Your Comments are Valuable

Ever notice how your comments on the Chapel Hill News blog Orange Chat end up in the paper? First time I noticed my comments there I though, “Wow. That’s cool. My words in print for people to see.” Its kind of like a letter to the editor. But now I am concerned that all this user generated content isn’t being obtained ethically.

Comments on a blog are information. Information is a commodity. It has real value. To discover this value you need to know how to use it. But before you do that where do you get this commodity? You ask people to give it to you. What do you provide in return? The going “rate” is space to leave a comment and the “privilege” to have it put in front of thousands or millions of people. If you can get these returns by creating your own blog and doing some Search Engine Optimization yourself then you may be able to compete with large corporations. This is the entrepreneurial democratization of commerce. This is one way sites like Digg or ChapelHillNews.com are making money in the Internet age.

I am not against this practice. Its a popular form of business. But are these businesses compensating you fairly? I believe the majority of the people out there using sites, leaving comments and clicking links, are not fully aware of the resources they are creating. User generated content is quite important to democracy and community. But when we don’t understand its value we may not be equal partners in business transactions.

Our comments and letters are actually a type of free user generated content turned into profit. When you sign up to log into many sites and leave comments you can relinquishing your rights to what you write in your comments. Try reading the terms and services. Notice that little check box above a submit button? Usually there is a link there to some confusing legalese. Contained therein are words that strip you of your copyrights. (Not all sites. Comments on this blog are the exclusive property of there authors.)

Those few words you write in comments on Orange Chat may not have any value else where but they do contribute to the content of the paper. There are a ton of “free” websites that collect user generated content and leverage it to create sales from advertising online. In fact this is a main tenant of Web 2.0 business models. Take free data, represent it, sell ads, and provide premium services. aka the Freemium Business model.

The past few years has shown a real change in the relationship that journalists have with blogs. Before newspapers started blogging we wrote about local issues on our blogs. We made two way conversations possible and integrated first person stories about events and ideas. All before many journalist knew what a blog was or thought them worthy of concern.

Now we see how important local blogs are to local political reporting. Reporters read local blogs like Orange Politics to understand what some are thinking and discussing. Blog comments can be the ultimate research tool in understanding street level thought about local events. Blogs can be lead generation machines. Especially for a reporter who may not live in a local community for a long enough time to know people or the issues.

I applaud journalist use of blog and their comments for research. But recently I think some may have crossed the line. I believe our copyrights have been violated.

RE: Councilman seeks recount Front page story in the Chapel Hill News on Sunday November 11, 2007. In this story several comments left on OrangePolitics.org where reprinted verbatim. Orange Politics was referenced as the source, but that was not enough to fulfill the copyright terms of the sites Creative Commons license.

The Chapel Hill News use of comments in their for-profit publication appears to violate the Creative Commons license this website uses. This license applies to the posts and comments.

The Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 1.0 Generic license that OrangePolitics.org uses has the following conditions:

You are free:
* to Share â€” to copy, distribute and transmit the work
* to Remix â€” to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:
* Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
* Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

* For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page.
* Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.
* Nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author’s moral rights.

Has the Chapel Hill News obtained written or verbal permission from commenters Tom Jensen or Mark Marcoplos to waive these conditions?

Has the Chapel Hill News made it clear to others the license this site uses by linking directly to this site and/or comments? (FYI, each comment on this site has a unique URL.)

Here are direct links to the comments quoted in the Chapel Hill News that appear to violate the Noncommercial condition of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 1.0 Generic license.

Tom Jensen’s Comment on Orange Politics reprinted in the Chapel Hill News
http://orangepolitics.org/2007/11/preliminary-results/#comment-120906

Mark Marcoplos’s Comment on Orange Politics reprinted in the Chapel Hill News
http://orangepolitics.org/2007/11/preliminary-results/#comment-120920

I, Brian Russell, hereby provide permission to reprint my comments or posts on Orange Politics.org to not for profit publications. All other publications must obtain written permission from myself to publish any text. Thank you.

