Summer of Projects Begins Now

June 23, 2007 · Comments

Grasshoppper Factory Okay, here’s the scoop. I’m gearing up to do a bunch of things over this summer, all social media projects. You’re invited to them all. Or any. Whichever floats your boat. We’re going to test some theories. We’re going to build out some things. We’re going to create and make and DO! We’re going to be verbs. And I am inviting YOU.

Summer of Projects

This is collaborative, but I’ve got some starter projects in mind. You’re invited to help with any of the following:

  • 100 Comments Project- Someone starts a post, we fill up 100 meaningful comments. End result:**updated** Some good conversations (not doing ebooks).
  • Social Media Architecture Project – We’re plumbing out the network, and then tuning it for value. (Going beyond “having” a Facebook or MySpace page, and into actually making worthwhile USE of it).
  • Barnstorming Project – Let’s raise the roof on several new media properties. Let’s get Justin Kownacki’s Something to Be Desired sold or funded, for instance.
  • Grasshopper Factory – a small unconference themed on creativity, DO!-ing something, and community.
  • PodCamp Network – we’re going to bring the conversation all together in a distribution hub, sharing our best stuff, making sure we don’t lose the threads.
  • YOUR ideas – remember, I’m just starting something. It’s your game. What’s your idea?

Commitment

If you’re in, you’re in. There will be actions to perform. Everything will be driven by a call to action and a desired result. You can choose not to participate in a project, or you might only choose to do part of a project, but if you’re in, this is about action and moving things forward.

Why Am I Doing This?

Consider this the lab. Consider this a bunch of discrete proof of concepts. Let’s see what we can take from this and extend out into the new media community space. Are you a videoblogger looking for a stronger media kit and a marketing campaign? Maybe we’ll get that done for you. Are you an educator or a technologist seeking ways to use communities and new media tools to get things done? That’s the point.

My goal is to LAUNCH these actions, to participate, but to have the community carry the weight of it with me. If I do this alone, it won’t work. I’m busy. Putting on a professional conference is a full time job. Helping with Network2 is a full time job. Doing PodCamp stuff is a full time job.

What You Should Learn

This will all be open-plan. The goal is that everything you get out of participating is immediately useful to other things you’re doing. Maybe you’re trying to build better community service actions for your church. Some of what we get done this summer will cover that. Maybe you’re seeking to brand yourself better. Everything we do will relate back to that in some form or another. This is all for you to grow from.

This is yours to work with. Are you in? Do you want to DO something this summer?

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  • sriram
    as you can see from above, i think it's an excellent initiative chris. good going.
  • Rob
    Alright Chris, I've know about this 100 comments thing since you posted it, but now I have a post for the project. Just wondering what you had in mind for listing the 100 comments posts? Where is what I'm asking.

    here is my entry

    What Not To Do In The Gym or Gym Etiquette

    looking to build a human powered list via comments as to what not to do, or what TO do for that matter.

    There's got to be something that pisses you off on a regular basis that you wished someone knew so you wouldn't have to tell them yourself.

    Going to go global with this one!
  • Justin Roepel
    I'm definitely in! I love the "Social Media Architecture Project" idea as well as the others. I'm just getting started with social networking and want to see how it can best be used. I'm also very interested in seeing how the community pulls together and what we can all come up with for all of these projects. Great idea!
  • I'm in, I'd be happy to do any Facebook programming, I want to create a plugin but don't have any cool ideas. It could be the beginning of a winter of projects :)
  • Deb Block-Schwenk
    Chris, I'd love to help with this. I'm still in "student mode" learning about all this, but sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is useful. And how to make social media useful is a definite interest of mine.
  • Cool! We've got some really great starter ideas and I'm really happy by how energized people are with the idea. I've even got our first 100 Comments post from Laura, and I'll post that shortly.
  • Derrick, some of us do

    Join this one
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2387136662

    Don't mind it being used for grass hopping either.
  • I like the 100 comments idea.

    Also really like the social media idea. I think a lot of ppl don't really do anything proper with their facebook/myspace accounts.

    Would love to be involved in the Grasshopper Factory, but might be a bit hard for me to be involved in a conference given that I'm from Singapore and all.

    But yeah, I'd be wiling to help on any of those 3 ideas in whatever way I can (I'd be willing to help in any of the ideas, but especially those 3).
  • I'm in, but i need to ponder this more a bit :)
  • ill be happy to help out where I can. ive got a facebook page and nothing to do with it as well. I really dig the PodCamp Network.
  • How Bout 100 Comments on rocking content & audience with web video? Would my midnight RANT (inspried by CB tweets) be a good 100 comments seed on that topic, or part of the game somewhere? I will post it anywhere, don't want to clog up the comments here.

    Love the barnraising and other ideas too...
  • ok sign me up. maybe i'll even start a facebook page. i like Kfir's idea too.
  • Yes, the 100 comments is a good idea.

    I posted threads on one of my forums some years back where I published the outcomes as pdf documents, e-books, it works that one. ;)
  • here is another project (maybe fits 100 comments but maybe not) we need to gather passionate internet tv people and do monthly rountables discussing productions, marketing, and how to increase viewership. take the basic panel I've done in europe and make it an on going effort.
  • I am in for the podcamp network, architecture and if the 100 comments would be about something I have a lot of passion for (such as internet tv) I am in. not sure about justin as my mom doesn't watch stbd... :) I am willing to invest time in it as long as it is practical
  • Well I'm in of course. I am a fan of verbs.

    I'm partial to the barnstorming idea, which to my mind could be more of a barnraising exercise. Members of the community coming together to lift up another. Something to Be Desired should be making Justin a wealthy man so he can visit NYC often.
  • Count me in! We've got to get this social network/media to work for everyone!
  • i particularly like the 100 comments idea. way to go dude.
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