In order to capitalize on the positive, constructive role the media can play in bridging cultural gaps and helping to build understanding among nations and cultures, the AoC is developing a Rapid Response Media Mechanism. The aim of this initiative is to
The FBI has been pressing Skype to build a special backdoor into its software for lawful-intercept purposes, but so far it is thought not to have complied. Skype’s cryptic position on lawful intercept is that it “co-operates fully with all lawful reques
Over at Online Journalism Blog Paul Bradshaw has listed ten ways OJ has changed over the past ten years. Bradshaw gives props to conversations between site authors and visitors (a la Cluetrain Manifesto), amateurs and A/V tools and their relatively low prices.
Bradshaw also highlights the importance of RSS feeds (I couldn’t agree more with this):
RSS is one of the most underestimated innovations in journalism. At it’s most basic level it means journalists can subscribe to a range of RSS feeds in one RSS reader - and therefore not have to keep checking back to dozens of original websites for updates. But the more people play with the technology, the more is being achieved.
For one thing, RSS enables very specific consumption: readers can now subscribe to just one section of a newspaper - or even one writer. In the Sun’s case, they can subscribe to search results. In terms of production, RSS enables different bits of news to be aggregated: pick a source, any source, and mash it up into a single feed. It works for Google News, why shouldn’t it work again?
I know folks who don’t use RSS feeds. I don’t see how they can manage the web without them.
I’m playing around with seesmic. I try to explain it in the video. The quality isn’t great, but the fact that one can record videos directly on the site is a major selling point.
I need to explain the conversation line I screwed up in the vid: You can record a video (a statement or whatever) and people can post video replies to it. I’d loooove for some of the US presidential candidates to jump on board seesmic because of that alone!
The demo explains it a heck of a lot better than I can.
I’m still having a hellified time with del.icio.us’ daily blog posts. I have no idea why I keep getting the error message I described in this post. In any case, yet another mystery to solve.
On another note, I lemminged (is that a word?) and splurged on Moo cards. It was time for me to re-order personal business/calling cards and I couldn’t fathom shelling out my life savings over CHF200 yet again for plain white ones. My flickr photos are on one side, my contact info on the other. Very, very attention getting. Depending on the type of business you’re in (I wouldn’t recommend these for in “serious” trades such as banking or insurance) you may want to take a chance on Moo cards: they stand out, especially during conferences when folks are swapping contact info like mad.
Yet another note: I’m investigating the option of using Wordpress as a CMS for a couple of projects. There are some kick-$$ templates out there, but they’re pricey. Mimbo is an option though. I know it’s a lot to ask, but WP is such a wonderful product that it’s almost a shame that it hasn’t been CMSed already (perhaps it has and I just haven’t found the package). I’d thought about attempting to tweak it myself, that that would require time and patience…neither is in great supply for me right now.
By the way, I got a hold of danah boyd’s “Facebook’s Privacy Trainwreck: Exposure, Invasion, and Social Convergence.” Getting into it tonight.
