Momentum Magazine and the Open Web
The open source software movement has been absolutely amazing for small organizations such as Momentum (we are a small publication focused on transportation based cycling). Using Drupal (an open source content management system) we have been able to build, in-house, an electronic publishing platform that has been tailored to meet our specific needs. This is despite the fact we have strict limitations in terms of time, money and knowledge base needed for creating such web application. As such we feel incredibly empowered and grateful for all the amazing work contributed by the Drupal community.
While greatly empowered by open source software, we have also been frustrated by the steep learning curves, the speed of change (both fast and slow) and the unclear future road map. Such as we feel these represent a set of potential, and in some extreme situations critical, barriers for small organizations wishing to use open source technologies to develop online communities. That being said, we are confident that the open source movement can meet these challenges and may be able to do so by incorporating some lessons learned in traditional print media.
Wendell Challenger is both an academic and a life long cyclist (transportation and competitive), who is feverishly working to finish his PhD dissertation in ecological statistics. When not aimlessly wandering the vast halls of the Ivory Tower, he is working hard to help Momentum build their web presence using open source software such as Drupal. Like most academics, Wendell also has a tendency to be forgetful and to make even the simplest of tasks as complicated as possible.
A life-long cyclist, Amy Walker became a cycle commuter at the age of 16. With a background in crafts and graphic design, Amy decided to use her creativity to inspire other people to bike for transportation. Through her work on Momentum, Amy makes transportation cycling more visible, and more prominent as a part of everyday popular culture. Amy enjoys seeing Momentum grow as new people join in and make it better than she could have imagined. "My job gives me the opportunity to meet positive, thoughtful, problem-solving people and I am reminded that our interactions are the most precious thing in life."
