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Buffalo's Fire

Inviting a conversation on tribal community, culture and communication

Buffalo's Fire

Inviting a conversation on tribal community, culture and communication

2 Campaigns |

Missoula, United States

$8,770 USD 71 backers

81% of $10,737 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Story

FAQ

Updates 33

Comments 55

Highlights

2 Projects 2 Projects

Our Story

Buffalo's Fire was created by Jodi Rave in 2009 as a news blog designed to inform Native and non-Native readers about American Indian issues. She had a successful newsbeat covering American Indian issues for more than a decade with the fourth largest news chain in the country (Lee Enterprises). She plans to transplant her corporate success into an independent, minority, veteran, woman-owned media company. One journalism degree later -- and nearly 15 years of daily newspaper writing -- she continues to embrace truthful, accurate storytelling. She founded White Swan Media and started Buffalo's Fire to embrace the changing world of journalism as it shifts from corporate control to a diverse digital platform.

She recently hired a computer programing team to help transform the Buffalo's fire blog into a comprehensive news website covering politics, language revitalization, environment, science, education, indigenous knowledge and other news.

Moreover, the redesign includes plans to make a home on Buffalo's Fire for opinion and analysis. The team at Buffalo's Fire will be scouting and recruiting topic experts in Indian Country to inform readers on current events. We aim to have the new website up and running by Dec. 31, 2011.

As a mentor for New U: News Entrepreneurs Working Through UNITY, Jodi and the Buffalo's Fire team, look forward to being a part of the lively digital news platform in the 21st century. The new website -- including programming changes -- will be sure to draw in tens of thousands of new readers whose need for American Indian news remains unmet by the declining mainstream press.

The Impact

Buffalo's Fire will help fill a long existing news void on American Indian issues in the United States. It will also serve as an entrepreneur model for a media business. Jodi Rave will serve as editor of the site. She is an award-winning journalist who brings a long list of credentials, as well as being the first-and-only American Indian woman to be awarded a Nieman journalism fellowship at Harvard University. Buffalo's Fire is expected to chart a new course in Native news. Someone might ask: What if your media plan doesn't happen? Buffalo's Fire answer: Our media plan is happening. We've already installed a trial run of daily news story links coupled with posting more original content.It's proven to be a popular new addition with readers. Our revamped web design and news content will be more sophisticated, including news from the radio, video and print sectors. That's the bigger plan. For now, it's one step at a time.

What We Need & What You Get

The Buffalo's Fire Campaign needs $10,737 to switch the existing Buffalo's Fire webpage into a comprehensive news website. About $4,200 will be used to pay for a computer programing, web design and graphic design.

In addition, the team is planning a media launch at the 2012 Reservation Economic Summit and American Indian Business Trade Fair Feb. 27 to March 1 in Las Vegas. Registration will cost $749. Hotel costs for five nights total $895. Airfare will be about $300 for roundtrip ticket. The cost for one person is $1,944. That needs to be multiplied by two so the news/marketing assistant and editor can both work in the trade fair booth. Total cost for two people: $3,888.

The trade fair will help get the word out to more than 3,000 people who are expected to attend the annual business expo. The conference will allow the BF team to recruit writers for opinion and analysis pieces regarding hot news topics. The business summit will also allow BF to reach out to advertisers. The trade fair booth costs for two registrants cost $649.

Our priority spending will be go towards the web redesign and the computer programming, which is scheduled to be done Dec. 31, 2011.

We will use additional funds to pay analysis and opinion writers. We expect the site to generate funds through advertising revenue.

Here's the overall cost breakdown: $4,200 for (web design, programming, graphic work) + $3,888 (business expo) + $649 (trade booth) + $2,000 (writers) = $10,737.

I will prioritize funding in this order. 1. web programming. 2. Attend RES 2012. 3. Pay writers (it's my top priority, but I need to get the site up and running first).

Jodi Rave has used her personal resources to operate the site since 2009.

Everyone who supports the Buffalo's Fire Campaign will reap benefits and be connected to an accomplished news reporter and column writer. The web redesign is expected to be finished by Dec. 31, 2011. And then, Happy New Year!

