefully this will inspire everyone to stay true to their dreams and act on them.”

Just in case you’re curious, I’ve written a post over on the Greater IBM Connection Blog, called “Your grandmother’s nephew’s sister-in-law’s employee just got smarter’

“Not only can we help to create a smarter planet – using social networks for social good – but we can also experience the personal reward of experiencing great minds and friendships along the way”….(read more)

Welcome to a wonderful webby 2009. Right now I’m spending time with my husband and the boys, reading some books, and planning out my thoughts for the year on paper (away from the keyboard!) before things get busy! There are three projects in particular on my mind for the year – projects you can also participate in.

1. The Age of Conversation. I’m reading my copy of Age of Conversation II, a book written by 237 blogging professionals, on the role of conversation in marketing today. If you are planning ANY kind of social media strategy this year, I would strongly encourage you to buy this book (from US$12.50), as I’m sure you will discover some very clever, challenging and insightful tips and observations.  The proceeds from the book are going towards the Variety Children’s Charity. As one of the authors of the book, I’m hoping to further promote it this year so the charity can benefit. You can help too by placing a link on your blog or Facebook, on Twitter etc.

2. Women’s Opportunity. Last September I committed to raising enough funds to create a Trust Bank for a bunch of women in the Philippines. I have 6 months to go and $9,000 (Au) to raise. I’m thinking up some creative and webby ways to do this. I’d also be interested in hearing any ideas you might have. You can also help by adding a link to the fundraising page, or featuring slides on your blog or social network of choice :) and of course every tax deductible donation of $2 or more goes a long way towards helping a bunch of women out of poverty. I look forward to sharing a few details of the the businesses funded by the microfinance later in the year, and hearing how the finance has helped these women to step out of poverty. I am in awe of the assistance I have received from people so far to make it happen.

http://wonderwebby.chipin.com

3. Inspecht HR Futures Conference 2009. I’m preparing a case study on informal learning for this one day event in February, where I will be briefly sharing some global informal learning (eg web2.0 for learning) initiatives from IBM and also ome examples of my own journey into social media. You can join in by attending or by sharing your thoughts with me on what you would like to know about emerging technology, learning and employee engagement.

I look forward to sharing some more wonderful things with you this year, especially as a few ideas sprout wings and as I discover more about the  VCA Centre for Cultural Partnerships and ways you can be involved in using social media for community cultural development (community arts) projects. I’m also looking forward to getting to know each one of you better. I always enjoy reading your comments, feedback and ideas and I value what you have to say. If we are not already connected on Twitter or LinkedIn please add me so I can get to know you some more.  Have a brilliant 2009 and stay tuned for the very first guest post on Wonderwebby this week!

“It is through the arts that we are able to tell our stories, that we are able to give voice to the things that we hold dear in our hearts, our memories of people and place, our pains and our pleasures, our fears and our hopes for the future. By appealing to deeply held values, the arts can be a catalyst for social change, working to build caring and capable communities.”
Professor Andrea Hull AO
Chair, Centre for Cultural Partnerships

Image originally uploaded on Flickr by Melissa Robison

Now re-read and substitute “the arts” for “social media”. I’m thinking of the possiblities.

Have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. Dream big dreams for 2009.

If you’re going to create some slides explaining the cycle of microfinance and trust banks, you may as well make it interesting.  That’s why I asked Babushka to explain it.  Nooo, not this one..
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz07Hf5htfY]

This one ..
[slideshare id=861127&doc=about-trust-banks-1229744804879247-2&w=425]

(also known as a Matryoshka doll.) Please don’t ask me to explain what Russian dolls have to do with microfinance in the Philippines.  I can only suggest it is a symbol of women, community impact and the perpetual nature of Trust Bank loans.  Apparently Matroyshka dolls are also known to symbolise motherhood and fertility.

I thought the slides might be silly, I rushed it and I wasn’t happy with the font – but it made it to the Slideshare feature page – nice! And the best thing is people can learn something about Trust Banks and microfinance (well I can only hope!)

Do you like to think of new ways to tell a story? Do you share your ‘silly’ ideas?  What holds you back?

Matt wrote me a poem for the Creative Challenge themed “Beyond”

…”Follow the chromosomes
that interlock like acrobats
to create the trick of a life
Balance, harmony – a high wire act.

Follow the tectonic fault-lines
that skid round the globe
without our permission.
Plates spinning in that same circus.

