June 30, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Online Campaigning testimony to the FEC fininshed up yesterday, but bloggers still have a lot to to talk about.
National
- Election-law Crackdown Should wait, Feds Told (News.com)
Witnesses testifying before the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday said campaign finance rules should not be extended to the Internet until there's actual evidence of online corruption or abuses. (June 30, 2005)
- Election Officials Examine Blogs' Role In Campaigns (Star Tribune)
Is the Internet breathing new life into democracy by empowering citizens to air political opinions, or will it morph into a zillion-gigabyte loophole that unravels campaign finance reform? (June 30, 2005)
- FEC Debates Blog Rules (Fox News)
The Federal Election Commission says Web logs just might be a threat to democracy and it's considering whether to police them. (June 30, 2005)
- Bush Touts Website To Back Troops (Chicago Tribune)
As President Bush concluded his address to the nation Tuesday evening, after imploring Americans yet again for their patience and resolve in the war in Iraq, he turned to a new device to make his case. (June 30, 2005)
- E-gov Faces Budget Cuts (Federal Computer Week)
It's not officially summer until Congress cuts the Office of Management and Budget's e-government funding request. (June 29, 2005)
International
- Local Democracy - Keeping Voters Engaged (eGov Monitor)
Findings from the Local e-Democracy National Project show the big challenge now for local politicians is to get closer to the electorate and keep voters interested in local issues. (June 30, 2005)
- STC, Mobily Launch Subscriber Locating Services (ArabNews)
In the continuing battle to be first, both the Kingdom’s mobile telephone service providers have launched subscriber locating services. (June 29, 2005)
- G8 Summit: As Bloggers Will See It (Inter Press Service News Agency)
For news on the summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations, Red Pepper, the British magazine "of the green and radical left," is inviting people around the world to forget the usual media channels and turn to coverage by its "grassroots writers" instead. (June 28, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 29, 2005
MoveOn.org Goes Offline In Latest Campaign
Yesterday's Edition of NBC First Read gives the latest on MoveOn.org:
Karl Rove certainly teed up Bush's Iraq speech tonight. Six days after he accused liberals -- especially MoveOn.org -- of being weak in responding to 9/11, MoveOn today launches a $500,000 TV and print advertising campaign calling to bring home US soldiers from Iraq. ("We got in the wrong way," the ad states. "Let's get out the right way.") As if on cue, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) sent out a statement yesterday calling the ad "an utter disgrace." "To politicize the War in Iraq at this critical juncture," she said, "emboldens the enemy and does so at the peril of our men and women in uniform. I hope my colleagues from both sides of the aisle will join me in disavowing this poisonous ad."
A MoveOn spokesman strikes back at Sen. Dole, saying that if she has a problem with MoveOn, she also has a problem with fellow North Carolina Republican Rep. Walter Jones, who has called for timetable to bring home the troops.
That exchange provides part of the political backdrop to Bush's 8:00 pm primetime speech tonight on Iraq, to soldiers in Fort Bragg, NC. Other elements include two new national polls, both of which contain some troubling numbers for the Administration; Democratic concerns that Bush is trying to politicize Iraq and link it to 9/11 ("The only way that he can stop the downward spiral [in public opinion about Iraq] is to make this become a political issue," Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant working for John Kerry's PAC, tells First Read); and further reminders that we seem to be re-living the 2004 presidential campaign all over again.
For more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3626796/
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 28, 2005
New Draft Biden Website?
It appears the campaign for Biden'08 has launched.
Here’s an email I was forwarded from Jim Kiss:
I'm joining several colleagues to help Senator Joe Biden gain support for his now forming Political Action Committee ( PAC),Unite Our States(www.UniteOurStates.com), The PAC is designed to support leaders who will help secure a burgeoning middle class while particularly promoting a foreign policy emphasizing a clear,positive,unambiguous defense,intelligence,security,military alternative to the failings and failures of the current administration and based on the belief that American military power is important,but,so too is the power of America's example.This PAC shows great promise to be a significant effort to help elect and re-elect candidates and leaders who deeply believe we need to unite the "red" and "blue" states so that America's leadership can address the profound challenges facing our nation at home and abroad. You should know that this PAC is not authorized by any candidate or any candidate's committee and does not represent an endorsement of anyone's future intentions…
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
International Symposium on Local e-Democracy
The agenda for the International Symposium on Local e-Democracy has now been finalised.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
China now has 100 million internet users and about five sites their allowed to visit.
