Avenues for syndication and distribution

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Andy - Collaborative Story Telling

overview - existing tools in alternative media ==> currently being developed tools

background: computer programming background, activist with cat@lyst collective

currently: currently open-publishing, need to develop open-editing. based in the web of trust. wiki tool is an example of this which is not designed specifically for radical media or activist networks.

next step up is some of the syndication tools that are being used to aggregate media

shadowcouncil.net - currently offline (this weekend) but will be back up in a week or two - an example of software that can be used by a community to develop an collaborative information resource.

working towards developing functional networks that are more stable and

p2p = peer-to-peer networking ==> not a hierarchy in terms of the importance and infrastructure. Examples are napster (strictly speaking a cross between centralised and de-centralised networking) and lopster . Indymedia is trying to produce a distributed distribution network that will be discussed later.

• peer-production - as opposed to organising based on hierarchies and management. Autonomous individuals can more easily and more efficiently achieve and objective by sharing resources. Links back to the 'commons' which can be shared and re-combined in different ways.

Linux - an alternative operating system. We have cds based on blag distro and knoppix distro to give away (self-bootable or installable distros). open-source software. The actual software is copyrighted under licenses such as the GPL which allows the source-code to be shared.

youcher benkler (??) - http://www.benkler.org

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Anna - Independent Video Distribution Networks

looking at how video is distributed - e.g. Undercurrents from the UK used to use freespeechtv from the states - but they began to cut down bandwith available. Therefore, tried to create Beyond TV - which tried to link videos and issues, background resources etc.

beyond tv - requires an email to the site organisers to link video onto the site and into a topic. Different kinds of format file available for download - some require real player, some mpeg or different format players. The preferred format is not real player, but a few years ago the software was a lot more restricted. There will be some workshops tomorrow that look at video stuff in more detail.

most of the softwares now have downloadable viewers that can be used by anyone for free to view the relevant files. NB: sometimes this is awkward to find on the page (e.g. http://www.real.com - does have a link to the free download but kinda hard to find and they try and direct you more to the 'pay' versions of the players.... but it is there!! you can find it!)

previously projects such as archive.org and ibiblio.org which was more useful.

http://www.v2v.org/ - set up as a video-sharing syndication network. Have tried a lot harder to incorporate and utilise p2p software - it is a bit difficult to upload software as it requires ftp access (i think this is available anonymously) and they have a preferred codec (a 'codec' is an algorithm which tells the computer exactly how to interpret the programme in order to render the final imaging/etc) that fits

v2v try to give the links rather than just hosting all the files - saves on their bandwidth, helps ensure the files are more often available.

bittorrent - good explanation in new scientist!

chops the file up into pieces, sends you a piece which you are required to share whilst downloading the remaining pieces from other people - a distributed file sharing system. The BBC is about to trial a variant of bittorrent to make their archives available.

bittorrent - d/l from bittorrent.org

requires some software which is small and free.

eamples of video syndication shown by looking at the Portland Indymedia website - rss feeds.

also new global vision - from And_

ngvision.org - been going about 2 years started after the G8 in response to the huge amount of media that people shot during the Genoa G8 resistance and the importance of documenting that

telestreet - grouping of about 80 local tv stations, makes use of the idea that the tv aerials that people have on their roofs can be used to not just receive but also transmit stuff - thus ngvision used the idea that stuff can be downloaded and then rebroadcast on a local level. Transmissions only reach short distances - max 1-3km. Operates in the 'shadow' of 'real' television - e.g. behind hills or buildings etc. Of course, this is on the boundaries of legality, but then in Italy also Berlusconi, who controls 90% of the italian media and operates some of his stuff illegally! - he refused to give over a frequency when it was bought because ... he basically didn't want to and has a lot of money! how to: http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/TeleStreet

ngvision also has an Oceania category!

News Real

e.g. US newsreal project - http://satellite.indymedia.org - distributed online and via satellite networks in the USA

European newsreal - newsreal passed from video collective to video collective allowing for different people to take turns and get involved in producing it.

Oceania newsreal - follow the links to newsreel!!

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Tim - Resolution Project

[ also involved in mebourne video ]

was working out of spacestation video lab here at Irene, taking advantage of the resources to convert video data into usable formats for distribution - e.g. video vhs tapes, organising screenings, taking them to festivals etc.

stuff mixed in with different melbourne media - other film festivals, SKA TV, etc

motivation - wanting to do screenings and sharing stuff with people. Problems with copyright. Easily avoidable for lower-impact screenings but caused problems with more established venues. This year tried to concentrate on working with these problems and working with independent cinemas etc.

a lot of this raises real issues in terms of copyright, copyleft, share-a-like

festivals supportive to activist media

• wildspaces - org. FoE - good for getting work screened, although didn't happen this year.
• elctrofringe
• [ another one i didn't catch - but will be spoken about in a bit, below ]

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D (?) - Vibewire

for young people, 25years and younger created as a space for young people treading a fine line between film screenings/alternative stuff and reaching out to ppl and also linking to the mainstream; about linking people and groups up competition-based - but screen in cinemas and more mainstream-based; within the restricted zone of 'copyright' and unable to use some really interesting stuff that isn't allowed. Difference is that it's being screened in places that kinda suggest that 'this is worth seeing' and reaching out to people that wouldn't otherwise go to community screenings... of course 'mainstream' cinemas still means things such as Valhalla rather than Hoyts (arty cinemas as opposed to the hollywood type)

idea is to get a range of people involved and interested in the films; the kind of people who can just walk in off the streets...

topics are totally varied such as war on terror, logging, environmental issues, animation

one of the objectives of coming here is to reach out to the indymedia video activists around.... always need new contributions!

age-restrictions laid out in part cos of funding, in part cos older film producers have better opportunity to access resources and tend to already have some of the opportunities....

Discussion about this. no monopoly on ideas - ideas can come from anyone! some questioning about this... surely if people lie about where they live, we can lie about our age!!

In fact, there can be collaboration between under- and over-25s

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Print Based Distro:

Conversation focused on distribution and audience Encoding video requires expensive resources and therefore it's important to think about distribution and your audience Spinach7

Distro through the NewsAgent network. Network takes 50% of the cover price. News distro is actually Not so difficult. Spinach7 has a run of 10,000 w/ 7,000 Positioning of the mag on the newstand is determined by sales. Spinach7 also using bookshops as distro. Create something that is sustainable financially - subscription is ideal. Postage is suprisingly cheap. Over 100 copies are reduced. At one point the postal and telecomm. where the same entity. Telstra is taking advantage of postage to deliver DVDs and shows that the post is a viable direct distribution avenue.

This rant is about not forgetting other avenues for distro the net is not the only way...online projects may be seen as complimentary/integrated distribution network.

What was the agenda in the creation of the identity? Connect with an audience that won't read indymedia and the alternative press.

To get around advertising it's necessary to have a subsciber base around 10,000

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Useful Links

• http://www.archive.org - some kind of free caching service!!
• http://freespeech.org - freespech tv
• http://ngvision.org - new global vision
• http://satellite.indymedia.org - US indymedia newsreel
• http://oceania.indymedia.org - example of syndication from across the region
• http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/static/video.html - UK IMC video pages with syndication from other video activist projects within and without the UK
• http://www.vibewire.net

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-- GarconDuMonde - 17 Jul 2004