Alex Morrison Ping.fm Integration with FAM Film and Photo Round Seven http://ow.ly/1ahwn2

New video I produced for American University about Chris O'Brien and how he connects beer and sustainability. http://ping.fm/MZnfl

AlexM USDA farmers market. Happy Labor Day!

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AlexM Fish tank aero garden alternative.

Family of Four Grows Their Food in a Swimming Pool. I'm trying and failing on a small scale with my fish tank... http://ht.ly/2s6yr

AlexM Rugs from 99% recycled materials in Maine

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Ramu S - Plant Cups at the San Diego Zoo

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Anyone at the World Cup? Send photos and videos of how SA is promoting environmental stewardship from your cell phones! www.diywcid.com

RT @schmumel: Recycled glove chipmunk http://ping.fm/T3R5V My cat would destroy this! replace stuffing with catnip...

RT @TaigaCompany: Solar light bulb to shine on developing world http://bit.ly/cAzaNc Join the debate on how long a charged bulb shines.

Hey Seattle-ites! Love your city, posted four photos of environmental happenings, then my cell phone died... Send more at www.diywcid.com!

AlexM grounds for the garden at Borders. Free!

Let's talk ideas for using DIY: What Can I Do? in the class! Get students engaged with multimedia projects in all subjects. www.diywcid.com

RT @greendreamin Japan to Build Solar Power Plant on the Moon!? http://su.pr/7BaKaw Then companies can sponsor and have huge billboards? Ah!

RT @PlanetGreen: Ed Begley Jr. talks about his home water heater at ASES show http://cot.ag/ddpqag Unfortunate acronym though.

California to ban plastic bag use! http://ht.ly/1TLVh

Share your photos and videos of local outdoor events at DIY: What Can I Do? www.diywcid.com

RT @HealtheBay @greensamurai Ann Arbor to be the first US city to be lit with 100% LEDS http://bit.ly/bbLzLq sustainable greenbuilding

RT @MoosicornRanch @greensamurai New solar shingle hits the market http://bit.ly/7wsGtd Available in custom colors?

RT @Kolibrix Puffin Cam at the Shetland Islands! http://bit.ly/bVIXFA More live webcams at http://www.earthcam.com, share your favorite!

Follow environmental videos and photos posted by users and find out how others are acting sustainably on Twitter and Facebook at DIYWCID!

RT @LisaKretchman: Hey Rhode Islandites! Check out the Reduce Reuse Recycle Art Show, we would love to see the work! http://westsidearts.org

What can we do to reduce our carbon footprint? Check out the videos and create your own to feature on DIY: What Can I Do? http://diywcid.com

Great DIY BikeCam rig featured on @photojojo! http://ht.ly/1NV9s

RT @ianmoise: Pillow Cases + Bubble Wrap = Pillows. Great reuse classroom idea. http://bit.ly/8X9vLe Just try to keep them from popping.

Vote for your favorite video on reducing your carbon footprint on DIY: What Can I Do? Sponsored by @Planet_Connect http://www.diywcid.com

RT @Dothegreenthing: Introducing IGorilla! A new iPhone app aimed at increasing awareness of endangered Gorillas: http://ht.ly/1Nalp

RT @Greenopolis: 15 ways to drive greener. http://ht.ly/1Mfcv Guess this means no more clown shoes in the car...

RT @vyouz: It's all about gadgets at Gadget Cycle USA http://bit.ly/1g3ZVk mp3, ipod, spares. Check it out Freecycle fans!

Remember to email your favorite DIY environmental photos and videos on DIY: What Can I Do? Share the good news with a worldwide community!

Remember to email your favorite DIY environmental photos and videos on DIY: What Can I Do? Share the good news with a worldwide community!

Watch student finalists in the contest "How are you reducing your carbon footprint?" sponsored by Planet Connect on DIY: What Can I Do?

Thrilled to be featuring Planet Connect video finalists on DIY: What Can I Do? http://www.diywcid.com! Watch and rate your favorites!

AlexM Seattle garden.

AlexM More from Pike Place Market

AlexM My favorite market. Pike Place in Seattle

AlexM Picolinos in Seattle. Coffee grounds for the garden.

AlexM Making Your Media Matter conference panel on outreach.

I was taking a break due to graduation but this is too good to pass up! http://ht.ly/1Iagk Donate your dog and cat hair to clean up the oil!

Like the DIY: What Can I Do? Facebook Fan Page? http://ping.fm/qQJCe Spread the word and tell your friends!

RT @TaigaCompany: Sam's Club Becomes the First U.S. Retailer To Install Micro Wind Turbines in its Parking Lot http://bit.ly/9ufLpi

VIDEO: http://ht.ly/1FJdG Share your green household! What can we do around the house to be more sustainable? http://www.diywcid.com

RT @TaigaCompany: Best Electric Bikes For Commuters http://bit.ly/cBG9Yt I really wanted an electric bike as a kid, and a Knight Rider car.

