Jill Foster

Reliving this great ‘kidnapping’
…and video shoot on-the-fly (thanks Mayra for sharing our story and terrific experience.

Mayra & her great storytelling chops

Warning!
Mayra calls me ‘Foster’ throughout this recount here, like a very friendly drill sergeant. But it’s all good with her unique mojo permeating the adventure.

The plan on Saturday, July 18…
was that there was no plan. We’re talking whimsical. We’re also talking unscheduled, random and capricious. Simply, I was supposed to connect with my gal pals Sibyl Edwards and Jill Foster to finally create a case study of our blogger outreach work for UNICEF/Tap DC earlier this year.

The thing is that “the plan” did not go as planned. Poor Sibyl didn’t make it to our case study shin dig. So it was just Foster and I sitting in my car wondering where we could go. We knew we needed to find some place where we could sit, talk, shoot some video clips and have the opportunity to discuss our blogger outreach adventures for Tap DC.

The problem: where would we go?

Once Foster got into my car, we knew what we had to do but didn’t know where to go to do it. Hmmm …. I wasn’t sure where we could go because I’m not terribly familiar with the Shady Grove metro area of Maryland. And we didn’t want a retail location or have to sit in a parking lot either. Decisions, decisions.

the video clips and our case study

After play time was over, Foster and I finally drove out to the historic battlefields…and found a great little spot from which to do our video case study.

…with more of the awesome day and project unfolding at Mayra’s online hub.

What a great day(!) of brainstorming and participating in Peter Corbett’s social media for social good effort i.e. Social Citizen Sunday, prelude to next month’s Apps for Democracy contest.

More on our idea — MTEL (Mobile Technology Education Labs):

Shireen Mitchell i.e. @digitalsista and I just had a fantastic time envisioning this idea!

Social Citizen Sunday: our 5 minute recap conversation
…check it out for the resources we found today plus the envisioned App for Democracy - ran by @corbett3000 ie Peter Corbett - concept that could utilize public government data to implement below.

Going mobile ourselves:
We drove around Washington, DC capturing content - video, pics, audio - on resources that potentially could implement MTEL:

• a) We visited a few abandoned DC buildings/educational centers that could be converted into MTEL’s HQ. One of these structures potentially could, as HQ, be the tech and assembly hub where donated laptops, video cams, podcasting tools, etc could be dropped off and assembled into mobile tech education labs. These ‘labs’ would be a donated fleet of cars, say (5) to launch with initially, that would serve as mobile tech lab units - with volunteers - transporting said digital education labs to underserved communities.
• b) Of the sites we visited today, all of them had ample space with large half-moon driveway space for mobile tech education ‘fleets’ to be parked and assembled.
• c) Shireen further clarifies in the audio how an actual application (per the competition that launches next month) could capture government data that would better inform us where to deploy the MTEL fleet.

Covering the DNC for Utterz was incredible:

–the Big Mo, bloggers’ role at this convention, and interviewing a former member of President Clinton’s cabinet. It all intersected. And at first, I wasn’t sure what value my presence at this event would produce.

Then as the convention itself unfolded, other issues overshadowed my original concerns of where I personally fit in to this huge experience.

Churning reflections:
A blog post has been in-progress for just under two weeks; and I’m realizing it’s too mentally mountainous for a single release. The experience affected me as a blogger for certain but as a voter more so. I’ll use the next few weeks to share the different levels of impact.

MINI-SERIES: how blogging the DNC reshaped me as a voter:
• the interviews: James Carville, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, Mark Lloyd and civil rights leadership, Seane Corn and her spiritual revolution, Former Ass’t Secretary of Labor Geri Palast, and more.
• the education: on panelists discussions including climate change, community media, politics and technology, women’s movement, religious progressives, and more!
• coverage on DNC bloggers –including political attention given DNC social media outlets: mainstream media and democratic leaders invested their time toward the Big Tent i.e. a lounge and media center dedicated to bloggers covering DNC events;
• technical practice –gleaned and valued for this project: simplifying goals pre-travel; avoiding perfection; and deciding what to cover.

DNC media splice:
From the UK’s Guardian comes a 5 minute clip with yours truly about bloggers’ DNC involvement.

More from:

• My reasons for attending and covering this Democratic convention;
• Steadily feed your pig;
• More Friday Fiscal Tickle archives: weekly and wacky finance video in 150 seconds or less.

In the wake of a hugely competitive primary…
and with cell phone in hand, I’m DNC/Denver bound in a few hours.

I’ll cover DNC (check out this inclusive DNC event calendar) and Big Tent events via audio, video, text, and pics, all from my cell phone.

Why?

Because if there’s one convention I want to attend in my lifetime, it’s the one where this candidate re-ignited my political activism. It’s this convention and this campaign that are grounded in the power of WOM advocacy, peer-to-peer networks online, and good ole block-to-block grass roots organizing more so than ever in my 37 years. It’s the first time in 20 years I’ve canvassed for a candidate.

And this candidate named Sen. Obama isn’t perfect.

But pursuing a candidate’s perfection is not my motivator to attend this DNC. It’s in some way to document the kick-off of this campaign’s final leg — in all the grit and hope that a determined, inspired team like this has become.

And Sen. Obama’s leadership and message started it.

And I want to be there, sharing via mobile media, 24/7.

Join me!

To find my online coverage, visit on Utterz or Twitter.

[audio http://www.utterz.com/utts/04/041dcf46537d512c71ad4fcf7b1e3469.mp3]

Mobile post sent by JillFoster using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

For more:
…interviews, pics, and reflections on Russia’s military action.

The 500 journalists covering the Olympics will have restricted Net access. Ugh.

Commuting on foot today in town, I pondered a new view at DC’s Church of Scientology.

Question to you:
So what do you most want to see or learn from a DNC coverage perspective?

• hear from DNC volunteers and campaigns?
• learn from social tech, media, and political leaders from Big Tent Media Center events?
• observe delegate and caucus meetings open to the public?
• listen to viewpoints from top political bloggers, lobbyists, Denver residents (on being a DNC host city), and advocacy groups?
• …or “Mix above in a blender ’cause you want it all!”

Time tick-tocks away with next month’s DNC almost at the doorstep.

And I’m exhilarated to cover the DNC and provide a mobile media portrait for Utterz.com! So thanks for sharing your interests in content.

And thanks to Chris Parandian and Mobile Diner for discussing this event coverage last week.

Juliana with Jobmatchbox.com offered interesting feedback on CustomInk, its ever alluring software engineering manager Sean Stickle, and PR.

Thanks Peter at iStrategy for bringing DC’s tech sectors together.