National
- E-voting Paper-Trail Hopes Hit Roadblock (Computer World)
Calls for the U.S. government to require that electronic voting machines produce voter-verified paper trails ran into opposition from two members of a Senate committee during a hearing on e-voting last week. (June 28, 2005)
- Bloggers Resist Government Oversight (Business Week)
Web log creators are concerned about a Federal Election Commission proposal that would extended some campaign finance rules to the Internet. (June 28, 2005)
- Citizen Journalism Growing (Accuracy In Media)
The growing popularity of blogs and citizen journalism is only increasing as inventive citizens collaborate on news ideas to improve their offerings, buoyed by a fertile environment of low barrier costs and a healthy growth rate for online advertisers. (June 28, 2005)
- Bloggers Fighting Government Regulations (Yahoo)
Bloggers who built their Internet followings with anti-establishment prose are now lobbying the establishment to protect their livelihoods from federal regulations. (June 28, 2005)
- Global-MoveOn.org Launches Campaign To Challenge Industrial Age Mentality (PR Leap)
The western civilization is currently stuck in groupthink mode based on outdated Industrial Age concepts. (June 28, 2005)
International
- China's Internet Users Top 100 Million (Forbes)
China's population of Internet users has surpassed 100 million, the government said Tuesday. (June 28, 2005)
- Comic Relief Backs Make Poverty History With Virtual March On G8 Summit (Brand Republic)
Days before world leaders meet for the G8 summit on July 6, Comic Relief, on behalf of Make Poverty History, will rally support online. (June 28, 2005)
- Iranian Net Censorship Powered By US Technology (New Scientist)
Internet censorship in Iran is amongst the most restrictive and sophisticated in the world, a technical study has revealed. And much of the filtering technology in use was developed by western companies. (June 28, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 27, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Feds eye Wi-Fi... What's next?
National
- Muni Wi-Fi Aims to Close Digital Divide (Internet News)
Private enterprise broadband providers ignoring the growing digital divide should expect competition from local municipalities. (June 27, 2005)
- Web Site Launches for Reproductive Rights Activists (infozine)
The American Civil Liberties Union launched a Web site, TakeIssueTakeCharge.org, as part of a national grassroots campaign to protect reproductive freedom. (June 27, 2005)
- Congress Tunes In To WiFi (Washington Technology)
For almost a year, the debate over whether Internet access is a paid privilege like telephone service and cable television burbled along in the press and among bloggers and activists. (June 27, 2005)
International
- Exiles Seek to Blog Iran Toward Democracy (TodayOnline)
Iranian activists in Canada are defying strongarm attempts by the Tehran government to control the Internet to demand reforms in their home country during its landmark election campaign. (June 27, 2005)
- Citizen Reporters in the Spotlight (OhMyNews.com)
OhmyNews International Citizen Reporters' Forum 2005 reveals the authors behind the stories. (June 25, 2005)
- Iran Targets Dissent on the Net (BBC)
The web in Iran has emerged as a source of information for voters, who are choosing a new president in a run-off election. (June 24, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 24, 2005
Person Of The Week - Michael Turk
Michael Turk, eCampaign Director of the Republican National Committee, is Person of the Week for giving PoliticsOnline the inside scoop on the RNC’s latest online activities.
Turk along with Katie Harbath briefed us on the new and improved GOP website and other online activities set to launch in a few weeks.
Some of the new online features will include:
- Combining GOP.com and GOPTeamLeader.com into one website
- Increased focus on online advertising through niche marketing
- Online voter registration drives connected to offline efforts
- More opportunities for candidates to interact with supporters
Realizing that many supporters do most of their work for the RNC on the ground, they hope to empower every offline activity with accompanying online resources.
Turk is a veteran in the online world, and previously served as eCampaign Director for the Bush-Cheney’04 campaign.
Since Ken Mehlman took the post of Chairman of the RNC, online activities have gone from being a piece of campaigns to the very infrastructure of all operations. So much so, that Mehlman made the decision to elevate eCampaigns to a senior staff position
Turk like Mehlman, believes that there is nobody better to spread the agenda for the party and the President than the individual activists. The goal the new website will be to keep supporters engaged and give them all the information they need to be effective.
Voter registration is a big part of this coming campaign season for the RNC, and will be a test on the effectiveness of the new online activities.
One of the ways the RNC will try to register new voters is through online advertising. Turk admits it’s a challenge to breakthrough to people who are exposed from anywhere to 3,000-5,000 messages a day stating, “People don’t go for generic messages anymore.” He believes the best way to reach new supporters is through online niche marketing. Turk recalled how niche marketing worked well during the ’04 campaign season when the Bush campaign targeted moms online with ad by the First Lady Barbara Bush. Not to mention that last year Yahoo and Google combined had more ad revenues than the three networks
Turk is also working to unite Republican communities online. He doesn’t believe that Meetup is an effective model for people who don’t spend that much time online, and said the RNC will try other methods.
Turk also had some thoughts on why Democrats seem to be better at building communities online. Many Progressives view blogs and other online communities as the place where they can go to talk about issue. This is their chosen avenue where they can interact. However, Republicans have had talk radio for years and continue to use this as their focal point because its still effective. Conservatives use talk radio to engage in the debate, democrats use comments on blogs.
Turk also emphasized that Republicans can build effective online communities, but the communities tend to be smaller and more spread out, which why he’s so excited about the website features at GOP.com -- because it will allow for the first time, the ability for these small communities to connect.
Thank you Michael Turk for the time spent with PoliticsOnline.
Visit GOP.com: http://www.gop.com/
Posted by Buzz Webster at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filipinos Go Mobile On President
Forget Eric Clapton's "Layla." In the Philippines, the hottest ring tone for cellular phones features what may be the voice of the Philippine's most powerful politician, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The ring tone is a remix of a recorded telephone conversation purporting to show that Arroyo and an independent poll commissioner conspired to cheat in the 2004 election.
