[www-features] PROPOSAL: IMCistas Organize and Socialize in Austin

Wed Mar 9 04:03:29 PST 2005

hello www-features,

i'm including HTML below this plain text.

sincerely,
Bradley

* * * * * * * * *

HEADER: Austin / US: INDYCONFERENCE DISPATCH

TITLE: IMCistas Organize and Socialize in Austin

IMAGE: http://baltimore.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/6/indyconference.jpg

ABSTRACT:

A few months after the Independent Media Center celebrated its fifth 
anniversary as a non-corporate resource for the open-publishing of news 
and information, about 150 IMCistas, mostly based in the US, gathered in 
Austin, Texas for IndyConference which took place February 18-20. The 
weekend included both formal and informal workshops, discussions, and 
skillshares with the goal of improving our effectiveness as a radical 
media network. There were also presentations from media activists 
Douglas Kelner, John Downing, Clemencia Rodríguez, and Amy Goodman.

Our discussions included themes such as Professionalism and Indymedia, 
Shortcomings and Potentials of IMC, The Geography Hurdle, Setting up an 
IMC at a Mass Mobilization, Blogging and Indymedia, IMC and Underserved 
Communities, and Race and Gender in Indymedia. Other workshops and 
skillshares included IMC Print Caucus, IMC Video Discussion, How to Do a 
Radio Show, and Documenting Resistance. A generous amount of time was 
dedicated to discussing Indymedia.us, an open-publishing website and a 
portal site syndicating news from local IMCs in the US. Before the 
Friday workshops began, we discussed how we would document the 
conference and coordinated our coverage efforts. We hope that you find 
the documentation useful and encourage your feedback about all aspects 
of the conference.

[ Austin Indymedia | Indymedia.us | Indymedia.us Syndication FAQ | 
John's Indyconference Dispatch | Indyconference Fosters Different Views ]

BODY:

On Friday afternoon, conference participants gathered in the Governor's 
Room at the University of Texas to meet up with each other and ensure 
that everyone would be well accommodated while in Austin. One person's 
anonymous feedback to the conference organizers was that, "meeting face 
to face definitely adds to the feeling of solidarity with, and 
accountability to, the IMC network." Our discussions included Guerilla 
Journalism Ethics: Professionalism and Indymedia (audio), Internal 
Instabilities: Shortcomings and Potentials of IMC (audio), as well as 
Trolls, Hackers and Moderation. In the evening we communicated with 
keynote speakers Douglas Kelner & John Downing on the topics of 
"Oppositional Politics and the Internet" and "Radical social movement 
media: their typical Achilles' heels and their surprising powers."

Saturday was packed full of workshops! We explored topics such as The 
Geography Hurdle: Organizing state and national IMCs, Setting up an IMC 
at a Mass Mobilization, Blogging and Indymedia, Radical Referencing, 
Reporting Skills and IMC and Underserved Communities. There were also 
workshops focused on Print, Video, Radio (audio) and US–IMC. There were 
many folks from Austin who learned about Indymedia for the first time 
when they watched the film Independent Media in a Time of War (Dial-Up | 
Broadband) and heard a presentation from Amy Goodman, host and executive 
producer of Democracy Now! On Saturday night, a local housing 
cooperative opened their backyard up to all the visiting IMCistas for a 
party which turned out to be a great venue for a guerilla video 
screening of popular videos from the resistance such as Fuck The 
Corporate Media and A Call to Media Arms.

Sunday was an emotional day for many of the participants, especially 
those of us that were involved in a workshop focused on Race and Gender 
in Indymedia. In a workshop on Documenting Resistance: The Historical 
Imperative of Video Archiving (audio), we discussed the possibilities of 
establishing a video archive to properly store and make available 
Indymedia footage. Our Closing Session (audio), which included almost 
all the conference participants, was also emotional for some of us as we 
discussed our experiences with Indymedia, the ways in which our local 
IMCs are both similar and different to other local IMCs and the visions 
we have for the Indymedia network. One big area of concern was outreach 
to people at other IMCs that may not have known about the conference or 
been able to attend for various reasons, such as time away from family, 
inability to take off work and overall cost. We want to strengthen all 
aspects of Indymedia, from our local IMCs, to Indymedia.us, 
Indymedia.org and the areas on the globe that may benefit from a new 
Independent Media Center.

The amazing level of face-to-face interaction and building of 
connections is bound to strengthen the US and global network. Our 
friends in Austin, including The Rhizome Collective, Austin 
Spokescouncil and The Austin Independent Media Center were very 
hospitable to all the guests from out of town. Our experiences at 
Indyconference will help us plan, and participate in, future regional 
conferences.

