It’s a wonder it didn’t come sooner – but citizen journalism has finally landed in way that’s accessible and even…dare I say…revolutionary?

Here’s the official word from the press release:

VancouverIAM.com is a unique online platform and new destination for people who want to know what’s going on in Vancouver. It provides Vancouverites with the tools and support to become video journalists, Internet TV and film producers, and active commentators on local politics and everyday issues about life in Vancouver.

You be asking yourself, how is that different from someone creating your own website and using Youtube as your distribution platform? Why would you need to get involved with VancouverIAM? Well here’s a few reasons:

For Viewers

Those who have used Youtube (and other general video sharing sites) over the last few years, have probably noticed the decline in quality and the rise of…noise. There’s simply too much crap online that it’s much harder to dig through the heaps and find the gems that are relevant to you. This is especially true for local content.

VancouverIAM brings together the best bloggers, columnists, podcasts, and video producers all in one place. This saves the viewer time, and builds a community around an engaging alternative news portal.

For Content Producers

As a producer, you probably have your own website to promote your podcast, blog, or news segments. There’s a chance it also might be fairly popular on it’s own. But adding your content to VancouverIAM immediately widens your audience to include interested viewers who may never have found your work.

A perfect example is the show This City Rocks, a vodcast I found while browsing the site, and probably wouldn’t have found on my own. Other great content like original shorts from the Vancouver Film School now have a venue outside their institution.

For Me

I’ve created 3 original news segments for the website, including:

• The Truth About Conscious Consumerism
• What s wrong with Vancouver s local music scene?
• Should Vancouverites Boycott the 2008 Bejiing Olympics?

Aside from being fun to make, the segments were also an excuse to engage in meaningful conversation with some interesting people. And I don’t know about you, but that fires me up.

I wouldn’t doubt if VancouverIAM has a bright future ahead of it.

What do you think about the rise of citizen journalism? How does it compliment traditional media and reporting?

It was kind of neat seeing how a show is put together, even though it was a bit off-the-cuff. Unfortunately, I think the show has been cancelled – but hey, at least I scored a free donut out of the gig.