Internet

Handbook for Cyber-Dissidents

by Sheldon Rampton — October 28, 2005 - 11:42am

Reporters Without Borders has published a "Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents," with technical instructions and advice for people who want to use the internet as a means of expression in repressive societies.

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Reporters Without Borders

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Blog?

by Sheldon Rampton — October 28, 2005 - 9:35am

A Forbes magazine article by Daniel Lyons, titled "Attack of the Blogs," characterizes weblogs as "the prized platform of an online lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel and invective. ...

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Forbes, November 14, 2005

Fake Blogging and an Equally Fake Apology

by Sheldon Rampton — October 8, 2005 - 12:55am

Fake blogs—a form of viral marketing in which PR or advertising agencies attempt to generate interest in their client's product by creating a fictional character on the internet—are drawing criticism from real bloggers.

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Guardian (UK), October 6, 2005

RedState Blogger Boosts Wal-Mart For Bucks

by Laura Miller — September 21, 2005 - 2:31pm

PR giant Edelman has hired RedState.org blogger Michael Krempasky "for his ability to connect with conservative audiences," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. "Krempasky, on his site, refers to the Edelman gig as his 'day job' versus his blogging hobby.

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, (sub req'd) September 21, 2005

Terrorist PR

by Sheldon Rampton — November 23, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Since Sept. 11, 2001, members of Al Qaeda have released an audio- or videotape about once every six weeks," notes Faye Bowers. In addition, terrorists are using the internet with increasing frequency and skill to influence public opinion and recruit followers.

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Christian Science Monitor, November 24, 2004

Blogging From the Front Lines

by Sheldon Rampton — November 18, 2004 - 11:00pm

A veteran of the U.S. war in Iraq has created Operation Truth, a weblog for soldiers to share their stories from the front lines with people back home, including government officials. "I felt like the American public was really detached from the soldier's experience," says Paul Rieckhoff.

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MSNBC, November 19, 2004

The Multimedia Election

by Sheldon Rampton — October 17, 2004 - 10:00pm

"Hardly a day goes by without someone sending me a link to a video, Flash animation, or MP3 file related to the U.S. political campaign," obsserves Steve Yelvington. "It's the first time that multimedia files have been so thoroughly woven through the national political conversation. JibJab's hilarious animations, "This Land" and "Good to Be in D.C.," have been widely covered, but there's much more.

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Poynter online, October 18, 2004

Jailed for Blogging

by Sheldon Rampton — October 15, 2004 - 10:00pm

Juan Cole reports that Omid Memarian, an Iranian writer, journalist, weblogger and social activist has been arrested, making him the fourth journalist to be arrested in an apparent Iranian crackdown on reformist journalists and webloggers who are seen as enemies of the regime. Cole urges people to complain to the Iranian government or their interests section in Washington, DC.

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Informed Comment weblog, October 16, 2004

Fake Blogs, True Buzz

by Sheldon Rampton — October 8, 2004 - 10:00pm

To market a new video game, Sega built a PR campaign around a hoax. It created a weblog whose host called himself "Beta-7" and claimed that the game caused him to suffer blackouts and uncontrollable fits of violence. In reality, "Beta-7" was a fictional character, invented by the Portland, Oregon advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy.

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(registration required) Chicago Tribune, October 9, 2004

Bloggers Shape the Post-Debate Debate

by Sheldon Rampton — October 6, 2004 - 10:32am

Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos weblog has written an insightful article about how bloggers helped turn the perception of first election debate in favor of John Kerry. "Bloggers, thinktanks, the Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) all worked to fact-check Bush and point out his bizarre behaviour," he writes. "The flow of information flowed two ways, as the party establishment and allied organisations worked hand-in-hand with the blogs to gather ammunition, then blast it out to the world.

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), October 5, 2004
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