Twitter story visually

I usually see plenty of visuals on the web that I like, but this one is very close to my heart – it’s neatly made, factual and tells a story of one ofmy favourite places on-line, Twitter:) Enjoy and make sure you check the original article on Social Media Today!

Red

Twitter does not deserve a Nobel Peace Prize!

Image by Newsphoto Amsterdam via Flickr

Once again I have been following a topic for a while and feel I need to speak up. Can we please, please, PLEASE stop glorifying Twitter in relation to events in Iran? Media is shouting about the importance of Twitter in revolution and we all seem to forget that it is actually Iranians who deserve the support and admiration!

I am saying it because I was shown this article today in which Mark Pfeifle puts forward Twitter for Nobel Peace Prize! And you know what, me – quite a heavy geek and social media addict – I find it unhealthy! It is a TOOL of communication used by actual people, and if Twitter were not there revolution would continue – we would simply have less insights into it. And I dare to say – some of us would care less.

Shall we awards tv broadcasting for the success of Solidarnosc movement and changes in Poland, followed by other Easter European countries beginning from ‘89? Should we award Facebook for spreading the word about ‘cc  all/one of your e-mails to Jaqui Smith’ action? Or maybe we should think of people who understood the nature of those tools and used them to support their cause?

Yes, I agree, Twitter and other social media increase the transparency of events and deliver the news quicker. Those venues very often enhance the off-line networking. But they have nothing, but nothing to do with the decision making, the attitude, and willingness to fight and risk your lives for basic human rights!

When traditional journalists were forced to leave the country, Twitter became a window for the world to view hope, heroism, and horror. It became the assignment desk, the reporter, and the producer. And, because of this, Twitter and its creators are worthy of being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.

-states the post I am referring to.

OK, I agree with the first part, however I see no connection between reporting on the news and actually deserving the gratitude for making the change? News has little to do with standing on the street and fighting for peace. News is there as an observer, not an active participant! News is there to witness the events and it’s people writing it who deserve more focus than the tool itself- does the channel of communication really deserve the Peace Prize? Did it ever before?

Although we don’t know how the uprising in Iran will end, or where the symbols of freedom and liberty will again be given power by people who require an unfettered means of communicating with the rest of us, Twitter and other social media outlets have become the soft weapons of democracy. Twitter told us the story of Neda’s supreme sacrifice. It is telling the story of the Iranian people yearning to breathe free. For those reasons, Twitter deserves consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Again, why is telling the story worth Peace Prize? I will tell you why. Because we have a Twitter bug. We are suddenly discovering, at least most of the global population, how different communication and networking on Twitter and other social media platform is. But for some reason – and I really do not know the answer to this one – we tend to think it’s a miracle! It’s new. It’s magical. So it must be…the best?

Twitter, blogging, image sharing has, is and will be changing the ways we report on news. But it will not change the way we react to events, nor anything else related to our every day activities, place in society, political situation. Yes, in some cases it gives us voice, but we still need to speak up and the decision to do so has nothing to do with the medium.

And in case of this particular article, I find it unfair on Iranians. And somehow posted by the person who received ‘the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Award for “dramatically improved communication planning and strategies…in support of the Global War on Terror.” rather twisted, simply because I do not trust anyone involved in the American War with terrorism so strongly advocated by Bush administration.

Internet, including social media becomes a part of our live. Few years ago we used to post letters, later we would e-mail them, today we might tweet them. The message stays the same. I hate to think that the channel of communication could ever become more important then those whom it serves.

Twitter should be happy as it is – thanks to the simple fact that Iranian elections and revolution did and still happen on Twitter too, already popular platform gained more users. I see how suddenly in last few weeks the amount of Polish users increased there.

As for awards and appraisals let’s turn to the Iranians themselves, who are wonderful in fighting censorship with the usage of new media; who have a wonderfully developed blogosphere but most of all – who are brave to stand up for their freedom of speech and other basic human rights. Respect to them all!

Raul Midon and India Arie

With big thanks to Jolinda, for always making me smile and putting it all right:) and  for pointing this out:

That is exactly IT!

Dziekuje!

Bad news…

Image via Wikipedia

Some days are cool, and others bring all the hard news and I feel that reality overwhelms me. Recently I have learned stories from people surrounding me, and experienced  few myself that made me doubt the humankind heavily.

I know, it sounds harsh, but I cannot comprehend why to we decide to suffer so much? Why do we give up our own basic human rights (to express ourselves, to decide, to steer our own lives) for the sake of comfortable, still unhappy life? Why do we accept easy root, even though we know very well, it is not the best one? And what makes us change?