Despite a government warning that possession and dissemination of the audio clip is illegal under the country's anti-wiretapping law, the ring tone immediately became a hit in the Philippines, where more than 30 million cell phone users send roughly 200 million text messages daily.
A website operator of www.TXTPower.org has also launched a cyber-campaign against President, posting jokes this week that can be downloaded as text messages.
Links:
Website Operator Plans More Cyber Protests Against Arroyo
Philippin es: Cell Phone Ring Tone Taking Aim At Country's President
Ring Tone: www.TXTPower.or g
Posted by Buzz Webster at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 23, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Iranian Bloggers Chime In On "Election"
National News
- Pentagon Creating Student Database (Washington Post)
The Defense Department began working yesterday with a private marketing firm to create a database of high school students ages 16 to 18 and all college students to help the military identify potential recruits in a time of dwindling enlistment in some branches. (June 23, 2005)
- NY Lawmakers Agree To Put Local Campaign Records Online (NewsDay)
The money behind local politicians will be revealed online under a legislative agreement announced Wednesday. (June 23, 2005)
International
- Philippines: Cell Phone Ring Tone Taking Aim At Country's President (SF Gate)
Forget Eric Clapton's "Layla." In the Philippines, the hottest ring tone for cellular phones features what may be the voice of the country's most powerful politician, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (June 23, 2005)
- Iranian Bloggers Were Wrong About The Election (Pacific News Service)
One Iranian blogger looks at his colleagues' failure to predict the strong second-place showing of the conservative hardliner candidate in the first round. (June 23, 2005)
- Iranian Blogger Returns From Exile For Vote (Los Angeles Times)
In a trip financed by his online fans, Hossein Derakhshan, the godfather of the Iranian blogosphere, returned to his native country last week to cover the presidential election after five years of self-imposed exile. (June 23, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 22, 2005
Internet Filtering In Iran In 2004-2005
The OpenNet Initiative and Berkman Center have just released a new report: Internet Filtering in Iran
Internet Filtering In Iran In 2004-2005 (Open Net Initiative) Iran's Internet filtering system is one of the worlds most substantial censorship regimes. Iran focuses its efforts on expression through local language, like Farsi, and relies on commercial software developed by for-profit companies in the United States to carry out its filtering regime. (June 22, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
International Symposium On Local E-Democracy
The International Symposium on Local E-Democracy is a dynamic conference exploring leading e-democracy trends around the world.
From our good friend Steven Clift: July 26-27, 2005 - Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA The International Symposium on Local E-Democracy is a dynamic conference exploring leading e-democracy trends around the world. The next day, a field trip to the "wired" chambers of the Minnesota State Legislature and Northfield, Minnesota's community blogging efforts along with traveling color commentary will bring one of birthplaces of "e-democracy" to life. This is the world's first international conference focused specifically on local e-democracy. We expect representatives of a number of government, non-profit, research, and civic organisations to attend. If you are interested in improving governance and citizen participation in the information age, this conference is for you. The symposium is sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the United Kingdom and the UK Local e-Democracy National Project along with other partners. * Register Today or by July 15 - Full Conference Details
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Have you read the best blogs of Washington, DC...
National
- Best Political Blogs: DC Journalists Pick Their Favorites (Washingtonian)
At the height of the 2004 presidential campaign, ABC’s “The Note” was the hot political Web site for the chattering class. The New Yorker anointed it as a “must read.” (June 22, 2005)
- Voters Say Federal Government Should Take More Active Role in Cyber Security (Government Technology)
United we stand, at least on the issue of making the Internet more secure, preventing identity theft and the proliferation of spyware, according to findings in a survey published last week by the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, an Internet security policy advocacy group. (June 21, 2005)
- Senators Question E-Voting Paper Trail (Computer World)
Calls for the U.S. government to mandate a voter-verified paper trail with electronic voting machines ran into opposition today from two powerful members of a Senate committee, with one senator objecting that a printout would discriminate against blind people. (June 21, 2005)
- State Must Get Campaign Reports Online This Year (The State)
IT’S COMMON knowledge in legislative bodies that the biggest enemy of good isn’t necessarily bad, but rather the elusive search for perfection. But that knowledge doesn’t always make it over to the bureaucracy, as we appear to be seeing with the State Ethics Commission’s attempts to make it easier for the public to find out who’s bankrolling political campaigns. (June 21, 2005)
International
- Iranian Election Text Messages Could Backfire As Politicians Freak Out (Mathaba.net)
There have been plenty of stories about how mobile text messaging has played a role in recent elections in places like South Korea and the Philippines, among other places. (June 22, 2005)
- Chinese Bloggers Run the Gauntlet of Forced Registration, Censorship (Online Journalism Review)
Bloggers in China must register with the government, and they can't use certain words in MSN Spaces blog titles. But they have ingenuity and strength in numbers, according to a roundtable of experts. (June 21, 2005)
- CHINA: Hackers Hit Website of Firm Trying to Control Internet Use (AsiaMedia)
Chinese hackers have defaced the website of a police-run security company leading a new effort to strengthen government control over the Internet. (June 21, 2005)
- Government Faces Call for E-Service Take-Up Drive (eGov Monitor)
The Government is likely to be asked to fund a large-scale marketing campaign to promote online public services, eGov monitor has learned. (June 21, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 21, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Savvy Penn Republicans Podcast... more
National
- Senate Republicans To Offer Weekly ’Podcast’ (mysan.de)
State Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (R-Lebanon) announced today that the Senate Republican Caucus has begun offering a weekly "podcast" on its website to expand its coverage of news affecting the lives of Pennsylvanians. (June 21, 2005)
