Community Building Websites

Here are a few non news websites that I think are good examples of interactive community building.

http://www.wallstreetsurvivor.com -- This is a game where you create a portfolio based on the stock market data from every day. This fantasy stock trading game boasts a large community of players who message, compare data and buddy up. "The mission is to make Wall Street Survivor the closest thing to trading a real brokerage account without risking your own money. And you have the opportunity to learn through your interactions with other fantasy stock traders, just like you."

http://www.y8.com -- This site has interactive flash based games. It has advertising to keep it going.

http://www.lissaexplains.com -- This is a website with help for novices who want to build their own websites. It's very helpful with basic information and fun stuff. There's a forum section for members to share information and ask questions. There's also a free e-mail account option. "We have over 33,000 users and growing. You'll get a free e-mail address, yourname@lissamail.com, and all the features of the larger e-mail services without the ads. Big kids are welcome too!"

http://www.surfthechannel.com -- This is a website where you can stream video -- from movies to TV shows. Some of the content is pirated but it's a very popular website. According to my nephew who introduced me to this site, some of the streamed movies are hosted on servers outside of the country to avoid legal issues.

These sites appeal to a diverse demographic.

Show and Tell -- Haiti Earthquake

Here is an amazing Haiti interactive map.

"This Crisis Map of Haiti represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date crisis map available to the humanitarian community. The information here is mapped in near real time and gathered from reports coming from inside Haiti via:

SMS, Web, Email, Radio, Phone, Twitter, Facebook, Television, List-serves, Live streams, Situation Reports"

With a click of the mouse, you can pinpoint where emergency help is needed; where collapsed buildings are located; where contaminated water is an issue; where there are security threats, etc. A graph shows the progress or lack of it in each category. At the bottom of the page are twitter comments and up-to-date links to stories, pictures and video. I think this is one of the easiest to maneuver and most comprehensive sites for information on almost every aspect of the Haiti earthquake story.

This interactive graphic created by AFP highlights the troubled history of the Caribbean nation.

The L.A. Times produced a simple, smart overview of earthquakes -- what causes them and why -- in this interactive earthquake primer.

I'm a fan of Lens. It's a mainstream media site that features great examples of creative multimedia storytelling.

"Lens is the photography blog of The New York Times, presenting the finest and most interesting visual and multimedia reporting — photographs, videos and slide shows. A showcase for Times photographers, it also seeks to highlight the best work of other newspapers, magazines and news and picture agencies; in print, in books, in galleries, in museums and on the Web."

Haitifeed features the latest pictures, video and information from dozens of blogs, international news sites, and mainstream media.

"Haitifeed is a website that gathers news, blog posts, videos and pictures relating to Haiti. On the site you’ll be able to get fresh up to date information on Haiti as it flows on the web. To better experience the site we recommend that you follow us on twitter ”@haitifeed” and retweet all our tweets that you would like to see on the site."

I'll end this post with a touching story by NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders blogging from Haiti.