I myself had to realize I was heading wrong way for the last 1.5 years  – not consciously,  at least I tried to believe that way the case.  I committed the sin of conformism myself, almost unintentionally. I say unintentionally because I thought I was giving myself a change to live a different (by different I hoped for better) life. However, I denied my own nature! My values and to some extend my own self. It is a very dangerous thing to do…I think my passiveness surrounded me and the moment it turned against me (and the moment someone quoted me as their ‘endless source of energy’;) which I really appreciate) I realized my mistake. I think it was the view of the desert that opened my eyes…again.

I say again, because I always believed in the value of one strong SELF, right? I always worked on the enter to be able to give more, to represent a better person. To give a good example. And to always, but always try harder to achieve my goals.

Today I need to stop and look around. I need to decide about the direction based on who I am, based on my own choice.

I see friends who struggle for the sake of shadows, give up all they do not even have for less. I see people I met randomly trying to brake the vicious circle of conformism, because they ‘feel it’s not OK’. Still, they don’t.

How far do we need to go to make the turn?

Regardless the nationality, location, sex or tradition – we all need to compromise, I agree. But I do not accept any relationship (mine or others) where I see the compromise is made on one side, and with one’s self, not with the other’s.

And nowadays all I see is just subordination, acceptance of other’s conditions (?) and expectations. And whenever money is involved, the shift is rather obvious, sadly. I cannot comprehend people who source their authority in money, age, race, physical strength or sex. The real authority comes from impressing the other with who you are and how well you treat them.

I do not like what I see…

If you care for me, you want what I want and ask the right questions, without assumptions and listen.

If you say you know better what is good for me, your statement is wrong , patronising and unfair.

Simple. It’s not a question of love, hate, common or separate future. It’s a question of respect. So let’s all respect each other, please.

Friendship

9 years in a city…remembered in those few items…a country celebrated in kept friendships…

Places born out of friendship, kept in our hearts together with their smile and woken up each time they give us a hug.

This weekend I am enjoying one of those:D

Flowers from our garden

Anonymous blogging, open governments and freedom of expression

Image via Wikipedia

There is a bit of talk on the Times article today, and I would like to brake my own silence about this topic, because I am really getting fed up. I have quite strong opinions about transparency, freedom of expression and ethics of social media usage in general, I just do not feel sophisticated enough (yet) to share them in such a great form like Scoble, @ethicsblogger, Bruce Weinstein, or other specialists do. Nonetheless today’s buzz moved me and probably kicked of a new stream of posts on this blog of mine…

There is a big change visible on the horizon of blogging and the more I look around the more I agree with those, who claim that 2010 web will bring a de-fragmented, but slightly elitist blogosphere. Why? Simply because real nature of blogging base on freedom of expression regardless region, profession, type of blog, platform or language gains on its importance as we see governments stepping into the space and trying to impose new (old?) rules. UK, Poland, now Germany…more and more news comes back to me on more and more restricted usage of Internet and rules of blogging. And now this:

‘In the first case dealing with the privacy of internet bloggers, the judge ruled that Mr Horton had no “reasonable expectation” to anonymity because “blogging is essentially a public rather than a private activity’.

In every country there is a need for anonymous blogging. Anonymous blogging is a symbol of freedom of expression! It is the way web works for many of us. You see, I am quite open and transparent on my views, private life, work related interest too – but this because I am lucky to work in business strongly related to social media, where most of us understand the mechanisms behind it. For some it’s not easy to go out and speak up in front of global audience, and for others it is illegal to talk about actual events. For some it is not easy to share their ideas, opinions. For some it is unacceptable to speak up even in front of their own family.

Even some of the strongest, highly influential voices, whose anonymous identity has been revealed, struggled and went through different stages of re-organizing their life to be able to continue posting. Remember Abby Lee – how she had to face her family and explain her reasons to write the most talked about in the UK  sex blog? Did you read how Salam Pax felt when his dad learned that his son is The Blogger media talks about?

I am glad those people speak up today and support anonymous blogging, because it is crucial to understand the relationship between a voice (do we really need to know if it’s our neighbour?), content and the effect on the audience. If a blog’s content is dangerous, destructive etc – in properly working democracy – this can be addressed case by case, based on already existing privacy protection acts etc. There is no need for new laws related purely to social media usage as such.

What we need is the media to consider what is a story, and what’s not. What we need is understanding of the space and respect of fundamental human rights – like freedom of speech. What we need is the governments to learn the space and stop panicking – just learn it, accept it and do not try to chain the beast – it’s people who have some reasonable opinions out there and very often provide great counter balance to corrupt systems.

