Social Media and Haiti

Great thoughts about the power of media communications technologies.

Day 06 - Cap Haitien, new friends, and more progress.

We had a very uneventful flight into Cap Haitien, save for the special flyby that our pilot gladly supplied.


From there, we were picked up by Pritchard Adams (a great new friend, along with his wife, Dana). Pritchard and Dana have been working and living full time in Haiti for something like 26 years. Incredible, no matter how you slice it. They were SO KIND to Kyle and I. We had a lovely meal, saw some historic sites, and stayed up chatting for a long while. Dana even serenaded us with her BEAUTIFUL piano playing. Many thanks to them for their kind hospitality.

It was wonderful to see 4VEH again. If all works out, we will be holding our first classes at 4VEH, sometime next year.

Anyway, that's a good day in Haiti. Stay tuned for more.

TAP INTO YOUR POWER!

December is the time of year when all of us are fairly comfortable with the idea of giving to others. This holiday season, I ask that you consider what you might do to help us raise our much-needed funds.

A media school like ours could easily cost millions of dollars. The equipment and infrastructure alone drives the cost up quickly. Thankfully, through strategic partnerships in Haiti, we are going to be able to get this school started for much, much less.

The Goal
We need to raise $250,000 to make this dream a reality.

When you think about it, that's not much money! 250 people, groups or corporations giving $1,000... or 2,500 people giving just $100... that's all it takes! When seen from a community or corporate point of view, I believe that we can make this thing happen.

What are you doing just sitting there?
Perhaps you think this whole thing is pretty cool, but that's where the thought dies. You think, "neat" and then begins the slow and stinky sizzle of brain cells being singed by the flicker of your computer monitor through the back of your retinas.

WAKE UP AND GET BUSY!
The reality is... you have a tremendous amount of power in what is happening here. This school and all of the history-shaping change that it can usher in for Haiti (and eventually elsewhere) is literally dependent upon your involvement.

Here are some ways that you can really help us out:

#1 - WORD OF MOUTH
This one is EASY. Just open up your mouth and talk about us. Tell your professor, your friend, your barber... anyone. But MAKE SURE you point them to our website... www.ageofthestoryteller.com

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#2 - SEND AN EMAIL
Surely you have a few trusted folks that actually READ your emails. So make a recommendation. It might look something like this:

"Hey dude, I'm a part of this really cool thing that's happening in Haiti. You should check it out."

DON'T BE AFRAID TO TAKE SOME OWNERSHIP! As it turns out... you really are an essential part!

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#3 - GIVE A FEW BUCKS!
When's the last time you found a dollar laying around? A twenty in your jeans? Some change in the ashtray? Everyone knows that each of us is guilty of practically throwing away a little money (or a lot) on things we don't really need or even want.

For crying out loud, we're not asking you to fund this whole project. Just reach down shallow and see what you can grip with your fingertips. Some of you can do better than that... and by all means, we hope you will! But for the rest of us, there is no excuse. Take a deep breath and give.

With that one, simple act, you are lighting a match under this rocket.



look how easy we made that!

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#4 - ORGANIZE
Don't have money to give? Then use some of your time and get creative! Now more than ever, we are keenly focused on raising the funds for this school, and it is a monumental task for sure.

By your sheer willpower, you can organize a local marketing campaign in your own community.

- Have a bake sale!
- Have a rummage sale!
- Get your youth group, church, or rotary club involved!
- Spread our videos around Facebook and Myspace and YouTube!
- Twitter our web address every chance you get.

Are you an artist? Have a fundraising concert or sell a few paintings or donate your earnings from one photo shoot. The sky is the limit!

It's the information age... SO WORK THAT INFORMATION!

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Well, there you have it.
That wasn't so hard, was it? With a teeny bit of time and energy on your part, you really can claim some ownership in this adventure.

Just remember... THINKING ABOUT HELPING IS NOT THE SAME AS HELPING. You actually have to DO SOMETHING.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!!

POLLS ADDED.

Hey there readers, I have just decided to try my hand at polling for a while. Certainly, my readership is not staggeringly high at this time... but why not try anyway?

Please feel free to check back weekly for a new poll. If this first one doesn't gather much response, I may try leaving it up for a smidgen longer than one week, just to get the fire burning.

Thanks!
Luke

School collapses.

For those who don't know, a school recently collapsed in Haiti, killing at least 80 children (and probably more). I have been in prayer for these families. This is so tragic.

Please pray for them.

God have mercy.

Coming back.

Hello friends and family.

It has been too long. I am happy to report that a return to regular blogging is here. There has been too much going on to even begin explaining. Suffice it to say, I have been busy as a bee working for several clients. This maddening rush has been a reminder that one cannot serve two masters. It is really hard to drive a vision like the CIMT and maintain any kind of a professional life at the same time. It is that impossible challenge that reminds me about the nature of what we are up against. I appreciate your patience during this time. I can promise you, I have been hard at work.

