Hamish Campbell

Our current groups doing alt/grassroots media are to limited in there idea of what media could/should be. The is either a naivety or a dishonesty to all the current grassroots/alt media. They act and think they can be “big media” with out controlling the distribution of there content in any real way. This is in no way unusual the mainstream media is continually making this very same mistake. All of them rely on the the #dotcons which nowadays is largely the Facebook algorithm for the there content distribution.

 

Our current grassroots/alt media have web sites so already have one foot in the openweb, but non of their sites prominently link in any meaningful way to each other. They do podcasts so anther foot in the open web, but all their effort for outreach is inside the #silos such as Apple itunes etc. it's hard to directly blame them, though we should and will, for this sorry state.

 

So why are we here? On the one hand we have the #fashernista embrace of the #dotcons which most of the current crew built there careers inside. On the other we have the suicidal embrace of #encryptionists complexity and parallel “standardisation” into a pointless/shrinking in to nothingness alt-tech ghetto were our alt-geeks are.

 

With these issues in mind I have been outreaching to these groups for the last year, and building real working openweb linking tech as part of the #OMN project. This currently is not been getting far past their naivety/self interest/career focused thinking. Fair anufe if that is as far as there imagination/aspiration goes, but this is a clear problem for working alt/progressive/left media that urgently needs to be addressed. I will keep outreaching, if you wont to help with this outreach get in touch.

 

 

They link to meany alt-media crews at the end of each story which is nice, but no links on front page yet.

 

They have no links on the front page to alt media crews. They used to have a linking page inside there site, now I cannot find it? If anyone can find links can they send me a URL please. They are looking like going backwords to a more tredtional 20th centery view of what media is?

 

 

They have no links on the front page to other alt-media crews and I cannot find any links inside their site. They have source links in there story's which is not much of a step. This is a clear a failer in alt/grassroots media turms. 

DRAFT (please comment)

 

Building up alt/grassroots media would be nice to get a reply :)

 

NovaraMedia

The Canary

Reel Media

Real News

 

Hi guys,

 

Good to get a reply about this project from you.

 

OMN is a network of Open Media Sites. Its a push to #reboot the openweb that most “value” you currently use has been built upon in the last 20 years. Your careers were built on the destruction of the digital commons its time to pay this back. The cost to your career is light and the openweb can and should be run in parallel to your current use of the #dotcon distribution.

 

The currency (value) of the web is the link without linking content (no matter how good) has little/no value online and will likely not be seen offline.

 

Left wing and progressive sites DO NOT LINK and share content with each other. This leads them to have little or no value outside the bubble/echo chambers. And we are surprised and depressed when we keep looseing, there is nothing surprising about this, but there is something depressing about it.

 

Why is the OMN different to all the other activist tech failed projects.

 

The top 5:

 

1) It's based on the #4opens, meaning it doesn't have the buy-in (sell out) issue of NGO's and dotcons and can spread as wildly as the original world wide web (www) if people start to use/build it out.

 

2) It's KISS, that is simple and standards based, so open to be built-out in unseen directions and open to wide creativity. It galvanises and empowers openweb projects.

 

3) It's not under the control of one group and is a “universal/standard based so can build and link many niches to link and thus build a real alternative.

 

4) It solidifies a morality of co-operation and trust rather than fear and compation. Its left wing rather than right wing. All current projects are products of right wing thinking in structure and expectations.

 

5) It gives the tech/grassroots #fashionista's something useful to do and promote at their events. Its hard to express the pointlessness of all the current alt-tech.

 

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reply from one of the alt-media/grassroots groups

 

Aren't “existing” doing this anyway, linking all media groups together? Afraid I'm not techie enough to understand what OMN is, how it's different, or any of the points you've made, but I'm happy to go along with what everyone else decides if it can be explained in plain English!

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We have done some "user story’s" https://github.com/Openmedianetwork/OMN/wiki/user-storys hope this helps get away from the tech :)

 

This is a part list of current working roll-out https://github.com/tomspost/OMN/wiki your content already appears as links on all these sites as you post it.

