PhilanthroMedia.com AND Philanthromedia.org

Diavlogs and Your Bad Self

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:13:41 -0400

Want to look hip at the next cocktail party you attend? First, re-purpose some vintage and blend it with a couple of ultra-modern accessories. Second, get caught talking about the premiere diavlog from the Communications Network on the question: “Should Foundations Speak with Human Voices?”

“Well you see,…” you will say to the crowd that gathers round, “…blog + video + dialogue = diavlog.”

You will probably be invited to continue…“It’s a format pioneered by Bloggingheads.tv, which has outfitted more than 200 big thinkers with a videoconferencing capability that enables them sip java at their desk while debating issues like 'Is Barack Black Enough?' The New York Times loves it so much that it features three Blogginghead.tv diavlogs a week on its video homepage.”

Once you’ve established your street cred, your listeners will probably be hungry for a few snippets from the episode. In it, Michael Margolis and Susan Herr discuss Philanthropy 411’s research on which foundations are Twittering, Beth Kanter’s assessment of why they are Twittering, and Sean-Stannard Stockton’s belief that the findings point to a broader distinction between knowledge and wisdom (the latter of which, he notes, is inherently human.) We also discuss authenticity demanded by the new media environment, and how foundations are grappling with recognition that staffers may be the only “brand” anyone sees for our foundations.

Our next diavlog, currently in production for the Communications Network, will feature Pittsburgh Foundation’s Grant Oliphant speaking on "why foundations should talk about failure." Tell all your new friends you will alert them on Facebook when it comes out.

Now go get yourself another cocktail. You and your bad self deserve it.

Web 2.0 Conference Coverage

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:42:56 -0400

We all know how important conferences are to the non-profit and foundation sector. But all too often, the conversation dies once the conference closes its doors. How can we extend the impact of these gatherings, ensuring that the messages and ideas generated there will spread? At PhilanthroMedia, we’ve seen first-hand how the application of Web 2.0 technologies can extend the life, and further the good, of conferences and professional gatherings.

Our most recent engagement was with the National Conference on Citizenship which held its annual gathering at the Library of Congress on September 9, 2009. Leading up to their conference, NCoC already had big hits in the media world, with such resources as the New York Times and the Huffington Post taking note. Given this fact, Pm had to figure out how to be a video partner that would keep the media ball rolling. After grounding ourselves in the issues, and pouring over America’s Civic Health Index, we came to the event ready to produce a variety of new media projects that would tell NCoC’s story, and engage an audience that was already captivated.

Live Video Streaming- Pm had a video director on-site at the Library of Congress, directing a live 3-camera feed of the conference, which went out onto the web (and was recorded for archival purposes). With over 500 live hits, the stream doubled the number of “attendants” by giving full access to people who weren’t able to attend the event live.

Summary Video- NCoC requested Pm make a video that would sum up the energy and dialogue of their conference for those who weren’t there. Our team of socially-active film editors pulled together a summary video, distilling 15 hours of tape into a four-minute piece, before the staff returned to their office the next morning.

YouTube Clips- We put together a library of nine clips that we posted on a custom, Pm-built NCoC YouTube site. NCoC volunteers worked with us to choose the most effective and dynamic parts of the conference to share with the public. What’s more, we turned these around within 12 hours of the event, so that NCoC was able to catch people’s attention while the conference was still fresh in their minds. Check out this example of Micah Sifry of Personal Democracy Forum speaking at the conference.

Custom Content for Participants- In order to gain placement of NCoC’s message on the sites of partner organizations, we produced custom videos that featured that organization’s leader as the star. This technique helped to get NCoC’s name out there, and encouraged cross-posting of conference content. Win-win? We think so. Below is an example, wherein Barbara Bush speaks for Global Health Corps.

The Right Attitude- The Pm team is made up of activists who believe in the power of non-profits and foundations, and have worked for years in a variety of grass-roots organizations. We care about NCoC’s goals, and wanted to create new media that would help spread their message, through any (and every) means necessary.

CongressFolk and Cameras

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:23:42 -0400

For the second year in a row, PhilanthroMedia was invited to cover the release of the Middle Class Scorecard for our client, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. Last year, representatives who received ‘A’s’ were willing to stay for a brief recognition event. This year, they had come off the floor from a vote and wanted to pick up their plaques and scoot.

In a flash, we reorganized our original plans and started shooting individual interviews. In little more than a half hour, we questioned more than 13 members of Congress on what they were doing to advance policies benefiting the Middle Class. (Below you’ll find one from Rep. Marcy Kaptur on how JP Morgan Chase has taken advantage of the financial crisis.)