All in all I am quite happy that journalists use Orange Politics as a source. I object to their lack of direct linking to specific sources and disregard for the legal terms of websites. The people who work hard on non-profit sites like Orange Politics do it for there community, not for profit. When for profit websites like ChapelHillNews.com lift text verbatim they profit unfairly from there communities hard work. Ignorance of our copyright terms is not an excuse.

This problem could be fixed in several ways. I’d like to see the Chapel Hill News, and all other for profit media companies, to link to all sources inside a stories body content. (using a URL) Also they could obtain direct written permission from each copyright holder if they intend to profit from their republished comments. Finally I think all modern journalists, editors, owners and others need training in modern copyright law especially as it pertains to the Creative Commons license.

Elections are Over Yeah!

I get excited over local elections. Ever since I met Ruby and moved to Chapel Hill I’ve been hooked. I love learning about this whole process. One of my favorite bits this year was Ruby’s election coverage videos. (I’m a bit jealous actually. I want to do vids like this!) She made these with her Palm Treo 680 and a audio headset.

This is great citizen journalism that gets the info out there. Yes I said journalism. Ruby has publicly said many times she doesn’t consider herself a journalist. But she is providing information people want and need. She is trusted by many and scorned by others, but such is the life of a politico with a strong opinion.

One Lesson from Startup Weekend Chapel Hill

I had a good time at Startup Weekend Chapel Hill. It was exhausting but a worthwhile experience. Here’s one lesson that I learned.

Find Data then Write an Web Application For It

When we brainstorm ideas for creating web applications we think about what you can do to data. Like how to present it, manipulate it, rearrange it, etc.. That seems to be the logical way to go about it. We take for granted that there is data out there to use. But is there really? Where is it?

For example: messaging, IM and SMS, is experiencing a serious surge in popularity. Web sites like Twitter.com are gaining mass use and expectance. The mobile web is another big frontier being explored by web developers. When we think of new applications to build we base our decisions on what we’ve used and what is popular. This can be a good strategy because it positions your app in a highly visible place. (ex. Pownce got bought by Google after cloning Twitter.) Plus if one app is popular there must be a reason for it. So why not make something like it.

The problem with this approach is not the lack of originality its the direction with which we think about it. Lets think about the data first. What data will our website application use? Where will we get the data? How much data do we need? And most importantly HOW CAN WE CREATIVELY PRESENT THE DATA TO MAKE IT UNDERSTOOD AND USEFUL?

At the end of the Startup Weekend Chapel Hill we came to a realization that their wasn’t enough data. For people looking for a place to work you need data about those places. For someone who wants to advertise a place you need data about people who want it. I believe the core team who will take on WorkPerch.com will find the data and put it out there. Lack of data is why the site was released as a invitation beta. A wise move IMHO.

The spark that got me thinking about this was Jake’s comment that we should purchase some data to fill in the database to start with. I didn’t know there where companies that sold data like this. But it makes perfect since. Sadly I don’t think we can buy quality real estate and user data we need. That is up to the community who will use WorkPerch. They must provide this so it can be useful.

My suggestion to future Startup Weekends and web app developers in general is to brainstorm your app idea but then collect a bunch of data first. With so many people working on a project you could easily distribute the effort to find data. Thirty people could gather a ton in a few hours time.

Then the team could verify who owns the data. Is it in the public domain? Do we need to license it? How much will it cost? Next the data could be shared and merged. Once its in a common file format like xls or cvs the data could be put into a relational database. Then the structure of the web app could be determined. How will the user navigate this data (flow)? How will the web app logic parse this data and represent it? (graphs, print to screen) How will the web app users add to the data or manipulate it?

This way of looking at web apps isn’t new. But just having another angle to think and to apply I found really constructive. Thank you Startup Weekend Chapel Hill participants for creating an environment where we could learn so much.