International
- Australia: Verdict In On E-government (Computer World)
Australia's use of online government services has nearly doubled over the last two years, with taxpayers swapping standing in queues for Web transactions, according to the most comprehensive study of the subject to date. (June 21, 2005)
- Angry Arab Blogger Thrives (Detroit News)
As'ad AbuKhalil is a California professor and runs the Angry Arab News Service, a popular blog that provides leftist commentary about the war in Iraq, Lebanese politics and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (June 21, 2005)
- 'Cybersquatters' Play Virtual Politics With Same-sex Marriage (Globe Technology)
Canadian politicians debating same-sex marriage have suddenly found themselves into the worldwide debate over "cybersquatting" -- appropriating someone else's name and claiming it as your website address. (June 21, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Growing Demo Community In N. Virginia
Contributing Editor Alan Rosenblatt passed on some interesting news concerning e-advocacy in North Virginia:Recognizing the need to create more lines of communication across local Democratic Party organizations, Bob Haley, Dave Pierpont, Jennifer Boysko and Ed Herlihy, founded the Dulles Area Democrats (D.A.D.). The new group brings together precinct level Democratic Party organizations from among both Fairfax and Loudon county towns that surround Dulles Airport.One of the impetuses for creating D.A.D., according to Dave Pierpont, is that too many events of interest to area Democrats are flying under the radar because of poor communication channels. For example, General Wesley Clark recently spoke in the area and very few people heard about it if they were not on Clark’s own mailing list.Pierpont has created an online platform at www.dullesareademocrats.org to help grow area Democrats into a regional community. It provides a discussion forum and Blog to members and all who want to learn more about Democratic politics in Northern Virginia.While still a young organization, D.A.D. recently hosted a breakfast meeting with the Chair of the Democratic Business Council and former Virginia Lt. Governor Don Beyer at the Virginia Kitchen in Herndon, VA. This kickoff event attracted over 20 local Democrats crowded into a small back room at the local breakfast joint.For more information on the meeting and what Beyer had to say, see http://www.dullesareademocrats.org/forum/portal.php?article=0.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 20, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
MoveOn.org makes perception a reality with new web campaign... and more
National
- A Web Hoax, Transformed (New York Times)
"SAVE NPR and PBS," reads an e-mail petition being circulated by MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group. "Really. Check the footnotes if you don't believe us." (June 20, 2005)
- Blogs, Alternative Media a Feast for N.H. News Junkies (Seacost Online)
Alternative Web sites, underground tabloids and online journals or "blogs" are adding a little spice to New Hampshire's media stew _ and news junkies are celebrating the feast. (June 19, 2005)
- VerifiedVoting.org To Brief Senators On Verifiable Elections (Kansas City InfoZine)
On Tuesday, June 21, the Senate Rules Committee is scheduled to hear testimony on publicly verifiable elections from VerifiedVoting.org Founder David Dill. (June 18, 2005)
- Civic Association Announces Online Petition Campaign (Farmingdale Observer)
In an effort to create public awareness and send a strong signal to our elected officials, the Concerned Citizens of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Community, Inc. have announced two Online Petitions they are circulating regarding threats to the environment and quality of life. (June 17, 2005)
- Online Journal Examines Use Of Internet By Anti-Gay Groups (Southern Voice Online)
Anti-gay activists and organizations are using the Internet in sophisticated ways to reach a broader audience with anti-gay rhetoric, according to an article published in an online sexuality research journal. (June 17, 2005)
- City Council's Web Sites Aid Speaker's Quest for Mayor (New York Times)
Last May, when the City Council speaker, Gifford Miller, a Democratic mayoral candidate, wanted to contrast the Bloomberg administration's support for a West Side stadium with the mayor's proposed budget cuts for the city's subways, the Council started up Subwaysnotwestsidestadium.com. (June 17, 2005) - Convio Releases First eCommerce Solution Designed for Unique Needs of Nonprofits (tmcnet.com)
Convio, Inc. -- the leading provider of software and services to help nonprofits use the Internet for building constituent relationships and driving support -- today announced availability of the first ecommerce solution designed specifically to meet the unique needs of nonprofit organizations. (June 17, 2005)
International
- Internet Importance In Iranian Elections (Web Pro News)
Blogs seem to be everywhere anymore, at least on the Internet. What kind of effect do they really have though? They get used to discuss literally everything. But, during the current Iranian election process, blogs have provided something much more fundamental, free speech. (June 20, 2005)
- Website Operator Plans More Cyber Protests Against Arroyo (The Peninsula)
A website operator in the Philippines said yesterday the site will continue a cyber-campaign against President Gloria Arroyo to force her to break her silence on allegations that she rigged last year’s polls. (June 20, 2005)
- Hackers Deface Beijing’s Security Website (Financial Times)
Chinese hackers have defaced the website of a police-run security company that is leading a new effort to strengthen the Communist government's control over the internet. (June 20, 2005)
- Vote-4-Me, The Leading Online Democratic Social Network, Announces The Launch Of Its Charities Polling Service (SourceWire)
Vote-4-Me (www.Vote-4-Me.com), an evolution in e-democracy, today launches a new feature of its innovative online politics and market research game service, aimed at helping charities raise ongoing regular contributions from supporters. (June 20, 2005)
- Internet In Service Of Ethnic Peace In Kosovo (The Peninsula)
Kosovo Albanian journalists and their colleagues from Serbia have decided to use the Internet to gain what politics has failed to obtain: Easing of ethnic tensions still widely present in the province since the end of the 1998-99 war. (June 19, 2005)
- US Steps Up Its War On Terror Online (Asharq Alawsat)
The US Department of State is embarking on a media offensive to counter the false information carried out by three Islamic websites it accuses of waging a misleading campaign against US interests. (June 19, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 17, 2005
Online Giving Surpasses $3 Billion In '04
Online donations in the U.S. in 2004 exceeded $3 billion -- up 58 percent from $1.9 billion in 2003 --
according to a recent study by technology provider Kintera and Luth Research.
