It was only a few years ago that it was next to impossible to reliably stream video online. Now there are practically no barriers, given the proliferation of YouTube and other video sharing services. Chris Dodd was lauded yesterday for his innovative use of technology, particularly UStream by Marc Ambinder. The technology lets you stream video live from a location if you have a camera hooked up to you your computer. Credit really should go to the team led by the pioneer of so many online organizing techniques, Tim Taggaris. Sure, Dodd should get some kudos for leaving the leash off of Tim and letting him do his thing.
I also want to point out the innovative use of streaming video, completely devoid of any political ties. One of my daily reads for the last two years or so has been the lesbian in entertainment site AfterEllen.com. It’s a nice Drupal site actually, with an increasingly forward thinking blog team. Recently they started doing a series of videocasts, one of which is a hilarious recapping of a show called South of Nowhere. It is really a teen show, but is perhaps the richest place to see lesbian characters on the TV, besides The L Word. Three woman, two of which are writers on the site and the third an actress do a weekly 25 minute or so laugh out loud funny weekly video cast called “We’re Getting Nowhere”. I tuned in this week, expecting to see the usual antics, but instead found two stars from the show doing their own 5 minute video, an ode to the the “We’re Getting Nowhere” team. It was funny, personal, nerdy, goofy and clear that the actresses had been big fans of the videocast and watching on a regular basis.
Talk about a wonderful way to reach your closest fans in an informal way, that shows how much you appreciate the support from the audience. It is particularly noteworthy to a community that is not used to such access and direct outreach. These are two straight women, wearing t-shirts proclaiming the hotness of the fans who spend almost as long discussing the episode as it actually runs. We have come a long way and this is incredibly refreshing to see.
Technology has lowered the bar for entry. Politicians and staffers can get around the broadcasting muzzle and so can actors. The intimacy creates bonds that builds community. The more personal the better. As Zack Exley continually preaches, it is about authenticity. It does not take that much time or resources and the long range impact of having such a tight relationship with a large group of people is priceless.
Here is the video, though it is rife with inside jokes that the most folks will not get, but that is what makes it so great.
Posted in 2008, online organizing
