Egyptian online activists talk about planning ahead of revolution

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/26718/

"Asked about the role of government in trying to block communication technologies, another organizer, Waleed Rasheed, said: 'I would like to thank Mubarak so much.... he disconnected mobile phones on Jan. 27. More people came down to the streets on the 28th of January because he disconnected.' By February 1, the protests had swelled to at least 1 million people, and Mubarak stepped down four days later."

This article also talks about a precursor to the actual revolution, the April 6th Movement. Egypt had a history before the revolution of growing protests, mostly around work and wages I think.  The April 6th movement began in 2008 and took lessons from the Otpor movement in Serbia that had succeeded there earlier. And of course, Otpor had learned from Gene Sharp.  And, to just keep this going, Sharp learned from Gandhi.

Hidden video cameras shape "the narrative" in Syria

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9470481.stm

"The government's old-fashioned effort to control the media coverage has been outflanked by a sassy opposition that has shaped what the PR experts would call 'the narrative.'"

Syrians with hidden video cameras and savvy methods for circumventing government censorship have managed to shape world opinion of the crackdown in Syria with direct evidence of the atrocities happening.  I don't know if this is some sophisticated organized journalistic group, or a spontaneous grassroots effort.  It at least gives the world a view of what is happening that would otherwise never be known.

Social Media helps Delaware

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/18405-delawares-social-media-surge

"After talking about social media at DSU, Grant showed its power by inviting his Twitter followers to meet us in Wilmington an hour later. About a dozen showed up to talk about their belief in the benefits of social media, including Laurie Bick. She says, 'The whole idea is to help each other, so if somebody knows of an opportunity, they use whatever means available to them- Twitter, Facebook, whatever- to get that opportunity to a person they know could make that connection. That's awesome.'"

This article talks about how businesses, government, and just regular folks can be helped with social media interaction.  Perhaps Delaware is the great test bed?

Aussie society helped by Internet

http://www.news.com.au/national/survey-net-users-arent-all-losers/story-fn8g495p-1226046523120

"The survey revealed two-thirds of us use the net at least once a day, with the same number comfortable downloading audio, video and image files. Researchers said contrary to expectations, the poll suggested our internet obsession is not creating a meaner, more individualistic society."

When the Internet started people predicted it would isolate people and turn them anti-social. The opposite has actually happened.

The short history of Anonymous as activist

http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/pieces/anonymous-lulz-collective-action

"What we can note about Anonymous is that since the winter of 2008 it has become a political gateway for geeks (and others) to take action. Among other opportunities, Anonymous provides discrete micro-protest possibilities that aren't otherwise present in a way that allows individuals to be part of something greater. You don't have to fill out a form with your personal information, you aren't being asked to send money, you don't even have to even give your name but you do feel like you are actually part of something larger. The decision to engage in political action has to happen somehow, via a concrete path of action, a set of events, or influences; Anonymous is precisely that path for many."

This is a pretty good summary of both the history of Anonymous activism and their "structure."  Of importance here, it notes that "The uneasy relation between these two tendencies is partially resolved when anons constantly remind each other to refrain from behaving like a leader, and thus push participants to strive for consensus as the preferred mode of decision-making."

avaaz; linking activists worldwide

http://www.avaaz.org/en/

"Avaaz empowers millions of people from all walks of life to take action on pressing global, regional and national issues, from corruption and poverty to conflict and climate change. Our model of internet organising allows thousands of individual efforts, however small, to be rapidly combined into a powerful collective force."

Here's an article about them in the Guardian.

"While most of Avaaz's projects are initiated by the staff themselves, every few days they survey a random collection of 10,000 members to ask them which campaigns they want to prioritise. They also monitor constantly online statistics that reveal which campaigns are attracting most interest among members, enabling the membership itself to chose the network's focus."

How teens are using technology

http://www.slideshare.net/PewInternet/how-do-they-even-do-that-myths-and-facts-about-the-impact-of-technology-on-the-lives-of-american-teens

A typical teen makes 50 text messages per day, and 1-5 phone calls per day.  Lots of interesting stuff here.  How will these teens use technology when they become adults?

Excellent video on collective action at work!

http://www.youtube.com/user/UsNowFilm?blend=3&ob=5

"Us Now" is an excellent film, with good resources (Clay Shirky, Don Tapscott, etc.) that gives many examples of collective action and much insight into what it can achieve.  If you want to see the future, watch this.

Syrian online activists

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13168276

"Just like the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, the protests in Syria are a grassroots movement, with no real leaders but with a number of prominent activists who keep things going."

This article talks about some of the online activists in Syria and how they communicate information on a more national level, while locals organize their own protests.  Facebook played an important part in getting the protests going, but "but now Facebook is really just 1% of the movement," said one of the activists.

Again, there is no hierarchy, just people doing what they can locally or online.

Google embraces crowd sourcing, to a degree

http://www.betanews.com/article/Google-opens-Map-Maker-crowdsourced-mapping-for-US/1303251104

"Users submit map edits which are then reviewed and posted by Google's own editorial staff. Google says the edits should appear within a few minutes of submission, and edits can be tracked in realtime in Google Earth."

So Google gets input from its users, which Google first reviews before putting online.  This I would assume is the best way, to avoid the trolls directing today's soccer fans into a canal instead of the stadium.