Social Networking with Arts Engine and the Media That Matters Film Festival!
With the social networking scene exploding across the Internet, we at Arts Engine and the Media That Matters Film Festival didn't want to miss the chance of bringing our social issue-focused films to an even broader audience. But with the wealth of online communities out there today, we thought it would be a good idea to highlight the main networks we've been using and show you how you can become part of our community.
Many of the conversations in the indie media world, and indeed in our offices, are on corporate media's tight grip on the online promotion and distribution sector, including nearly all of the current social networking platforms, and we at Arts Engine certainly have our concerns as well. At the recent Allied Media Conference that two of our staff members attended, many filmmakers and activists talked about their fear and wariness about uploading and distributing their work through these 'big name' sites and were yearning to find new, indie outlets. Arts Engine will always prefer and support independent efforts breaking into the social media / online media distribution field (hint: stay tuned to learn more about our involvement with independent, open source media provider Miro, which we'll be writing about later in the fall) but in the interest of our mission, we also want to reach a wide audience and for now, we are looking to utilizing the tools out there!
From blockbuster names like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Flickr to the up-and-coming Th!nkMTV and Participant Media's TakePart, here is your guide to Arts Engine and the social networking web.
Arts Engine's main Facebook page has only been active since the build-up to this year's Media That Matters Film Festival, but is proud to already acquire hundreds of fans and supporters and counting! We post news items for our friends to see, have uploaded our photos from the recent eighth annual Media That Matters Film Festival launch, and have a YouTube widget that allows you to view videos right from our page. You can view the groups we like and join any that interest you. Post comments on our page regarding what you like or don't like about Arts Engine, the issues that interest you most or that you want to find out more about. This page is about you - our audience - and is a place where you can connect to other like-minded individuals and discuss issues that are important!
We also have a more specific Media That Matters Film Festival Fan page where you can find a copy of our DIY Screening Guide and get festival-specific updates.
Our newly reformed DocuClub has been working on its own Facebook page. Join this if you're interested in seeing past and future DocuClub attendees or if you've attended a meeting yourself!
We then host individual groups that you can join if you're interested in a more specific Arts Engine program, like our MediaRights group or our Election Day group, for our documentary that recently debuted on PBS. Joining either will give you updates on these specific Arts Engine happenings.
--Facebook How-to --
Sign in or sign up to Facebook for free. Visit our Arts Engine page and click "Add Arts Engine as a Friend" under our main profile picture. From there, visit our Film Festival Fan page, DocuClub page, MediaRights group or our Election Day group, clicking "Add as Friend" or "Become a fan" as you go.
The Media That Matters Film Festival YouTube Channel has been climbing the YouTube charts since its formation over two years ago. Recent stats place our channel as the #8 Most Viewed Non-Profit of all time and the #13 Most Subscribed Non-Profit of all time. Here you can find individual videos from our third annual festival all the way to our recent eighth annual festival. From here you can join the ongoing discussions on each film's page, send your favorite video to a friend, grab a link to embed it on your own personal page, or even just subscribe to our channel or make it as a favorite for easy access from your favorites section on your own YouTube homepage.
--YouTube How-to --
Simply visit our channel and click away to view the shorts! Logging in or signing up for free is only needed if you wish to subscribe or add a video to your personal favorites.
Before Arts Engine had a Facebook account, there was Flickr. View past Media That Matters Film Festival photos and those from other Arts Engine happenings at our Flickr group photo pool.
--Flickr How-to:
Anyone can view the photos simply by visiting our Flickr group photo pool. If you have photos of a Media That Matters event in your area, sign in or sign up to Flickr for free, then join our group, upload your pictures to it, and include in your tags "mediathatmattersfilmfestival" or "artsengine."
Though we have been veering away from MySpace lately, especially since their new heavily ad-focused redesign, we still care about our fans and supporters that frequent the site. Feel free to visit our Media That Matters page and add us as a friend there. Post to our wall about yourself and your current projects; we like to provide a sounding board for up-and-coming social issue media makers and activists.
--MySpace How-to --
Though registration is required to use any of the features in MySpace, our page is easily viewable without signing in. Once signed on, simply click "Add to Friends" next to our main profile picture to be able to post on our wall.
Th!nkMTV joins young people across the globe with the organizations and celebrities that care about the same issues they do. View our Media That Matters Film Festival page to see select shorts and blog posts and leave a comment about our work. Then get connected with other members, groups, and organizations to learn, speak out, and take action about a variety of social justice issues.
--Th!nkMTV How-to --
You can sign up or log into Th!nkMTV for free. From there, visit our page and click "Support this Organization" to join our team.
TakePart is a new social action networking tool brought to you by Participant Media. Participant Media is the company behind An Inconvenient Truth and the current employer of Media That Matters Film Festival winner Wendy Cohen. Wendy is a member of the Meerkat Media Collective, whose film Every Third Bite won this year's Good Food Award. Take Part seeks to blend current social networking connectivity with ways to take action about the issues most important to you.
Arts Engine and the Festival are still working on their public profile for this new site, but in the meantime, check out the cool blog posts submitted featuring our shorts!
--TakePart How-to --
TakePart is still in its final testing and development phases. Join today for free and help them make their site even better!
STILL CRAVE MORE?
If you need even more ways to keep in touch with Arts Engine and the Media That Matters Film Festival online, you can watch our shorts stream online at Blip.TV and read a recent blog post by our Web Developer, Laimah, about how to find our iTunes podcasts and Miro downloads.
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