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Tech Talk at SXSW

South by Southwest Interactive is a major hotspot for new tools to launch, applications and platforms to find early adopters, and those looking for ideas or suggestions to get recommendations from others already exploring the newest, shiny toys. I’ve been taking notes on the tools, whether brand new or just new to some, that have people talking.

Cause.it (http://cause.it/)

This new tool is just launching, with direct efforts in a few cities and opening up to users anywhere. What is it? Well, it’s got Foursquare-like geolocation relativity, Groupon-like deals, and Causes-like options for various levels of action. As organizations look to spur local action and create partnerships with the businesses in the neighborhood, a tool like Cause.it can help create the mechanism for rewards and benefits.

YouTube Livestreaming

YouTube just announced today that it is opening up the opportunity to use livestreaming on YouTube to all YouTube Nonprofit Program members. As mentioned previously, the American Foundation for Equal Rights used the livestreaming functionality to broadcast “8”, the play about California’s Proposition 8, to hundreds of thousands of viewers last week. Now, that ability is open to all participating nonprofits. This is especially interesting for organizations already experimenting with video storytelling and tapping into the engaged community on YouTube. Read the full announcement.

treesaver (http://treesaver.net/)

This digital publication platform has been put to use by organizations like the Center for Public Integrity. Roger Black, a principle at treesaver, highlighted some of the core components for those interested in digital storytelling, including the combination of narrative and content layers, the addition of a social layer with comments and social sharing, and now also multiple targets.

Video Editing

Nonprofits looking for video editing tools, especially free ones, found a list of recommendations in one panel, including:

  • ccmixter (http://ccmixter.org/)
  • jamendo (http://www.jamendo.com/en/)
  • mobygratis (http://www.mobygratis.com/film-music.html/)
  • Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org/index.php/)

Anything I missed? What other tools have you heard about in the hallways or are you putting to use today?