It’s quite strange to see Obama with his new transparency policies (I appreciate the effort and the fact he wants to make the statement at least) in relation to European governments and their quite agressive approach to web usage. It’s sad to see other regions fighting for access to the web and/or freedom of speech. But even if it’s not as extreme as it is in all critical areas of the world the principle is the same: understanding and respect. Good blogger will respect the governmental laws, as well as government is expected to understand and respect blogosphere.

And if they do not – there will be people and materials on-line supporting anonymous blogging.

I support it with all my heart!

Summer is here…

..and my landlords invite eveyone interested in Shakespeare and open air performances to our garden – this very Thursday! So if you are in near Wantage, do join us there…

Impressions….

Romantic inside of me…

…I woke up out of a harsh nightmare this morning – one of the worst bad dreams I ever had, but let’s skip that part;) – and decided to think of something nice, something I could potentially do in a near future…French properties? Check this out!

It’s a ruin, and I do not have 6,000EUR yet, but I LOVE IT! (pix source here).

I love it for a weekend house, for a gallery, for a flower shop, for what it is and can become – whatever, I just LOVE IT and I WANT IT!:)

Can someone please get it for me? Pleeeease?

Very frustrated!

I am very frustrated generally speaking, and exhausted (trying to catch up with sleep and million of posts due for yesterday) and what I find while doing research for something I need to write for Global Voices today? My own post on someone else’s blog without any link to my site – slightly rewritten! How annoying is that!!! Just on the day when I learn about quite cool EU initiative on educating about rights online…

The copied post is still there regardless of my request earlier on today via comment to delete it so I will report it instantly, however one thing really bugs me – why does anyone think it’s doable? I mean, all you need to do is a simple Google search – for the event hashtag actually!!! How stupid!

Twitteratti feedback says it all:

Me myself, I am extremely liberal when it comes to my content, however now I am setting up Creative Commons again, so kindly check it and  f@@@ off !

paper…

Swine Flu – Second Life Conference (attended from Cairo)

Universe tiny

Trending hashtags, spam, brand transparency and Twitter ethics – a big no-no!

I am so pissed off!

It’s Monday, I am grumpy. It’s sunny and I am stuck in the office. It’s lunchtime, and I have no time for eating.

But mainly: it’s not good news about Air France gone missing.

It’s good news to see Twitter reacting though.

And here comes the stupid spamming idea, which I so, so dislike! Why, why on earth do we have people using potential tradegy for spamming purposes? I just cannot comprehend, it does not fit into my system that someone can be so cheeky…

More experienced Twitter users realise it’s a spam, but would each and every one of Twitterati do so?

So what do you think? What do you think about spammers and companies using trending hashtags on Twitter and in other platform for their own purposes – be it spam or simple brand management?

And yes, Andy, you are right. There is something wrong with the system and something needs to be done. I think there is a bunch of developpers outthere who could build an automated tool (maybe using semantic web, I mean we have seen what Google Wave spell checker can do, right?) in reaction to this, annoyingly always reappearing trend itself:/ I am convinced there always will be a need for human factor in similiar cases, but is Twitter working on it?

Thoughts?

(I need a coffee to calm down. #coffeetalk)

Time for roses in our garden:)

Google Wave

Something I am waiting for…

Global Voices lifestyle

I was planning to structure this post better. I waited with it. I wanted to rethink.

I was wrong. I should have written it just as I arrived from Cairo to keep it fresh, because what I wanted to say stays the same. So if you apologize me, I will basically use my notes from the diary I kept with myself on the plane and bus back and try to wrap it all up nicely.

You see, I joined Global Voices Online after the GV Summit in Budapest. I started translating the content to Polish and very rarely post in English too. GV stayed always slightly in the background due to my daily workload, nonetheless community spirit was there from the very first group e-mail of warm welcome. What I am describing below was not triggered by my trip to Cairo – just reinforced.

I had the privilege to be invited to Cairo to join other 13 GVers in Blogging the Future Seminar and my perception of Global Voices mission, dreams and really not only proved to be very true, but also triggered certain emotional and well, I guess intellectual consequences.

I was coming back to the UK writing:

‘I was packing with heavy heart because [...] GV means incredible people! atmosphere of understanding and connection which I have experienced in very few places so far! It almost physically hurts to go back to cold reality. I know I want to do more for GV. [...] This lack of rush and this common super-understanding  – I cannot even imagine how it must have felt to attend the Summit. I simply have tears in my eyes that I am saying good bye to those guys…

Those people have common goals ok, great skills, access to different cultures but most of all great respect towards themselves, others, other cultures, behaviors, differences and all of the middle ground which keeps them connected. And most of all, they accelerate and bring out the best of what I represent and who I am myself – I see myself differently in thew mirror now.