 

All current successful projects are networks or in the case of the #dotcon social networks (closed) sudo networks.

 

Currently the OMN is the only bud of a network we have in place in the alt/progressive.

 

What dues the OMN mean for the your org

 

Nothing has to change in what you do if you don’t want to do more.

 

To be part of the network you add a easy OMN sidebar/section/page to your existing site with the content flow you are interested in from any OMN site. You control what appears on your site.

 

At the moment the is just the one/first that covers the best of grassroots media from a UK and a bit of globle news focus so use that one http://omn.openworlds.info:8080

 

That’s it, you can do more if you like but don’t have to.

 

What this means is that your site will link and share content with other grassroots/alt media sites on there sidebar/section/pages.

 

Your content as you publish it on your site will appear (you do not have to do anything for this to work) on many other OMN sidebars/sections/pages on other sites and blogs.

 

It will play a role in “aggregating” the viewership of alt-media, everyone gains from this.

-----------------------------

 

What we are talking about is building expanding distribution outside Facebook/twitter. You can, and should continue to use Facebook etc. what the OMN dues is start to build independent and horizontal alternative that run/expands in parallel, its working now and easy to use.

 

Am more than happy to help set-up the embeds in your website, will likely take 20 min.

 

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Just in case you are worried about security of your site all scripting is striped from the articles and links and the embed is a standard plug-in that comes from the dotcon markets that 1000's of people have been using for years with out any issues.

 

Its mature and safe tech that just works.

 

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Ps. if this outreach duse not work its looking like time for a bit of a kicking.... phwww..... crap.

 

 

Making History

* is the open actavist/grassroots archiveing project that "Resistance Exhibition" is the UK flow.

* Travelling open commons / archiving project     

* boating europe (outline the trip)

* Applying for Lush central funding, with match funding / organizing from local Lush shops         

* 8 venues over 2 years in 5-8 Europen countrys

* partner with local groups in each city (students, campaigning groups/ngo and Radical Grassroots) these will facilitate venue and outreach/publicity at each city/festival.

* Updateing the existing texts and pictures from Resistance UK exhibition and repack into A2 printed laminates to start the expo.

* This will be complemented with local physical objects ( banners, stickers, flyers, gas masks..) and original audio/video stories. 
         
* Equipment needed: scanner / video capturing laptop / 5 x mp3 recorders / LED projecter/ budget for printing / Part-time pay for 2 people 6/8 month of work / running costs (trasport, electricity, Internet...)

* Outcome: unique collection of original material from across European countriesuploaded and stored in a open distributed repository.

Making History.

Building up alt/grassroots media would be nice to get a reply :)

 

Hi guys,

 

Good to get a reply about this project from you.

 

OMN is a network of Open Media Sites.

 

The currency (value) of the web is the link without linking content (no matter how good) it has little/no value online and will likely not be seen offline.

 

Left wing and progressive sites DO NOT LINK and share content with each other. This leads them to have little or no value outside the bubble/echo chambers. And we are surprised and depressed when we always loose, there is nothing surprising about this, but there is something depressing about it.

 

Why is the OMN different to all the other activist tech failed projects.

The top 5:

 

1) It's based on the #4opens, meaning it doesn't have the buy-in issue of NGO's and dotcons and can spread as wildly as the original WWW if people start to use it/build it out.

 

2) It's KISS, that is simple and standards based, so open to be built-out in unseen directions and open to wide creativity.

 

3) It's not under the control of one group and is a universal in its subject matter, so can build and link many niches to link a real alternative.

 

4) It solidifies a morality of co-operation and trust rather than fear and compation.

 

5) It gives the tech/grassroots #fashionista's something useful to do and promote at their events.

 

------------------------------------------

reply

Hi Hamish,

 

Aren't Real Media doing this anyway, linking all media groups together? Afraid I'm not techie enough to understand what OMN is, how it's different, or any of the points you've made, but I'm happy to go along with what everyone else decides if it can be explained in plain English!

 

XXXX

----------------------------

 

 

Hi XXXX,

 

We have done some "user story’s" https://github.com/Openmedianetwork/OMN/wiki/user-storys hope this helps get away from the tech :)

 

This is a part list of current working roll-out https://github.com/tomspost/OMN/wiki your content already appears as links on all these sites as you post it.

