Nonprofit and small for-profit public service oriented media organizations (Independent Media) are, after a delayed response, quickly developing Web 2.0 or “social web” tools.

After sticking to the old Web 1.0 practice of simply using the Web as a basic publishing platform, small media enterprises are now jumping head first into the Web 2.0 game, adapting new media tools like Digg.com and invoking the ethos of communities like YouTube and MySpace.

The Quick Rundown

Buzz Flash, TreeHugger, and Huffington Post have all launched Digg.com type
portals where citizens can submit and vote on current news headlines. BuzzFlash has BuzzFlash BUZZ, TreeHugger has Hugg, and Huffinton Post has HuffIt.

Meanwhile, a nonprofit called NewTrust is a service where citizens can submit and rate news stories and sources based on their level or objectivity (see past coverage of NewsTrust). GNN has offered members the ability to submit/vote on both headlines and personal blogs for some time, and just launched an online chat function. GNN also plans to offer video uploading/voting in the near future.

FreeSpeech TV recently lunched an online blog community similar to MySpace. On the drupal powered FreeSpeech TV community, members can post videos, blogs, upload pictures, join and create groups and create networks of “buddies” (called friends on MySpace.com).

FreeSpeech TV is also launching a V-Log platform where selected V-logs (citizen video reports) will be broadcast on the FSTV Television station; a satellite and public access TV station reaching 25 million homes. Z magazine also plans to offer a myspace style community called Zspace.

Alternet recently launched an online dating community called Alternet Personals, where progressives can find other singles in their region, post video introductions, blogs, pictures, and other information. Members can also create “friend networks” similar” the popular social networking Web site FaceBook. One of the most innovative features is their live chat function that includes live video!

As Alternet Personals illustrates, independent media can capture significant audiences if they are innovative and timely in offering social web tools. And it is incredibly significant that independent media organizations are developing these tools before corporate news outlets. Media isn’t about only spreading information, but creating communities.

The power of the last three projects (Alernet Personals, FSTV, Zspace) is not just in the social networking capabilities (which are themselves powerful), but also that they have the potential to become more then online communities, but personal space where people can send and receive online content. Indy-media will become indy-rss feeds catering to a readers pre-selected preferences. This creates a viable alternative to Google, Yahoo and others who are rushing to create the best all in one online package. Unlike Google, FSTV and the other indy-media organizations won’t slam ads in your face based on information they have captured from your Web surfing habits.

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Steve Anderson is the publisher at COA News, and founder of The Center For Information Awareness.

Editors Note: NewAssignment.Net recognizes that the indy media organizations in this post are liberal in scope. And so, we consider this a first look at the adoption of social networking tools in the indy media landscape. Furthermore — we are looking for a volunteer to write up a similar post to recap how these tools are being incorporated by conservative indy media organizations. Interested? Contact David Cohn at David.newassignment AT gmail Dot Com.