What Pm was blown away by was the fact that folks who said they didn’t have time stay for a ceremony, did end up waiting for their chance to get in front of the video camera. Within hours we loaded the best on YouTube.

Often we evaluate the need for video coverage by the number of “hits,” but simply having cameras at your event can transform the way participants respond. We’re not saying it’s not a little cheesy/creepy, but Congress members aren’t the only ones who like to get caught on camera (and might be willing to say something compelling about your issue for the opportunity).

User-Generated Content Pointing the Way

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:35:48 -0400

Does your website possess a seemingly insatiable demand for new content? Ever wonder if all the hype about Web 2.0 and “user-generated content” might ever lighten that feeding burden?

Or, if despite all your effort producing “objective” content about the foundation’s work, your grantees might not illuminate its value, in their own words, better than you ever could?

If so, consider following the progress of “In the Spotlight,” a new project developed by the Communications group at the Pittsburgh-based Heinz Endowments and run from a section of its website.” Here, select grantees are given limited administrative access for two weeks. During this time -- with the exception of a Q&A with the grantee’s chief executive that is produced by Communications Officer Carmen Lee -- they are free to post wide-ranging content they believe may be of interest to Heinz’ constituents.

Click to read the rest of the article, by Susan Herr, on the Communications Network’s website.

Replacing Reports with Online tools

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:13:59 -0400

It is increasingly hard in today's world to get people's attention -- especially if what you say runs longer than 140 characters. So how can foundations engage audiences with detailed research and other information that could actually influence how and what they do?

That’s a question The Wallace Foundation regularly deals with as it disseminates knowledge -- either resulting from its own work or commissioned research -- to advance beneficial change in the areas of education leadership, arts participation and out-of-school time (OST).

Click to read the rest of the article, by Susan Herr, on the Communications Network’s website.

Communicating Hope in 2.0

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:09:22 -0400

In these tough times, promoting a message of hope can be a hard sell. But for the Skillman Foundation, which has worked to promote healthy schools, communities and opportunities in Detroit for nearly half a century, video is becoming an increasingly important tool to help the foundation present stories about the Motor City’s deep resilience.

Click to read the rest of the article, by Susan Herr, on the Communications Network’s website.

Somehow, It All Adds Up

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 14:57:26 -0400

Here at Pm, we’re lucky enough to have clients who teach us as much as we teach them. Here’s Bruce Trachtenberg, head of the Communications Network (our newest client), with some pretty interesting thoughts on Twitter:

“Personally and professionally, I'm rarely at a loss for words. In fact, since becoming a regular user of Twitter, the 140-character limit on the size of a Tweet leaves me with lots of spare words at the ready.

But when my friend Mitch Nauffts asked the other day, So what have you learned about social networks and networking?, I found myself speechless. I realized then that I've become so immersed in social networking -- as a user, creator, booster and true believer -- that I've yet to take the time to analyze and sum up what I'm learning about this still evolving way of being connected to all sorts of people and institutions via the internet.

Not all is a loss, though. What I might lack in lessons, I have more than made up in observations. Social networking is engaging, and it can be incredibly informative. Some of the user produced content -- from blogs to Tweets to comments on website content -- is quite good and thoughtful, other so-so. The process of keeping up with the information that flows freely and furiously can be very time-consuming, and sometimes the amount of time spent reading and responding borders on addictive.

Generalized Microblogging Network
And again, while those aren't lessons, just observations, they do serve as the basis for asking the larger questions about where social networking is leading, how it's making us better (if it is) and how it's helping us do a better job of communicating (if it is). That said, for someone like me who talks, thinks, and writes about how technology affects our work as communicators -- more so, how we ought to use it to connect with people we need to reach, inform, and influence -- I'm probably learning more than I realize. It's just that I'm too busy keeping up with the information that's coming in as well as what I'm sending out, that I don't have time to stop and figure it all out.

That's not such a bad thing either, not if you are someone who learns by doing. For example, less than 2 years ago, I didn't even know how to create a Facebook account. This weekend I was among the 550 people per second signing up for a customized Facebook domain name. A year ago when I saw someone Tweeting, I asked myself what could anyone possibly say in 140 characters, who would care, and who would pay attention? On Saturday afternoon, I saw a Tweet from a colleague that linked to the first videos and pictures being uploaded to blogs, YouTube, and Flickr of Iranians taking to the streets to protest the presidential election.

