OUANet308-2011

The author of this article, Jody McIntyre, is a journalist and political activist. The article was published in Jody's regular blog for The Independent. This article is not a scholarly article, rather an opinion piece. The source (The Independent) is reliable. McIntyre has also written for The Guardian, the New Statesman, Electronic Intifada and Disability Now. By focusing on recent events south of Yemen, and in particular the 'million person march' in early March 2011, the article highlights how broadcast media is focusing on events in Libya, while ignoring political unrest in other areas. McIntyre relates how Al Jazeera, the Qatari-based news channel, tends to "choose" one uprising at a time to focus on and "leading the gaze of the public" (McIntyre, 2011). McIntyre asks whether "a revolution on the Egyptian model" would have succeeded without the media attention it received. New media sources, and the Internet in particular, have allowed the public "to follow these uprisings in a way that would never have been possible in the past." (McIntyre, 2011) Traditional broadcast media organisations, such as the BBC, "can no longer monopolise our opinions". By viewing Twitter feeds we are "seeing events as they happen, not as they are reported". (McIntyre, 2011) McIntyre highlights an important point - although the public are not "seeing" these events in the traditional sense (via television broadcast), they are "seeing" them unfold through collaborative social media. The public are not just "seeing" events unfold, they are also disseminating the news. McIntyre, J (March 10, 2011) Only some revolutions will be televised The Independent - Independent Blogs. Retrieved April 9, 2011 from http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/03/10/only-some-revolutions-will-be-televised/

A very interesting comment and article Sheila and I agree that the author "...Jody McIntyre, is a journalist and political activist ... This article is not a scholarly article, rather an opinion piece" (McLean, 2011). Jody McIntyre has written a variety of articles on many different topics within the political activist discourse. However, has anything really changed? In 2005, I had hired out the movie Hotel Rwanda that was a new DVD release, without realising that it was "The true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda" (Hotel Rwanda, 2004). After watching the horrifying scenes, I then searched the Internet for further information. Whilst questioning myself "How did I miss this war in 1994?" A few years later, I was able to determine that it only briefly touched the traditional news broadcast reporting in a world wide scale. I mean who cared that "An estimated 1 million people were killed within a three month period in 1994" (GlobalSecurity, 2011)? I cared, and very strongly. Today, traditional news media is still missing many details of what is happening around the world. Events that do get reported seem, at times, to be glorified to entertain the consumers. Where traditional media fail to inform the public, the certainly is a broader world of informative available from many different sources and for many different reasons. This is where sites such as Avaaz and many others help spread the news about global issues where people-power now has the action over the traditional way of doing too little, too late, due to being uninformed. No one person controls the content published on the Internet. However, there are groups that control what is televised, when it is televised and where. References: GlobalSecurity. (2011). Rwanda Civil War. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/w

Jody McIntyre highlights the fact about the important role the Internet and Twitter have been playing in the mass information exchange during recent political protesting in Yemen and countries across Northern Africa. An information share and exchange through individual use of the Twitter and the Internet has been providing access to people's information instead to mass information filtered through major media like BBC, Al Jazeera and other. As Jody McIntyre states, the Twitter feeds are representing the events as they happen, not as they are reported. I fully agree with Jody McIntyre, there seems to be a domino effect surrounding the political movements in the Northern Africa. What started in Tunisia has been carried over to its neighborhood. The main difference is the protests are of different ratio and longevity reflecting a deep cultural and political constitution experienced by each particular country. 'Whilst the media continue to focus exclusively on events in Libya, the huge march in the south of Yemen was ignored', writes Jody McIntyre. It is known, the media works in an organized way, placing their correspondents in areas where information or reports are of 'hot topic'. When analyzing the Twitter media where the Twitter usage is based on its availability amongst people and not on strategic positioning of media outlets, it is obvious the Twitter is being a portable and convenient communication tool accessible by those who can afford it, and its affordance was possible in the Northern Africa where third world description is still in existence.

This article takes a case study approach using qualitative and quantitative survey questions to measure the difference between pre and post uses of Google Docs. The research problem was based on the observation that Web 2.0 collaborative technologies were initially causing hesitation. However, upon consistent use in the context of an online course, students changed their minds about the usefulness of Google Docs. Both researchers intended to measure undergraduate levels of self-efficacy and undergraduates perceptions of using these collaborative technologies. The study had 18 respondents to the survey. Although the researchers acknowledged Google Docs limitations in the robustness of the software, they argued that this would make no difference to the perceptions of the undergraduates using it. The results of the study are somewhat unremarkable and predicable, yet support the idea that Google Docs is very useful for collaborative student work. There were major differences pre and post use of Google Docs that were significant. A majority of students felt their level of self-efficacy, that is confidence to use the software, was much higher after undertaking the course. The second hypothesis also showed the majority had positive perceptions of using Google Docs both in the course but significantly in future studies and workplaces. Although the researchers reported mostly positive results about the use of Google Docs, one issue clouded the results. Not being able to access the documents when offline is perceived as a major impediment in the collaborative process. Overall this study may seem somewhat bland and predictable; however, it supports much positive and negative criticism of Google Docs in the ability to foster and impede the learning of the students using it.

