http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120795829804109371.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
One shouldn't be surprised, but this is how WSJ opined concerning the recent Comcast/BitTorrent kurfuffle:
The good news is that while politicians and MoveOn were busy exploiting the episode to push a pro-regulatory agenda, Comcast and BitTorrent were fleshing out a new network
management plan. It will allow file-sharers to use Comcast's network without slowing service for everyone else. And it shows that the private sector is perfectly capable of handling these issues on its own... Maybe someone should tell the FCC's Mr. Martin that markets work. (emphasis mine).
This should be so obvious so as not to require wasted pixels, but briefly:
1) An agreement between 2 companies does not a neutral Internet make. If anything it demonstrates the need for a universal policy of Internet freedom. Can you imagine the aggregate legal costs if every new Internet service, business or nonprofit, had to meet with Comcasts (and AT&T's and Verizon's) legal teams?
2) This agreement was only reached because this case was politicized and used as a point of popular mobilization by Network Neutrality advocates and organizers.
3) Ergo, this is not a case of the magic of markets at work, but of corporations tweaking behaviors that sacrifice a public good (a free and open Internet) only under the scrutiny of the government and the people and in an attempt to slow down the trend towards a national policy of Internet freedom.
The FCC is holding a hearing on "Network Management Practices" (i.e. Net Neutrality) this week in Palo Alto, where they will hear again from a public that rightfully distrusts the small group of companies that control their access to the Internet.
Thanks to BW for point out the WSJ's op-ed.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Rootscamp 2008, part 2
Online Communication & New Media for your Organization by Tracy Russo from Edwards for America
First laugh: "The Internet is not an ATM."
Tracy says that the work a web manager has to do to develop buy in internally is often equal to the work they do in their public facing efforts.
Q&A:
Q: What are the stats we can use to develop that buy in?
A: Demographics of the blogosphere: progressive bloggers are 46-54 years old, with a median income of $80k, college educated or better, in other words - voters.
Q: How do you reach out to bloggers? "I'm used to traditional press outreach."
A: Tracy gives some pretty standard advice here:
- Read blogs & know who writes about what
(side note: Bloggers don't open attachments from campaigns?)
- Always source your material, traceable. Bloggers can't afford Lexis/Nexis.
- "Don't tell me what to write." Make gentle suggestions about what they might be interested in.
- Be honest.
- Schwag, rewards, incentives?: be careful, bloggers don't want to come off as bought.
- give them things they can use: pictures, videos
- Think about the wide world of blogs. Send policy stories to policy blogs.
Now that I've gone to enough of these kinds of meetings, I can see that, even though the Web and e-politics are still new, a set of best standards and practices is clearly emerging.
Q: What's the cool new technology?
A: Text messaging, with caveats.
Q: What about blogging on behalf of the organization?
A: 1) Your blog record should be clear. 2) Don't cause problems.
First laugh: "The Internet is not an ATM."
Tracy says that the work a web manager has to do to develop buy in internally is often equal to the work they do in their public facing efforts.
Q&A:
Q: What are the stats we can use to develop that buy in?
A: Demographics of the blogosphere: progressive bloggers are 46-54 years old, with a median income of $80k, college educated or better, in other words - voters.
Q: How do you reach out to bloggers? "I'm used to traditional press outreach."
A: Tracy gives some pretty standard advice here:
- Read blogs & know who writes about what
(side note: Bloggers don't open attachments from campaigns?)
- Always source your material, traceable. Bloggers can't afford Lexis/Nexis.
- "Don't tell me what to write." Make gentle suggestions about what they might be interested in.
- Be honest.
- Schwag, rewards, incentives?: be careful, bloggers don't want to come off as bought.
- give them things they can use: pictures, videos
- Think about the wide world of blogs. Send policy stories to policy blogs.
Now that I've gone to enough of these kinds of meetings, I can see that, even though the Web and e-politics are still new, a set of best standards and practices is clearly emerging.
Q: What's the cool new technology?
A: Text messaging, with caveats.
Q: What about blogging on behalf of the organization?
A: 1) Your blog record should be clear. 2) Don't cause problems.
Rootscamp 08, part 1
Earlier this week, I thought "I wonder if I should attend that Rootscamp thing? It's probably too late to register." Not long after, HJS sent me an IM that read "I saw you were attending that Rootscamp thing - that's rad." Indeed - there I was, listed on the conference's wiki attendees list. Apparently, I had enthusiastically signed up very early on and promptly forgot about it. Sure it was on my calendar, but I thought I had just left myself a marker. So, here I am.
This is my first "unconference." We'll see how it goes.
The conference is starting, with Lola Elfman and Zack Exley from NOI. In case you were wondering, Lola is indeed Danny Elfman's daughter. I met her last summer at an online fund raising workshop.
