Community Technology

I recently posted about the community technology television show I am producing. Editing is complete, and I'm just fixing up the show's technicals. I expect the air date of the first show will be the first week of November, give or take.

The first official announcement of the show should happen this evening, at the Dorkbot event. That seems like a good idea because that crowd should be into a local technology show. Not to mention that the first show is all about Dorkbot.

So, in preparation of all this, I've got a web site and a MySpace page setup. If you are interested in the show, I recommend heading over to the web site and subscribing to the news and announcements RSS feed. Here is the info:

• Web site: atm.unicom.com
• Announcements RSS feed: atm.unicom.com/cms/news-feed
• MySpace page: www.myspace.com/austintech

Stay tuned for announcement of the first show date.

Oct 15 update: The air date of the premiere is Thursday, November 2 at 9:0pm on cable channel 10. Details here.

As I noted last month, I've taught myself video production and started shooting for public access. Last week, I worked camera in studio for the Beyond Television program. I've also started producing my own shows.

I've been trying to figure out what I wanted to do with all this, and I think I've come up with a plan. I'd like to produce a monthly program called "Austin Technology Matters", about community technology events and issues around town. I'm nearly done editing the first show, for airing later this month. It will be about the Dorkbot Austin gathering last month.

I'm really excited about this. The event footage is nearly done. I've even got a nifty theme song, thanks to Greg Bueno's Eponymous 4. All I need to do is videotape the intros, and I should be able to wrap it up.

Oh, and then there is the web site. Every show needs a web site. (The jury is still out on the issue of a Myspace page.)

So, stay tuned for news. I'll post an announcement once the web site is available.

My contract wrapped up last month and now I'm in the downtime between work. I planned to use this break to learn about video production. I renewed my producer's card at the public access center and signed up for a couple classes (basic camera and digital video editing).

Duly trained but still not having a clue what I'm doing, I figured the best thing would be to just grab some equipment and do a shoot. So last night I headed off to Dorkbot to tape the merriment and mayhem.

The shoot seemed to go pretty well. I only looked at a few minutes from the first tape, but it seems to have come out well. That really pleases me, because it was shot outdoors at night without much light.

I intend to produce a 30-minute show from this, but the primary purpose was a learning experience. And learn I did. Here are some things I'll do differently at my next shoot:

• Bring a flashlight. Because it's hard to see in the dark.
• Bring more extension cords. Because extension cord singular is not enough.
• Bring more audio cables. Because the sound board is further away than you think.

I'm pleased that I thought to bring an audio cable. I was able to plug into the PA to record the sound, so I think my audio may be pretty good. That was good thinking.

My next step is to edit it all together. I'm anticipating that will be a lot of work. I'll let you know how it turns out—and what I learn from that.

The Austin Community Media Forum happened recently. It was a great success. About 46 people showed up to discuss the future of public access television. The Austin Chronicle wrote about the event. There is a report of the event posted to the PACT Blog.

The morning sessions were panels with invited speakers on topics ranging from the history of access television in Austin, to current legislative and regulatory issues. The afternoon was filled with breakout sessions selected and operated by the attendees. There was a good mix of topics: ranging from accessibility to flagship programming to expanding access.

I was most excited to see the broad interest in expanding access television into new media and new communities. I was most concerned to see the lack of youth involvement. Web sites such as YouTube and MySpace show that folks under 30 do want to produce video. So, how to we get them to do community-focused work on access? That question may be critical to the future of access television.

This weekend, help build the future of community media in Austin. On Saturday (June 24) there will be a free day-long workshop. The Austin Community Media Forum seeks to include local experts and stakeholders who will identify challenges and opportunities for local media. The primary focus is public access television, but surely will touch on issues relating to emerging technologies.

Attendance is free, but you must register in advance.

I'm on the steering committee for this event. We've adopted a format that could be really interesting. The morning is plotted out with conventional panels including noted experts. The afternoon session, however, is completely open, and will be determined by the interests of those attending. I'll be leading the session where we plot out our plan for the afternoon. So come prepared not only to listen and learn, but also to engage and participate.