Ideas for the Portland Media Lab
From dbWiki
Some of the ideas I've been generating for the Portland Media Lab
Contents |
Monthly hacking media or hacking journalism meetup group
Ever since NewsInnovation Portland in February, I've wanted to bring people together on a more regular than BarCamps basis to talk about the things changing media and journalism face to face and maybe even spend a bit of time prototyping ideas. If the physical space is accessible and appropriate, the Portland Media Lab would be the perfect spot to do this.
Another idea is that this one day a month would create space for a skills exchange. For instance, I'm personally fairly proficient with WordPress but would like to learn more about Django. In order for me to attend the Django session, I'd be required to help teach a WordPress session every so often. This is very much the model of the Community Cycling Center in Portland where people are required to do X number of hours of volunteer work before they can attend on of the bike training sessions.
Create space for the WordPress User Group, and other CMS user groups, to meet
Because CubeSpace is closing, a number of user groups won't have space to meet in. You want to influence how these content management systems are developed, right? I've got a gazillion ideas I'd love other people to run with.
Project incubator
Members would apply for support from the PML twice a year to serve as an incubator for their project. Becoming a supported project would mean that they'd get free space to meet, equipment to use, and a direct line to angel investors.
Many different types of training
Members can learn tools like Final Cut Pro and Photoshop either in the evening or day-long sessions on the weekend. The PML could take a Community Cycling Center approach in that members need to volunteer X number of hours to the Lab in order to get into the workshops for free.
Tools and tricks that people might want to learn:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Final Cut Pro and video editing
- HTML/CSS
- Using WordPress and basic PHP
- How to use social media on your beat
Trick out the PML website
Buy hosting for the Portland Media Lab, or better yet run a server in-house, and install WordPress, MediaWiki, and Laconica to start building conversation and community.
