Throughout the month of May, Mozilla is inviting Hacks/Hackers chapters to run news innovation meetups to brainstorm for our first News Innovation Challenge. You organize. Mozilla buys the beer.
Contact Nathaniel James <njames at mozillafoundation dot org> for details.
How to organize a meetup
Our aim: make a link between Hacks/Hackers chapters and the Knight/Mozilla News Innovation Challenge program.
How? Organize a meetup of your Hacks/Hackers group that meets this minimum spec:
- Include a 5 minute talk describing the Knight/Mozilla News Innovation Challenge. Also, hand out flyers. We'll give you a template.
- Invite people to brainstorm ideas in response to one or more of the challenge statements Mozilla has released. Eg. 'How can we use open video to tell stories on the web in new ways?'
- Ask people to submit the ideas they brainstorm to the challenge website at www.drumbeat.org/journalism. Bring markers and papers so they can sketch and photograph their concepts.
- Buy at least one beer for everyone who attends. Mozilla is paying, up to a total of $500.
- Ensure your venue has wifi so people can submit their challenge entries.
- Do the meetup between April 25 and May 31.
If you are interested in organizing a meetup, contact Nathaniel James <njames at mozillafoundation dot org> for details.
We're willing to consider meetup proposals from groups other than Hacks/Hackers chapters, as long as you think you can bring out a techie news audience. Also, willing to work with Barcamps and others willing to work on general template above.
Sample event write up
Knight-Mozilla News Innovation Meetup
May 2, 7pm, MIT MediaLab
Are you a web developer with ideas about how news should work on the web? Or a news junkie with a hankering to hack? If so, join Mozilla, Hacks/Hackers and the MIT Center for Future Civic Media on May 2 for beer, pizza and brainstorming about the future of news online.
Especially for students and young hackers: enter the Knight Mozilla News Innovation Challenge at the meetup, gives you a chance at a paid app development fellowship at the Boston Globe, the BBC and other major news outlets.
For more info on the challenge, check out:
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Drumbeat/MoJo
Agenda:
700pm - Beer, pizza and brainstorming kick off
Brainstorm around Mozilla's first news challenge topic: 'How can we use open video to tell stories on the web in new ways?'
730pm - News innovation talks and demos
Mozilla executive director will answer the question: why does a browser org care about news? He will also talk about the Knight Mozilla News Innovation Challenge. A mystery guest will provide a demo of Mozilla's popcorn.js open video technology.
800pm - Napkin-sketch-athaon (plus more beer)
Sketch out your brainstorm ideas. Enter them in the Knight Mozilla News Innovation Challenge on the spot. We'll have paper and markers on hand.
Location:
MIT Media Lab
6th Floor
Building E14
75 Amherst Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Organized by:
Hacks/Hackers Boston
MIT Media Lab Center for Future Civic Media
Mozilla