***
what went thru my mind last night on stage:

“crap! my slides are screwed up! and crap! i just spent way too many seconds thinking about how my slides are screwed up! crap, while i was thinking about how my slides were screwed up, they keep advancing anyway… wtf… i better quit this thinking crap….!”

man, everyone ought to try it. what i love about ignite is pure passion. and i love pure passion. there is a rawness to the event. the venue was cold, sticky, dusty and i was nervous. yes, pretty darn nervous. i could hear it in my breathing.

why was i nervous? i present all the time? huh?

few things: 5 minutes is a flash in the pan + eternity, i could not see the audience… seriously: the audience was pitch black and it felt like no one was out there, like speaking to a black hole… (is anyone friggen’ out there?)  the slides auto-advanced every (kind of) 15 seconds, my slides were screwed up (uh- they worked on my computer/s), i was in my home territory. i know the audience (even tho couldn’t see them). i have a crush on a few of the guys in the audience (they have no idea), i am used to talking to hundreds of strangers most of whom i will never see again. this crowd knows me, i play with them, and they are ready and willing to give feedback (thank you kathy gill and brian dorsey… i truly loved that!)

and why was that awesome? because being nervous, feeling harmless fear is wonderful thing. it means i was challenged verses being on auto pilot. i felt like i was ‘just starting out’ again last night at ignite. i was out of my comfort zone on home base (seattle). oddly cool. delicious.

what an experience. to sit amongst the other speakers, feed off their nerves, passion, energy. the talks ranged from:  ’huh?’, ‘yer kidding’, ‘i don’t get it’ to ‘i really have no idea’, to ‘wow’, to ‘that’s hilarious’ to, ‘are you serious’ to…. wtf.

i loved them all. all the speakers, the energy, brady so diligently summoning us right before we spoke, the ignite team managing what someone called a ‘mac orgy.’ all of it. i simply love ignite. in some odd way it was a love-fest. i knew the people, many of them have seen + helped salaamgarage (and me) grow from where it was to where it is now, it’s a community that immediately embraced an outsider like me: a photojournalist and writer who gives a shit without an iphone (me @ gnomedex ’08).

who are these people, where did they come from? how is it there is a community of people who are  willing to listen to god knows what on a thursday night, cheer you on, and forgive your screwed up slides? imagine.

ahhh. for me ignite is like a platform or maybe a lasso for reckless creativity and passion. a little welcome love mat with subliminal messages that say ‘i love you, say what you gotta say, deal with the screwed up slides and make room for the next guy. and i still love you.’ and man, was i nervous up there and man, would i do it again in a heartbeat.

thank you ignite. thank you for doing what you do and for opening your arms wide to anyone who says ‘this is what a geek looks like, give me 5 min, let me do my thing.’

“Drocolate” of in-this-economy.com wanted to ask me (Amanda Koster) a few questions about SxSW.

Drocolate: Why should I attend your core conversation at SXSW?

A.Koster: Compare the velocity of media and society’s response of Huricane Katrina vs. the Haiti Earthquake. Also, listen to: http://salaamgarage.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/AmandaKoster_podcast_sxsw2010.mp3

Drocolate: What makes you the right person to be conducting this conversation?

A.Koster: I’m an outsider. I’m not from the tech arena. When I presented at Gnomedex in 2008, I did not have an iPhone or Twitter account. Facebook did not make much sense to me. I thought FB was innovative online dating. Since then I have been able to harness storytelling, social media and passion all for social change. If I can do that, anyone can.  The passion to tell a story is the jet fuel behind citizen journalism. And it has been passion, not assignments, that got me here right now. I’ve been working as a photojournalist, writer, author for about 15 years though it has been my personal projects, again not assignments, that propelled my career and life beyond where I ever thought it could go.

Citizen journalism is more powerful than I could have ever been imagined and it is growing. Because we believe in these things it makes Amanda Rose of Twestival and I the perfect people to lead this conversation.

Drocolate: What advice would you give to aspiring citizen journalists (other than attending your convo at SXSW, of course)?

A.Koster: Your personal stories and perspectives are more valuable than ever. Make GOOD content and get it out to a relevant audience. And, there’s more to it than that:

Have a plan. SalaamGarage builds relationships/projects/plans with NGOs far in advance. We do not advocate what I call ‘drive-by-shootings’  (just showing up, shooting photos, then jet).

Be authentic. We want intimacy. I think people are tired of the slick, heavily produced story. We see through it. With the wildfire of social media and intentionally constructed social communities, impersonal, glossy stories delivered by a generic, safe personality is rapidly loosing ground.

