Link TV announced it will soon launch ViewChange.org, an initiative that will give visitors free access to the latest semantic tools to help raise awareness of global development issues and influence policymakers to support efforts to improve the lives of people in developing countries.

"For the person passionate about an issue like hunger, ViewChange.org will not only make finding relevant resources on this issue easier and more intuitive, but it will connect that person to the best ways to take action," said Robert Cook, co-founder of Metaweb Technologies, whose product Freebase, will be used in the platform.

ViewChange.org is being designed by Method, the award-winning brand experience design firm behind innovative media sites such as Fancast.com and TED.com. Link TV's long-term development partners Definition are responsible for building the platform and will utilize Freebase, Zemanta and OpenCalais to provide a cutting-edge, customizable user experience. For naming, Link TV worked with CRONAN, the award-winning naming and identity group responsible for such powerhouse tech brands as TiVo and Amazon Kindle. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the new digital-media hub will use a revolutionary online platform to combine Link TV's vast library of films with the latest semantic tools. ViewChange.org will present opportunities to engage you further by drawing on the Web's best content, including videos, news, opinion articles and opportunities to take action.

Other major media groups, including The New York Times, CBS/CNET and The Huffington Post have recently embraced the Linked Data model. ViewChange.org will take the model one step further by harnessing the technology explicitly for social change. With access to a rapidly evolving database of structured content, visitors will be able to more effectively engage with policymakers to encourage support for development efforts. In addition to sharing Link TV's semantic video player with other sites, ViewChange.org will feature an open API allowing third-party sites and developers to create applications and pages fuelled by Link content.

Internet Archive co-founder, Brewster Kahle, added, "It's great to see a not-for-profit initiative leading the charge on next-generation Web technology. And Link's open API will allow others to harness the content for social change."

Actor and humanitarian Danny Glover announced the new initiative via e-mail and in a Web video posted on the Link TV Web site.

Explaining the idea behind the initiative, Glover said, "ViewChange.org is built on the premise that stories are powerful -- especially those told through images and sound. They have the power to influence how we think and act. Unfortunately, when it comes to stories about foreign aid or global development, far too often the moral of the story is focused on dependency, corruption and crisis."

He continued, "We want to create a hub where global development organizations and citizen activists can harness the power of storytelling to become game-changers in the debate about eradicating poverty, hunger and disease in developing nations.'

Glover, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, is a board member for Link TV.

ViewChange.org will feature Link TV's vast library of documentaries and film shorts as well as new, acquired videos on the people and projects that are making a positive difference in developing nations around the globe.

Kim Spencer, president of Link TV, underlined the potential power of ViewChange.org: "Imagine if you combined the video sharing power of YouTube with the open information of Wikipedia and the mission of your favorite advocacy Web. That's Link TV's ViewChange.org."

Spencer added, "The Internet has revolutionized our ability to communicate powerful ideas almost instantly. Link TV has taken that one step further. Using the latest search and engagement tools, we are harnessing the power of storytelling to change the world." "Smart, innovative investments in international development are helping people in the developing world lift themselves out of hunger and poverty, and lead healthy, productive lives," said Mark Suzman, director of Global Development Policy and Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "ViewChange.org will showcase inspirational stories of people who have benefitted from these investments, showing that these programs are delivering real results by giving them the tools to change their lives for the better, and that progress is possible on a large scale."

Link TV's ViewChange.org is expected to launch in the summer of 2010.