Indyconference followed a regional conference that happened in Oceania 
last year, as well as the Media EmergenC which took place in San Diego. 
Shortly after Indyconference, a network gathering of the United 
Kollectives took place in Bristol. Discussions at the network gathering 
included the seizure of the Ahimsa servers and other recent 
libel/defamation case attempts, as well as the G8 summit taking place 
July 6-8 in Scotland.

- - - - -

*Header:* <a href="http://austin.indymedia.org">Austin</a> / <a 
href="http://us.indymedia.org">US</a>: INDYCONFERENCE DISPATCH

*TITLE:* IMCistas Organize and Socialize in Austin

*IMAGE:* http://baltimore.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/6/indyconference.jpg

*ABSTRACT:*

A few months after the Independent Media Center celebrated its fifth 
anniversary as a non-corporate resource for the <a 
href="http://www.cat.org.au/maffew/cat/openpub.html">open-publishing</a> 
of news and information, about 150 IMCistas, mostly based in the <a 
href="http://us.indymedia.org">US</a>, gathered in <a 
href="http://austin.indymedia.org">Austin, Texas</a> for <a 
href="http://www.indyconference.org">IndyConference</a> which took place 
February 18-20. The weekend included both formal and informal workshops, 
discussions, and skillshares with the goal of improving our 
effectiveness as a radical media network. There were also presentations 
from media activists Douglas Kelner, John Downing, Clemencia Rodríguez, 
and Amy Goodman.
 
Our discussions included themes such as <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05GuerillaWorkshop">Professionalism 
and Indymedia</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05InstabilitiesWorkshop">Shortcomings 
and Potentials of IMC</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05GeographyWorkshop">The 
Geography Hurdle</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05MassMobWorkshop"> 
Setting up an IMC at a Mass Mobilization</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05BloggingWorkshop">Blogging 
and Indymedia</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05CommunityWorkshop">IMC 
and Underserved Communities</a>, and <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05RaceGenderWorkshop">Race 
and Gender in Indymedia</a>. Other workshops and skillshares included <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05PrintWorkshop">IMC 
Print Caucus</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05VideoDiscussion">IMC 
Video Discussion</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05RadioShowWorkshop">How 
to Do a Radio Show</a>, and <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05DocumentingWorkshop">Documenting 
Resistance</a>. A generous amount of time was dedicated to <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05CaucusGeneralWorkshop">discussing 
Indymedia.us</a>, an open-publishing website and a portal site <a 
href="http://indymedia.us/en/static/syndicationfaq.shtml">syndicating 
news from local IMCs in the US</a>. Before the Friday workshops began, 
we discussed <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05Documentation">how 
we would document the conference</a> and coordinated our coverage 
efforts. We hope that you find the documentation useful and encourage 
your feedback about all aspects of the conference.
 
[ <a href="http://austin.indymedia.org">Austin Indymedia</a> | <a 
href="http://www.indymedia.us">Indymedia.us</a> | <a 
href="http://www.indymedia.us/en/static/syndicationfaq.shtml">Indymedia.us 
Syndication FAQ</a> | <a 
href="http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/9614/index.php">John's 
Indyconference Dispatch</a> | <a 
href="http://austin.indymedia.org/newswire/display/19374/index.php"> 
Indyconference Fosters Different Views</a> ]

*BODY:*

On Friday afternoon, conference participants gathered in the Governor's 
Room at the <a href="http://www.utwatch.org">University of Texas</a> to 
meet up with each other and ensure that everyone would be well 
accommodated while in Austin. One person's anonymous feedback to the 
conference organizers was that, "meeting face to face definitely adds to 
the feeling of solidarity with, and accountability to, the IMC network." 
Our discussions included <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05GuerillaWorkshop">Guerilla 
Journalism Ethics: Professionalism and Indymedia</a> (<a 
href="http://phonophilia.com/events/indyconf/">audio</a>), <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05InstabilitiesWorkshop">Internal 
Instabilities: Shortcomings and Potentials of IMC</a> (<a 
href="http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/03/3875.php">audio</a>), as 
well as Trolls, Hackers and Moderation. In the evening we communicated 
with keynote speakers <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05FridayKeynote">Douglas 
Kelner & John Downing</a> on the topics of "Oppositional Politics and 
the Internet" and "Radical social movement media: their typical 
Achilles' heels and their surprising powers."
 