Be relevant. Not worth telling a story about t-shirts to a dog trainer. Even if it’s the most compelling t-shirt story ever. Be relevant and focused.
Know your audience. Tell them a story 1) you care about and 2)they want to hear.

Care. There are ‘hot’ stories to tell, but you outta care about it. I travel all over the world all the time with SalaamGarage and as an free-lance journalist. There are stories that resonate with me, and other that just don’t. The advantage of being a citizen journalist is that you get to choose your story, verses being assigned something that is not dear to you.

DO SOMETHING with it. Share. Everyone is sitting on a novel, but if a tree falls in the woods….. I’ll leave it at that.

I am very passionate about this and have a lot more (not big on advice) ideas around this topic, though, this is the topic of our conversation so come join the conversation.

Drocolate: Where is your dream location to take a citizen journalism project? Antarctica? Atlantis? Detroit? Where?’

A.Koster: The White House

Janat Horn photographing explosives recently (1/2010) collected by a PeaceTrees Vietnam EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) team on a SalaamGarage trip to Vietnam. photo: Amanda Koster

(click to hear audio) SxSW Core Conversation: “Citizen Journalism and the Little NGO that Could.”

It is not a question of who is helped first,
When we attend to ourselves with compassion and mercy,
More healing is made available for others.

And when we serve others
With our open and generous heart,
Great healing comes to us.

As we heal the wounds of the past,
We carry less pain into the world,
Less confusion and anger,
And we bring more charity and peace.

It is no longer simply for personal gain;
It becomes our gift,
Our offering to the earth
And the Divine Spirit within us all.

Mahatma Gandhi

Outside the window of our hotel in Udapiur. Women and little girls were doing there washing in Lake Pichola. The view of the Lake Palace Hotel is great, at night the scene is captivating and romantic:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryRFrkvLQuM

Jaipur Train Station waiting for the Udaipur train:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy16duPoLB0

Crossing the railway tracks in a auto rickshaw:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEBJj5_AbDg

8.30 – 11.30 am / Tuesday
February 24
243 Ryder

SalaamGarage has been working diligently with Agros International around what stories need to be told, and who would be willing to share. This is a very rare opportunity to work with an NGO and see first hand the people they serve, and to hear about their lives.

SalaamGarage participants will be able to choose from these projects. All people mentioned in these projects are ready and willing to collaborate exclusively with SalaamGarage and you to help tell their story. They are looking forward to meeting you.

click here to see!

Work at Microsoft? Want more info? email us and we’ll get it to you.

Join social documentary and commercial photographer Amanda Koster illustrate how her career has helped create what is now SalaamGarage.  Join her in dialogue around the value of collaboration between media makers, social media applications, and international non-profit organizations.

————————–

Koster officially founded SalaamGarage in January 2007 in response to years of countless requests, “Can I Come With You” regarding her international documentary projects. As she saw people traveling, creating content, publishing and connecting through social media, she thought why not harness this activity to cause positive change through sharing intentional and authentic storytelling.

Her latest book “Can I come with you – Social documentary photography” can be found at: BennettHastings.com

SalaamGarage is an organization of individuals who travel to developing countries on behalf of cause-related NGOs. Koster brings enthusiast and profesional photographers, writers, and videographers to chronicle their journey and tell the story of aid and development work. There is a human being behind every photograph, and there is a story behind every human being. From organizations in the favelas of Rio to the rice fields of Vietnam, SalaamGarage is helping NGOs raise money and awareness. And on a larger level, SalaamGarage is raising consciousness amongst bloggers, amateur and professional  media makers and technologists.

Join social documentary and commercial photographer Amanda Koster illustrate how her career has helped create what is now SalaamGarage.  Join her in dialogue around the value of collaboration between media makers, social media applications, and international non-profit organizations.

————————–

Koster officially founded SalaamGarage in January 2007 in response to years of countless requests, “Can I Come With You” regarding her international documentary projects. As she saw people traveling, creating content, publishing and connecting through social media, she thought why not harness this activity to cause positive change through sharing intentional and authentic storytelling.

Her latest book “Can I come with you – Social documentary photography” can be found at: BennettHastings.com

SalaamGarage is an organization of individuals who travel to developing countries on behalf of cause-related NGOs. Koster brings enthusiast and profesional photographers, writers, and videographers to chronicle their journey and tell the story of aid and development work. There is a human being behind every photograph, and there is a story behind every human being. From organizations in the favelas of Rio to the rice fields of Vietnam, SalaamGarage is helping NGOs raise money and awareness. And on a larger level, SalaamGarage is raising consciousness amongst bloggers, amateur and professional  media makers and technologists.