Other Ways You Can Help

Hey Folks! This is our chance to make a difference in Indian Country. So get your Tweet on, heat up your Facebook status updates and connect with your pals on Linkedin. Let's get the word out about Buffalo's Fire, a positive digital news media site currently in development.

Thank you.

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Choose your Perk

We Got Your Back

$10 USD

OK. We understand you aren't looking for a perk and just want to help. It's greatly appreciated by the Buffalo's Fire team. We wish you many blessings for the rest of this year and many more in 2012.

7 claimed

Let's Roll

$25 USD

We'll move quickly to create a special "thank you" page on Buffalo's Fire for our rockin' and rollin' readers. We will also include a link to your webpage, or favorite organization. Don't forget, we're already getting tens of thousands of hits each week on the Buffalo's Fire site. We're a great source for lifting your information up into the cloud.

17 claimed

This Is How We Do It

$50 USD

We are prepared to Tweet you or your organization with a BIG THANK YOU note. We're champs at using social media to get the word out. You will also be noted on our contributors page with a link to your most favorite webpage.

11 claimed

The Hip Trip

$75 USD

Wow. Thanks a million. Now, what can we do for you? We would like to start by including you on our contributors' page, linking to a website of your choice. Moreover, you have inspired us to send you a personal thank you note, snail mail. Who does that anymore? We do.

1 claimed

Blazing a Trail

$100 USD

Buffalo's Fire pens for everybody! Yes, you will also be thanked on the contributors page with a hyperlink to your favorite organization. That's why we're here. To help get the word out. We're also going to let the world know on Twitter and Facebook how much we appreciate your contribution.

13 claimed

Climbing the Mountain

$200 USD

The view is great up here. We can see you, standing tall, standing proud in hundreds of rural communities and big cities everywhere. Here's our shout out to you. We're going to post a thank you on the Buffalo's Fire contributors page linking to a website of your choice. That said, we are prepared to create an ad on Buffalo's Fire listing you, your favorite business or nonprofit organization as one of our sponsors. Life is good.

7 claimed

Grassroots Journalism Rule

$300 USD

What can we say? You are our hero. The editor of Buffalo's Fire would like to include you in a column about why you support a digital press devoted to Indian Country issues. You can reach our editor through the Buffalo's Fire contact page where we look forward to hearing what's on your mind. We will take it from there and write the column. Look for it on the BF webpage. Please, share your story.

2 claimed

Hip Hip Hooray

$400 USD

OMG. We are really grateful, thankful, elated, psyched, floored, amazed, impressed. That translates into some big smiles on the faces of the Buffalo's Fire team. Thanks for believing in us. We will type out a thank-you note on our contributors page. We are also going to create a super cool banner ad on our website in recognition of our hipster crowd.

0 claimed

Media Entrepreneurs Rule

$500 USD

We want to send you a copy of James Fallows book, "Breaking the News: How the Media Undermines American Democracy." Yep. You get the picture. Corporate shareholders, shouting heads, the "pantheons of putrid pundits..." Your support of Buffalo's Fire will provide citizen journalists with a digital platform for factual, unfiltered news. Furthermore, we look forward to recognizing you as one of our contributors. We will add a link to your favorite website or organization.

2 claimed

Warrior's Coup

$1,000 USD

We'd like to design an ad for you and post it on the Buffalo's Fire website. We will keep it online for six months. Or if you already have a logo or ad, we will put it online with a link to your organization. We will tip our hat to you on our contributors page, too. Meanwhile, we want to say: "Thank you for helping us stand our ground and supporting digital journalism in the 21st century."

1 claimed

Where Eagles Fly

$1,500 USD

We stand humbled. We want to start by thanking you on our Buffalo's Fire contributors page. We will also send you the book, "We the Media: Grassroots Journalism By The People, For The People." by Dan Gillmor. He explains the shift from the Big Media oligarchy to an era of digital engagement. We will design an ad for you and post it on our website for up to one year. If you have your own logo, we can post it and link to your website. You are a champion.

1 claimed

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