[Imc-alternatives] Case Study: Good News Network

Wed Mar 5 14:37:38 PST 2008

We are brainstorming how to utilize the sustainability of using ads without
compromising either our values nor our content on our indymedia install.
Basically we would likely team up with alternative business networks like
Creative House of Lancaster (very local very small very independently
employed artists, programmers, web designers, media makers, chefs, etc
business collective we recently affiliated with) and Susquehanna Sustainable
Business Network (businesses that are local and focused on sustainability
and sustainable business or organization models--we are a member of this
too, as non-profit  organizations can list in the Green Pages for free--and
we specifically contribute to the SSBN by developing sustainable
communication models).

Basically what we have brainstormed so far is the funds from said
fundraising would be used to maintain overhead costs for the website and
other media costs, maybe supplemental earnings for tech issues that are
urgently needed, etc and perhaps a small percent could be donated to, for
example, IMC-Alt or the imc-cms ongoing development process once a universal
code is est.

Local social justice and community non-profits/groups and events would have
preference and likely a discount or labor-exchange component; local
independent and/or sustainable businesses only and no commercial
advertising, no corporate shit, no soliciting products, not flash or other
offensive color graphic schemes. Would be small and non-annoying,
decentralized (meaning off to the side, simple) perhaps registered users
could have option to remove ad for period of time with donation, and there
would definitely be many ad-free zones!

This would provide grassroots orgs, which usually can not afford the
inflated price of advertising on tv/newspapers and magazines, radio or on
many commercial internet sites; and would provide a space for small
independently employed people to be albe to afford to share with a wide
range of people what they have to offer.

Just thought I would expound upon our recent braindrain.
Michaelv

The idea would not be to overwhelm the senses, but rather create a mutually
beneficial relationship with the local grassroots positive non-profit and
indybusiness community.

On Mon, Mar 3, 2008 at 6:50 AM, Josef Davies-Coates <
josef at uniteddiversity.com> wrote:

> On 22/02/2008, Sheri Herndon <sheri at speakeasy.net> wrote:
>
> > i'd love to see an online news network that really does great news
> > (positive alternatives) and incorporates advertising.  does such a thing
> > exist?
> >
>
> I started having a quick look for one (does treehugger count? probably not
> quite) before realising its hard for me to tell because I block ads with
> adblock plus :)
>
> However, a friend is in the process of setting me up a drupal-powered news
> aggregation and rating site that I will seed with some of my own favourite
> feeds (and other custom feeds I'll create using
> http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/ ).
>
> The site will suck in and re-publish feeds (using
> http://drupal.org/project/feedapi ) and then allow anyone to up/down them
> digg-style (like http://www.drigg.org/ )
>
> I want to start playing with http://www.reblog.org/ too:
>
> "A reBlog facilitates the process of filtering and republishing relevant
> content from many RSS feeds. reBloggers subscribe to their favorite feeds,
> preview the content, and select their favorite posts. These posts are
> automatically published through their favorite blogging software."
>
> I'm looking forward to being able to subscribe to the feeds for top rated
> content from the aggregated site and then rebloging my favourites :)
>
> Watch this space...
>
> Smiles,
>
> Josef.
>
>
> love
> >
> > sheri
> > *On Fri Feb 22 11:56 , lancaster-imc at riseup.net sent:
> >
> > *
> >
> > Yes, I am usually turned off by advertising, as are likely most of us. I
> > do, however, think that when it is done with the correct principles, and
> > fitting design, it can be mutually beneficial. I know this is not a
> > popular opinion, but I tend to speak frankly about my own views. One
> > example of a mostly appropriate ad design is Facebook: they are, in most
> > cases, small and off to the side left or right. Also, anyone can easily
> > use the, including grassroots, etc. And it is cheap. For me, thinking
> > about sustainability, it can be mutually beneficial to both user and
> > provider. All groups have outreach strategies, and spend money to do
> > just
> > that. The people providing the service need to be able to have funding
> > to
> > keep the services going, even if they are ran by volunteers or
> > collectives.
> >
> > I just thought I would take this as an opportunity to share an unpopular
> > opinion, or at least one that is often not spoken of. I think the best
> > things in life are exchanged, rather than free. Everything is an
> > exchange
> > of some sort.
> >
> > I am not tryint to cause strife, and I agree, their ad placement was
> > annoying and distracting. But I think there can be both pros and cons to
> > ads. Radical seeds, for example, advertises in the Progressive, as do
> > other collective-minded groups. The Progressive does not use annoying ad
> > placement either.
> >
> > Michael
> >
> > >
> > > thanks strypey,
> > > i love the idea of good news network, although it's an interesting
> > > question around the criteria of how do we define "good". but
> > regardless
> > > of that challenge to engage with the diverse of what "good" might
> > entail
> > > to a larger global social activist community, i just can't stand the
> > ads.
> > > so while i'm reading the benefits of vitamin D i have to see ads about
> > > things that make me cringe. i am not sure i could even subscribe.
> > > so yes, great idea and flawed delivery design.
> > > sheri
> > >
> > > By means of all created things,
> > > without exception, the divine assails us,
> > > penetrates us, and molds us.
> > > We imagined it as distant and
> > > inaccessible, whereas in fact
> > > we live steeped in its burning layers.
> > >
> > > ~~ Teilhard de Chardin
> > >
> > > On Fri Feb 22 10:51 , lancaster-imc at riseup.net sent:
> > >
> > > http://www.earthsite.net/<https://wmail.speakeasy.net/parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.earthsite.net%2F>
> > > http://www.footprintmedia.net/<https://wmail.speakeasy.net/parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.footprintmedia.net%2F>
> > >
> > > these two design groups were listed below, and they list the types of
> > > languages, etc they use at bottom of their front pages, I think.
> > > Michaelv
> > >
> > > > Kia ora koutou
> > > >
> > > > A friend I met over the summer encouraged me to check out the Good
> > News
> > > > Network:
> > > > http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/<https://wmail.speakeasy.net/parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodnewsnetwork.org%2F>
> > > >
> > > > This is a site that aggregates positive news stories. I havn't
> > looked
> > > much
> > > > into
> > > > what back-end code or editorial policy they use, but scanning over
> > the
> > > > front
> > > > page and looking at a couple of highlighted stories was encouraging.
> > I
> > > > wonder if
> > > > we can learn much from this site about look-and-feel and usability
> > for
> > > a
> > > > themed
> > > > collection of news.
> > > >
> > > > RnB
> > > > Strypes
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Imc-alternatives mailing list
> > > > Imc-alternatives at lists.indymedia.org
> > > > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-alternatives<https://wmail.speakeasy.net/parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Flists.indymedia.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fimc-alternatives>
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > Imc-alternatives at lists.indymedia.org
> > > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-alternatives<https://wmail.speakeasy.net/parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Flists.indymedia.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fimc-alternatives>
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-alternatives
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Josef Davies-Coates
> 07974 88 88 95
> http://uniteddiversity.com
> Together We Have Everything
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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