The survey results indicate that more than 8.6 million U.S. households gave online donations in 2004. Results also show that more than 65 percent of all donors visit at least one of the websites of the nonprofit organizations or fundraising events to which they give.
A report by the Chronicle of Philanthropy released this week showed similar findings, reporting that online donations to the USA's biggest charities surged 63% last year from 2003, as the tsunami relief effort and Howard Dean's presidential campaign underscored the value of Internet fundraising.
E-charity Sees An Increase In Online Giving
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries /technology/2005-06-14-e-charity-usat_x.htm? csp=15 Study: U.S. Online Giving Surpasses $3 Billion in 2004
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/sit e/google/index.jsp? ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050616005233&ne wsLang=en
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 16, 2005
"Crackdown" Commish Steps Down
Bradley Smith, the outspoken member of the FEC who sounded an alarm about a crackdown on bloggers, is leaving his job.
Smith said on Wednesday that he has submitted his resignation to President Bush, effective midnight August 21, and will return to his previous job teaching law at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
More: http://news.zdnet.com/2100- 9588_22-5747924.html
The Coming Crackdown On Blogging
http://news.com.com/The coming crackdown on blogging/2008-1028_3-5597079.html? tag=st.num
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Online giviing is up - highlighted by Howard Dean and Tsunami relief...more
National
- E-charity Sees An Increase In Online Giving (USA Today)
Online donations to the USA's biggest charities surged 63% last year from 2003, a new study says, as the tsunami relief effort and Howard Dean's presidential campaign underscored the value of Internet fundraising. (June 16, 2005)
- The Blogfather (AlertNet)
Jerome Armstrong of the political blog MyDD discusses how the Internet has changed -- and how it's changing Democratic politics. (June 16, 2005)
- Corporate vs. Community Internet (AlertNet)
The gap is growing between those who have access to information technology, and those who don't. Now the battle to close the digital divide has spilled onto another front -- the fight for free municipal broadband services. (June 15, 2005)
International
- Internet Reshaping Middle East Politics, Starting With Iran (Marketing Vox)
Why place hundreds of thousands of troops, not to mention civilians, into harm's way and spend hundreds of billions of dollars to wage a war when the growth of the internet is already redefining and reshaping Middle East political processes? (June 16, 2005)
- Estonia Eager To Lead World In E-voting (Baltic Times)
Parliament’s constitutional committee has introduced amendments to a bill that would put Estonia on the forefront of online elections, making the Baltic state the first country in the world where voters wouldn’t have to leave home to cast their election ballots. (June 16, 2005)
- Staring Down The Digital Divide (OhMyNews.com)
Bloggers are the haves in the new new economy, but there are plenty of have-nots as well, and none of us can afford to forget them. (June 16, 2005)
- JAPAN: Government Eyes Policing Of Internet (Asia Times)
The government may go after what it regards as harmful information on the Internet following last week's bombing of a Yamaguchi Prefecture classroom by a youth who claimed he learned how to make explosives from a Web site, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Tuesday. (June 16, 2005)
- Hoaxers ruin Net fund-raising event (Chennai Online News Service)
A fund-raising event involving India's batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and Australia's Shane Warne during the tsunami appeal match between the MCC and an International XI at the Lord's has been cancelled because of Internet hoaxers, organisers said here today. (June 15, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 14, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Microsoft might learn something about censorship from reading EFF's new legal guide released today...more
National
- New Legal Guide For Bloggers (Government Technology)
Yesterday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released a document that informs bloggers of their legal rights. (June 14, 2005)
- EFF: Legal Guide For Bloggers (EFF)
Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers getting in trouble for what they post. (June 14, 2005)
- Internet Boom Alters Political Process In Iran (USA Today)
Internet usage is growing faster in Iran than anywhere in the Muslim Middle East, according to a recent Stanford University study. (June 14, 2005)
- American Rights At Work To Launch E-advocacy Campaign (Common Dreams)
In an effort to raise awareness about the firing crisis, American Rights at Work released a short Flash video today, titled "10,000 Workers," as the centerpiece of a new e-advocacy campaign designed to build support for labor law reform. (June 14, 2005)
- National Website Launches 'No Gays Left Behind' Campaign (Out In America)
When a gynecologist refused to perform a physical examination on a client in rural Georgia because of her sexual orientation, "we knew something must be done," said Diversity Builder President Debbie Stanton. (June 14, 2005)
International
- Microsoft Under Fire For Censoring China Blogs (Reuters)
Microsoft Corp.'s new MSN China Internet venture is censoring words such as "freedom," "democracy" and "human rights" on its free online journals, Microsoft said on Tuesday, putting itself in the middle of a major Web controversy. (June 14, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aristocratic Right Wing Blogosphere Stagnating?
