DigIn! Media

Internet Blackout Day Protesting SOPA/PIPA

by Limor Schafman

Fraud v. Freedom - this is the context of the protest black out day you may have noticed taking place across United States based websites.  Visit Google's search browser with its black swath across its name and you will have a good visual of their sentiments.  

The issues presented by the legislation under dispute need to be addressed - fraud, security, copyright infringement.    But is legislation the proper way?  And should the legislation be so broad?  Should the Internet be subject to censorship?  Should we have our freedom of expression curtailed and subject to a central authority of review and power?  The furor around SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)/PIPA (Protect IP Act) is largely around the over-reaching implications of the proposed bills.  

The Washington Post has put together some explanations of the two bills and the surrounding controversey, which are worth looking at.

For the actual text on the bills so you can form your own conclusions, see:

SOPA - HR 3261

PIPA - S 968

I welcome your thoughts and comments - should Congress get involved in Internet oversight?  Why?  Why not?  And if so, to what objective, extent and best way to implement.  

Limor

Ecological Rant

by Limor Schafman

We must be dumb.  I mean truly.  Have you read the NY Times article today on "Promise of Biofuel Clouded by Weather Risks"?

Here we are spending dollars proliferating adoption of an energy source that is inefficient in energy yield, costs plenty, whose processing harms the environment, and it has straight implications to our food supply and hence cost of food.

It is true that we could actually use this to get our population slimmer by not using corn syrup in all our processed foods - but that is asking for too much apparently.  Instead we just have food producers complain about the rise in cost, and buyers still buying that food even if it is no longer cheap, and getting that healthy Twinkie glow.  I don't understand that either.

And this is happening b/c we don't want to be in the hands of another outside fuel supply source in the hands of 'those dang Brazilians' - how dare they have sugar cane fields that yield 8:1 more energy than corn.  It's not our fault we don't grow corn in the mid West.  We don't want our energy to come from foreign sources that force us to go to war with them and overtake their countries.  We're tired of war.  Truly.

Is there no one, no one, thinking about an overall alternative energy strategy for this country [and for the world] that envisions and employs multiple energy sources which together will solve our issues?  Why do we continue to put the majority of our energy source eggs into one basket?  And have we not learned what it costs us to be in the hands of powerful lobbyists who lead us down energy reliance paths that only benefit them and their clients, and not the people of the United States, let alone the World. 

We, all of us humans,  breath the same air and are inextricably connected in the energy and environmental ecosystem.  We need to think beyond the typical human reaction of controlling energy resources [if you weren't calling me naive before hand, you can certainly do so now] and find a global solution. If we are to continue as thriving economies and livable environments, we all have a stake in finding a solution - dare I say it - together and which benefits us all.   

Mayor Bloomberg Kicks Off Internet Week

by Limor Schafman

Gracie Mansion was abuzz this evening with 200+ Internet Week officionados.  The brain child of David-Michel Davies ("DMD"), Internet Week was strongly supported by Kathy Oliver, Film Commissioner for the City of New York.  Bloomberg gave the event a healthy kick-off talking about the importance of the technology and digital media sectors for the economic well being of the city.    The goal of the city is to make New York the place "where the people that you need, want to be," said Bloomberg.  And they have a global perspective. The Mayor also announced the official launch of NYCSeed - a funding mechanism for local internet startups, and the fact that NYC-TV is up for a Webby Award this year (check out the site - you'll see why).    Bloomberg topped off the evening by giving DMD an official Proclamation announcing New York's support of Internet Week.  Way to get a vision realized!

Advertising Your Way Into Voters Minds

IPDI – the Institute for Politics Democracy & the Internet, held its annual Politics Online 2008 conference last week.  What most fascinates about these two days is how sophisticated the tools have become for online advocacy, money raising, field operations organization and voter mobilization, and yet how less than 2% of political advertising budgets overall is spent online.  This is particularly astonishing given that 24% of Americans regularly gather candidate info online, and that a full 178M, o 79% of American Adults go online each week.

IPDI published this year Best Practices for Political Advertising Online as their conference publication.  Instigated and contributed to by Tony Winders of ValueClick Media, sponsored by ValueClick  and Google,  Edited by IPDI's Director Julie Barko Germany, and contributed to by Michael Bassik – MSHC  Partners, Karen A.B. Jagoda – E-voter Institute, Eric Frenhman – Connell Donatelli Inc., Jay Friedman – Goodway 2.0,  Rena Shapiro – Google, and Josh Gray – ValueClick, this publication is a must read both for politicos and for anyone involved in business that wants to spread the word through online advertising. 

Direct, easy to read and comprehensive, this report demystifies what the online environment is all about and how to best use it for marketing and advertising advocacy.  One of the most important aspects emphasized in the publication's launch breakfast was how little people know and understand who is online.  Karen Jagoda's article does an excellent job distilling the nuances of what the different categories of users are looking for, what their online personalities do, and how best to tap these rich resources.  A fascinating case study was included by Michael Bassik in his chapter where he recounts how effective the DNC was in using online advertising to sway post debate perceptions and analysis.  One can say the results are disturbing: 55% of those who saw the post-debate ads thought Kerry had “won” the debate compared to 49% who did not see those ads.

The last three chapters are truly a Best Practices How To of Search Engine Marketing, Online Display Advertising and Online Lead Generation/Recruitment.   And the Executive Summary lists online advertising campaign Do's that anyone contemplating online advertising should use: plan ahead, budget accordingly, use ad servers to track performance, think beyond gimmicks - the online world is much more powerful, start small, think outside the vacuum, conduct media planning and creative development, set realistic goals, and others.  Go to IPDI and to ValueClick Media to download the .pdf.  As Rena Shapiro said on the panel, when you are advertising online, you are reaching people who have raised their hands asking for information.  There is no warmer opening for a “sale.”  Use it. 

No Tech - Just a Human Comment

Except that it is technology that is enabling a deeply disturbing situation:

"In Iraq, Fear Takes A Holiday Relative Calm Draws Residents To Play In Baghdad Park
(Washington Post, March 22, 2007, Pg. 18)
In relative terms, recent weeks in Baghdad have been quiet - execution-style killings are down and nearly a month has passed since the last massive bombing, an explosion at a university that killed nearly 50 persons. And so central Baghdad's vast Zawra Park has been filled with residents picnicking on the patchy grass, and allowing themselves a bit of optimism."

Is anyone catching the tragic irony of what is written here.  It brings to mind the image of a knife -  used to butter bread and feed or used to kill.  Which way do we wish to use technology?  I cast my vote for its furthering of education, compassion and connection among humanity. 

...But then different people have different interpretations of what that means, don't they.
...But then again, as is clear from this story, people just want to live and enjoy their lives and they will pursue that if given half a chance.   

What is our role as technology inventors and producers to help them achieve that?