Archive for June, 2009
Personal Democracy Forum #PDF09
by Sky on Jun.29, 2009, under Debris
It’s little late for full coverage, but you might like to watch for tweets including #pdf09 hashtags, since they refer to the Personal Democracy Forum [PdF] taking place today and tomorrow in New York City (June 29th-30th 2009). This is a gathering of those who are influential in the use of new media and social media in reinvigorating political participation around the US and the world. They’re also starting PdF-Europe this November (2009) in Barcelona.
As they say at PdF, “Technology is changing politics.” We saw this in the US with moveon.org, then Howard Dean (using meetup.com and other tools during his presidential campaign in 2004), and then more succesfully (perhaps) with President 44, Barack Obama.
Just needed to get this written because it’s timely. Sorry I can’t write more right now.
Censorship- Monkey See, Monkey Do
by Sky on Jun.27, 2009, under Media, Organizations and Sociology, Our networked world, Twitter
The Washington Post (byline Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post Foreign Service) reports that several authoritarian governments, including those of China, Cuba and Myanmar (Burma) are censoring in whole or in part, news of the strife that has followed the Iranian elections. Probably for fear that people living under the control of their regimes will get the message and understand that modern viral (social) media have the potential to spread dissent much farther than it ever might have gotten before, in eras when media publication could be held tightly in check.
Of course this is a fundamental human tendency – to do things we’ve seen done elsewhere. In criminology it’s called “copycat crimes.” And certainly these regimes consider those who do this kind of thing to be criminals.
Backstage Pass- Susan Bratton
by Sky on Jun.27, 2009, under Traveling Geeks, Video Interviews, Videos
As if managing to publish 40+ podcast series at Personal Life Media weren’t enough, Susan Bratton is totally a bundle of energy. (In fact, maybe that’s her secret.) She’s no stranger to tech, having worked in the semiconductor industry, but her personal podcast DishyMix (now at 100 episodes) is focused on marketing and she does the most fascinating interviews, digging down deep to find out what makes each of her interview subjects really “tick.”
Susan says “Our mantra is ‘frank talk and deep discussion for your personal life.’ ” And Personal Life Media’s tag line is “Podcasts and blogs with expert advice on personal growth, anti-aging, intimacy and relationships.” You can tell that Susan is going to have a great time in the UK and we invite you to follow along!
Censorship as punishment?
by Sky on Jun.25, 2009, under Human Rights, Media, Our networked world
I noted this BoingBoing report that China[1] blocked all Google services yesterday[2] for a time and that it seemed to be punishment for Google not blocking access to certain sites or types of sites that the Chinese state disapproves of. And rumors that this was all intended to divert attention from the Green Dam incident that took place last week.
[1] I say “China” but there are forces acting within China that are actually quite highly opposed to each other and in conflict.
[2] Here’s the source report in The Guardian. And a quote:
Earlier in the day, the main state and communist party media – Xinhua and People’s Daily – condemned Google for providing links to pornographic websites through its search engine. Last week, the government ordered the US company to halt foreign website searches as a punishment.
See also my notes on China’s Golden Shield.
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Welcome!
I hope you'll enjoy this mix of topics stemming from my ongoing experiences in the world of online communication. Oh, and sometimes the inspiration comes from face-to-face communications too. Many are sparked by my work as Chief Technology Officer of The Dalai Lama Foundation.