Oh and one more thing. Chapel Hill Startup Weekend was in The Town of Carrboro. That is NOT Chapel Hill. No matter how you parse it. I don’t care that its a few feet away. You can not lump RTP and Carrboro together. You can not lump Chapel Hill and Carrboro together. You can not dismiss the creative vibe of this small Town. UNC may be next door but its Carrboro where cool companies like Blog Ads flock. So much more than semantics. Dig it! 😀

Tarheel MeshNet Initiative

I just found this new group on Facebook. Its called the Tarheel MeshNet Initiative. If you’re using facebook login and look for this group. I’ll post an external public URL once I find one. 🙂 This is a wonderful thing to have locally. Yah UNC!

Our goal is to design and implement mesh wifi networks for future deployment in low-income communities.

What is MeshNet?
A mesh network uses multiple wireless routers, called nodes, to transfer data around a network. These networks are simple to set up, can run on off-the-shelf hardware, and can be used to blanket an area with network and internet coverage. For low income communities, this means that a small number of traditional high-speed internet connections, such as DSL, can be used to provide connectivity to an entire area. The range of the network can be extended simply by adding an additional node, which involves nothing more than just plugging it in.

Cross Posted on OrangeNetworking.org

Continue reading “Tarheel MeshNet Initiative” →

UNC Men's bball Number 1 on Coaches Poll

University of North Carolina Men’s Basketball team has won the preseaon coaches poll for 2007-2008.

This is the sixth season in which the coaches have selected the Tar Heels No. 1 to begin the season. UNC was also No. 1 in the initial coaches’ poll in 1957-58, 1981-82, 1985-86, 1986-87 and 1987-88.

via: Tarheelblue.com

Seems it was a tight “win”. So much to live up to.

In the tightest three-way preseason race since USA TODAY took over the poll in the 1991-92 season, the Tar Heels are No. 1 with 739 points, five more than second-ranked UCLA and eight points ahead of No. 3 Memphis.

via: USA Today

The top five where:
1) UNC
2) UCLA
3) Memphis
4) Kanasas
5) Georgetown

Gota give props to UCLA. I watched them place several times last year. They were fast, huge, and talented. Should make a great match up late in the season.

On top of this Carolina won the ACC Preseason Poll too.

The University of North Carolina was the unanimous pick as the favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in men’s basketball in 2007-08 and Tyler Hansbrough was voted the preseason ACC player of the year when the ACC’s media convened in Greensboro on Sunday for the annual ACC Operation Basketball.

via: tarheelblue.com

I’m crazy excited to see both the Carolina men and women play bball this year. It was wonderful to read about this. Exciting! But man the pressure is on strong now.

Thank You Joe Herzenberg

Joseph A. Herzenberg 1941-2007

Joe Herzenberg â€” the first openly gay elected official in the American South, an ardent defender of civil rights and the environment, and the unofficial Mayor of Franklin Street â€” died on October 28, 2007 at UNC Hospital. He was 66 years old.

Check out the thread over at OP. orangepolitics.org/2007/10/well-miss-you-joe/ The comments about Joe are amazing and full of interesting detail. It shows how beautiful and loving our community can be.

I'm voting for Sally Greene

This first thing that come to my mind when I think of Sally Greene’s record as a council person is her work to end homelessness. She has done a lot of real work towards solving this problem.

Homelessness isn’t a easy issue. Nor one that could easily win you votes. So to have done real work on this issue, as a politician, is impressive. For me this really demonstrates how much Sally really cares about people.

Sally is on the steering committee for the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness and was instrumental in the creation of the 10-year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. She has steadfastly opposed efforts to regulate panhandling in Chapel Hill. Too many people think banning so called undesirable people from Franklin Street will make a real difference. At best all it does is brush a problem and people under a rug.

Few elected officials are looking at the root causes that put people onto the streets. Even fewer are working towards real creative solutions. The causes of homelessness are extremely complicated and deserves a detailed response. Sally does this in a real way with real results.

I’m also impressed with how Sally works with her fellow council members. She asks good questions at council meetings. Its obvious she has spent time building the trust of her fellow council members. Her professional style is worthy of respect. This is the job we elected her to do and she does it well.

