A few months back, MobileActive.org introduced its Mobile Media Toolkit for the users to make media creation more participatory and portable. This was the Knight News Challenge winning project for advancing the use of mobile technology to generate and distribute news and information.
In the recent years, understanding how mobiles can be used for media production and dissemination has become highly important. The number of global mobile connections has reached just over 6 billion this month. There is no difference of opinion about the importance of mobile devices for the majority of the human population. Mobile technology has reached nearly all corners of the world and mobile devices are innovatively used in every sector — from collecting health data, to monitoring elections and enabling citizens to create and share news.
Mobile Media Toolkit was launched in July to help make sense of how mobile devices can be used for reporting, news broadcasting and citizen media participation. The free, multi-language resource provides guidance to journalists, citizen reporters, newsrooms and media development organizations on the best tools and strategies for “Making Media Mobile.”
For mobile journalists, the toolkit has in-depth how-to guides on how to create and share quality audio and video content on a range of mobile devices. For news outlets, the toolkit offers guides and case studies on how to engage “the people formerly known as the audience” to participate and contribute to your newspaper, radio station or media site.
The Mobile Media Toolkit aims to be as engaging, accessible and helpful as possible to those who want to make their media mobile.
MobileActive.org website has already been viewed from over 120 countries and the content is available in Russian, English, Spanish and Arabic.
The website offers a monthly newsletter to help you stay abreast of recent tools and helpful tips directly in your inbox. And of course, you can comment, ask questions, or post your own tips and resources to all content via Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
The Toolkit welcomes guest contributions, so if you want to have your say about mobile media, you are welcome to highlight your successes and challenges in using mobiles in your media work. You can see how a popular newspaper in Mozambique uses mobile phones to inform readers on issues of sexual health, to help readers solve problems and to send “open letters” to the President.
Mobile strategies and approaches are replicable or relevant from one media project to another around the world. Learning from each other about what works and what doesn’t is key. The website reviews the latest and best to help mobile journalists, aka “MoJos” and newsrooms find effective and relevant tools for their work.
Down the road, the website plans to establish a “MoJo Academy” with webinars and trainings to teach specific concepts and strategies for mobile media. Look for a Google Hangout on mobile security for journalists in early 2012.
For more information, visit this link.
