Convergence Morning Breakout Session

Eastwoods Room

Opening Remarks by Dr. Laura Stein
How can community media harness interactive media?

Group round table discussion on issues of importance:
Community news production and convergence, online video and community relevancy, reaching your audience, volunteer recruitment, research, online publishing, models of distribution, social media marketing, distribution barriers, social networking, community outreach, serving underrepresented communities, policy and public information, community production services, outlet for distribution of marginalized voices, coverage of issues of dissent, multi-media, culture and art and interactivity, art and new media, community theater production, new technology, environmental activism and community media, message control, audience diversification, online interactivity, blogging and intimacy, community change and engagement through community media, independent video production, media power and citizens, media collaboration, PEGs and the Internet, public access and funding, cross-organization communication, community radio production

Notes on session:
-Multitude of channels and content raises question and concerns over how to reach your audience.
-Technological challenges
-Grand Rapids community media center as a gold standard

Action Items:
Google search engines and key word searches for online video, how do we tag online video content?
-Teach video producers the industry standard for tagging online video
-Content producers must have accountability
-Issues of Accessibility must be considered
-Alliance for Community Media models
-Use listserves for marketing
-Consider geography when attempting to reach audience
-Meta-tags are important
-Use Google Adwords
-Use of keywords and project title

What happens to the community message when online distribution is wide and without a central community online hub?

-Use of facebook, myspace versus independent community media websites
-Face-to-face meetings and community activism
-Can use social media to coordinate with various groups "on their own time"
-Community outreach may best be archived through the use of a central community online hub
-Use of ticker on public access video production
-Example of Working Assets and new media techniques for media distribution
-Reach the audience through the platform they prefer
-Coordinate conference calls and use online video conferences
-Fiber optics and cooperatives should be used to full advantage
-Need to inform citizens on policy issues relevant to community media

Participants from the session included representatives from the following groups:
Austin Media Revolution, independent video producers, Consumers Union, Houston Media Source, Houston Independent Media Center, Southwest Alternative Media Project, Texas Media Empowerment Project, Alliance for Community Media, Texas Sierra Club, channelaustin, independent writers, concerned citizens, KOOP Radio (Austin), KPFT Pacifica Radio (Houston)