News, news and some more news. But in which format?

This is another blogpost about hyperlocal journalism

"The future exist - in Prague"
According to the article in Medievärlden (Swedish) the news desk of the future is in Prague. I found several comments about this project called "Nase Adresa" ("our address") created by PPF Media in Czech Republic. It´s a great example in my opinion. Journalists, editors and people from the street meet each other in coffe shops to create local news. Related article Futurroom

Seven local newspapers and seven "news coffee houses". I think this is logical. Local news comes from local people and what´s better, in a dialoge with journalists over a latte.

"Nase Adresa" planned to pull in stories from communities across the country and mix them with some international news. The final version is then fed back to the local websites.

The world is full of local neighbourhoods
The only difference today comparing to old days is that one person´s local neighbourhood is very close to your own, thanks to dialogus and citizen journalism. That is why I like Twitter. It´s impossible not to mention Twitter, in every blogpost, but it´s inevitable when you talk about media 2009.

Being hyperlocal in Stockholm, or?
The local newsdesk "Mitt i Stockholm", responsible for distributing 31 local newspapers every week to the city of Stockholm, has a lot to learn when it comes to the dialogue with the inhabitants online. The website "Mitt i" is absent in dialogue and content. For contact with the news desk you have to pick up the phone or use their mail form allowing 200 charactars, which is no match for a frequent Twitter user, but why not use Twitter instead.

There are so many possibilites for partnership and cooperation between the local businesses and the newspapers. This could be a valuable place online for the people whose everyday life is in the 31 areas.

The value of local contribution
The people power consist of individuals whose personal engagements and experiences generate eye witness reports and back up to other stories in real time. It´s important to keep a cultural diversity in the news.

It seems like people have increased their knowledge in global questions from being in the middle of the crowd powered media. This generates a higher level of disucssions and intrerest in contribute with news and comments. The threshold is low. That is why I think local peoples engagement in media and press should be taken seriously becuase everyone is more informed today and have the same source of information as journalists but different experiences. It´s beneficial for local media.

"Twitter isn´t journalism"
Did someone claim the opposite? The constant stream of news, comments, opinions, recommendations is the result when people use Twitter and many times bring people together. Sometimes I think the bad attitude to Twitter is about the format itself- the 140 charactars that may be the reason for not taking the content seriously or maybe it´s just by a principle. Bloggers are taken seriously, not everyone, but bloggers as powerful influencers is many people´s opinion. Twitter may be in micro blogging format but is not less powerful.
Related link "How Journalists are using Twitter in Australia" from 140charctar conference
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I would like to highlight a few good examples in crowdsourcing and citizen journalism in my opinion

EveryBlock - a news feed for you block (US) Everything about your city and your neighbourhood, a mix of news from journalists and citizens. EveryBlock´s attitude to contribution from the citizens: " If it’s in your neighborhood and it happened recently, it’s news on EveryBlock."

Find Los Angeles crime section to Washington D.C´s road construction projects or christmas trees. Choose the distance by block or by zip code.

On the screen shot below you can search restaurant inspections and the "violations points" for each reported restaurant in New York City.
This illustrate the violation point is evidence of MICE. Disguisting, but thanks for telling me! I wonder if they charge you extra for the mice or if you get a discount.

Ushahidi - Crowdsourcing crisis information platform (“testimony” in Swahili)
This is a project that allow anyone to submit crisis information through text messaging by using a mobile phone, e-mail, blogging to track and map crises in real time. A non profit cooperation between countries in Africa, the Netherlands and US.

On the blog iRevolution I found an article about m-banking and how to meet up with customers complaints. The blogger thought about a mashup with the Ushaidie platform.
Related link: Article about the project from CScout

Witness- a call for change
Witness is a place for you to take action on human rights. Witness uses videos to show violations from all over the world and you have the possibility to engage and support each case.

AfriGadget - The Grassroots Reporting Project
This is a website containing stories of innovation from people in Africa with a will and creativity to change life to the better. Bloggers and readers contribute their pictures, videos and stories from around the continent. "One of our goals at AfriGadget is to find more stories of African ingenuity. The Grassroots Reporting Project is our plan to find, equip and train more AfriGadget reporters in the field throughout Africa."

Crowdsourcing and sustainability

A sustainable society on Fiji, recycled teddybears and crowdsourced design

The Virutal tourism project called Tribewanted takes place on the island of Fiji and have a lot of support in social media. Started 2006 on the Vorovoro Island and was planned to run for three years only but in September 2008 Tribewanted and its members were asked to stay. Members can now book time on Vorovoro until 2012. This summer 2009 the team is going to UK to meet interested people and talk about the initiative. The Tribewanted can be read about in the Lonely Planet guide for Fiji.

Why is this interesting? The adventure of a people experiment. Get the answer if it´s possible to create a sustainable society from scratch. The mix of people cooperating and combining social networking both online and from a real life headquarter on Fiji.
Team Fiji is back, commenting on Twitter
Team Fiji on Youtube

Crowdsourced fashion label Exuve and design



To create a new brand and solutions make people and companies famous
There are many brands and thousands of design solutions existing today from crowdsourcing so the subject is old but the fact that the format, the power of the people, is working is fascinating I think.

In the example Exevu "the designer and the consumer are one and the same". There are plenty of nice examples within fashion that works like this.

When companies use crowdsourcing it can be done in many different ways. This is not only about a small company that can´t afford desginer or the company-design relationship directly like mentioned many times.

It´s cost effective and both parts, the company/the brand and the designer get attention and focus thanks to devoted and engagement, it´s well known. I think crowdsourcing is a good idea for a consulting company as well. This is not about ignoring the companies own staff in any way but the constallation, agency - client - crowd offering an open contest in a specifik matter to get the best solution and branding for free is interesting. The designers would talk about the brand during and after the contest if its possible depending on mission to make people "vote" for his/hers idea. The client would get attention for the brand. For free. The agency would get ideas. The "prize" could be discussed.

DDB Stockholm joined forces with Mypitch.com a while ago, to offer great ideas to clients. I think this was a good move.

Recycled teddybears

Sweet.

My interests according to Google

This is Google´s monitored search of my activity online as of today, used for target ads and more. Just curious to see if I liked something I did not know about.

Of course this list changes during the time depending on my click-through and you have the possibility to add interest.

It says that "Google does not associate sensitive interest categories with your ads preferences". But I wonder where exactly the limit goes, what kind of categories will not be added.

Google´s Ads preferences

The super secret anti-restaurant for selected people only

Charlie´s Burger, the name is everything but exclusive, but I got curious in their offer. The mysterious underground restaurant, that change location every now and then, demands information about you to be able to make the descision if you fit in as a guest or not.

I´m waiting for the questionnaire but after reading the letter you get from the restaurant on the blog Foodhogger, I changed my mind.

Sure, I got really curious, but the feeling of follow-the-white-rabbit to the mysterious sect on a secret location and being forced to answer questions like "What would your last meal on earth be?" felt like an overkill.

If you are the lucky one they will "email the chef’s name, the location and menu a week before the event – this is your chance to opt-out – your space goes to a stand-by, you do not choose who takes your place. IMPORTANT! NO-SHOWS will NOT be tolerated....".

They promise food outside the mainstream expereince and it´s not Fear Factory but if you can´t eat certain things this is not the place to be.

I guess, if I was the choosen one I would fear next time I turned the key in my car and I would look over my shoulder twice regretting I never ate all the stuff on my plate. Or maybe I would wake up the next morning, luckily unaware of everything, but only if I choosed the blue pill hidden under the exclusive delicious desert...