The Headstart New Media Network has been up and running for a few weeks now, and I thought I’d give a quick overview of the different platforms the network covers.

The main online push for Headstart is obviously the community site at www.headstartnetwork.dk. It’s based on Ning, a community focused CMS that offers a great deal of customization and ease of use. We’ve put a lot of emphasis on the site being very modular, so that it can change depending on the current needs of the network. We can embed most types on content on the site, a feature which supports our idea of “no platform being an island”.

Other than the main site we’re using Vimeo Plus – to host video. It’s a cheap solution that suits the purpose of the network nicely. Although most of the video viewing will probably be done through the Ning site, we’ve set up a Headstart channel too. It can be found at vimeo.com/channels/headstartdk. As the amount of videos grows the layout may change, but currently it features the first few talks one above the other.

There is a slight issue of comments being spread between Ning and Vimeo, since both allow individual commenting. We’re not expecting the amount of video feedback via Vimeo to be anything major, so it probably won’t be an issue.

On the slightly more social side there’s a Twitter account (@headstartdk) and tag (#headstartdk) to aggregate chatter about the network.

There’s also a Facebook fan-page for those disinclined to partake in the Twittering.

We’re currently looking in to how to best facilitate cross-member dialogue on the Ning site, as well as how best to get the tag out to the masses. Future platforms may include a Flickr account, which seems like a no-brainer.

While attention is at a premium these days, the presence on several different platforms is a good way to get the word out.

If you have any comments or ideas please feel free to leave them below, we’re always interested in hearing new input.