In campaign mode, everyone understands the importance of getting a voice in the media. The problem is, the mainstream media often trivialises or misunderstands your cause. So? You needn’t just sit back and groan. Technology is today increasingly placing the tools in the hands of those who want to wield them. And it’s getting simpler, more affordable and freer all the time.
Concepts like ‘social software’ and ‘participatory media’ keep getting mentioned. Can these really help to make the campaigner more effective in computer-mediated communication? Can it enable people to collaborate more effectively?
The answer is yes, it seems. Well, it depends, of course, on how imaginatively you deploy these tools.
Songs of change go digital
New technology is teaming up with not-so-new political issues, giving the latter more teeth. Today, ‘participatory media’ includes music sharing, podcasts and much more. There is even a category of ‘protest songs’ available via the mp3 or – freer – Ogg Vorbis format -a lot of it, sharable via the net.
Recently, while tuned into a beautifully crafted love song on a made-in-China mp3 player, a thought struck me: the de-politicisation of music has gone on at a massive pace in recent times. Unlike in the past decades, the most creative of brains in the mainstream focus on poignant messages about romance, and fail even hint at the many social concerns of our planet.
But there are options available. A quick search took one to places such as:
* Google’s links to "protest MP3 songs"
* Protest records
http://www.protest-records.com/mp3/index.html
* Anti War Songs, à la carte, with links to legal downloads and lyrics
http://www.lacarte.org/songs/anti-war/
* Songs of peace, protest, struggle and freedom
http://friendshipvillage.homestead.com/Music.html
* Peacesong
Technology is changing the way the media works. It is bringing in what are called "many-to-many" media. These do away with the "asymmetry between broadcaster and audience".
In the world of software too, there’s a lot of choice
SocialSourceCommons.org (SSC) currently offers a tool that lists the varied software being used by the non-profit sector in their campaigns, work or play. SSC says its goal is to "map the NPO/NGO software space" [1] and offer links to relevant documentation and user reviews.
1 NPO/NGO mean non-profit and non-governmental organisation.
If you search for audio tools there, some 23 of them pop up in seconds. If you can’t find a tool you’re looking for, that’s no excuse for throwing up your hands in dismay. "Didn’t find the tool you were looking for? Add it!" says the site, a project of the US-based Aspiration.
Aspiration says it connects non-profits to software "that help them better carry out their work." See http://www.aspirationtech.org to explore what is available and relevant to your needs.
Tactical players at the mixing table
Others are looking at collaborative tools as well, including some UN-linked specialised institutions.
In India, UNESCO has announced plans to exhibit low-cost technological innovations that could be used to set up a community radio station, in early February 2007.
"These include the tried and true 30 watt solar-powered transmitters that UNESCO helped to develop in the 1980s, and the more recent UNESCO/ABU Radio in a Box. Other displays include the Suitcase Radio; the e-tuk-tuk (a broadcaster mounted on an Asian three-wheeler rickshaw); wind-up radio sets; the radio lamp; low-priced disc-less recorders and a host of reasonably priced, creatively designed, hardy radio equipment, suitable for the (hot and dusty) Indian environment," Nitya Jacob and Malvika Kaul announced, on behalf of UNESCO.
"Traditionally audio and video production and distribution have been cost prohibitive for most people, particularly for those in transition or developing countries. New technologies are changing that," said the NGO-in-a-Box network linked to TacticalTech.org
They have put together a kit that "lowers the entry level for NGOs and individuals wanting to use audio and video". It also introduces them to free and open source software (FOSS), and raises "possibilities for transforming the balance of forces in the realm of media production."
Do-it-yourself tools
In terms of podcasting, non-profits are looking at options such as the FOSS tool Juice. Earlier called iPodder Lemon, Juice is a cross-platform aggregator application for downloading podcast media files. This means you can grab sound clips in different locations and carry them around with a simple digital audio player.
But community-created resources like Wikipedia’s page on podcasting has a wide range of links -explaining diverse aspects of this technology, and also useful links through which you could share tonnes of resources.
In the world of audio, there are plenty of software tools available. Right from Audio Jack Pro (for Mac), CLiCk (a Firefox web-browser extension that converts text to audio), Max (an audio ‘Swiss army knife’), and Live Online Meeting (for conducting audio and video conferences over the internet). There are also tools that range audio and web conferencing services (ReadyTalk, Raindance, Freeconference Call, TeamSpeak), among others.
Audacity, for instance, is a FOSS cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds. Meanwhile, Mac-based Nicecast can help you create your own internet radio station. Splice is a hosted service to record sounds, compose songs, listen to music, make friends and remixes.
Audio, like video, can be powerful communication mediums. It can help in documenting and monitoring, campaigning, lobbying, educating, awareness raising and outreach.
"We envision the audio and video edition of NGO-in-a-box within a trajectory of citizen journalism and advocacy work, a toolkit for DIY (do-it-yourself) media makers to find their voice and effect change," said the NGO-in-a-box team.
Incidentally, APC is currently itself working to include audio programming, starting in the second half of 2007, with the expected arrival of the new APC.org website, says APCNews editor Frederic Dubois.
Social software, on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_software
Participatory media: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_Media
Podcasting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast
Audio/Video NGO-in-a-box: http://audiovideo.ngoinabox.org/node/28