cullmanndesign blog

StreetFilms has posted a fantastic clip outlining a perspective on open data. The short focuses on how individual developers and start-ups can use data from local government organizations to provide services like traffic updates, accident information, efficiencies and better citizen support.

I thought this piece was as interesting because it hit home, at a very basic level, how important open data architecture is. When you discuss the concepts of open data with a non-geek, it’s difficult to articulate how someone can use US Census data, Center for Disease Control Data or even your local Police Blotter data. There is no reason not to have this data available and when there is so much to be done with it.

Freely available data is also crucial from a governmental transparency perspective. The ability to map and process data real-time will extend the public’s ability to access and monitor occurrences that the government is unable or unwilling to do with their current resources. I’m hoping that this clip and sharing it will inspire and motivate developers, concepters and influencers to build something that is for a greater good and community.

A Case for Open Data in Transit from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

If you design or develop for any of the web, iPhone or iPad LiveView is a must-have app. Essentially a screencasting tool, it allows the user to place a “virtual” device on their host mac and share that marque view with an iPad or iPhone via WiFi. Great tool, genius idea. John Hicks has posted a video that does the product justice.

Quick demonstration of how LiveView works from Jon Hicks on Vimeo.

Google Wave, the strange, neither here nor there Google app is turning over it’s first year. Recently at the Google I/O Conference, some new life has been breathed into the application and there seems to be a renewed buzz in the online community. The pre-release version lacked some functionality and a clear purpose. It actually had, and now still has, a tremendous amount of potential. In the last year, improvements in the stability and development of extensions have allowed the benefit of such a “real-time” oriented application to become evident. If you are not familiar with Wave, it’s a hybrid employing the length and editing tools you would find in an email client, with the “real-time” content delivery instant messaging offers. Additionally, you can now “publish” waves to any webpage and also review the collective work as via a playback feature and see how a given “wave” has formed.

The most recent release is a maturing application that can be used immediately for sharing, distributing, editing and publishing a collaborative workflow to a group of any size. I can see now what had driven Google to create such a unique tool. Like many other great idea that have launched, user adoption is going to be key in the success of Google Wave. It’s ideal for groups that work remote from one another or instances where seeing a linear progression in a conversation is required. If you haven’t had a chance to try it, wave.google.com is open to anyone with a Google ID. If you want to get a strong grasp as to what Wave is capable of, I recommend Gina Trapani’s book The Complete Guide To Google Wave. Google also has a dedicated Wave Blog and there is technical documentation for the Wave protocol as well. A Wave to accompany this post is also available.

Nothing feels better than being able to help someone who’s really in need. This can mean a lot of things from donating money or possessions or to serving in your local community or church. Many people forget that the skills they have as marketers, designers, developers, writers can be a huge benefit to organizations in your local community or abroad.

For professionals—or students just getting started—your training, expertise and experience can help an organization that is struggling to get off the ground or reinvent themselves. As marketers and designers, we understand how much branding can mean for branding and communicating a message that can yield results. For many non-profits and community organizations, the costs associated with quality communication and marketing services can be overwhelming. This is an excellent chance for writers, designers, developers and anyone with an understanding of marketing to make a big contribution with a little of their free-time.

Were to start? If you’re interested in making a difference for a charity, you can reach-out directly to an organization that you know needs help or that you have an interest in. If that organization can’t use your help right away, they’ll likely add you to their volunteer list or be able to recommend an affiliate that can use your help. You can also go online to one of the many websites created to unite marketing do-gooders like yourself with organizations in need. Grassroots.org is a large and popular site. There are also many niche volunteer organizations who cater to special interests. Creativepaw.org is an example of a site that aligns creative professionals with groups who support and care for the interests of animals.

Before you begin you should think about what kind of services you’d like to help provide. Like any opportunity, knowing how to present yourself and your capabilities will help you and the organization you’d like to help figure out how best to apply your expertise.

You may also use this as a chance to self educate and broaden your capability. Unlike a traditional client, non-profits are happy to have support. This is an excellent opportunity for you to apply some new techniques to your craft or experiment with new skills. Although it’s best to communicate your plans with the organization that you are helping, most are open to trying new things and open to new solutions. There are few better ways to broaden your portfolio or create a case-study for your new marketing idea than to have a real-world example with non-profit.

Although donating your time is a great way to help the community and feel good about your contribution, you don’t have to be completely altruistic. Ask the organization you are working with for a contributor’s credit, a letter of reference or a link in their website footer. This will give some referral traffic to you or your website and may eventually lead to a new opportunity.

The most important thing to remember when donating your time, as a marketing professional or otherwise, is to enjoy yourself and know that your effort can make a big difference to any organization or charity effort.