This is my first "unconference." We'll see how it goes.
The conference is starting, with Lola Elfman and Zack Exley from NOI. In case you were wondering, Lola is indeed Danny Elfman's daughter. I met her last summer at an online fund raising workshop.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Dee Dee Halleck, Participatory Media & Social Activism: A Talk at American University
(I composed this post last night)
As I arrive, Dee Dee is talking about Full Spectrum Warrior, a military recruiting video game developed by USC on a $2 million DoD grant. "USC is completely in the pocket of the Department of Defense."
"Of course, we shouldn't leave out the girl's games... the boys are getting sent to Iraq, and the girls are getting sent to the mall... THere are peaceful video games." She shows us a game "that's a little lame" because it didn't get a $2 million DoD grant. It's a game about the budget of the DoD.
Amazingly, there doesn't seem to be a wi-fi signal here at American University's Center for Social Media. I'm taking this down in AbiWord and will post to the blog shortly.
"Because of the availability... of these wonderful tools [community media] is very important around the world... There are all kinds of organizations around the world that are doing community media."
Dee Dee was involved in the (marginalized) civil society work at the World Summit on Information Society, where her group projected a Negativland film on Disney's restrictive IP practices on the side of the WIPO headquarters.
She also mentions Petri's (Prometheus Radio Project) work setting up radio stations in Tanzania.
Q&A
I ask Dee Dee how we can connect the people, the facilitites and other resources, and most importantly the traditions and values of community media to the generation of kids obviously excited about the personal media they can make, but don't seem to understand the deep power of media.
Because I was finishing my question, I missed the exact quote, but Dee Dee makes the point that these centers can be a place where people connect to make media., which is so different than using a webcam to film one's pet. It's about communities getting to know each other "and they can see the work that people do."
Dee Dee plugged my work with Reclaim the Media around the November FCC hearing! Thanks, Dee Dee.
One of the audience members, with experience in film and who is just learning about PEG, suggested sending "one of you guys" to university film programs. She made a really good point about engaging students in PEG who would tell their friends to watch, building a new constituency.
Dee Dee: "Part of the problem with public access is what I call the Wayne's World [stigma]... They want people to think of public access as a couple of guys wanking off in their mom's basement...." It's so much more important as a civic tool, for youth education, etc.
As I arrive, Dee Dee is talking about Full Spectrum Warrior, a military recruiting video game developed by USC on a $2 million DoD grant. "USC is completely in the pocket of the Department of Defense."
"Of course, we shouldn't leave out the girl's games... the boys are getting sent to Iraq, and the girls are getting sent to the mall... THere are peaceful video games." She shows us a game "that's a little lame" because it didn't get a $2 million DoD grant. It's a game about the budget of the DoD.
Amazingly, there doesn't seem to be a wi-fi signal here at American University's Center for Social Media. I'm taking this down in AbiWord and will post to the blog shortly.
"Because of the availability... of these wonderful tools [community media] is very important around the world... There are all kinds of organizations around the world that are doing community media."
Dee Dee was involved in the (marginalized) civil society work at the World Summit on Information Society, where her group projected a Negativland film on Disney's restrictive IP practices on the side of the WIPO headquarters.
She also mentions Petri's (Prometheus Radio Project) work setting up radio stations in Tanzania.
Q&A
I ask Dee Dee how we can connect the people, the facilitites and other resources, and most importantly the traditions and values of community media to the generation of kids obviously excited about the personal media they can make, but don't seem to understand the deep power of media.
Because I was finishing my question, I missed the exact quote, but Dee Dee makes the point that these centers can be a place where people connect to make media., which is so different than using a webcam to film one's pet. It's about communities getting to know each other "and they can see the work that people do."
Dee Dee plugged my work with Reclaim the Media around the November FCC hearing! Thanks, Dee Dee.
One of the audience members, with experience in film and who is just learning about PEG, suggested sending "one of you guys" to university film programs. She made a really good point about engaging students in PEG who would tell their friends to watch, building a new constituency.
Dee Dee: "Part of the problem with public access is what I call the Wayne's World [stigma]... They want people to think of public access as a couple of guys wanking off in their mom's basement...." It's so much more important as a civic tool, for youth education, etc.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
F2C, part 6
Clay Shirky, author Here Comes Everybody
"Every inefficiency you can find is someone's top line profit."
The book's thesis is "Group action just got a lot easier."
"Bill Watson was pushing flash mobs as a critique of hipster culture." Now Clay's talking about how flash mobs were incorporated into political protest in Belarus, and making a great point that in relatively free societies, new coordinating technologies get used frivolously but can be "profoundly political" in another environment.
"William James maintained that thinking is for doing... increasingly, publishing is for acting... it creates the possibility of a platform for coordination."
"Nothing says 'dictatorship' more than pictures of police arresting people for eating ice cream."
