As a newbie in the world of journalism and blogging, I’m thankful to not only live in a world where we have the freedom to create amazing content (on incredible pieces of technology), but to share it and inspire people. Hacks/Hackers has a really cool website dedicated to hacks (the people who make and share content) and hackers (the folks who make the hacks’ job possible). It’s inspiring to see people come together to share stories, develop new media, and spread the love. I encourage you to get involved with the Hacks/Hackers community if you’re all about writing and tech, plus there’s an upcoming event related directly to our newborn iPads.
The Hack/Hackers Unite event will bring together co-op teams of individuals who will compete to make iPad based, media applications just for journalists. The whole idea revolves around simply being able to tell a great story, share experiences, network, and just do some amazing things for journalists world wide. And if you’re as ecstatic as I am about this project (and can make it to San Francisco), maybe you’d like to exploit the iPad’s functionality. An excerpt from Hack/Hackers reads:
“This event will be both a coding development camp and a journalistic boot camp. Teams of hacks (content creators) and hackers (developers and designers) will cooperate to tell develop media applications for the iPad that help inform users and tell stories. Each team must have at least one hack and hacker each. If you don’t already have a team, we will have some activities to help you find one at the event.”
Some great people will be in your presence, including Harjeet Taggar from Y Combinator, and David Weekly of Hacker Dojo. As for some of the ideas presently on the table, everything from recording & editing audio in the field, a twitter data-mining application, and a new twist on social media using geolocation is being discussed. It’s bound to be lots of fun, so be sure to check out Unite in its entirety on the event page, and check their Google Moderator to submit your own project ideas (and vote for others!) if you want to attend.