I have used Google Docs on many occasions for education purpose both as a teacher and a student. As a teacher I had found that Google Docs provided a tool that created group work with ease. Student where able to contribute to ideas and develop learning outcome far more than the unit outline proved for. The article here proves that through the efforts of many working on the same document improves as more contribute ideas and ads greater value to the document. Your comment about the uselessness of Google without online access does provide problems when it comes to the digital divide. We in the western world still have areas that suffer from digital divisions as well as those in less fortunate countries. However tools like Google docs can contribute to the cost of entry to CMC as there are no licensing fees required and programs such as the one laptop per child that aids in the narrowing of the digital divide(OLPC, n.d). As a student I have done one project with Google docs and currently using Google docs in another project. The reason for the choice to use Google Docs was mainly the reason cited in this article. Although the article was limited in what Google docs can actually do and takes on the assumption that we know what it can do. It is more about how it can be used in education. I recently used Google docs to collaborate with my family in arranging my mother's funeral. The outcome was very smooth as each member collaborated amicably on the document that may have been a family feud if handled face to face. References OLPC. (n.d). OLPC's mission is to empower the world's poorest children through education. Retrieved 15th April 2011, from http://one.laptop.org/about/mission Edwards, J.T., & Baker, C. (2010). A case study: Google collaboration applications as online course teaching tools. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(4), Retrieved April 3, 2011, from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no4/edwards_1210.htm

Your comment about the uselessness of Google without online access does provide problems when it comes to the digital divide. We in the western world still have areas that suffer from digital divisions as well as those in less fortunate countries. However tools like Google docs can contribute to the cost of entry to CMC as there are no licensing fees required and programs such as the one laptop per child that aids in the narrowing of the digital divide(OLPC, n.d). - that is 100 % right and that causes some disadvantages yet being free if connectivity can be gotten in any form then it has the potential to educate in any society that has networking. More work needs to be done to get to those areas, but I also argue that income might also be a factor and age. Nevertheless, GD if networking is there can provide the benefits of sharing and working on projects, it is just a case of making sure those that need it can get access to it in some form.

[Part 1] This article brings together a number of links to UK student protest sites. Reading this and related articles it becomes clear that the students protesting about the UK government's fee cut policy are willing to use any tools at their disposal. Their primary aim has been to collaborate with, and inform supporters of offline physical protests; predominantly marches and occupations. The article itself is posted on the movements.org website, a non profit organisation whose stated mission is to identify, connect and support grassroots digital activists from around the world. The support offered by movement.org goes beyond the mere publication of articles and offers advice to individuals and groups on how to choose and best use digital tools. It is interesting to see the number of freely available digital tools that student protesters have used to disseminate information: Facebook, Twitter, websites, blogs, Google maps, YoutTube, open calendars and Flickr are all part of the student protesters' arsenal. Fast adoption of new technologies seems to be one of the strengths of the UK students' movement. Recently, for instance, student protesters in London used the new "Sukey" application, a conglomeration of tools like google maps, twitter and SMS, to avoid clashes with police (Kingley 2011). Google Maps too have been a useful tool and have been utilised to show the locations of upcoming protests, the map posted at http://www.feesprotest.com/ gives a good indication of the nationwide spread of student dissatisfaction, while at the same time hyperlinking to fairly detailed information for each locality and directing viewers to facebook protest pages for up to date information and interaction.

[Part 2] References: 30th November Here We Come. (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.feesprotest.com/ Cullum, B. (2010). NETWORKED PROTESTS IN THE UK: hOW OLD AND NEW TACTICS ARE BEING USED TO FIGHT RISING TUITION FEES. Retrieved from: http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/networked-protests-in-the-uk-how-old-and-new-tactics-are-being-used-to/ Kingsley, P. (2011). Inside the anti-kettling HQ. Retrieved from:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/feb/02/inside-anti-kettling-hq?INTCMP=SRCH

Written by Michael Pick, Online Activism: Media Stereotypes And The Rise Of Smart Mobs is an article published on Robin Good's MasterNewMedia website. The publisher, Robin Good, has had "... a career as a new media communication and publishing consultant for major international organizations that operate in the fields of research, development and education" (Good, n.d.). Robin Good is an independent new media publisher that "... converted his professional skills and interests into a self-publishing career (Good, n.d.). In 1999, Robin Good began MasterNewMedia, an online magazine dedicated to "... news, skills and resources to communicate more effectively with new media technologies" (Good, n.d.). Michael Pick's article first explores some of the ways of how people are stereotyped by mass-media propaganda. One example of this is, "The Nazis, pioneers of mass-media propaganda (Pick, n.d.), managed to convince a nation that it was being bled dry by the Jews, communists, gypsies, and anyone else that they could scapegoat. With relentless repetition and indoctrination they created the sense that these people were something less than human" (Pick, 2007). Which he then argues is that this mass-media propaganda is being continued today through television media. Pick then discusses Howard Rheingold's concept of Smart Mobs, and then he briefly discusses Avaaz.org (2011a), a website and platform, where everyone can have an

opinion and everyone can unite and help others, regardless of political stature and unaccountable organisations. It is a site where the values of people shape global decisions (Avaaz.org, 2011b). References: Avaaz.org. (2011a).The World in Action. Retrieved from http://www.avaaz.org/en Avaaz.org. (2011b).The World in Action - About Us. Retrieved from http://www.avaaz.org/en/about.php Good, R. (n.d.). About Robin Good. Retrieved from http://www.masternewmedia.org/about.htm Pick, M. (n.d.). The War On Terror And The Victory Of Spin: Believing Your Own Propaganda Is The True Weapon Of Mass Destruction. Robin Good - independent new media publisher. Retrieved from http://www.masternewmedia.org/information-access/propaganda/the-war-on-terror-and-victory-of-spin-20070414.htm Pick, M. (2007). Online Activism: Media Stereotypes And The Rise Of Smart Mobs. Robin Good - independent new media publisher. Retrieved from http://www.masternewmedia.org/information_access/online-activism/media-stereotypes-war-online-activism-20070609.htm

