Cathy Resmer, of Seven Days moderates a panel discussion featuring Green Mountain Digital's Charlie Rattigan, VTdigger.org's Anne Galloway and e-Vermont's Helen Jordan
Woodstock’s Digital Media Festival hit the ground Saturday with digital mapping walks, data “runs” and, at one seminar, the introduction of a few Vermont innovators sharing ways they use the internet to help make people’s lives better.
A panel moderated by Cathy Resmer, of Seven Days, included Woodstock’s Charlie Rattigan of Green Mountain Digital, Anne Galloway who is pioneering the public policy investigative journalism website VTdigger.org and Helen Jordan, of e-Vermont, who works to build stronger community ties in Vermont using digital media.
The word “engage” figured prominently in the discussion. How do we use the internet and digital media to further engage? It’s a broad-reaching question whether it be educating ourselves about nature using Audubon bird and wildlife apps, getting to know more about local government or just finding out who lives down the block that might be able to mow our lawns. As Jordan explained the effort isn’t so much to make everyone “tech-y” but to ask the question, “What do you want to accomplish?” From there, she says, the technical tools can be used to meet the goals.
Galloway spoke of the importance of making journalism more inclusive and participatory using comments and feedback sections of news websites. In addition to VTdigger.org she has just launched a new “online public newsroom” site called Tipster meant to actively recruit and involve the public in news-gathering. Backing for the website is provided, in part, by the American University’s J-Lab.
Among those attending the session were Former Vermont Rep. Matt Dunne who is now a Google employee and current Vermont Rep. Alison Clarkson “in the house” supporting these Vermont-based digital initiatives.
404 Error: We’re sorry to have to report a glitch in one of the Woodstock Digital Media Festival participatory events. We hear that Hurricane Coast’s open street mapping seminar hit the rocks as half a dozen or so iPhone tech-zoids could not download apps via Wireless Woodstock. After switching to 3G, the downloading got underway. However, another app glitch prevented some iPhone users from accessing the program. That said, check it out, Coast is part of a new make-your-own and edit-your-own mapping web project, a “World Wiki Map” called www.openstreetmap.org
Good stuff.
If you’d like to read and see some of the cool, unusual arty stuff using digital media (that I missed) that was part of the Woodstock Digital Media Festival check out Cathy Resmer’s blog report at Seven Days.
Cool stuff!
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 