The Goa Hippy Tribe project reunited people who shared space in Goa, India during the 1970s hippie movement. Filmmaker Darius Devas documented interviews with tribe members on Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo. This engaged the core community on Facebook and broadened the audience. A website then consolidated these assets and allowed users to collect and share media. The project exemplifies using online platforms like Facebook to build and engage communities around shared experiences.

1. GoaHippyTribe
caseStudy
GO

2. Why?
This project is exceptional because of its use of
Facebook as a central hub and as a galvanizing
force for audience development

3. theOverview
The Goa Hippy Tribe project is about people who shared a common space and time on the shores of Goa, India
during the 70’s ‘hippy revolution’ and are now re-uniting after more than 30 years via Facebook.
Australian film-maker Darius Devas has travelled back to Goa to document this unique re-union of old friends and
posted video interviews to the Goa Hippy Tribe Facebook group and fanpages with people central to this story.
The project is realized entirely online with it’s core being a community hub on Facebook.

4. theTrailer
www.sbs.com.au/goahippytribe/#/meet-the-tribe-introduction

5. timeline
20,000 Members in website Accepted FWA Site Win sxsw Webby 34, 489 Members in
Facebook Group
Facebook Group launched to IDFA of the day interactive award honouree Facebook Group
started
Feb 23, 2010 May 9, 2011 Aug 3, 2011 Oct 14, 2011 Nov 12, 2011 Mar 13, 2012 Apr 10, 2012 Currently...

6. thePlatforms
Facebook VIMEO | YouTUBE Website

7. The Platforms
startingwithCommunity
Goa Hippy Tribe was built
around community first with
Facebook as itʼs main platform.
It launched the Facebook page
as a way for the community to
reconnect after more than 30
years. From this group Darius
Devas, who spent the early part
of his life in this community,
contacted and interviewed his
subjects as they all gathered
for a reunion in Goa.

8. The Platforms
startingwithCommunity
These video interviews
were then launched on
Vimeo / YouTube and
posted the full
documentary published
on Facebook in 13
segments (each around
4 minutes) over a two
month period in 2010.
This both broadened
the community while
keeping ties with the
existing Facebook
group.

9. The Platforms
startingwithCommunity
18 months after the initial Facebook launch, all of
these assets were then pulled into a Facebook
Connect enabled website. This allowed for
personalization of the users experience, as well as
the ability to collect and save a variety of assets
including music, photos and videos. As well, all of
the assets on the site are sharable to enable users
to send music, videos and photos out to their own
social media networks including Facebook and
Twitter.
This is a great example of a project that has looked
to the nature of their project in order to choose the
appropriate platforms. In this case, building and
maintaining community are at the core of this
community, past and present so a social network
such as Facebook is the perfect tentpole for this
project.

10. Social Media Campaign
facebookConnect
Goa Hippy Tribe uses Facebook Connect to merge the communities and the
assets of this project. Using gamification techniques such as collecting and
sharing, along with creating a personalized experience for each viewer allows
for a deeper level of connection with their audience.
The Backpack is used as a place to collect and store music, videos and
images. These assets can all be shared on the audience member’s Facebook
and Twitter accounts at any time. There are 78 assets that can be collected.
Through Facebook Connect, the site stores your Backpack so all of the
assets will be there next time you visit.

11. theAudience
According to Darius Devas, the Director,
there are three main audiences for
Goa Hippy Tribe:
1. People who had been interviewed in Goa 2. People who knew them 3. Likeminded people from all over the world
Audience is integral to Goa Hippy Tribe, not only as viewers, but also as researchers and contributors to the project.
Justin Buckwell, Creative Head of Dubz.tv (who collaborated on GHT), explains it by saying: “Traditionally in the lead up
to creating a documentary there would be a research and interview process that would never be released to audiences.
What we are looking to achieve with GHT is allowing people to experience and become part of the whole documentary
process.”{A}
In addition, the high level of user interaction is also intended to deepen the experience for the viewer. According to
Freehand TV executive producer Paul Rudd: “Through the use of digital it is our hope that the build up of interaction will
ensure the Facebook audience will feel a greater sense of community and involvement with the documentary than they
would otherwise feel from simply watching on the television.” {A}
Buckwell goes on to say: “Facebook allows audiences to become involved in grow discussions surrounding the whole
process helping to influence the shape of the documentary. This approach is turning the documentary from passive into
an active experience, helping to build an increased community with the audience. The project shows how
using the internet you can find an audience then have it create, shape and share your story.” {A}

12. Awardsetc.
Critically acclaimed, Goa Hippy Tribe has received numerous awards for their innovative approach...
SXSW FWA Site of the Day Webby Honouree idfa

13. CONTENT
theteam
Darius Devas Paul Rudd Steve Bond Thierry Bled Karen Shaw
Sophie Seaborn
Director, Camera Executive Sound Producer & Gabrielle Jones Additional Research
& Editor Producer Production
Managers
WEBSITE
Stephen Boyle Maria Moore Ester Harding
Legal Head of Post-Production
Production Coordinator
matucha FreeSound/ kevinkace SBS Online.
thereelfryboy

14. links&resources
www.freehandtv.com.au www.facebook.com/ www.sbs.com.au/goahippytribe
vimeo.com/goahippytribe www.youtube.com/user/ www.beingfilms.com

15. references
A www.monpamplemousse.wordpress.com/page/3/

16. Get in Touch
contactus
TMC Resource Kit
info@tmcresourcekit.com
tmcresourcekit.com
Goa Hippy Tribe Case Study was prepared by:
anthea foyer
antheafoyer.com @antheafoyer

17. tmcrkpartners
THANKS to...

18. The Goa Hippy Tribe Case Study is released under a NonCommercial
ShareAlike Creative Commons license to be shared, remixed and
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Resource Kit, the creator of the Case Study, Anthea Foyer or Dr.
Siobhan O’Flynn, and license your new creations under the identical
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Images from third parties (IE. Goa Hippy Tribe) retain original copyright.