Maybe I have learned more than I realize, and maybe just one lesson is enough. Social networking is about making connections, building relationships, finding new allies, and being part of a community of people who care. And it's not just online connections, but building relationships that carry into the real world. It's about taking what I read, at the suggestion of others, and applying the relevant material to my work and life. It's about looking for opportunities to offer the same help and guidance to someone else.

The real takeaways for me, though, about why social networking is important were spelled out in this set of Tweets from Mitch who started me thinking about it's adding up to. He said:
"I think connections made through social networking are 'stickier' and more persistent than those created by e-mail blasts and Web site visits."

"I know personally all my 'friends' on Facebook...and many of the folks I interact with on Twitter and FriendFeed."

“I’m pretty sure I could get many of those folks to do something 'actionable' –- provide an intro, a reference, etc. -- if I asked."

"Social media is powerful precisely because it enables extended networks based on one-to-one relationships."

Truer words were never Tweeted.”

Engaging Youth Post-Election

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:13:28 -0500

If you thought one of the most inspiring things about the recent presidential election was the engagement of America's youth, you will want to check out this video featuring nonprofits working to sustain and expand that engagement.

PhilanthroMedia's Dana Variano and David Yim identified what they called the PhilanthroFour of Youth Engagement. According to Dana, "We really strove to find organizations and individuals doing work to engage youth from the bottom up. We wanted to find groups that inspired young people to launch their own ideas, rather than simply carry on in the status quo. I was truly awestruck by the creative ways that these four organizations used to educate, encourage, and inspire.

Ford Foundation Launches New Media Tools

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 13:29:53 -0500

When the Ford Foundation gathered its worldwide program staff together, November 16-21 in NYC, PhilanthroMedia was part of the team implementing new media tools to enhance the gathering.

PhilanthroMedia’s Scott Riehs helped Ford Communications staff videotape more than 20 interviews in which program officers were asked to describe the work of their “most courageous grantees.” The interviews were then edited and immediately made available, via an interactive Google Map platform that Ford developed, on computer kiosks placed throughout the building.

Ford’s Director of Communications, Alfred Ironside, noted, “We want to acclimate our staff to using video more and, I have to say, we found them quite energized by the chance to tell stories about the courage of their grantees. ”

PhilanthroMedia’s Dana Variano and Alan Smith also spent the week capturing footage that resulted in a video highlights summary (an excerpt of which is featured below) shared with participants at a plenary session late in the week. “While we created the highlights video strictly for fun, the final product speaks to the passion, diversity and thoughtfulness of our people.” As such, Alfred noted, “It is definitely something that can also be adapted for our website.”

According to PhilanthroMedia’s President, Susan Herr, “Ford is breaking new ground on several levels. First, they are experimenting with the potential of web video, as well as augmenting it with tools like Google Maps. Second, they are mining the incredibly rich perspectives of program officers whose insights are often limited to write-ups in foundation board books. Third, they recognize the imperative to get content out quickly, while also cognizant of how staff might repurpose it for a variety of uses.”

PM Interviews Mayors, NY Times Takes Note

Sun, 7 Dec 2008 12:51:30 -0500

“Instead of writing a report or issuing a critique or counting the number of times that the presidential candidates have talked about cities, we decided that the voices that really need to be heard are the mayors’ themselves. “

That’s Andrea Batista Schlesinger, head of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI), commenting in the New York Times (December 14, 2007) on MayorTV, a web video series PhilanthroMedia proudly produced at her request.

With support from provided to DMI from The Nation, PhilanthroMedia’s president, Susan Herr, traveled the country over ten days capturing exclusive interviews. As a film crew of one, Susan simultaneously shot and conducted the interviews. Then she uploaded the videos to the web, enabling NYC-based DMI staff to script footage conveying perspectives offered by these urban leaders.

According to Susan “Andrea isn’t content to pitch the news media and passively wait for them to respond -- she’s out generating top-notch coverage that speaks directly to her audience and becomes worthy of highly-coveted coverage from the Times.”

During the U.S. Conference of Mayors held in Miami in May, DMI conducted an additional 12 interviews with mayors, bringing the number of mayors interviewed to 23. From Boston to Buffalo to Atlanta to Miami to LA to Rochester to Gainesville – MayorTV served to challenge 2008 presidential candidates: Start talking about cities.

In addition to coverage in the New York Times, Pm footage was also featured in an episode of UpClose with Bill Ritter, produced by WABC New York, when he interviewed Andrea about MayorTV.