Shall I compare it to…utopia?!

The ideal mixture of the place (Cairo) and people (GV) yes – but it is the people who decide how we remember places. The sense of belonging – not to a group, minority, culture or nation – but to a common mindset, common mission (the unspoken and the obvious!), of values and views with few mutual commitments. Constant and overwhelming spirit of self respect. Something so indescribable that one cannot really comprehend  unless she or he actually joins, does it, becomes a part of it.

I have experienced it off line now, but it works just the same on-line when we are all at home, on our mailing list, blogs and other presences. Without borders in each and every sense really. It’s nice to meet up. It’s ecstatic. Nevertheless the spirit comes from, lives in and will develop in work we are doing on GV platforms and in other places. There is a mission for us in each space – whatever that space might be or become. I am sure of it. Based on the self-regulatory nature of blogoshpere and our cautious attempt to stay neutral we take what is best of it and shape it into almost an utopia of a community of free thinking people with their own strong voice and ability to listen, to stay positive toward everyone.

There is a meaning for us there. I am confident we all and each of us in our own way carries it forward, peacefully and constructively.

Here in Cairo we talked about our lives, relationships, realities but it was our current presence (here and now), our current voice that mattered. I was really privileged to be among those people, just as I am to be a part of Global Voices.

And now we are all going back to our lives, our homes, our friends, our jobs. But the realization of this belonging and of the fact that GV is not only voluntary work , but also a lifestyle is something that we take home, that stays with us. And I am sure that those who could not make it this time would agree.

Each of us is skillful in something. We share those abilities contributing to the common knowledge pool,  we listen and understand the global world so I really hope that one day the global community will understand Global Voices.’

I still agree with those notes.

You see, at the university we used to learn the text of US Constitution (American Studies). And while reciting ‘Congress shall make no law…’ we would take ten post-its and write one type of a crucial type of freedom on each (incl. freedom from and to do smth). I  put:

freedom to think, to choose people I live with, to travel, to speak my mind, to eat what I want, to read what I want, to not to practice one religion, to leave my room, to study what I want, to skip lecture

The the teacher would ask us to order them in order of importance. I would put them this way

freedom to choose people I live with (1), to think (less important, 2), to speak my mind (3), to not to practice one religion (4), to read (5), to study (6), to leave room (7), to travel (8), to eat (9) and finally to skip class (10)

Then she would ask us to give her the tenth one and imagine our lives without it. Shit! Going to each and every class for me would be HELL! And even thinking if it hurts.

Then she would ask for next one, and the next one…giving us a chance to change priorities.

How do you feel when you are left with only one post-it? Comm’on, do it yourself!

Global Voices is aimed at and not rarely based of people who had to do this exercise in practice, sadly. We all work together and listen to others. We all have our stories of breach of basic human rights.

There are also people who do not care about basic human rights. There are people who live of actually disrespecting those. We all know it but not necessarily have to accept it. There are people who spend their lives committing themselves to causes. There are people who cannot do that. Here comes the web, freedom of speech in its best form. And here come its enemies. And…here: then and now comes the opportunity to do something from home.

It’s not easy – you might have to spend one more hours blogging, instead of watching evening film, and no one will pay you for it. Yes. But trust me, belonging to Global Voices not only actions actual changes by simple work in front of PC, but it also comes with huge amount of gratitude from the community of people who do the same!

It comes with a lifestyle and changes you for better; for ever; and for everyone just as much as for yourself.

(Is it just me? I wonder what other GVers think..)

UPDATE: this post was also published in Polish here.

OR318 – ‘let the first blogger to die in prison be the last’

‘The March 18 Movement was born out of a tragedy. On this day in 2009, Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian blogger and journalist, died in Evin Prison in Tehran. The December before his death, he was sentenced to two and half years in prison for allegedly insulting religious leaders, and engaging in “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Omid Reza was the first blogger to die in prison and his death reveals that getting censored is far from the worst thing that can happen to a blogger.’

It’s there, waiting to pick it it up and spread the word. When I was in Cairo recently – and I do apologise, but I will refer to it a lot – I met brave people who support blogging under their own name in regions, where freedom of speech is not a granted right. It terrifies me to think you go to prison for what you write, even though I faced echoes of similar situations in Poland and Hungary when I was a kid, and even at the university… I see, talk to and spend time with people who do it regardless of the danger of imprisonment. I am impressed and I have no words on how small I feel next to them.

At least whatI can do is support projects like OR318! (on FB too) Join me!