Crowdfunding Story: Behind the Scene

These are some pictures about the Story « A Multimedia Journalist’Blog » is writing for the African story Challenge- Business and technology Cycle.

These pictures were taken when we are doing data collection and report in field of action in Buea, Yaounde and Douala (Cameroon), between November and December 2014. For more details about this article on crowdfunding, a post was published in french in September 2014. In few words, an economy of this blog post:

« We are at the end of September 2014, towards the closure of data collection on crowdfunding in Africa. Precisely, data collection on projects related to web 2.0 and new technologies that have been launched through crowdfunding on the African continent. For that reason, www.dorotheedanedjo.com‘s goal is to produce a successful data investigation on this topic: a journalistic investigation based on data analysis. A new editorial journalism genre which consist in interactive and easy viewing of information to facilitate public understanding. The hardest achievement in the context of producing this article is: data.

Finding data

To achieve this, the search engines suffer most from our determination to look for data about web and IT projects in Africa which received a successful crowdfunding online. Then, after working with various mentors at the Story Camp of Marrakech, crowdfunding platforms themselves are being perused daily. Gradually, the data table is enriched while online users are at the heart of the action.  A tweet, a Direct Message, tags on different platforms and phone calls from different informants are ecorded daily.

Meanwhile, the profile of interviewees is refined. In fact, the agreements with the holders of the successful projects in Cameroon are clear: « I’m available » « I could be at your disposal » … So, Ready, step … go in field of action.

Visualizing and sharing

While awaiting the starting signal for the shooting, it’s time to think of the post-production of this fieldwork. To do this, the Marrakech workshop has been a great practical contribution. The appropriation of some mapping, statistics and visualization tools have furnished this rich appointment. To perform our skills and knowledge of some tools and techniques, we will start soon another training program in the United States of America, Techwomen Emerging Leaders 2014. One of our expectations for this further period of training is clear: to acquire and test other techniques data presentation and increase our knowledge of social media management to have a better impact on the target audience.

Note that, In order to engage more African populations around this article, national and international media partnerships (print, radio-TV-web) are concluded regularly. Like the principles of crowdfunding, this article is written with a participative approach. There is a partaking point where you can contribute to the data collection, but also a point to contribute in the sharing of information, without financial remuneration certainly, but with a socio-economic consideration. That is: boost business and technology projects in Africa and contribute to the development of the continent. »