Saturday was packed full of workshops! We explored topics such as <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05GeographyWorkshop">The 
Geography Hurdle: Organizing state and national IMCs</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05MassMobWorkshop">Setting 
up an IMC at a Mass Mobilization</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05BloggingWorkshop">Blogging 
and Indymedia</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05RadicalWorkshop">Radical 
Referencing</a>, <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05ReportingSkillsWorkshop">Reporting 
Skills</a> and <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05CommunityWorkshop">IMC 
and Underserved Communities</a>. There were also workshops focused on <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05PrintWorkshop">Print</a>, 
<a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05VideoDiscussion">Video</a>, 
<a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05RadioShowWorkshop">Radio</a> 
(<a href="http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/03/3880.php">audio</a>) 
and <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05CaucusGeneralWorkshop">US–IMC</a>. 
There were many folks from Austin who learned about Indymedia for the 
first time when they watched the film <a 
href="http://www.democracynow.org/static/IMIATOW.shtml">Independent 
Media in a Time of War</a> (<a 
href="http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/media_war_128.rm&proto=rtsp">Dial-Up</a> 
| <a 
href="http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/media_war_256.rm&proto=rtsp">Broadband</a>) 
and heard a <a 
href="http://indypendent.typepad.com/nyc_indypendent_/2005/02/indyconference__2.html">presentation 
from Amy Goodman</a>, host and executive producer of <a 
href="http://www.democracynow.org">Democracy Now!</a> On Saturday night, 
a local housing cooperative opened their backyard up to all the visiting 
IMCistas for a party which turned out to be a great venue for a guerilla 
video screening of popular <a 
href="http://portland.indymedia.org/en/videos/">videos from the 
resistance</a> such as <a 
href="http://portland.indymedia.org/en/videos/#FuckTheCorporateMedia">Fuck 
The Corporate Media</a> and <a 
href="http://portland.indymedia.org/en/videos/#ACalltoMediaArms">A Call 
to Media Arms</a>.
 
Sunday was an emotional day for many of the participants, especially 
those of us that were involved in a workshop focused on <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05RaceGenderWorkshop">Race 
and Gender in Indymedia</a>. In a workshop on <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05DocumentingWorkshop">Documenting 
Resistance: The Historical Imperative of Video Archiving</a> (<a 
href="http://phonophilia.com/events/indyconf/">audio</a>), we discussed 
the possibilities of establishing a <a 
href="http://indytorrents.org/">video archive</a> to properly store and 
make available Indymedia footage. Our <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcATXConf05ClosingSession">Closing 
Session</a> (<a 
href="http://phonophilia.com/events/indyconf/">audio</a>), which 
included almost all the conference participants, was also emotional for 
some of us as we discussed our experiences with Indymedia, the ways in 
which our local IMCs are both similar and different to other local IMCs 
and the visions we have for the Indymedia network. One big area of 
concern was <a 
href="http://detritus.net/steev/mt/archives/000313.html">outreach to 
people at other IMCs</a> that may not have known about the conference or 
been able to attend for various reasons, such as time away from family, 
inability to take off work and overall cost. We want to strengthen all 
aspects of Indymedia, from our <a 
href="http://contact.indymedia.org/cities.php">local IMCs</a>, to <a 
href="http://us.indymedia.org">Indymedia.us</a>, <a 
href="http://www.indymedia.org">Indymedia.org</a> and the areas on the 
globe that may benefit from a <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/NewIMCForm">new Independent 
Media Center</a>.
 
The amazing level of face-to-face interaction and building of 
connections is bound to strengthen the US and global network. Our 
friends in Austin, including <a 
href="http://www.rhizomecollective.org/">The Rhizome Collective</a>, <a 
href="http://www.austinspokes.org">Austin Spokescouncil</a> and <a 
href="http://austin.indymedia.org/">The Austin Independent Media 
Center</a> were very hospitable to all the guests from out of town. Our 
experiences at Indyconference will help us plan, and participate in, 
future regional conferences.
 
Indyconference followed a regional conference that happened in <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcOceaniaConf2004">Oceania 
last year</a>, as well as the <a 
href="http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2005/02/107671.shtml">Media 
EmergenC</a> which took place in <a 
href="http://sandiego.indymedia.org">San Diego</a>. Shortly after 
Indyconference, a <a 
href="http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcUkGatheringSpring2005">network 
gathering</a> of the <a href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/">United 
Kollectives</a> took place in <a 
href="http://bristol.indymedia.org">Bristol</a>. Discussions at the 
network gathering included the <a 
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/11/300886.html">seizure of the 
Ahimsa servers</a> and other recent libel/defamation case attempts, as 
well as the <a href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2005/g8/">G8 
summit</a> taking place July 6-8 in <a 
href="http://scotland.indymedia.org/">Scotland</a>.