RT @PlanetGreen: Hawaii Couple Hits the Road to Plant Native Trees (and Wishes!) in All 50 U.S. States http://dlvr.it/jzMl

What did you do for Arbor Day? Share your photos and videos at http://www.diywcid.com

RT @ianmoise: Reuse newspaper as mulch for your garden.... plants recycle organic fertilizer http://bit.ly/aZ9e9B

RT @ReverseGarbage: make a bag out of a T shirt - why not it's Sunday http://ht.ly/1FRpf

Don't forget to High Five for Hybrids! http://ht.ly/1FI5Z Watch the video and spread the word. It's the coolest.

Participate in our photo/video challenge in honor of Arbor Day! Show us how you green up your home and apartment, http://www.diywcid.com

VIDEO: American University student shares her Green Kitchen. http://ht.ly/1FJdG Share your green ideas on http://www.diywcid.com

RT @Greenopolis: 5 fantastic ways to recycle an old toilet. http://ht.ly/1FHoc I need a new set of speakers for my bathroom...

RT @vyouz: Great Freecycle-like site where you can Tweet to interested takers! http://bit.ly/6t13se

RT @TaigaCompany: Lean and Green: Waste Reduction http://bit.ly/71BAO1 Easy tips for expelling less waste.

RT @Greenopolis: LA considers building $800 million park over 101 frwy. http://ht.ly/1Fawl Look at all the happy kids.

Got questions about how DIY: What Can I Do? The environmental media crowd sourcing site for everyday users? http://ht.ly/1EZ3J

Watch my presentation of DIY: What Can I Do? at American University, http://ht.ly/1EZ3J introducing the site and with a detailed overview.

AlexM au

Any ideas for conserving around the house? Take a picture and share at DIY: What Can I Do? http://www.diywcid.com Become a Fan on Facebook!

RT @greentweet: 10 Smart Uses for Old Plastic Bags http://ow.ly/1EdTo I must have about 7 pounds by now...

RT @TaigaCompany: Personal Sustainability Planning to Beat the Coming Summer Heat http://bit.ly/bbOBt2

DIY: What Can I Do? Share the good environmental news in your world. Post photos/videos at http://www.diywcid.com and tell your friends!

RT @ianmoise: Kids too young for a motorbike? How about a Vespa rocking horse? http://bit.ly/b3Nike This makes Vespas cooler in my eyes.

Contact me if you want to trade Facebook page or website links http://ping.fm/YI8XT Gotta keep spreading the word! (and pictures)

RT @TreeHugger: 66 Things You Can Can Grow At Home: In Containers. http://su.pr/1vcVvH Beware of cat grass, makes my cat sick.

Thanks for the Earth Day love @greendreamin and Follow Friday @myoocreate! Keep up the good work!

Share your Earth Day photos and videos at DIY: What Can I Do? http://diywcid.com, become a fan on Facebook! http://ping.fm/boFey

Share your Earth Day photos and videos at DIY: What Can I Do? http://diywcid.com, become a fan on Facebook! http://ping.fm/boFey

AlexM Exactly what the guy told me when I took the picture.

Represent your green space! Share photos and videos on http://www.diywcid.com and be featured on interactive Google Map. http://ow.ly/1Beue

Hi everyone! Don't forget to share your good news on Earth Day through your pictures and videos at http://www.diywcid.com. Repost and share!

RT @TreeHugger: Top Nature Photos of All Time voted by the International League of Conservation Photographers unveiled. http://bit.ly/cy2Hvl

RT @TaigaCompany: Best Trading Websites http://bit.ly/dwGuyH Keep your items out of the landfill!

High Five For Hybrid, keep spreading the news! http://ow.ly/1zkrg You know punch bug? Give a high five every time you see a Hybrid!

Fwd: Ramu - BioDegradable spoons @ National Zoo DC

AlexM roof planting at the National Zoo

Ping.fm and AddNow Module

As a result of not having the ability to post to the Facebook Fan Page, Twitter and Flickr at the same time, I have started to use Ping.fm and the mobile updates they provide to be able to email pictures from my phone using the Flickr@diywcid.com address and have them forwarded to the Ping email and sent to all social networks at once.

Also, the site features an AddNow module that will allow any user on any of my pages to share immediately with any of their social networks or email it to friends.

High Five for Hybrids

DIY: What Can I Do is now featuring the short video "High Five for Hybrids". You know about punch bugs, now every time you see a hybrid give a high five!

Hootsuite Integration

I am now using Hootsuite, a site that allows for me to post to my Facebook Fan page and Twitter feed simultaneously. Hootsuite also allows for a multiple column interface where I can search for keywords on subjects that are related to DIY environmental news.

As a result, I am stepping up the content of the Twitter feed to include links and stories that may be of interest to the users. I have a ratio of about 4 links to 1 promotional Tweet now.

New Redesign and Content Changes

A month after the opening, we have 134 fans on Facebook, 21 Twitter followers and can expect new content on a regular basis.

After meeting with Kyle Brannon, I decided on changes to the aim, design and content of the site:

1. I removed the user registration, and am planning to focus the site into a "crowd sourcing" site instead of a social networking site. My registered users were not using the site a second time after creating the accounts and not using the user relationships feature. I also started a poll where the Facebook fans decided that user registration actually pushed them away from using the site. I plan on adding links to existing networking sites to supplement the change.