Presently, we are prepared to launch the second phase of our capital fundraising campaign. Remember that month of editing that you enabled? Now comes the fruit from that investment. Standby for further updates.

If you didn't see it yet, our website went live on the 13th of October (Columbus Day). The Age of the Storyteller has officially begun. For my taste, I would have liked to see it happen with a little more pomp and circumstance... but such things were out of my control. Click on the logo to the right to visit the site.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

The future is just around the corner!

MUSIC VIDEO RELEASED!

I am so happy, humbled, and honored to announce the release of a brand new music video, "This Is How The World Will End". This video represents a powerful union of visuals and music between The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies and my dear friends, The Elms (www.theelms.net). Please take the time to view the video, digest its message, and then pass it along to your friends.

The video has been uploaded to YouTube and can be easily embedded into your own websites (Myspace, Facebook, etc.). This is a GREAT WAY to spread the word about what we are doing.



In short order, we will be making the Director's Cut of the video available via our FREE VIDEO PODCAST. Please subscribe in iTunes for your chance to own a quality digital copy of this powerful piece. After watching this on YouTube, I strongly recommend that you go get this from our vodcast. The look and sound is much better.



We are also preparing to release a "White Paper" outlining the specific objectives of The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies. This file is presently being authored and will be available in PDF form very shortly. To request a digital copy of this file, please go here and provide us with your information. As soon as the file is prepared, we will email you a copy. The purpose of this document is to better explain what this project is all about and outline ways in which you can be involved.

Thanks so much for your patience during this time. There is a lot going on right now and we are trying hard to give you some resources to help us spread the word. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know!

THE SITE IS LAUNCHING!

Dear friends, family, and web explorers,

The time has come for the pre-launch of our exciting new website! Please take the time to visit OUR NEW SITE (<- Click here) to view the trailer and to sign up for further information, tell a friend, subscribe in iTunes, or add our announcement to your myspace or facebook account!



It's all right there!

Please, please, please... tell your friends... anyone who might be interested in what we are doing in Haiti. This whole effort is a grassroots campaign to get people interested and ultimately, involved.

Grassroots means that WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU!



YOU ARE GRASS ROOTS!

You guys share loads of information with each other on a regular basis. You recommend movies, restaurants, toothpaste, cars, presidential candidates, and websites. You are GOOD at what you do.

What we are asking is that you will now take the time... maybe 5 minutes... to pass along a recommendation about us. Our site makes that EASY TO DO! Just drop in your email address and the addresses of some friends and send them an E-mail. That's like falling off a log! Actually, that's easier... cause you'd have to ACTUALLY FIND A LOG to fall off of first.

This has been HANDED TO YOU!

Please help us help Haiti.

Tell a friend today!

Time to write again?

It's been 4 days. Sorry for the lack of content. Really, I am just trying to let the trailer linger a bit longer.

This is a big week for us. Two significant things will be happening.

First, we will proudly release a music video for a song written and performed by The Elms. Through a generous partnership, Owen Thomas (lead singer for The Elms) and I have seen fit to unite our separate visions for this powerful tune and deliver the resulting maxi single. Details will emerge shortly as to how you can get a copy of the video, as well as a detailed exposé on how both the song and the video came to be.

Second, our website's "splash page" should be up and running this week as well. This page will finally present our "Columbus Day" teaser along with a countdown to the website's official launch. From there, in a matter of weeks, we will be off to the races, airing the TV show and trying to raise the necessary funds to get this school off of the launch pad.

I will be sure to let all of you know when these things "officially" happen. Until then, please pray for the people of Haiti. They have been devastated by the recent hurricanes. They could really use your prayers.

Sincerely,
Luke

A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

On October 13, 2008, the United States of America will celebrate Columbus Day. For us, we will celebrate the launch of our brand new website and a massive fundraising campaign.

Please, feel free to pass this around like mad. Naturally, it's YouTube, so the quality stinks. Nonetheless, it is "viral" as they say and can be easily spread for all to see.





If you would like to load this trailer (and future media from us) onto your computer or portable media device (iPhone), please visit our Video Podcast in iTunes by clicking on this iTunes logo:


From there, click the "subscribe" button (in iTunes). It is free, a much better quality than YouTube, and will automatically download new content for you every time we add more.

*NOTE: You need iTunes to be able to do this.

I am really looking for people to help me start a grassroots campaign here. Generate some buzz. Perhaps in your church, specifically among the leadership and/or the missions board. This piece is intended to whet their appetite.

For corporations, churches, or community groups who wish to be involved at the "ground level", I have much more that I can show them, before the site launches. Just CLICK HERE to send me an email and discuss the possibilities.