This ABC online article highlights some important aspects about the use of social-media and the role it played organising, coordinating and documenting Egypt's 2011 uprising. Firstly, the initial ban of web services such as Facebook and Twitter was an indication of the Egyptian government recognising the power, connectedness and participatory nature of social-media . In an attempt to silence the demonstrators and to avoid a repeat of the 2009 Iran revolution, Egyptian authorities took it one step further and not only blocked certain web site but completely shut down access to the entire world-wide-web (Stone, 2009). This act alone illustrates the fragility of the Internet, despite its decentralised design. Literally, with the flick of a switch, Internet Service Providers acting on government instructions blocked web access within the country. It can be argued the political protesting in Egypt would occur with our without a social-media influence; however, it is still important to examine the length Egyptian demonstrators went to in order to circumvent the Internet block and continue to take leverage from popular social media services. An example is the use of 'voice-to-tweet' - a cooperative development by Google, Twitter and an online voice provider called SayNow. This innovation allowed Egyptians to call a telephone number and leave a message which would automatically be converted to text, published on Twitter and tagged with #Egypt. This example highlights Twitter and new media being used for collaboration and participation; specifically between citizen activists and journalists around the world. Much like the Internet, news media was also blocked within Egypt and reporters faced the same communication challenges as everybody else, this workaround however was an effective way for Egyptians to stay connected and ensure their stories were continuing to be voiced to the eagerly listening global audience. Stone, B. (June 15, 2009). Social Net

The events that unfolded during the uprising in Egypt are a good example of how flexible and mobile social networks can be in relation to effective communication between members of society. Through the Egyptian government shutting off all Internet connections collaborative efforts were made by both Twitter and Google to still allow information to be distributed throughout the country. As stated above, the speak-to-tweet services were available in which voicemail messages were left and then converted into text messages, which were then posted via twitter (ABC News, 2011). This is a great example of how devices can be implemented and used to adjust to the situation at hand. In one of my previous posts I talked about the United States becoming concerned around social media's effectiveness in relation to social protest, in which they have made plans to impose legislation to create a 'kill switch' to re-create what the Egyptian government previous did, cut all lines of Internet communication in times of political disturbance (Grubb & Moses, 2011). The elements that unfolded in Egypt after the lines of Internet communication were cut is a good example of how other devices can be implemented for information to be distributed amongst society. It is not as simple as cutting off an Internet connection and assume that collaborative communication will cease. Just as the US government has seen the warning signs of the power of social networks, society has also seen the weakness in relying on a national Internet service. 'Mesh' Networks as I previously stated in another post are currently underdevelopment for mobile phones in which there is no central device, instead each node is equipped with radio communications which acts as a relay point to other nodes, placing the pressure off obtaining a connection from a main server (Gedda ,2010).

References: ABC News (2011). Voice tweets sidestep Egypt web ban. Retrieved April 17, 2011 from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/01/3126626.htm Grubb, B; Moses, A. (2011). As Egypt goes offline US gets Internet 'kill switch' bill ready. Retrieved April 17, 2011. From http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/as-egypt-goes-offline-us-gets-internet-kill-switch-bill-ready-20110131-1aah3.html Gedda, R. (2010). Mobile Phone Coverage Expanded Via 'Mesh' Networks. Retrieved April, 17, 2011. from http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/352948/mobile_phone_coverage_expanded_via_mesh_networks/.

Project: Carousel! » How to organise a successful student protest using online tools The author of this article is Pontus Westerberg is a member of the Project Carousel! Team, "a student-led online community working under the auspices of the Centre for Media and Film Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London". This brief article advises student protesters which online tools may be useful for organising protests and keeping protesters informed. The recommended tools include Twitter, blogs, video, plus online mapping tools. The article also recommends creating a central node, such as a website to tie all these disparate elements together, and as an example links to the UCL occupation page (http://www.ucloccupation.com/), which shows an example of this being done. Westerberg gives an overview on the use of Twitter hashtags to organise protest conversations, making them easier to keep track of, citing examples of these such as the #demo2010 that was used to organise conversations around the student protest that took place on the 24th October 2010. The 140 character limitation imposed by Twitter, also makes Blogs an attractive online tool for protest, offering a forum where ideas and issues can be disseminated and discussed in a lengthier format. Westerberg also provides examples showing the effectiveness of images and video in getting a message across, and indicates that there are benefits in utilising humour and encouraging user generated content. Overall the article provides basic information, but links to quite a few interesting examples of sites and tools that are being used by the student protest movement in the United Kingdom. References: Westerberg, P. (2010). How to organise a successful student protest using online tools. Retrieved from: http://www.projectcarousel.org/2010/11/how-to-organise-a-successful-s

This article from the Project Carousel website is a step by step guide describing how to organize "a successful protest using online tools" (Westerberg, P. 2010). It was created specifically for student activists however it would be adaptable to many forms of online collaboration since it shows efficient strategies for creating independent networks using free web services and social networking tools. This is similar to a guide describing how to create localized 'cell' based networks from 'Tools to help the Revolutions Part II - Online resistance cell organization', an article that I have posted to Diigo. Both of these guides explain practical methods for creating and working across decentralized networks, focusing on free online resources and web services. They also identify the primary need for a central point of contact (or node) which is connected to multiple communication and content sharing websites (as satellite services). These methods of collaboration describe "local cells that keep in touch through their decentralized networks" (anon, 2011), yet they are also effective ways to organize, manage and create widely accessible and secure channels for global communications. Both articles show techniques that allow a group to form strong and flexible networks with like minded people from across world. Refeences anon. (2011) 'Tools to help the Revolutions Part II - Online resistance cell organization'. Anonymous Hamburg. 23rd of February 2011. Available from: http://hamburger-anon.blogspot.com/2011/02/tools-to-help-revolutions-part-ii.html Westerberg, P. (2010). How to organise a successful student protest using online tools. Available from: http://www.projectcarousel.org/2010/11/how-to-organise-a-successful-student-protest-using-online-tools/