Chris Bowers at MyDD has written an interesting article on the political blogosphere.
Bowers makes an interesting point based on blogads traffic rankings –
That the liberal blogosphere is beginning to pull away from the conservative blogopshere in terms of audience size. He claims this is can be traced to the fact that there are no community sites among the top twenty-four conservative blogs.
UPDATE
However, it’s as if the folks at RedState were reading Bowers’ mind… or at least his blog post. Matt Lewis says:
True, Democrats get a lot of press for their use of technology. But Republicans use technology to win elections. It occurs to me that this phenomenon has to do with the fundamental differences between Republicans and Democrats (in short, our worldview is different).
Here's my theory: Democrats view technology as a game. They like to put a lot of effort into blogging and hope to be able to, "create an internet community." Republicans (who by nature are outcome-based and serious) tend to use technology (like micro-targeting) to identify, persuade, and turn-out voters on Election Day.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 13, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Today's news is all about how the Internet is a medium of democracy...
National
- Digital Divide Narrows (Kansas City Star)
As Connie Crumble worked her way through a room full of computers, she came upon Ja’River Dunlap. (June 13, 2005) - Wikis Find Role In Community Governance (FCW)
Ohio State University philosophy lecturer Larry Sanger envisions a democracy in which citizens will improve policy decisions by making their ideas known through public Web pages that they can modify. (June 13, 2005) - An End To 'Everybody's Press'? (Tech Central Station)
TCS Editor Nick Schulz interviewed FEC Commissioner Brad Smith about regulation of speech on the Internet and what it might mean for blogs, websites and the future of technology and politics. (June 13, 2005) - Florida's New Political Blog Wars (St. Petersburg Times)
At Florida Politics (flapolitics.blogspot.com) last week they debated whether Florida Democrats should focus on improving their showing in big counties or rural counties. (June 12, 2005) - Women Should Embrace The Blogosphere (TownHall.com)
No discussion of women bloggers would be complete without some gross generalizations and politically incorrect observations -- both of which I plan to include here. (June 10, 2005)
International
- Microsoft Bans 'Democracy' For China Web Users (MSN)
Microsoft's new Chinese internet portal has banned the words "democracy" and "freedom" from parts of its website in an apparent effort to avoid offending Beijing's political censors. (June 13, 2005) - Over 2 Mln Texts Send Live 8 Into Record Books (Reuters)
Music fans broke a world record when they sent more than 2 million text messages to try to get tickets for next month's Live 8 concert in London, the Guinness Book of Records said Monday. (June 13, 2005) - Political Web Sites Offer Lebanese Open Platform to Express Views (Daily Star)
Thanks to a new wave of political Web sites and discussion groups, with the click of a mouse, Lebanese are discovering new avenues to express their views and displeasure with their leaders. (June 11, 2005) - Iran Election Candidate Supports Satellite/Internet Censoring (Iran Focus)
Iran’s former paramilitary police chief and presidential hopeful said in an interview with a state-run daily that he supported Internet censorship and state control over satellite channels. (June 11, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 10, 2005
Rocking The Blogosphere For Poverty
Bloggers are dropping partisanships to eliminate poverty
Political bloggers from both ends of the spectrum connected Monday for a giant, hour-plus conference call/love-in with Sir Bob Geldof to talk about the former Boomtown Rat's Live 8 campaign and concerts to hook industrialized countries into helping Africa.
Led by Joe Trippi and John Hinderacker - over 40 bloggers from the right and left joined together, as Geldof impressed bloggers on both sides with his knowledge and commitment to persuading industrialized countries to help Africa. The first call to action for bloggers was to start a conversation about Live 8 and the G8 summit. Other online events will take place over the next few weeks, but have yet to be disclosed.
LIVE 8 is part of a day of action across the world which kick-starts The Long Walk to Justice that calls on the leaders of the world’s richest countries to act when they meet in Gleneagles on 6th-9th July.
Live 8:
An Aging Rocker Impresses an Aging Blogger
Saving Africa
Live 8 Blogs with Bob!
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Political Podcasting Scene
MarketWatch's Frank Barnako has been hot on the Political Podcasting beat lately.
