Ran across this from unmediated.

JD Lasica from ourmedia.org is trying to put together a set of easy to use tools to get people up and running with citizen journalism.

His wish includes:

* Out-of-the-box community publishing solution based on an extension of either the base code for Drupal or ArmchairGM (which supports the Openserving.com initiative).

* Set of widgets that are customizable and of particular value to sites publishing community news, political events and related topics.

* Customizable templates (sleek, CSS-ready) with mastheads, themes and graphic icons that can be adapted to different localities, regardless of CMS or platform.

* Multimedia publishing tool (free, cross-platform) for distributing videos, podcasts and photos to multiple hosting destinations.

* Instant feeds: RSS and Media RSS.

* Google Maps configured for use by local communities.

* CMS modules or capabilities: Advancedsearch, navigation controls, social networks and groups, community chat, customized blog posts, comments, forums or message boards.

* Preconfigured online video which allows people to publish to local channels based on tags or a structured ontology. If you’re a community publisher in Boise, you may wish to create channels about the city council, crime, recreation, senior living, youth news, etc.

* Resource directory: Public domain and Creative Commons-licensed images and clip art.

* Wiki plug-ins so wikis can be integrated into the local sites to spur community involvement in structuring solutions to local issues.

* Tutorials and screencasts: Detailed guides on how other local sites successfully use Web 2.0 tools and databases in their communities.

The full article can be could found here.

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