Project Carousel is a 'student-led online community based at the Centre for Media and Film Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London' (Project Carousel, n.d.). The article was written Pontus Westerberg in 2010, during the student protests regarding student fees. It was written as a how-to guide to help would-be protesters make the most of social media to add their voices to the campaign in an open, transparent way. Westerberg is less informational and more instructional in his advice to establish a profile using popular social media tools like Twitter, with hashtags, creating a blog and making videos, making a particular point to be humorous at the expense of authority. 'Do something funny', suggesting that positive attention may be garnered through fun and humour. Unlike the Anonymous movement, Project Carousel appears to endorse, if not outright encourage, transparent participation with user-generated content and boldly putting faces and names toward the campaign. The points made in the article may seem obvious, but new inductees to the social media mechanism, eager to participate, would find these easy-to-follow steps a clear guide to joining the protests and being heard. Though not a crowd-funding or crowd-sourcing tool, it does provide a useful guide to generating interest from 'the crowd', be it a personal project or a community-conscious endeavour.. Westerberg, P. (2010). How to organise a successful student protest using online tools. Project: Carousel!. Retrieved from http://www.projectcarousel.org/2010/11/how-to-organise-a-successful-student-protest-using-online-tools/.

John Sutters article presented on CNN online is a personalised recount of the factors (technological and social) leading up to the demonstrations in Egypt. This article is interesting as it outlines the impact that the Internet has on peoples daily lives, the way the it has allowed members in society the opportunity to gather information and allow freedom of speech that would never be allowed in their own government regime. Sutters article follows a man called Saleh, (Egyptian born) and explores the impacts that living in his society has brought on his daily life. Being born into a country where rape, murder and wrongful imprisonment are just a part of daily life he soon gained the motivation to want more. The lack of information that he could obtain from Egypt's two national television stations, gave him the drive and motivation to want to learn more about the world (Sutters, 2011). When he was 16 he rejoiced in the fact that the Internet had come along, "I was waiting for the Internet to arrive in Egypt years before it arrived. Reading about it, I could see how much freedom there was (online), how much information you had" (Saleh, 2011). The Internet was a way for people to gain access to limitless amounts of information, it is not by chance that these social media tools are now being used to mobilize people in society to speak out, take action and express their thoughts and feelings to create change. After an Egyptian man was allegedly beaten to death by police outside an Internet cafe Saleh and his friends were shocked by the news of the event and decided to create a Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said". The results were astounding, more and more people started to comment and join the group, which eventually lead to a mass protest in which protesters stood along the banks of the Nile wearing black (Sutters, 2011). Events that followed on January 27 were even more impressive. The online organizers in Egypt are quick to spread

credit. No single person, group, Facebook page or political party planned this movement. It just happened, they said. Partly in response to the events in Tunisia. Partly by years and years of lingering economic, social and human rights problems. Saleh, the young man who grew up yearning for an Internet connection, said he was amazed at the degree to which the Internet played a role in the movement. These social media platforms allowed people to mobilize more freely than in public. Decoy events could be set up and changed on a moment's notice; messages could be spread to other countries and updates could be passed through out the country and the world (Sutters, 2011). The flexibility around social media is something that can shed some insight into why these types of events have become so successful. Messages can be updated, read and sent from any portable device, Facebook and Twitter can be access anywhere at anytime, meaning that mass collaboration over these services can be organised to such a precise level. As state above, the Internet has become such an influential medium for nations under tight control to express themselves and gather outside information about what is happening in the world and also to express and broadcast injustice that is happening in their own society. References Sutters, J. (2011). The faces of Egypt's 'Revolution 2.0'. Retrieved April 13, 2011. From http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/02/21/egypt.internet.revolution/index.html. Saleh, O. (2011). The faces of Egypt's 'Revolution 2.0'. Retrieved April 13, 2011. From http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/02/21/egypt.internet.revolution/index.html

I found this article interesting and thought provoking; being a personal, first-hand account of the events in Egypt it provided a different perspective to some of the articles I've read on this topic. The last paragraph summed up the power of social media well, "Facebook, Twitter and email created a 'parallel Egypt' on the Internet", a world where citizens could maintain anonymity and mobilize more freely than they could in public" (Saleh, 2011, cited by Sutter, 2011). I think that we tend to take for granted the freedom and rights we have here in Australia. I have joined a few political organisations online, and I couldn't imagine how I would have felt if shortly afterwards the Government hacked my computer to gain my Facebook password! Yet this is what happened to activists in Tunisia (Zuckerman, 2011). Your comment Tim, "the flexibility around social media is something that can shed some insight into why these types of events have become so successful. Messages can be updated, read and sent from any portable device, Facebook and Twitter can be access anywhere at anytime, meaning that mass collaboration over these services can be organised to such a precise level", (Findlay, 2011) reminded me of a comment made by a Cairo activist who said "We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world," (activist cited by Howard, 2011) According to Howard (2011) "the most consistent causal features of democratization include a wired civil society that uses digital media to undermine authoritarian rule in the course of national and global public opinion." The recent events in Egypt are certainly a case in point. REFERENCES Findlay, T (April 13, 2011) The faces of Egypt's 'Revolution 2.0' Diigo OUA-Net308 group Retrieved April 14, 2011 from http://groups.diigo.com/group/oua_net308_2011 Howard, P (February 23, 2011) The Cascading Effects of the Arab Spring Miller McCune Magazine Retrieved April 13,

The Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) is an independent, non-profit organisation that conducts research on social and lifestyle issues. It aims to provide balanced perspectives on social issues and to promote rational debate based on evidence rather than ideology (Social Issues Research Centre, 2011) . In this paper Elanor Taylor, a social researcher, tries to understand the nature of flash mobs and whether they are just for fun or whether they are potentially a new form of protest movement. Sean Savage, credited with naming flash mobs (2006) is quoted as saying that "If anyone tells you they know what the point is, they either don't know what they are talking about, or they're lying" (as cited in Taylor, 2003) . Taylor provides a set of instructions for a London flash which reveal a "combination of military efficiency, complete anonymity, rapid communication and organisation by internet"(Taylor, 2003). The motivation to attend is this left up to the individual. Taylor indicates that there are some, such as the website why-war.com (Why War?, 2003) and cyclist activist group Critical Mass (Carlssson, 2011a) that would like to see flash mobs put to a political purpose rather than be apolitical.

Chris Carlsson, founder of Critical Mass wrote: Critical Mass is a movement with no leaders or formal organization behind it. No one in charge - which is another way of saying "everyone is in charge!" There are as many ideas about what Critical Mass is as there are participants (2011b) Taylor questions whether this can actually happen: "what use is a political protest with no-figure head?" (2003). In light of recent events in Iran and Egypt I think Taylor has been a little premature in discounting flash mobs as a form of political protest. Carlssson, C.(2011a). Critical Mass. Retrieved from http://www.sfcriticalmass.org/ Carlssson, C. (2011b, January 26). Critical Mass & Radical Politics: A Forum [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.sfcriticalmass.org/page/2/ Savage, S. (2006, March 29). Flash Mob Flashback . Cheesebikini? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.cheesebikini.com/2006/03/29/flash-mob-flashback/ Social Issues Research Centre.(2011). About SIRC. Retrieved from http://www.sirc.org/about/about.html Taylor, E. (2003). Dadaist lunacy or the future of protest? : An introduction to the world of flash-mobbing. Social Issues Research Centre. Retrieved from http://www.sirc.org/articles/flash_mob.shtml Why War? (2003, August 1). An Introduction to Swarming and the Future of Protesting [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.why-war.com/features/2003/07/swarming.html

Are FlashMobs Collaborative Behavior? The question arises as to whether or not FlashMobs are truly collaborative behavior. While there is definitely a conversation taking place and a resultant activity, this resultant activity does not have a specific achievement or productive task to complete. A talk from Howard Reingold (Rheingold, 2005) describes the history of human collaboration and has some ideas about the potential benefits of worldwide social collaborative behavior. This talk also includes a discussion of social dilemmas: the prisoner's dilemma and the tragedy of the commons. These are important factors in understanding why people collaborate or co-operate. Collaboration is the basis for bringing together the knowledge, experience and skills of multiple persons to contribute to the development of a new product, idea or activity. Collaboration is a more effective problem solving solution than individuals performing narrow tasks in support of a defined plan or programme. Essential requirements for effective collaboration include early involvement and the availability of resources to effectively collaborate. This uses a culture that supports teamwork, cooperation and collaboration as well as co-location or virtual co- location and some form of collaboration technology. Flashmobs seem to lack the problem solving aspects of true collaborative behaviour. It is more a themed social gathering than a co-operative task solving exercise. Works Cited Rheingold, H. (2005, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from Ted: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

This wiki is about Social Constructivism. The idea that learners are influenced by their environment is the bases of this theory.  The empathy on the importance of culture and understanding what occurs in society and constructing knowledge based on it understanding.(Derry, 1999; McMahon, 1997) There is three elements to the assumption of social constructivism.  Reality: Social constructivists believe that reality is constructed through human activity Knowledge: To social constructivists,. Individuals create meaning through their interactions with each other and with the environment they live in. Learning: Social constructivists view learning as a social process.. Meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities Topics covered include 1 Social Constructivism Vignette2 What is Social Constructivism?3 Assumptions of Social Constructivism4 Intersubjectivity of Social Meanings5 Social Context for Learning6 General Perspectives of Social Constructivism on Learning7 Social Constructivism and Instructional Models8 Sorting Out Variations on the Terms "Constructionism" and Constructivism" Derry, S. J. (1999). A Fish called peer learning: Searching for common themes. In A. M. O'Donnell & A. King (Eds.),  Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 15th April 2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Computer-mediated Communication in Education: A review of recent research. This research paper available online addresses the recent research into Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in education (Keller, 2007). The author looks at each research methods and compares it to a counter research method like Quantitative verses Qualitative and Empirical verses Non-empirical research. This gives you a clear picture in many areas that are lacking in research and would help anyone who is looking to further research this area. It is important to note at this study of articles during the period 2000 to 2004 indicates some recent changes of interest but also shows interests that have remained steady in the research community(Keller, 2007). Also, it should be remembered that these results are based on 117 selected articles in Computers & Education, Educational Media International, Journal of Educational Computing Research and Journal of Educational Media between 2000 and 2004 out of many journals on educational technology. The article concludes a number of outcomes. That more work is needed that builds theories concluding that the research field has relied heavily on empirical studies (Keller, 2007). More research is needed in new and emerging communication media stating that current research is very much focused on text-based communication, not using graphics, audio and video(Keller, 2007). Research is needed on synchronous media because that most of the research has been on asynchronous studies. And finally Keller concludes that research is needed on the combination of different media in blended education. Keller, S. H. C. (2007). Computer-mediated Communication in Education: A review of recent research - Educational Media International. Educational Media International, 44(1), 61-77.

