This document discusses several community media projects that Steve Thompson is involved in and exploring new approaches for. It provides details on projects like creating accounts in advance for digital literacy sessions, enhancing walking routes between former mining villages with virtual and geo-located media, cultural exchanges between communities using video conferencing, and using online networks and tools to connect community radio stations. The success of these projects focusing on new ideas and approaches will be measured over time by following their progress on the CIRN Wiki.

1. Steve Thompson Adventures in Community Media (Measure This) I explained at the beginning of this presentation that none of the things I will show have happened yet. These are projects just beginning. To measure their success will be something for the future. However on one level their success is easily quantifiable and this is measuring up to the funders required outputs. However in most instances I wanted to explore new ideas and approaches that offer added value and potentially new solutions for future projects.

2. Any URL’s I mention can be found here: www.tvcm.co.uk/cirn2011 I also explained that the slides might give the impression that I am in league with Google but as the next slide shows I use a who range of free, open source and web 2.00 applications

4. www.12villages.co.uk - a new project 12 former mining villages in County Durham. It all starts with the initial discussion. To discover what the participants need/ want and to introduce them to things the didn’t know the needed/wanted “

5. Digital Photography Field Trips www.tvcm.co.uk/wiki - resources and guides to doing community media – past present and furture

6. www.myteesuni.com - a Google Apps account Education Edition with unlimited accounts. Provides the ability to pre-create multiple accounts for users in advance of sessions.

7. The ability to pre-create multiple accounts for users in advance of sessions makes for smoother first experiences. This may be time consuming to set up but the time is well spent as users without email accounts or the ability to get email verifications anywhere but their homes can bring a session crashing down. A common, memorable yet unique password is used throughout.

8. Adventurous ICT Google is enabling Google+ and therefore Hangouts (video conferencing) for Google Apps Education Edition opening up possibilities for distance learning and support. “Hangouts with extras” offers document sharing and collaboration but it’s not yet known if “extras” will becoem a premium product

9. 12 Rural former coal mining villages joined by a network of (disused) railway tracks – now walking routes

10. 1 Real visitors to the walking routes 2 Design for virtual visitors 3 Virtual visitors may become real visitors 4 Real visitors may re-visit virtually at a later time

11. QR code scanning may be used to enhance traditional signage on walkways

12. Geo-located media from Smartphone adds to the experience.

13. www.dramadale.co.uk - “Occupy Stanhope 1819”

14. http://bit.ly/ 4libpub a project to introduce new users to ICT in unusual locations. The intention is to provide added value by using experimental approaches that may make libraries more viable.

15. Google Apps = 50 users

16. Friends of ******* Library – Affiliate Schemes

17. A project from 2001 we intend to adopt for the libraries

18. An online quiz when Skinninggrove beat the Trimdon Team which featured the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

19. This then led to a Euro-Challenge quiz.

20. And then led to ”Challenge The Nation” where 52 UK Teams across the UK competed

21. Possible online cultural exchanges With other countries and communities Proof of concept – Google Hangout

22. Using connections as a resource for cultural exchanges -Vikings and Pirates from Finland

24. And in a Library – obviously – Google Books

25. www.crane-news.co.uk - a network of 11 North East Community Radio Stations, a community of practice. Seeking to make stronger network ties and provide a way to share news items across the network. Excitingly this means that other community groups could provide items for broadcast

26. Groupspaces – free up to 500 members. At basic level an email list with sublists, but when logged on added functionality – forums, wiki, file sharing, archived messages. Seeking to use this assist with networking Obscured for privacy

27. The means for sharing audio files is the Soundcloud “drop box”

28. Collaborating on Audio Austria, Finland Lithuania – the following two media examples show distant collaboration and the outcome

29. First there is an audio file recorded by Franz in Vienna And then the completed collaboration using his voice

30. So, how will we measure how these projects shape up ? ………… Follow the projects on the CIRN Wiki. http://cirn.wikispaces.com

31. “ Technology helps me do things that would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible” “ And in the virtual world: I CAN EVEN FLY“ Mike Findley MBE “ THE FLYING MAYOR”