"The principle danger to this freedom to act is principally a regulatory one... Law isn't internal to itself... [it] grows up with the structure of the society... Up until recently, all speech regulation in this country [has been] an iterated game of Prisoner's Dilemma... The one thing I tell [my students] is... prior to the mid-90s, if you had something to say in public, you couldn't. You had to get permission to say something in public..." The domain name system is the best place for centralization and professional management of censorship on the Net (wikilinks, ratemycop, etc)."
Q&A
Micah Sifry: Can you talk about future shock and backlash?
A: The really interesting example is where 40,000 LA students walked out to protest an immigration bill, organized using SMS, etc. "The thing that worries me most... is that punishments might become extreme.." to raise the threat level.
"Every inefficiency you can find is someone's top line profit."
The book's thesis is "Group action just got a lot easier."
"Bill Watson was pushing flash mobs as a critique of hipster culture." Now Clay's talking about how flash mobs were incorporated into political protest in Belarus, and making a great point that in relatively free societies, new coordinating technologies get used frivolously but can be "profoundly political" in another environment.
"William James maintained that thinking is for doing... increasingly, publishing is for acting... it creates the possibility of a platform for coordination."
"Nothing says 'dictatorship' more than pictures of police arresting people for eating ice cream."
"The principle danger to this freedom to act is principally a regulatory one... Law isn't internal to itself... [it] grows up with the structure of the society... Up until recently, all speech regulation in this country [has been] an iterated game of Prisoner's Dilemma... The one thing I tell [my students] is... prior to the mid-90s, if you had something to say in public, you couldn't. You had to get permission to say something in public..." The domain name system is the best place for centralization and professional management of censorship on the Net (wikilinks, ratemycop, etc)."
Q&A
Micah Sifry: Can you talk about future shock and backlash?
A: The really interesting example is where 40,000 LA students walked out to protest an immigration bill, organized using SMS, etc. "The thing that worries me most... is that punishments might become extreme.." to raise the threat level.
F2C, part 5
Carbon Negative Internet, 2
Robin Chase, Zipcar: "...in these moments of history, would I have been heroic?"
"We have 2-3 years to get the probabilities [of averting catastrophe] in an interesting range... Cap and trade isn't going to do anything in that time frame."
Robin's new company: Go Loco.
Robin Chase, Zipcar: "...in these moments of history, would I have been heroic?"
"We have 2-3 years to get the probabilities [of averting catastrophe] in an interesting range... Cap and trade isn't going to do anything in that time frame."
Robin's new company: Go Loco.
F2C, part 4
Carbon negative Internet
(This is cool: http://electricsheep.org/)
The global communications infrastructure contributes 2% of greenhouse gases.
Kathy Brown, Verizon: Networks and ICT is not part of the climate change policy dialog, but should be. The high-speed Internet saves energy.
Telecommuting: 600M Tons
Teleconferencing: 199.8M Tons
E-conservation: 67.2M Tons
E-commerce: 206.3 M Tons
Equals: 1b Tons
Not sure of the time scale (annually?) and if it's actual or projected.
Teleconferencing: First generation was jerky, so people walked away, but now Cisco has a good product, though it's expensive. "Every time I don't go to India, the amount of jet fuels I am saving allows me to use my teleconferencing technology twice a week for the whole year."
E-conservation: Downloading music, books, etc. Even shipping has better carbon footprint than a drive to the mall.
"But there is so much more": "By mapping out routes UPS saves 28.8 millions miles annuall ywhich results in roughly 3 million gallons of gas an Co2 emissions reductions of 31, 00 metric tons." -New York Times Apparently, the point was to avoid having UPS drivers from ever making a left turn. Also, look at Dash.
(This is cool: http://electricsheep.org/)
The global communications infrastructure contributes 2% of greenhouse gases.
Kathy Brown, Verizon: Networks and ICT is not part of the climate change policy dialog, but should be. The high-speed Internet saves energy.
Telecommuting: 600M Tons
Teleconferencing: 199.8M Tons
E-conservation: 67.2M Tons
E-commerce: 206.3 M Tons
Equals: 1b Tons
Not sure of the time scale (annually?) and if it's actual or projected.
Teleconferencing: First generation was jerky, so people walked away, but now Cisco has a good product, though it's expensive. "Every time I don't go to India, the amount of jet fuels I am saving allows me to use my teleconferencing technology twice a week for the whole year."
E-conservation: Downloading music, books, etc. Even shipping has better carbon footprint than a drive to the mall.
"But there is so much more": "By mapping out routes UPS saves 28.8 millions miles annuall ywhich results in roughly 3 million gallons of gas an Co2 emissions reductions of 31, 00 metric tons." -New York Times Apparently, the point was to avoid having UPS drivers from ever making a left turn. Also, look at Dash.
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