by Paul Belleflamme, Thomas Lambert, and Armin Schwienbacher, February 13, 2011. This academic, peer-reviewed article defines crowdfunding as belonging within the broader concept of crowdsourcing, in which a 'crowd' is used for gaining feedback, solutions, and ideas. The objective is to use the crowd to collect investment money in cases of financing individual projects (Pozible), or to raise social awareness in community-minded ventures (GetUp!). Belleflamme, Lamber, and Schwienbacher equates crowdfunding with pre-ordering, menu pricing, and price discrimination, and studies the circumstances under which crowdfunding is preferred to more traditional forms of acquiring funds. They describe crowdfunding as sharing a model with pre-ordering due to the expectation of investors receiving some form of reward for their contribution, in much the same way as pre-ordering a product, such as a game, entails some reward for investor support and interest, such as receiving a copy of the game early, and at a better price. Price discrimination is the disparity between the cost for the investor and the consumer (someone who waits for official release before purchasing). The article describes the advantages of enhanced user experience for investors and the allowance of price discrimination for 'a larger share of the consumer surplus', and the disadvantage of constraints in the amount of initial capital required (Belleflamme, et. al, 2011). The article continues with an empirical survey analysis, and key features from the perspective of industrial organisations, including sourcing information, building communities, and generating product interest, as well as the success of non-profit organisations using the crowdfunding model.

It is suggested (Glaeser & Shleifer; Ghatak & Mueller, cited in Belleflamme, et. al, 2011) that 'crowdfunders care about social reputation and/or enjoy private benefits from participating in the success of the initiative'; a vital asset for charities and entrepreneurs alike. The article concludes with the implications crowdfunding has for market research, and that it may be viewed more broadly than simply raising funds. Belleflamme, P., Lambert, T., & Schwienbacher, A. (2011). Tapping the Right Crowd. Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=157817.

This resource, an article from the Wall Street Journal, is a more current take on the SETI @home project. It can be more easily understood by the average reader and gives a summary of both the history of the SETI @home project, and information on where it stands today. It also discusses further details of "distributed computing". According to this resource, late in the 1990s University of California, Berkeley scientist David P. Anderson thought that the millions of "often-idle computers"(Gomes, 2006) could be better utilised in distributed computing. The idea behind distributed computing is to take a scientific problem, and then share out the computations required to millions of computers. To test this theory, Dr. Anderson chose the SETI project, and set up SETI@home. Although the search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was basically an "attention-getting gimic" (Gomes, 2006), it worked better then expected with almost a million users signing up and downloading the required client. Although there are now many other distributed computing projects available, almost akin to choosing which charity to donate to, many users are still loyal to the original SETI @home project. With their accumulated point system, earned by the number of computing hours donated to the project, users are unwilling to move to another project and lose the points they have earned. The current popularity of this project is shown by the 10,000+ members of the SETI @home facebook page (Facebook, 2011), which also demonstrates how many forms of online collaboration often cross paths. This resource describes the SETI @home project in easy to understand language making it a good introduction to the theory of distributed computing (or public-resource sharing) however some of the information seems to contradict that written on the SETI @home about page.

Facebook. (2011). SETI@home Community. Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=seti&init=quick&tas=search_preload&search_first_focus#!/pages/SETIhome/16063264533 Gomes, L. (2006). How Many Computers Does It Take to Make Contact with E.T.s? Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115145653496392561-3YTEjOQhd0ZilADHfEf8hoK4BhA_20070628.html?mod=blogs

SETI@home has also inspired other collaborative shared computing projects. Most notably the Folding@home project conducted by Stanford University (Sony folding@Home 2008). The aim is to analyze proteins in hope of solving various diseases including Cancer. An interesting aspect of the project is its imbedding as a networked technology in the millions of PlayStations 3's around the world. As a user-setting, PlayStations left idle can shift processing resources to working through the protein work packets sent out by Stanford. Like the SETI Project, various teams compete for most work units analyzed. As an addition, Stanford are in the process of publishing peer reviewed results that stem from the completed work (Stanford 2009). Both this and the SETI Project hold technology as the central core of collaboration, but there is a human social factor playing an important role. Highlighted by the the team-play that gathers around the competition to see who is putting the most resources into completing work units. Sony folding@home (2008). The Folding@home™ Distributed Computing Project at Stanford University. Retrieved from http://www.scei.co.jp/folding/en/ Stanford (2009) Recent Research Papers from Folding@home. Retrieved from http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Papers

