Renowned Photojournalist Looks to Crowdfunding for Continued Investigations of Big Tobacco

If you are smoker have you ever considered the amount of work and resources involved in producing the humble cigarette? This was the question that Italian photojournalist Rocco Rorandelli asked himself prompting a long term investigation into the tobacco industry. To continue with the project, Rorandelli has turned away from traditional sources, and has embraced crowdfunding, via emphas.is, a platform specifically geared to help with funding visual journalism initiatives.

After having lost his father to cancer which was brought on by smoking, Rorandelli (a smoker himself at the time) began to wonder just how much work went into producing cigarettes. In 2008, Rorandelli began his investigation and travelled to Asia where he learned that China and India are the biggest producers and consumers of tobacco. Rorandelli also visited Indonesia which has no restrictive regulations over tobacco advertising. Sporting and music events enjoy sponsorship by tobacco companies targeting young consumers.

Rorandelli's work has attracted international acclaim and featured on many notable publications such as Newsweek, L'Espresso, New York Times, and National Geographic magazine. He was also awarded a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to document the use of child labour in tobacco production. 

In continuing his work, Rorandelli plans on travelling to various countries next year including the US. America's association with tobacco is particularly prevalent as it is linked culturally to the image of the Marlboro Man, and 2012 will mark 400 years since the first American tobacco plantation was established. Rorandelli needs $8,786 to fund his investigation including, manufacturing, sales & marketing, and consumption. Once complete, the findings will be compiled into a book, travelling exhibition, and even an ipad application.

So far $2,517 has been raised and in return for a donation, investors  will be granted an assortment of awards from personal thank you's to a personalised editions of the book, even inclusion of the company logo for large corporate donations. You can view the latest chapters on the project's Picturetank page, and if you believe this a project worthy of support then visit Rorandelli's funding page.

Image Credit; Dany13

Businesses Need to Embrace The Power of Social Media and Crowdsourcing

More and more businesses are turning to social media to attract and engage customers around the world, as well as develop new ventures and products. Virtually every business has a Facebook page, Twitter account and more recently Google+ page in which directly engage potential customers/clients, to source feedback on an existing product or field ideas for new projects. Yet many businesses still shy away from social media, preferring to stick to more traditional marketing methods. 

So why are some businesses still reluctant to tap into the limitless potential that social networking has to offer? One possibility has to be, like crowdsourcing, they are simply unsure of how it all works. Many people find social networking akin to a different world with its own rules and language that they simply do not understand. Many assumptions are hurled around on comments pages of news sites and forums in which social networking is seen as either a glorified chat room or virtual playground for self obsessed individuals. This blinkered view tends to blind some businesses to the potential of social networking to engage with customers about their product and generate potential interest which in turn translates into income. 

Some reluctance is not just down to lack of knowledge or popularist assumptions. There are still many fears as to the security of accessing social network sites. The recent Facebook porn scandal has not allayed the fears of the less Web 2.0 savvy who use it as the perfect cautionary excuse to stay away from these sites. This is reflected in a survey carried out by consultancy and audit firm Protiviti in which they reported that 17% (around 1 in 6) of UK employees consider social networking sites to be a risk to corporate security. These fears can be calmed through proper guidelines as to use of these sites, and an effective security system.

The real problem however seems to be a lack of vision. Monitoring customer feedback on Facebook for example, can be seen as not wholly representative of other customers leaving analysts unsure of how to interpret the feedback. Could this however be down to incorrect implementation? If you bombard followers with generic sales messages on a mass scale then feedback is likely to be vague. However if businesses can better understand the interactive component of social networking then they can start to build a relationship with potential customers, feeding them sales messages and information more relevant to them. Vodka giants Smirnoff used social networking and crowdsourcing to engage customers with their highly successful Nightlife Exchange campaign. 

It is also interesting to note how the reluctance to use social media has blinded some businesses to the potential cost savings. Ten years ago focus groups were used by businesses to determine customer reactions to their brands and were very costly to organise. Depending on size of venue and location the cost could range from £500 to £1500. Organisers would have to arrange venues, find the right groups, and determine reward incentives. Registering with any social networking site is free and you can start asking questions straight away, thus saving on costs. Whereas focus groups have limited number of participants social networking offers the potential to tap the insights of a limitless number of consumers thus ensuring high quality results. 

An understanding of crowdsourcing as a source of ideas and innovation through social networking could not only enhance a company's brand but even help develop new brands and ventures. By embracing social networking and Web 2.0 principles businesses can take advantage of a limitless customer base and develop an advantage in a rapidly competitive business world.

Image Credits; Social Grow

How Microvolunteering Offers Everyone a Chance to Change the World

The concept of volunteering to help individuals, communities, and organisations has always been one of committing many hours of spare time which in an era when life becomes ever more rapid and busy, seems impossible. However the advent of the digital world has given birth to microvolunteering in which people can donate as little or as much time as they want from any location be it from home or on the go, and Help From Home offers the armchair volunteer plenty of opportunities to do so.

Launched in December 2008, Cardiff based Help From Home is the brainchild of Mike Bright who as a microvolunteer himself identified the absence of a cohesive volunteer database that featured bite-sized volunteer listings. After much research, lessons in basic web design, and with help from a team of technically able volunteers, Help From Home was born. It is essentially a grassroots initiative providing a free community service aimed at promoting and encouraging involvement in microvolunteering. Getting involved is easy and requiring no commitment other than to spare anything from ten seconds to thirty minutes of your time to help out worthy causes, from home, or on the go. 

The organisation mainly promotes home based microvolunteering, an opportunity to "change the world in just your pyjamas". Whether it's signing petitions, making a sick child smile, completing a survey, or helping to cure diseases, there are over 800 active opportunities on the Help From Home database. It is considered to be the largest directory of microvolunteering opportunities, and many of them regularly feature on the crowdsourcing news site and discussion forum The Daily Crowdsource . 

Since becoming a leading resource of home based microvolunteering Help from Home has evolved into a leading on-demand database for various other active projects. These include initiatives to encourage microvolunteering from the classroom (Help From School), during a work lunch break (Help From Work), or even on holiday (Help From Holiday). There is even a project to encourage senior citizens to volunteer with Help From Seniors, and Do Good Cards to help spread viral acts of kindness around the globe.

Help from Home's core goal of encouraging people to volunteer has the support of the UK government as part of their Big Society drive. It has also garnered support from some of the main volunteering bodies of England and Wales, and over 50 UK high street volunteer centres. So if you want to help a worthy cause from your armchair sat in front of the TV or the warmth of your bed in your pyjamas why not visit Help From Home website on your laptop, tablet or smartphone and help make a difference. 

Image Credit; Planet a