[Imc-g8-2005] convergence feedback

[ionnek]

hi all,
just a quick feedback from the media convergence for those who were not 
there. It was a rather uplifting weekend, very productive. I would guess 
we were about 60 people, from several uk imcs and other media projects, 
from scotland, italy, spain, germany, england.

We started with a very focussed update on G8-preparations so far, 
including alt.media collaborations. I think the powerpoint presentation 
will be available through the wiki soon, very helpful for local 
presentations. Then we proceeded to form working groups, based on what 
people wanted to discuss, projects individuals or groups had already in 
mind. This session was extremely concentrated. By lunchtime, the working 
groups were clear and we had an idea on what people were interested in, 
who to contact etc. The lunchbreak was voluntarily shortened, groups had 
their first meetings, then we had a feedback session, reshuffled the 
groups to bring together the results under various aspects (training and 
outreach, location and logistics, content input and content output), and 
ended the sessions with another feedback before dinner. Minutes from the 
video, radio, pic, content and tech group will be posted here, or have 
been posted already. Many people stayed in the evening. On Sunday, the 
working groups and feedback sessions continued until about five, and in 
the evening, there was an indymedia birthday fundraising party at ramparts.

Throughout the weekend, the atmosphere was very productive, empowering. 
I think the crew of the institute for autonomy had a part in that - the 
environment they created was very welcoming, clear, friendly, 
supportive, from the breakfast buffet to the healthy fresh food and a 
neverending supply of coffee. And the feeling that this convergence was 
something that everybody involved really wanted to happen.

The imc-g8-2005 list continues to be a hub for people to hook in, but 
many groups set up their own lists. People have started to work on a 
number of projects, but there is one thing that we didn't discuss at 
all: Fundraising. It looks to me that we will need a lot of money. Even 
though we all work for free, we'll need to pay for things like 
connectivity, some rent, some cheap gear. Maybe we could have some local 
imc parties?

best
ionnek