This article was published in the Fibreculture Journal[1], a peer reviewed Australian Journal. Nicholson (2005) in this article is primarily focused on mobile communications role in FlashMobs. According to Nicholson (2005) the popularity of FlashMobs and its cultural significance was based upon three practices. It was the conjuncture of individuals communicating via mobile phone, sending text via mobiles and the public performance aspects that were significant. The article discusses various historical events associated with FlashMobs and there are links being formed between FlashMobs and the anti-globalization movement. The more organised FlashMob events were highlighted when journalists capturing a FlashMob outnumbered participants. Nicholson (2005) focused on the concept of "one to many" which has similarities and overlaps with the anti-globalisation movement. The examples used by Nicholson (2005) support this theory that FlashMobs and anti-globalisation, especially in their communication styles are similar. Nicholson (2005) cites Tom (2003) who states that FlashMobbing is, "the power of many, in the pursuit of nothing". Politically motivated FlashMob events ultimately have a pursuit of an outcome and thus questions if the examples given are FlashMob events. Nicholson's (2005) examples certainly allow for exploration of the mobile communication but it isn't entirely focused on the FlashMob phenonomen. The variety of examples on the other hand does allow for the argument that a FlashMob is bounded within the spectacle of the event, activism, being experimental with a prank all rolled into one. This article demonstrates that mobile telephone technology has had a direct influence on the FlashMob culture. The article also implies that the culture of FlashMob events is a past activity which has past it's used by date. Nicholson (2005) doesn't explain how or why this is a past activity and leaves this aspect of FlashMob culture unanswered in her article. Footnote

[Part 1] Lemos' paper depicts map-making as a socio-political act, an expression of power. Maps themselves are a visual way of presenting geographic information, and have been traditionally controlled by technicians, governments and private companies, but since the advent of interactive online tools, some of the power inherent in map-making has shifted to ordinary people. Interactive tools such as Google Maps, allow the everyday person to experience a new practice of place, as Lemos writes "mapping our moves on the streets allows us to control the space; it is territorialization. […] The use of GPS and other devices for location and location-based services puts the emphasis on control and domination over a territory" (Lemos 2008, p.15). From the perspective of student protesters in London at the end of 2010, the use of an interactive Google map (see and example at: http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/maptivism-in-london), allowed protest organisers to control the flow of digital information between cyberspace and the urban environment. Protesters themselves, those armed with locative media such as smart phones, had access to near real time data superimposed upon street maps relevant to their own position. This allowed protesters to collaborate by providing feedback to organisers or by reacting geographically to reported police location and action.

[Part 2] The act of real time digital mapping and urban annotation by protest movements potentially creates a new dynamic where the distribution of power relative to a location is altered. The ways in which citizens perceive the city and interact with its structure is changed when citizens have access to information about proximity and distance, when they are kept informed of lines of escape from controlled spaces. The act of protesting creates a temporary urban space, changing a location's social meaning. With the use of digital mapping tools a mobile social network is created, one that has the potential to communicate more effectively than the police forces arrayed against them. References: Cullum, B. (2010). Maptivism in London. Retrieved from: http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/maptivism-in-london Lemos, A.(2008). Mobile communication and new sense of places: a critique of spatialization in cyberculture.  Retrieved from:  http://www.andrelemos.info/artigos/spatialization.pdf Live Protest Map (2010). Retrieved from: UCL Live Protest Map

Lemos' journal examines the notion that recent mobile innovations have facilitated new and socially focussed communication systems. Locative media is the primary focus of the article and Lemos argues that technology and its relationship with mobility, community and place are creating new forms of 'territorization' - a socio-political act that involves control, surveillance and tracking. The distinction is made that locative media creates new uses for non-virtual space and bridges the gap between the physical and the virtual. This is achieved through augmented reality, mobile information consumption, events and geo-mapping; all which reinforce collaboration and participation among real world communities. Examples of locative media and territorization include CitizenMap, a community focussed web service which utilises Google Maps, Twitter and news sources to identify and detail environmental incidents throughout Hong Kong and the South China region. Sukey, an anti-police kettling application is another example of locative media, this service aims to improve communications throughout demonstrations by feeding police tactics and information from an assortment of data sources such as Twitter, Google Maps, Flickr and directly aggregating it to mobile / SMS enabled devices (Sukey, 2011). What Lemos fails to expand on in the journal is the technical and participatory expectations required for the services to be successful. Without regular and active participation these services add little or no value to the community or the cause.

Action for Australia GetUp! is a not-for-profit 'independent, grass-roots community advocacy organisation giving everyday Australians opportunities to get involved and hold politicians accountable on important issues' (About GetUp, n.d.). Rather than users starting individual projects and promoting them for donations from supporters, GetUp! hosts movements for causes of specific interest to Australians, including financial support for advertising and other schemes, to gain attention from politicians and the government at large, such as collecting 27,000 signatures petitioning the repeal of undemocratic laws preventing thousands from voting in the 2007 elections. A few dollars each from tens of thousands of supporters has produced high-profile ad campaigns that have helped raise awareness for issues important to the Australian people. GetUp! campaigns rely on social media and word-of-mouth to get the community informed and involved, requesting recommendations for new campaigns from everyday Australians concerned about government policies. According to Belleflamme, Lambert, and Schwienbacher (2011) this community involvement constitutes crowd-sourcing, where ideas and suggestions are sourced from the 'crowd', along with volunteers and appeals for solutions. In the spirit of transparency the movement advocates, GetUp! provides access to its annual reports as well as a 'real-time snapshot' of the donations members are contributing to campaigns, updated half hourly. This snapshot includes unique actions, new members, number of donations, the total collected from donations, average donation, and how many are first-time donors.

Financial donations are not required to participate in GetUp! campaigns, but the necessary funds to produce a commercial for exposure on national television is sourced from contributions by supporters: crowd-funding for a community cause. Unlike crowd-funding for individual projects, such as those found on online crowd-funding tools such as Pozible, investors in community campaigns may have no expectation of reward. The GetUp! website clearly indicates its intentions, guiding visitors to campaigns to inform, raise awareness and make contributions toward improving the Australian community through policy and reform. GetUp. (n.d.) GetUp! Retrieved from http://www.getup.org.au. Belleflamme, P., Lambert, T., & Schwienbacher, A. (2011). Tapping the Right Crowd. Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=157817.

