Posts from — August 2007
Virtual worlds: Chris Laidlaw “Ideas” programme
In this Sunday’s “Ideas” programme on National Radio Chris Laidlaw pieces together a show about many of the different aspects of virtual worlds. The programme is available for four week on demand (see Ideas for 19 August 2007 streaming), or as a downloadable file (see Ideas for 19 August 2007 mp3).
The four excerpts in the 50 minute programme are
- discussion with World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand’s Executive Director about a green a space on Faketown, a new virtual world. The green space is encouraging young people to get active on climate change. See www.faketown.com/wwf
- surprising facts about people who inhabit virtual worlds from the Center for the Digital Future, University of Southern California.
- an introduction to virtual world Second Life with Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in virtual worlds since the early 1980s.
- Baroness Susan Greenfield, Director Royal Institution and Professor Synaptic Pharmocology at Oxford University, a whistleblower on the dangers of virtual worlds and their long-terms affects on society.
Laidlaw warns the firewall between you and virtual reality may go, with frightening connotations. He said further programmes on this topic will be coming.
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August 19, 2007 No Comments
The Humane Society uses Facebook to spread the message
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) have been using the Facebook social networking site for several months now to raise funds and awareness and to build relationships. Read about it on Wild Apricot Blog: Using Facebook to spread your message.
Here’s a snippet:
What advice would you give others who want to use Facebook to advance their cause?
- Spend time on outreach and building your friend list to people who care about your issues.
- Respond to all incoming messages, discussion threads, and wall posts. Participate regularly in your group! If no one is saying anything, start a topic!
- Post your latest news and campaign info in the discussion board and save the individual messaging for breaking news and take action requests.
- Ask people to repost your events and links as notes or posted items on their profiles.
- Upload videos, photos, and events to your profile and ask people to post their related content.
The point about social networking sites, such as Facebook, is that they are about networking. Maybe you have (potential) volunteers in your organisation whose timetable is constrained, who have trouble getting out to meetings, who love the ‘people stuff’. How about asking them to monitor or take charge on a social networking site, to build your online community?
August 18, 2007 No Comments
National School Boards reports on social networking
A study in the US has found that:
96 percent of students with online access use social networking technologies, such as chatting, text messaging, blogging, and visiting online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, and Webkinz.
and that:
Students report spending almost as much time using social network services and Web sites as they spend watching television.
[Via Web Teacher: National School Boards reports on social networking.]
I wonder if anyone’s doing that kind of research in New Zealand?
It would seem a fair bet though that if you’re aiming to reach younger people then you should be at least exploring social networking technologies. See the post from a few days ago: Discover the Social Web for some leads.
And if you have been exploring, what have you found? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
August 18, 2007 No Comments
Tibet protesters combine cellphones, Skype and YouTube
globeandmail.com carry a report about how pro-Tibet activists in China combined cellphone and Internet to send their message to the world, in spite of Chinese censorship: Tech-savvy pro-Tibet protesters get message across:
By using the internet to circumvent Chinese censors, the Students for a Free Tibet — including three Canadians — sent live cellphone videos of them rappelling down the Great Wall of China and unfurling a banner that read “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008″ back to New York using the internet software Skype.
The video was almost instantly posted onto YouTube, and just like that, they had an immediate and global audience for their cause.
[Via : Mobile phones and new media in pro-Tibet protests | MobileActive.org.]
Watch the YouTube videos:
The videos are poor quality, after all they came from a cellphone, but what’s more important is that the activists sent a message and viewers watched it. Your organisation doesn’t need thousands of dollars worth of video equipment to send a message: a cellphone that can take movies will do.
Have you explored YouTube yet? Could you use it for your organisation?
August 14, 2007 1 Comment
iYomu - a Kiwi Social Network
Social Networks such as MySpace and Facebook are becoming increasingly popular. Now the Kiwis are getting in on the act:
A New Zealand-based social network, iYomu, is launching globally today with a US$1 Million challenge. iYomu is branding itself as a “social networking website for grown-ups” and the site is restricted to those over 18 years old. The name of the site, iYomu, stands for “I, You, Me and Us”. Its aim is to provide a social networking space for the older generation, who may be turned off by teen hang outs like MySpace and Facebook.
[Via Read/WriteWeb: iYomu, Social Network for Adults, Launches With $1 Million Prize.]
Wellington’s Downtown Community Ministry has a Facebook profile that shows photos, news, links, messages and so on. Checking their profile shows that the New Zealand Music Appreciation Club! and Island Bay Presbyterian Church also have a Facebook presence.
Does your NZ community group have a presence on MySPace, Facebook, iYomu or other social networking site? Let us know in the comments.
August 13, 2007 3 Comments
