OpenSourcery

Not long after OpenSourcery and the Linux Foundation launched the new Linux Foundation Video Site, news of their "I'm Linux" video contest appeared on Slashdot.

We're excited because the site itself is elegant, clean, and easy to use. The video upload module and social networking tools are a perfect match. We think the Linux Foundation will have a lot of fun promoting user-generated content and sharing internally produced videos and interviews with their community. But for now, the contest's the thing.

Basically, the Linux Foundation has joined Apple and Microsoft in promoting their operating system through humorous videos. Instead of top-down production (Apple) or faux user-generated videos (Microsoft), the Linux Foundation is gunning for the real deal. Actual users uploading their own videos enumerating the joys of Linux. The winner gets a trip to next year's Japan Linux Symposium held in Tokyo and, according to LF itself, "some serious geek cred."

Please read more about OpenSourcery's work on the Linux Foundation Video Site here, and then write yourself a reminder to submit a video on January 26, the day "I'm Linux" begins.

Thank you for reading.

OpenSourcery is proud to announce this week's launch of the new STAR Autism Support website. As with every OpenSourcery Drupal site, STAR Autism Support is about functionality and intelligent user interface -- we believe websites should be tools rather than mere pretty faces.

Among the features that give STAR Autism Support long-term value:

• eCommerce: visitors can purchase educational materials using ubercart
• Event registration
• Easy-to-use calendar for events and seminars
• Event and site update feeds
• And soon STAR will increase the site's functionality to display video previews

Developer Dylan Tack wrote a custom module to drive the menu, such that images can be associated with menu items in an attractive, consistent manner. Look for a release of this module on Drupal.org in the near future.

We hope you'll visit their site and learn more about the incredible people and projects behind STAR Autism Support.

Oregon Trout, a nonprofit dedicated to "return[ing] health to every stream in the state, while inviting every student in Oregon to act as stewards of their home waters," has pegged OpenSourcery to develop an interactive, multi-disciplinary Drupal site that will foster and sustain stewardship among young people.

Oregon Trout came to OpenSourcery because they needed a professional development shop capable of rapidly and successfully implementing a feature-rich website. They were also encouraged by our long-standing involvement in the national watershed conservation movement, lead by Sales Engineer Will Illingworth, who has presented on Internet technologies at two National River Rallies, and Project Manager Sean Larkin, who has worked with national and regional watershed conservation organizations since 2001. Sean has presented at the last seven River Rallies.

OpenSourcery is excited to undertake the project, which involves the implementation of many key Drupal functions: in-browser content editing; image upload; a custom workflow to tie together locations, results (data), images, video, and users; Google Maps integration with user added content; 3rd-party video embedding; and multiple search options.

We're humbled and proud to work with an organization of Oregon Trout's caliber. They join a wide range of national, regional, and local conservation organizations that have worked with OpenSourcery – including River Network (OR), the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (OR, WA), RiverSource (NM), and the Molokai Community Service Council (HI).