Follow the word network,
the net worth of word nets
that catch us each in ourselves
when the high wire snaps.”….{{read more}}

Penni created a special video about her daugher Frederique, and wrote something beautiful about their journey overseas

“thank you for showing me your world, for taking me beyond the surface of places and into the centre of them, and out of the centre and to the edges. Thank you for being angry and happy and sad. Thank you for watching the tiny polysteirine balls bounce down the bridge over the Seine while I fell in love with the Notre Dame, and thank you for making me watch them too, as they swirled and dived in the wind.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEFeHXD_GjE&feature=channel_page]

Lee made a video on Youtube with a powerful reading, Iggy shared the story of the web connecting after loss and Arthi commented that sharing our experiences can influence our children, albeit not the way we originally intended! I enjoyed reading each of these 5 entries, which are in the running to win a great prize. I’m happy to report US$215 has been donated through this creative challenge towards a microfinance project and those 6 individuals (plus others who have made donations to date) will be in the running to win a copy of “World Poverty for Dummies”. I’m thinking of getting Spiderman to draw the names out of a hat for me.

There are still 2 more days left to share something creative on the theme of  “Beyond”. Your entry would be a wonderful Christmas gift :) and anyone can enter. Entries close midnight this Sunday Australian EST and winners drawn on Monday.

And as a special Christmas treat, thanks to Mary Martin Books I have another copy of  ‘World Poverty for Dummies’ which I will give to the next Australian resident who submits something new for the creative challenge :) Are you feeling creative? All you have to do is respond as a comment. photo or blog post over on the original post.

After a day watching great performances and audio visual presentations at the VCA Centre for Cultural Partnerships launch, and listening to moving words around the importance of the role of the arts and creativity in community development, I spent some time reflecting on the the role of visual and performing arts in my own life from childhood.

As I grew up, the arts were an expression of hope and creative vitality, a world of dreams and a voice of imagination. Mum’s vibrant paintings covered the walls, and the smell of turpentine would often greet me after school, a fresh oil painting propped up with small clumps of oil paint gracing the bottom rung of her easel like raindrops on a windowsill . I was given a special hardback visual diary when I was around eight. How I wish I filled it up with many more images and words, even sketches and first drafts – I wonder if I will ever feel the same way about this blog? I have a distinct memory of taking the day off school to see “Gone with the Wind” at the cinema with my mother when I was ten. The teacher was told it was for “cultural and educational purposes”. Of course, I was most impressed with this approach to education!

I recall spending weekends and evenings during my childhood attending final rehearsals and matinees at the local theatre where mum played piano for musicals such as Guys & Dolls, The Sound of Music, The King & I and South Pacific! And of course, the sound of the piano being played, often impromptu, filled the house (thankfully not more songs from those musicals, but classical, jazz and cabaret) I remember many weekends spent with dad visiting the museum, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the library and the Botanical Gardens. My grandfather enjoyed taking  photos of his beautiful garden and as a young child I would savour the times he would get out the slide projector or Reflex viewer.

Sometimes, as a teenager I was taken to art gallery openings and I recall being mesmerized as a sixteen year old by a Charles Blackman exhibition. Again, it was part of my “education”.

Flowers and Insects by Charles Blackman (image originally uploaded by Savill Gallery)

When I was 17 I met the tall thin and sprightly Kay Gordon at one of these openings. Kay had shaggy, short, silver white hair and wore brightly coloured kaftan tops with black pants. This eighty-something year old had eyes that lit up with childhood fascination at life and  bell-like laughter that rippled through your bones. When she was in her fifties she took up photography and led an amazing life, taking photos for National Geographic and the Royal Photographic Society. She invited us to her home for audio-visual nights with her latest images – spectacular blades of grass in macro view that lit up on screen like fireworks, set to music by Tangerine Dream.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKUaC3Z1udE&feature=related]
Her charming husband Adrian, a Meteorologist also in his eighties, wore black jeans, taught at Flinders Uni and went to Red Hot Chill Peppers concerts. Kay and Adrian had lived in many countries including Iran, the Philippines, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Bermuda and London before returning to Adelaide. They were wonderful hosts, and gave me a great appreciation for passion based living. (I read that Adrian died in 2000, and I can’t find anything about Kay anywhere. I last spoke with them in the early 90′s and unfortunately lost touch after moving interstate. When I moved Kay said “I hope you find many interesting people in your carriage [of life]“)

I used to enjoy drama at school and joined the local youth theatre, and watching the performances last Thursday was a reminder that I’ve probably neglected this area of the arts for too long (although it  sometimes finds its way into playtime with the kids!)

Yesterday I told mum how grateful I am for having the opportunity to appreciate the arts at home and in my local community. I hope I can provide my children with similar formative experiences and then beyond- exploring the application of the arts, technology and digital media in community cultural development.

What about you? What role has the arts played in your life, or that of your community?