The next four years we will need Sally’s experience getting effective policies passed. She is trusted, intelligent, and progressive. So when you go to the voting booth this november think about the people who share your values. But vote for the candidates that have the ability to create policy that will see your values made real.

Chapel Hill Startup Weekend

Last night I met Gwen Bell. She told me about an event she’s organizing called Startup Weekend. She was part of the group that first pulled it off it Denver. Now its coming to Chapel Hill on November 2-4.

http://chapelhill.startupweekend.com

Startup Weekend is an idea, an experiment, a chance gather the tech community and create a company over one jam packed weekend.

We held a session about this at the last RDUBar Camp. It sounds like super geek fun!

Update: Here is some more info from Gwen Bell describing just what Startup Weekend is.
Continue reading “Chapel Hill Startup Weekend” →

Social Software and Multimedia Consultant for Hire

I am now available for hire to consult on the creation, care, and feeding of online communities. Plus I can create audio and video for the web. To get an idea of my professional experience you can check out my resume here and my portfolio here.

I’ve been contributing to and creating blogs for many years. I’ve also active on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, del.icio.us, and Ning. I am very interested in how people can use these online tools to connect with each other. I can show you how to use social software and how to build your own.

My experience with social networks extends to physical events too. I’ve helped organize several blogging events and was the lead organizer of PodcasterCon. An unconference about many aspects of Podasting and Video blogging. It was a 300 person one day event at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Its success is due to the people who participated but also the fact we organized ourselves. This was done using social networking tools like blogs, wikis, and podcasts.

I have been shooting and editing video and film since 1989. During the early ’90s I began preparing video for the web. Much of this work is very similar in style to what is now all the rage on YouTube. You can find examples of my video on my portfolio.

In 1997 I earned a certificate in AVID Media Composer. Its the non-linear editing software and hardware used to edit feature films. This experience taught me a lot about telling stories with film and video. I have professional audio and video equipment ready to be put to work for high end web productions.

Plus I produced a podcast show called Audio Activism. This helped me hone my skills in recording and editing audio. Check out my audio archive over at audioactivism.org/audio. Great video depends on clear audio to communicate successfully.

I’m interested in working for non-profits, businesses, and progressive political campaigns. I can help you make your own media and demonstrate how it will strengthen your mission and benefit your organization financially. But most important is communicating with customers, members, and constituents. Please contact me and I’ll help you accomplish your goals.

MuniWireless.com analyst on Chapel Hill's free Wi-Fi

The Independent Weekly has a great article by Fiona Morgan called Carol Ellison: MuniWireless.com analyst on Chapel Hill’s free Wi-Fi. Its a short interview discussing Chapel Hill’s involvement with public wifi. Here is the most important part to me.

Carol Ellison –

I would be very surprised if Chapel Hill encountered any of the problems those larger cities have because they’re using a different model altogether. Chapel Hill is deploying one hotspot and then another. They’re not saying this is going to be citywide. They’re taking a very measured approach, as opposed to diving in and promising service to everyone. Secondly, the town is going to own the network, whereas in San Francisco and in Chicago, the private provider would have owned the network. San Francisco was working out the provisions of a contract with EarthLink at the time that EarthLink announced massive layoffs and the fact that it was retreating from the market, and Chicago was negotiating with EarthLink as well as AT&T. So both cities were really at the mercy of what the private provider was going to do. I’m impressed by what Chapel Hill’s doing because they’re really in control of their own fate. If for whatever reason things don’t work out with Clearwire, they could find another provider and it’s still their network.

This is important because it counters many other articles in the media that have been arguing the other side of this. That municipal Wifi is somehow a bad idea because these huge projects failed in Chicago and San Francisco. They failed because a big company called Earthlink is having serious business problems. These kind of problems are EXACTLY why we need public ownership of major resources like broadband. Which WiFi is but one.

I applaud the Town of Chapel Hill for being careful in their investigation of implementing WiFi. We can learn from the mistakes of others. Isn’t that what wise Towns should do?