2. I separated the site into sections and created columns. I noticed that the gray of the Twitter feed meshed well with the green so I decided on light gray as a secondary color. I also felt with the new block design the big tree in the center did not fit, so I created a minimalist lower graphic ala what I've seen on Vimeo and Twitter.

3. I started posting related articles and content on my Twitter feed after noticing that every time I did Twitter mentions there was a spike in website views. I am also going to start a weekly video blog updating the content of the site and talking about recent changes, along with encouraging "word on the street" videos at environmental events.

The eventual goal is to have enough interaction where I can encourage a select group of users to post videos from around the world and make a documentary film based on a particular theme.

Follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/diywcid
Become a Fan on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/diywcid

Update and FAQ

As of now, we have 27 Registered Users, 15 Twitter Followers, and 97 Facebook Fans.

To answer some questions:

1. It's OK to post a cell phone picture from a paper towel dispenser that says "this came from a tree". Every-day stuff is great. Home video of your friend composting works too. Send photos to flickr@diywcid.com.

2. The room on 12seconds.tv is only for 12 second clips, email them to 12seconds@diywcid.com. Send longer clips to youtube@diywcid.com.

3. When you send your photo or video, make sure to include your name and description in the subject line of the email to get credit for the post.

Follow us on Twitter
Become a Fan on Facebook

Official Release

Announcing the Official Release of "DIY: What Can I Do?"

Here users post videos and photos to share the good news of
environmental activism on YouTube, 12seconds, Flickr, Twitter and
Facebook, and it's as simple as sending an email.

Follow Links:
Twitter
Facebook Fan Page
YouTube
12seconds
Flickr

New features include an improved Facebook Connect module and Buddy Lists.

User Relationships Module

Added a new User Relationships module to replace Friendlist as a more simple way to access buddy lists and make friends with other users.

The list of registered users can now be accessed on the home page under the main navigation links, buddies can be added by looking at the user's profile and adding them as a buddy.

Drupal Fixes

Drupal is great and all, but there is a problem that has been causing me lack of sleep and now that it's fixed I need to remember it.

Removing default titles from the pages:
1. Install the "Automatic Nodetitles" module.
2. Go to Administer>Content Management>Content Types>Edit "Page"
3. Under Automatic Title Generation click on "Automatically generate the title and hide the title feed"
4. Enter in the Pattern for the title box.
5. Save, go through all your pages that you want the title to be removed, click on edit and save again for the change to take place.

More Updates

The updates continue:

1. New, more stylized links to login, video, photo and idea websites.

2. Redesign of elements to remove redundancies.

Website Revision

An updated version of the site can be viewed at www.diywcid.com.

Some of the major changes include:

1. A simpler (and smaller) main page design, with three buttons to share videos, photos or ideas.

2. Now to share a video or photo all you have to do is see the posted challenges and email the video to one of three addresses to post to the site.
12seconds: 12seconds@diywcid.com
YouTube: youtube@diywcid.com
Fickr: flickr@diywcid.com
Add these to your address book or mobile phone to send whatever good (or bad) you see happening around you! All of the posts will be featured on the DIY live feed.

3. A fully functioning "Share with Facebook" option where you can link your Facebook account and use a sharing module to tell your friends about the site.

4. The DIY live feed is now featured on the main page so you can see who has been posting.

5. The pages should display well on many browsers and resolutions. It was pretty jumbled before and it looks better now...

6. Contests will be held in the future with non-profit organizations to be featured on their site as a promotional video, so keep posted! I will send out a mass email to registered users as I get more details.

Flickr/Twitter/DIY:WCID Integration

Users can now share photos to the DIY:WCID by emailing to the following address: school12good2blog@photos.flickr.com

This was accomplished by changing the "Extending Flickr" settings under "My Account", adding Twitter as a blog, then setting up an email address to upload "Directly to Blog".

Send photos from a mobile phone or from home of environmental issues as you see them happening!

User Content Contests

At the Ann Ferren Teaching Conference today, it was suggested during one of the sessions by Allison Holcomb to create contests where the winning video is featured on a non-profit's website as the prize. So over the semester I plan to foster relationships with non-profits and do one or more of the following:

1. Host PSA contests where the winners will be judged by the non-profit and featured on their website to encourage users to create content.

2. Host content contests between two or more student groups on campuses (Greenpeace, PETA, etc.) to promote their own groups and challenge them to friendly competitions to see who can publish the more engaging content.

3. Continue the contests on 12seconds as is.

I am also planning a major overhaul to simplify the site with three buttons on the main page (Post a Video, Post a Photo, Suggest an Idea) with a live feed of updates below, due to suggestions by the Facebook Focus Group.

Results of Focus Group

The Facebook focus group has been completed, and with the help of 32 users several outcomes were achieved:

1. The site has too many options and is too confusing to read, it has no hierarchy.

2. Users don't know what to do once they reach the site.

3. There should be a slogan, or an obvious about page that says what the page is about.

4. Users are not posting, there has to be an added incentive.

Thank you everyone for posting and for your valuable comments! Keep watching for updates.