The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Shawndra Russell, self-avowed zealot for all things Savannah, free lance writer, and novelist of future acclaim.  Read on for Shawndra’s notes on a cool funding tool suitable for budding entreprenuers of every talent…

Kickstarter projects have exploded since the crowdfunding  platform launched in 2009. The most recent and biggest success story is Pebble, a watch that syncs with your smartphone and acts as a remote, which has raised over $10 million with a funding goal of only $100,000. Talk about pressure!

Kickstarter Rules

You’re not just throwing money at an idea with Kickstarter; you’re actually part of getting the idea off the ground and making it possible for the creator to carry out their vision. But Kickstarter has set up parameters to help ensure success, and I think these rules help make the platform more professional and standardize the projects in an easy-to-grasp way. Here’s a brief summary of the rules:

• Your project has to have a start and finish.

The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Bret Bell, history buff, icon of cool-under-fire and public information director for the City of Savannah.  Read on for Bret’s unabashed (and based on the stats, well deserved!) chest-thumping on behalf of the City of Savannah…

Warning: What you’re about to read is some straight-up, flat-out, make-Bobby-Zarem-proud PR. I’m the communications guy for the City, after all. Did you really expect something different?

Here’s why I’m about to unleash this PR assault: If you casually follow the news, it must seem like there’s only crazy coming out of City Hall these days. I’m a former reporter, so I get it. Controversy is awesome: It’s both easier to report than a budget-balancing think piece AND readers/viewers love the drama a whole lot more.

Most every decision coming out of Bay and Bull is controversial to someone. Two elected officials stand on opposite sides of on an issue – that’s good copy. A citizen disagrees with a City action – clearly David and Goliath.

The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s blog is from Kevin Lawver, technologist, crazy man and seer of Things That Can Be.  Read on for Kevin’s ponderings on technology, Savannah and our future….

There was a discussion recently on the Creative Coast LinkedIn group asking ‘Is technology really the solution to revitalizing Savannah?’.  I posted a comment, but the question has stuck with me for two weeks – to the point that I’m going to take this opportunity to try to answer it. I’m a technologist and have been for 15 years. I’m easy to find on the web, so I won’t bore you with my particulars. I’d rather talk about the question.

 The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map…..HOWEVER, this week Jake Hodesh, Creative Coast’s executive director, is jumping to the front of the line with his own blog.  Read on forJake’s take on TEDx Savannah-style….

(this blog also appears in Savannah News, April 25, 2012)

On May 18, Savannah will host its third annual TEDx Conference. That’s pretty exciting news when you view the history of TED and think about other host cities that wave the flag as leaders of hip. It says a lot about our own community.

The TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference was started in 1984. The original vision for the event was to provide a stage for world class presentations, and to attract high-power, high-dollar, executives and world leaders as attendees. The goal was for the concise (18 minutes or less) presentations, focused around science, social movements, community engagement and the arts, to challenge the power hungry attendees. These attendees would return to their corporate structures, municipalities, or foreign nations enlightened, engaged, or empowered to challenge their contemporaries and the ripple effect would be social change for the better around the globe.