Citizen guardianship over public-interest information channels is essential to democratic debate and socially responsible media policy change. Independent, noncommercial and community media are struggling to survive while multi-billion dollar industries grow more powerful from the cables they run under the public roads and the licenses they use to broadcast on public airwaves, fighting off public obligations at every step. How can we create an environment where diverse media thrive? This is about how and what we communicate. Today's emerging information technologies have the potential to connect the world as never before. New media tools enable us to share solutions, strengthen cultures, and create new levels of accountability and transparency in governments and corporations, as well as, among social change organizations. THIS PROJECT could make local, regional national, and international media advocacy activities accessible to anyone interested in holding information gatekeepers in check. It would provide concerned citizens with 1) tools to feedback to broadcast, cable, satellite, radio and internet content decision-makers, 2) tools for messaging policy makers, and 3) motivation to transform individual viewers/receivers/"consumers" into participating media rights advocates by provide opportunities to get involved. THE PROJECT would also address a pressing need among media advocacy players in the U.S. Accessing information about partnerships, collaborations, new initiatives, etc. is klunky and time-consuming. Bridge-building between and among advocates across regions and issues is timely, if not urgent in today's media landscape. The widest gulf exists between grassroots and local media justice organizations and Washington D.C. Policy change efforts. The connection between scholarly research and community advocacy is developing, yet improving knowledge of and access to organizations would expedite productivity (and therefore, positive policy change). THIS PROJECT could minimally, be the gateway to more efficient networking, alliance and partnership initiatives and collaboration. Funders and/or investors would use the service to gain pertinent information about media issues or potential grantees. This mashup would help strengthen media movements, and ultimately be the e-support of efforts that preserve the free expression of diverse perspectives.

For teachers who want to encourage their students to research and read online, ReadPlayHelp will be a website where students can have a new kind of e-learning experience. Instead of just reading an article, at ReadPlayHelp, students will Read a teacher-assigned web resource or one they find on their own, Play computer-generated games to demonstrate comprehension of the reading, and Help others because for each question answered correctly, money will be donated for Internet connectivity in developing countries.

Unlike other free e-learning games, ReadPlayHelp will let teachers automatically generate games such as crossword puzzles for any content and at any educational level, making it an ideal learning activity for dynamic subject matter such as current events. Further, ReadPlayHelp will track student activity and send reports to the teacher for automatic import into grade book software.

Students and the general public will be motivated to stay on the site because there will be a variety of activities and real-time counters showing how many articles have been displayed, how many questions have been answered correctly, and how much Internet connectivity has been donated.

As ReadPlayHelp builds a following, it can grow in many directions. Teachers could easily create and share more sophisticated learning activities. Further, ReadPlayHelp could become a space for students to discuss the content being read.

Anyone in civil society could also use ReadPlayHelp as a channel to promote their informative content by having a link on their site saying, "Don't just read this article, ReadPlayHelp it." The ReadPlayHelp engine could be adapted to other many platforms.

Further, the general public would find the site appealing because of the fun, educational nature of the games and because of the click-to-give value proposition that the longer they stay on the site, the more social benefit they are giving to others.

Another avenue for growth is localization. Wikipedia currently lists 76 languages with 10,000 or more articles. Simply localizing ReadPlayHelp would let teachers produce an infinity of online learning activities.

With the right kind of nurturing, a community will form around ReadPlayHelp and ReadPlayHelp will evolve in response to the community's needs.