 

The realmedia site/project is version of the visionontv project we were fund-raising and trying to build 10 years ago. Fine for the silo it is but the world has moved on.

 

All current successful projects are networks or in the case of the #dotcon social networks (closed) sudo networks.

 

Currently the OMN is the only bud of a network we have in place in the alt/progressive.

 

What dues the OMN mean for the XXXX

 

Nothing has to change in what you do if you don’t want to do more.

 

To be part of the network you add a easy OMN sidebar/section/page to your existing site with the content flow you are interested in from any OMN site.

 

At the moment the is just the one/first that covers the best of grassroots media from a UK focus so use that one http://omn.openworlds.info:8080

 

That’s it, you can do more if you like but don’t have to.

 

What this means is that your site will link and share content with other grassroots/alt media sites on there sidebar/section/pages.

 

Your content as you publish it on your site will appear (you do not have to do anything for this to work) on many other OMN sidebars/sections/pages on other sites and blogs.

-----------------------------

 

XXXX

 

What we are talking about is building huge distribution outside Facebook. You can, and should continue to use Facebook etc. what the OMN dues is start to build independent and horizontal alternative that runs/expands in parallel, its working now.

 

Am more than happy to help set-up the embed in your wordpress site, will take 20 min.

 

Be the first of the 4 alt/grassroots media sites to take the step ;)

 

------------------------------------------

 

Just in case you are worried about security of your site all scripting is striped from the articles and links and the embed is a standard plug-in that comes from the wordpress market that 1000's of people have been using for years with out any issues.

 

Its mature and safe tech that just works.

 

-------------------------------------------

I have been talking about the fashernisatas for the last few years, its an idea/group that I have been struggling to work with my whole time in the alt/grassroots. So what is a #fahernista?  
A group of individuals who value/push there own individual advancement over the needs of the croup and community, generally they do not realise or see that they are doing this. This has the end affect of diluting and killing off possible alternatives and selling “grassroots” to NGO's and corporatist agenda’s.  #fashernista takeing over projects in hand with the geek problem's has lead to endless dead-ends in all alt/grassroots tech. Most recently this has manifested in encrypt everything, bitcoin/blockchain ect. this is a dead end.

The #OMN linking project is basic tech that I have been working on for more than 10 years, in past times the has been more interesting tech/social problems in alt/grassroots media to work on so linking has taken a back seat as its basic stuff. At this stage we only have the basics left. Lets take a first step linking alt/grassroots producers, and build tools to push this into a  #rebooted open web to start the needed move out of the #dotcon ghetto's. Lets try as hard as we can to avoid #fahernisa take over of this basic #reboot. #fahernista will set-up parallel projects, raise parallel funding, push these into the traditional media and dominate the #dotcon conversation. Non of this inevitable pointless #fahernista noise should distract from the basics, as it will just flash bang and fad into nothing. Keep the basics going, linking, building. In the long term the rest is noise, distraction, for the conspiracy minded its our very own “false flag”.

Hummm... how to spot drift into the #fahernisat agenda?

The is a strong anti-dote in the #4opens

 

How to move on with alt/grassroots media producers linking to each other? Currently the shamelessly do not do this, even though they have repeatedly stated they do over the last 5 years.

1) Keep private messaging them on steps they can take, this works to an extent, as asked them to add more tags to their posts and they “broke” the User Interface on the #OMN software we are using by adding lots more – which is a good problem to have :)

2) Publicly talk to them as a alt/grassroots media group in blog post and their social media – this currently has little affect.

3) Talk to them in public as producer groups – this has had a limited affect with some of the groups, will try this more.

4) Public talk to them as individual's, this will generally get a private response and little action just words so far.

5) Name them as groups who do not link/share in public, this might be needed for some of the groups.

6) Name them as individuals within the producer groups and push for linking directly to them in public, name and point to the individual that this is a clear #fail a last stage.

