On this day, June 4th, 2008, the news brings to our attention the flash mob’s cooler cousin, digital ninjas, “computer literate” terrorism, guerrilla campaigning in Idaho, the 10-year-old’s digital pedophile costume, and more.

• Forbes takes a look at Kiva and its founders, Matt and Jessica Flannery.
• Charlie Beckett of the Polis Journalism Society: Does the Internet make things more democratic?
• SleepWhenDeadNYC puts on a steroid-pumped flash-mob festival. Is this the flash mobs more mature cousin? What is this?
• Perhaps talk of Egypt and Facebook activism will fill the void in conversation choices left by the end of primary season.
• Adeline Flash Mob advertises upcoming (ninja) mob, video.
• Have you heard about the 10-year-old girl who masked herself as an Internet pedophile?
• A look at Guerrilla campaigning through the eyes of Smokefree Boise.
• And finally, there is no shortage of reportage on the rise of “computer literate” terrorism.

-Filed in News

On this day, May 12th, 2008, the news brings to our attention Chinese organizers 2.0, social media against Obama, a righteous answer to YouTube, hasty (and frightening) repercussions are taken against Egyptian strike organizers and more.

• Feeling otherwise alone, mommies find a friend in online social networking.
• Human Rights watch claims that an activist who used Facebook to organize a general strike in Egypt was beaten and threatened with rape.
• A plan to grab the Olympic torch by way of flash mob was thwarted when the organizer was arrested by the Chinese government.
• Social media leveraged against Sen. Obama.
• Facebook quickly announces its answer to MySpace Data Availability.
• Obama channels Alinsky, who encouraged the importance of getting people invested into an issue by making any contribution possible, no matter how small it might be.
• Chinese dissenters are coordinating general strikes by way of Facebook and SMS.
• Do you find YouTube to be offensive due to its relative godlessness?
• And finally, if you don’t like a candidate, the Internet is a lovely place for a smear campaign (Bonus quiz: Which Democratic candidate refuses to put his hand on the Bible, preferring instead to put it on the Quran?)

-Filed in Uncategorized

On this day, May 2nd, 2008, the news brings to our attention the rise of Chinese hacktivism, CNN’s nod to the meme, Entertainment Weekly getting deep about HIV, the poking of the Egyptian president, Israel’s pending birthday flash-mobbing, and more.

• Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to get poked on his 80th.
• Speaking of birthdays, Israel, 20 years younger than Mubarak, can expect a flash-mobbing as a part of its birthday celebration.
• Hacktivism makes a comeback when Chinese web warriors lash out at CNN, the French.
• EW: Is [HIV] PosOrNot? the most depressing meme ever?
• A proposal for International Shut Up Day, where we all just leave each other alone and not try to get each other to do something.
• CNN gets around to noticing memes and micro celebrities! Cue 15 minutes of fame jokes!
• Finally, last week, pot-heads in Colorado learned the value in safety in numbers.

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On this day, May 1st, 2008, the news brings to our attention the organization of global terror online, the ongoing failure of the American Right to catch up with the Left by way of Internet fund-raising, an alternative to flash-freezing, a boycott of French supermarkets, and even more conversation about cyber-activism in Egypt (this time coming in part from the front lines).

• Interpol’s Executive Director of Police Services talks about how terrorists are using the Internet, how they’re getting better with computers, questions the theory that hackers are becoming more professional.
• Conservative columnist Peter Wirs notes that the GOP has less than half online contributors than do the Democrats. He goes onto declare “the Republicans have absolutely no answer to these numbers of Obama online contributors or MoveOn supporters.”
• In Australia, Chinese nationalists plan to boycott a French supermarket.
• A third shot at Internet activism in Egypt, this time on Global Voices. Blogger and activist Nora Younis talks with the site about Facebook and the helpfulness of Twitter (beyond its ability to help free American bloggers).
• And to answer a question I posed yesterday - Yes, flash mobs can ultimately lead to something more than freezing; they can lead to students promoting the lineup of a campus concert by way of chanting and acting like dinosaurs.

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On this day, April 30th, 2008, the news brings to our attention social networking-savvy nonprofit organizations, thoughts on Egypt’s “schizophrenic” response to the internet, [more] flash mobs (and Mo Rocca on dramatically simulating them), and Urban Middle-class moms: the O.G.’s of grassroots activism.

• The Chicago Tribune realizes that social networks are no longer exclusively playgrounds for children, teachers gone wild, and pedophiles - Nonprofit organizations can be found using them too.
• A freelance journalist responds to all of the recent news about Egypt and Internet action has at least one person trying to make sense of Egypt’s emerging position. He suggests that “the government’s response to online opposition has been predictably schizophrenic.” Further, those leading online movements against the ruling clique in Egypt must “recognize the limitations as well as the opportunities of the medium.”
• Inspired by Improv Everywhere’s “Grand Central Freeze” video, Penn State students try to have their own “organized fun.” Mo Rocca talks about appearing on an episode of Law and Order: SVU as a flash mob organizer who is inspired by the same video [though, having not seen the episode, I can't tell if this is a joke as Robin Williams is shown here as the leader of the mob - Did anyone see this? Am I the only one only watches SVU re-runs in chunks on the USA network and knows nothing about the new episodes?] With the world experiencing around one flash freeze a day, is this public performance party-trick is quickly on its way to becoming the Lolcats of 2008?
• Finally, we learn about grassroots organization from those who do it best. Remember: “Hell hath no fury… like an Urban Middle-class (and up) Mom scorned.”

-Filed in Uncategorized

I have received approximately one hundred and fifty thousand notes (in their various electronic forms) from friends and family members about the young blogger that could [get his ass out of jail using Twitter]. Everyone from my net-addicted peers to the 80-something grandparents of net-addicted peers have sent emails, tagged me in Facebook notes, and (not ironically) sent tweet after tweet about this incident, which is such a potent reminder of how everything is changing thanks to how we communicate online — even the process and potential of being arrested in a different, and somewhat terrifying, country.

-Filed in Uncategorized