Here are a couple of his excerpts:
NPR may podcast alone
A spokeswoman for National Public Radio said the organization dropped its distribution agreement with Audible.com (ADBL) because the reasons for the relationship didn't exist any longer.
Schwarzenegger is podcasting now
The Governator podcast from Arnold Schwarzenegger has been launched. It's the California Governor's weekly radio address as a downloadable file.
In a posting on his Web log, Rush Limbaugh disputed the Apple founder's statement that podcasting is the hottest thing in radio. Limbaugh countered: "I am the hottest thing in podcasting."
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Is Kos Serious?
It appears the FEC “internet crack…down” is making everyone a little loopy.
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (Daily Kos) was a little bit upset with IPDI’s comments to the FEC on internet regulation, prompting him to send an eat crap and die email to IPDI saying he would do everything he can to make sure no one attends the PoliticsOnline conference next year. IPDI has likewise responded with a letter... that's a little more tactful.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Ground Zero For Tom Delay
Over 500 reason's to view this website if you don't like Delay.
Not sure where I got this info, but just passing it along:
Houston-based website, GroundZeroforTomDelay.com, offers over 500 articles that detail DeLay's many ethical issues, his failure to represent the Houston area in Congress, and the mobilization of Houston area voters against Tom DeLay.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 07, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Online fundraising is no longer a secret, but it's still under used... more
National
Nine Out Of 10 Nonprofits Say Internet Is Critical Fundraising Tool (tmcnet.com)
Ninety percent (90.3 percent) of nonprofits say the Internet is a critical tool in running their organizations. Yet only about one in three (34.6 percent) say they are actively raising money online today. (June 7, 2005)
Any Crowd Will Do For Schundler (NorthJersey.com)
Schundler's campaign Web site had been displaying a digitally altered photo a Howard Dean rally last year in Falls Church, Va. (June 7, 2005)
International
WSIS Host Tunisia Guilty Of Denying Access To Information By Filtering Internet (All Africa)
Tunisia has one of the poorest records in allowing freedom of expression and has repeatedly been criticised for denying access to information on the internet. (June 7, 2005)
The Bloggers Have All The Best News (Guardian)
In America, the first major study of web diaries reveals that they are shaping the political landscape like never before, but what of their British counterparts? (June 7, 2005)
Freed Chinese Dissident Vows To Resume Tiananmen Web Site (Radio Free)
Chinese cyber-dissident Huang Qi, just freed after serving a five-year jail term for subversion, says he wants to resume his Web site dedicated to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. (June 7, 2005)
Visit PoliticsOnline for the full story and more news articles.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Great New Tool: Capaciteria
Capaciteria is a comprehensive, searchable database directory of administrative resources that help nonprofits leverage their own capacity.
Deborah Elizabeth Finn passed on an interesting new tool for nonprofits:
"Capaciteria is a comprehensive, searchable database directory of
administrative resources that help nonprofits leverage their own
capacity. It promotes peer review because members can comment on and
rate individual resource links as well as add useful new links. Like
Google, search requests return link results weighted to rise based on
ratings and popularity given to them by nonprofit users..."
Click here to see Deborah's blog article about Capaciteria.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 06, 2005
Downing Street Memo
The "nobody died when Clinton lied" crowd is using cyberspace and some new evidence to strike a blow at President Bush.
I recently received an email from the one of the most "active" online activsits on the left - David Swanson. His latest project After Downing Street is causing quite a stir.
Swanson noted that they put the site up less than two weeks ago and within a few days it was consistently hitting over 1 million hits and 10,000 visits per day. C-Span's Washington Journal today covered this as a "blogging phenomenon."
There's also an alliance of bloggers backing the efforts.
Also see the links below if you have no idea what the Downing Street Memo is all about:
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Bloggers still hot and bothered over FEC rule making...and more
National
Groups Weigh In On Web Politicking (Washington Post) A raft of lawmakers, campaign finance watchdog groups, election lawyers and bloggers urged the Federal Election Commission on Friday to exempt the vast majority of -- if not all -- individual political activists on the Internet from new regulations. (June 6, 2005)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/04/AR2005060401042.html
Online Activists Use Ohio Election As Testing Ground (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Though he does not live in
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/111797250872650.xml&coll=2
E-Gov
E-government As Economic Stimulant (PSTM.net) Countries need to make progress with e-government in order to improve their business environment and create new opportunities for the private sector, says a senior executive at IBM. (June 6, 2005)
http://www.pstm.net/article/index.php?articleid=631
RNC Submits Comments On FEC's Proposed Rulemaking (RNC) The RNC today submitted comments to the Federal Election Commission regarding the Commission's Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking on Internet Communications. (June 3, 2005)
http://www.gop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=5515
International
Blog Muscle In Europe (Forbes) For a 50-year-old, Europe seemed in reasonably good health, if maybe a little flabby, until it was hit by the equivalent of a double heart attack this week as citizens of
http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2005/06/03/cx_sm_0606mcgookin.html
Singapore Speaks Out On The Net (The Standard) The events leading up to Shanmugam Murugesu's execution in Singapore had enough excitement, anguish and cries of injustice for a fast-paced novel, or at the very least an interesting news story. (June 6, 2005)
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Focus/GF06Dh01.html
Posted by Buzz Webster at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Internet & Iranian Elections
On June 17, Iranians will go to the polls to elect a president, with many voters surfing the web before they cast their ballots.