Its a shame that this escalation is needed - linking is a clear path to success on the web – the right-wing blogs/producers do this, its a blank faced #fail that the left/progressive do not now and generally never have.

“Make the world you wont to see” LINKING is a strong path to this.

Looking for helpful/happy people to crowed source the active conversation to make this happen.

Lets start with these groups.

NovaraMedia

The Canary

Reel Media

Real News

 

The OMN will allow you to find good quality alt\grassroots content. It’s a way of getting distribution outside Facebook and Twitter to push-up the use of the open web. It's a stupidly simple social project using existing basic web technologies.

The OMN is an open network so we call each of the sites “nodes” as they are small parts of the wider World Wide Web (WWW). Openworlds is the first node/site of the network, currently with links to 10 embeds on sites as an initial soft roll out. We are aiming to expand this out up to 100 sites over the summer for the hard launch.

If you have a web site and want to play a part in this “soft roll out” go to openworlds

Step 1: If you are interested in only some subjects or groups, click on group tags (with @ in front) and/or subject tags. You can choose as many as you like and then only these will show up in your river embed. Then click the RSS link.

Step 2: Take the URL of the RSS feed, in the new window that opens. Go to your CMS/site/blog and install a RSS display/widget and add the RSS URL to it. You can use the formatting options to change the number of items and what info to display to make it look nice.

That’s it for now, your site is now a part of a open alt/grassroots media network. Playing a role in linking and cooperating to build a progressive worldview empowering people to build a better world.

A first step to reboot alt/grassroots media land an update on were we are on the OMN (open media network) linking project.

* The is a node/site up http://omn.openworlds.info:8080/

* This currently has 10 embeds https://github.com/tomspost/OMN/wiki on sites as a soft roll out

* we are aiming to expand this out to 100 sites over the summer for the hard launch

We bring good content in and push it out as links on site sidebars/sections on these sites. To make this work better the producer sites need to add more subject tags to posts as embedding sites can use these to display content flows they like ie. the more tags the more shared views for producer sites.

For a lose time scale of the project http://bit.ly/2mUDA3f

 

 

Howto use the OMN

 

 

This is a first step of a longer project.

 

Goto http://omn.openworlds.info:8080

 

1) You can click on the RSS feed button to get a news river for your site, this will link to articles from all the feeds in the node/site.

 

2) If you are interested in only some subjects or groups click on group tags (with @ in front) and/or subject tags. You can chose as many as you like and then only these will show up in your river embed. Then click the RSS link.

 

3) Take the URL of the RSS feed, in the new window that opens. Go to your CMS/site/blog and install a RSS display/widget and add the RSS URL to it. You can use the formatting options to change the number of items and what info to display.

 

That’s it for now.

 

Your site is now a part of a open alt/grassroots media network. Planing a role in linking up and cooperating to build a progressive world view. To empower people to build a better world.

Its not the people we should be angry at for the current Brixet/Trump mess, it is the small/tiny number of people who pushed neo-liberal polices through for the last 30 years, probably a few thousand.

 

The people rebelled, yes, they could have rebelled to the left or the right, they rebelled to the right as the right were more competent in the face of the lefts divisions and general uselessness. Be angry with these few and make friends with the majority who decide our future.

 

And the left stop this divided uselessness, we need a left reboot, keep it KISS currently few “ideas” on the left are worth much. A good first step for the left is for groups to link to each other and share media and events, work out KISS “liberal” diversity of tactics and co-operate.

 

Stop the rot and start the composting.

 

The OMN rollout is a 10 step process

1. Rollout a single node to link alt media and share content to 100 sites.

2. More

3. More

4. More

5. Rollout full social taging flows and start the offline backup, start to move away from the dotcons.

6. More

7. More

8. More

9. More

10. The openweb grows into the semantic web, the dotcons become history.

 

Time scale

* This could take a year with support and full on effort

* 2 years with interest and some geek commitment

* 5 years with active BLOCKING and geek’s turning away and doing something “better”.

* It will FAIL if the alt/grassroots groups don't links to each other and each tries/pushes to be the “one” ie if we strive for the same dotcon working in alt/grassroots media.

“Be the change you want to see”