Very funny anti SOPA song.
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Social media vs voter fraud in Russia Even Vladimir Putin isn’t immune to the power of social media. We’ve seen how social media has fueled revolutions across the Middle East in the Arab Spring, and now Russian citizens are getting into the act. An independent election observer in Russia witnessed blatant voter fraud. He captured video on his phone and then uploaded it for all to see.
It’s stunning to see how oppressive regimes are losing their grip on the public. The key to power is controlling information, and in the past, control of TV and newspapers was the primary tool. But it today’s bottom-up world, that control is impossible with social media and the Internet. But it’s impossible to have a modern economy without an open web, so hence the dilemma for thugs like Putin. It also presents some risks but also huge opportunities for foreign policy goals in the United States. It’s amazing to see how political campaigns has evolved in the Internet era. We’ve seen a transformation based primarily in the areas of online fundraising and using social media to organize supporters and volunteers. This makes it much easier for national figures to quickly ramp up campaigns. Elizabeth Warren is a great example. She has a ton of progressive support after her role in creating the Financial Consumer Protection Bureau, so when she announced her Senate campaign, she was able to immediately harness her political celebrity. She raised a ton of money online in a short period of time, mostly from small donors all around the country. The web tools for this are now very common and easy to implement. In addition to raising a ton of money, she is also organizing an army of volunteers. As a result, her opponents in the Democratic primary have dropped out. These tools are also important for less well-known candidates. People can create local buzz, and then use the same new media tools to leverage that buzz. Things now move much faster. That said, old-school politics are still critical, and things like appearances and shaking hands generate news stories, that then get disseminated and then motivate people to go to the candidates web site. Also, people want to show their support in many ways, so signs and stickers are still important. So campaigns still need to pay attention to things like sticker printing, but the web is also helpful here as well, as all these things can be ordered online. It will be interesting to see what innovations are in store for 2012. Tom Friedman discovers the cloud Tom Friedman is usually very good at explaining the disruptive influence of new technology and the implications for the global economy, even if he isn’t the first (or second) to notice something.
Some like Rich Kaarlgard have been describing this as the “cheap revolution” for years. Friedman is explaining the new developments in that area. We now have it all at our fingertips all the time. It’s a powerful and exciting development. Kickstarter is a great crowdsourcing example that thrives in this environment. Friedman uses the column to contrast Wall Street and Silicon Valley. It’s a good read. Erin Andrews and the perils of Twitter for celebrities Erin Andrews has advice for celebrities who decide to use Twitter. Andrews has a huge following, and she explains how famous people need to have thick skin to handle all of the tough comments thrown their way.
Tweet at your own risk. Posted in: New Media, Social Media Some tips for your online dating profile Here are some tips for creating your online dating profile. The article is aimed more towards advice for women, but men can benefit from some of the tips as well. Online dating is becoming more and more popular, so everyone should check it out if you’re looking for love or even a hookup. Read the whole article, but here’s one of the tips:
This is pretty good advice, as many profiles created by women seem to have plenty of ultimatums. Another tip we think women should consider involves picture of their dogs. So many women seem to be obsessed with their pets, and then litter their profile with photos of the dog. Really? Unless the guy is a real dog lover, this is going to turn him off. Let him meet your pet and then see how it goes, but pictures of dogs, particularly those tiny designer dogs, are going to chase many men away. Posted in: New Media, Social Media Tags: dating advice, dating advice for women, dating tips, dog photos in dating profiles, Internet dating, Internet dating advice, Internet dating profiles, looking for love online, online dating, online dating profiles, online dating sites, online dating tips, online matchmaking, online personal ads, online personals, tips for online dating profiles, web personal ads, web personals, what to avoid in dating profiles, write your dating profile Shaq retires on Twitter: #thismeansnothing Jeff Morgan isn’t too impressed with Shaq’s Twitter announcement that he’ll retire.
Check out the entire article. In the end, Shaq was hyping a new service called Tout which let’s you upload 15 second video clips and send them out on Twitter. It was really just a PR stunt, and in that sense it worked! Posted in: Social Media Tags: #thismeansnothing, Shaq retires on Twitter, Shaq Tout, Shaquille O’Neal, tech blogosphere, Tout, twitter Mike Elgan calls it, along with a detailed critique that explains why this site has fallen on hard times. This is one of the many problems cited by Elgan, and this one drove us crazy as well.
Digg is now a mess. It’s still used to try to promote content, but it’s been gamed to the point that normal people can’t submit a story with any hope of having it take off. Posted in: New Media, Social Media Tags: Death of Digg, Digg, Mike Elgan, Mike Elgan Digg Google embraces porn in search results We’ve noticed over the past several months that Google seems to be giving even more weight to porn sites over mainstream sites when tame search terms like “Hot Babes” or “Hot Blondes” are used. Instead of featuring mainstream sites that have bikini and lingerie models like Maxim, you end up with hard core porn sites. What’s going on here? Google has outsmarted itself, and now the search results are a complete mess. Facebook keeps pushing the envelope in the online dating game
The online dating landscape keeps evolving, and Facebook and other social media sites are often leading the way. The latest out of Facebook let’s you set up a notice system so you get notified when someone you are interested in changes their status and is no longer “taken.” This breakup notifier will likely be a very popular feature. |