Blogging has gone international in a big way. And in Iran, blogging means that news, ideas and rumors are bypassing traditional censors, according to Yahoo News. As one of Iran's leading bloggers recently pointed out at opendemocracy.net, Iran's blogs are generating "an unprecedented amount of information [and] pre-election news has...been much more transparent." In fact, Hossein Derakhshan argued, " it will probably be one of the most open and transparent elections Iran has ever seen."
The internet is playing a major role. This is the first time, for example, that most of the major candidates (except the oldest ones) have their own websites. And with an estimated three or four million internet users in Iran, blogs are opening up Iranian society and culture--despite the enduring threat of government censorship and imprisonment of journalists and activists.
Bloggers Of Iran
http://news.yahoo.com /s/thenation/20050530/cm_thenation/72947/nc:742
Iran Crushes Blog Spring
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/po sts.html?pg=6
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Blogger - The FEC bell tolls for thee... and more.
National
- Internet Builds New Communities, Connecting Americans (AZcentral)
Technology, coupled with the rising number of families who have school-aged children and retirees who have leisure time, is raising hopes that more Americans are again investing "social capital." (June 3, 2005) - Free Speech For Bloggers (Washington Times)
Here's our advice to the Federal Election Commission regarding Internet regulations: Tread lightly. (June 3, 2005) - Blogs Face Possible FEC Regulation (Fox News)
The Federal Election Commission is considering whether to require political bloggers to disclose whether they are receiving funds from a political campaign, the latest step in a larger debate over whether political activity on the Internet should be regulated by the government. (June 3, 2005) - Digital Divide Has Not Disappeared (News.com)
If you read only the big picture statistics, you might be fooled into believing that the digital divide has indeed been bridged. (June 3, 2005) - Rush Begins Podcasts (MarketWire)
Just in time for Father's Day, Rush Limbaugh's subscription-based fan club is offering the talk show host's programs as MP3 downloads. (June 3, 2005)
International
- China Regulates Online Game Content (Xinhuanet.com)
China was to release a set of new rules to vet the content of online games as part of a campaign to combat their harmful influences on the young, State media said. (June 3, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 02, 2005
Daily ePolitics Buzz Brief
Online Democratic activists seem to be everywhere these days...
National
- Stumping In Cyberspace (Hispanic Business)
Plus Three might be just another company had it not been for good timing and Mr. Proaño's decision to keep in touch with a former colleague who happened to be working for the DNC on a technology project. (June 2, 2005) - Feingold Campaign: Calls On "Netroots" To Help Reform Patriot Act (WisDems)
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund launched a new website today, www.progressivepatriotsfund.com, with a call for citizen co-sponsors of his efforts to protect our freedoms and reform the USA PATRIOT Act. (June 2, 2005) - RNCC Sends Nervous Memo Over DeLay ... (Common Cause)
Apparently the folks at the National Republican Congressional Committee are taking note the of 2,400 MoveOn PAC volunteers effort to deliver 470,000 petitions to 195 GOP House members today in their district offices calling for Tom DeLay to be fired. (June 2, 2005)
International
- Hansard Society Slams Parliament's Website (Silicon)
Parliament has an outdated and unhelpful website that is in desperate need of updating, according to a pro-democracy organisation. (June 2, 2005) - More Money For Broadband 'Divide' (BBC)
Extra cash to bridge the "digital divide" between areas of Wales with broadband and those without has been approved by the European Commission. (June 2, 2005) - Bloggers Take On European Elites (BBC)
Mr Chouard did not much care for the EU Constitution, but instead of simply voicing his upset to his neighbours, he wrote an essay and set up a blog to explain why he was voting 'Non'. (June 2, 2005)
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tennessee Blogging Watchdogs
The InstaPundit says that blogs are the news breaking watchdogs in Tennessee Politics.
BLOGS PIONEER COVERAGE on the latest
political scandal. Meanwhile, Frank Cagle says Tennessee legislators need advice on how to take bribes. "The amateurish way this whole bribery scheme was handled is an embarrassment to the profession." Tennessee
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Bloggers Kill EU Constitution?
A high school teacher from Marseille is famous across the blogosphere thanks to his campaign against approval of the European Union constitution
Etienne Chouard said as many as 25,000 people a day visited his blog, www.etien ne.chouard.free.fr. "My text was sent everywhere, photocopied in all the directions and even distributed in the letter-boxes," he told the Liberation, a French newspaper.
After the constitution's defeat, Chouard was applauded by hundreds of Web loggers, a scan of blogs by Technorati.com showed.
The Internet And France's "Non"
France Contributing Editor Stanislas Magniant gives the lowdown on the internet's role during the French referendum which all but killed the EU constitution. Stan has posted the short note at NetPolitique, in English, plus a link to a BBC radio broadcast on the role of the internet during this riveting campaign. He doesn't believe the web was a deciding factor, but surely was an intense playground for both sides.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Comment To The FEC - Please Endorse
The Online Coalition is proud to release our official Comment to the Federal Election Commission's propose