This article was posted on theage.com.au by Ben Grubb and Asher Moses. With the recent events unfolding in Egypt the Egyptian government attempted to crack down on street protestors by shutting down all Internet and mobile phone services. This is an event that has been unprecedented in the history of the web and has sparked concern for western countries such as the US (Grub & Moses, 2011). The US is trying to pass a bill that could be used to shut down the Internet, this legislation or "Kill Switch" as it has been labeled would grant US president Obama the power to stop all Internet connections if there was a cause for concern (Kravets, 2011). The proposed legislation, introduced into the US Senate by independent senator Joe Lieberman, who is chairman of the US Homeland Security committee, seeks to grant the President emergency powers over the Internet in times of national emergency (Grub & Moses, 2011). This has been met by concern of dozens of groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Center for Democracy & Technology, who are concerned that the measure, if it became law, might be used to censor the Internet (Kravets, 2011). Others do not see this necessarily as a concern and are currently working on different ways of connecting people without relying on a central access point. 'Mesh' Networks for example are currently underdevelopment for mobile phones in which there is not central device, instead each node is equipped with radio communications which acts a relay point to other nodes, placing the pressure off obtaining a connection from a main server (Gedda ,2010). This article was an interesting insight into the repossessions that the events in Egypt has placed on the rest of the world, with a great concern for the Internet being used as a tool for power and large scale online collaboration.

References: Gedda, R. (2010). Mobile Phone Coverage Expanded Via 'Mesh' Networks. Retrieved April, 17, 2011. from http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/352948/mobile_phone_coverage_expanded_via_mesh_networks/. Grubb, B; Moses, A. (2011). As Egypt goes offline US gets Internet 'kill switch' bill ready. Retrieved April 17, 2011. From http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/as-egypt-goes-offline-us-gets-internet-kill-switch-bill-ready-20110131-1aah3.html Kravets, D. (2011). Internet "Kill Switch" Legislation Back In Play. Retrieved April, 17, 2011. From http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/kill-switch-legislation/

This study by Blau and Caspi is valuable for seeing how using Google Docs in a sharing and collaborating environment has on perceived student learning. The credibility of this study is enhanced by a wide survey of 118 students at an Open University in Israel. Ownership meant the degree to which the student using Google Docs felt responsible to work on and update project documents. This quantitative study also sought to measure the perceived learning and quality of project outcomes students felt were a result of using Google Docs. The implications from the study suggested the importance of owning the document, but also to make sure others knew of changes to the document. A document creator felt they lost ownership of the document when editing was done on it. They became the reader of the document. Such a change in hierarchy shows the importance of communicating changes done on Google Docs to every team member. A second implication was that the value of the document seemed to increase when more revisions was done. This suggested that more work on the document resulted in a more credible and trustworthy document as the project document was improved towards its final presentation. In fact most survey respondents seemed to not think the document got worse as more things were added to it. Overall, there was a correlation between document quality and revision, with Google Docs being perceived as quite effective in producing trustworthy documents which add to the learning process. The researchers' main advice from the study is that revising documents and suggesting improvements is far more effective than editing another's documents. Whilst this is not always possible it does suggest the importance of communication in the collaboration process. Google Docs is not a passive collaboration media; therefore, care in making sure all team members communicate changes is vital to a much better collaboration process.

References Blau, I., & Caspi, A. (2009). What type of collaboration helps? Psychological ownership, perceived learning and outcome quality of collaboration using Google Docs. Proceedings of the Chais conference on instructional technologies research 2009: Learning in the technological era. Y. Eshet-Alkalai, A. Caspi, S. Eden, N. Geri, Y. Yair (Eds.), Raanana: The Open University of Israel. Retrieved April 2, 2011, from http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:bBVQbNfm4-MJ:scholar.google.com/+google+docs&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

This article is presented on famousboggers.com a blogging site dedicated to academics publishing writing on current events. In this article Mohamed Osam (network and computer engineer) talks about the technological factors leading up to the revolution in Egypt. The "eRevolution" was sparked by a group of young activists on Facebook, they were pushing for reform on freedom and social injustice (Osam, 2011). These Facebook groups attracted more than 85,000 protestors via group posts, and comments, while communicating heavily on twitter and sometimes cell phone SMS services (Osam, 2011). Other Facebook groups were initiated before and during the protests to support the logistics and the massive demonstrations that erupted all over Egypt. The "Rasd News Network (R.N.N)" Facebook group was one of the main contributors to the revolution, sending protest updates, news updates and politician and media reaction (Osam, 2011). With such a public outcry the Egyptian government shut down all Internet communication in Egypt, but by this time things had already escalated beyond the governments repair (Franco, 2011). After a few more days of the increasing number of protestors, high national and international pressures, and a total of 18 days of protesting, Omar Suleiman (the recently appointed Egyptian vice president) resigned his position (Franco, 2011). This article brings up interesting points around the effects of online collaboration and communication. What is the future for these types of online political movements? The factor that seems to be most interesting is the fact that there was social action and results gained by taking the fight online just as offline. The power of online collaboration has obviously proven its point with these recent events in Egypt, so where too next? Could this type of political movement be a stepping-stone for further political activism or just like many other tools be used for both positive and negative behavior? Some see this as

References: Avaaz.org. (2011). Stand With The People Of Egypt. Avaaz - The World in Action. Retrieved from https://secure.avaaz.org/en/democracy_for_egypt/?fpla Avaaz.org. (2011). Freeze Mubarak's stolen fortune. Avaaz - The World in Action. Retrieved from http://www.avaaz.org/en/mubaraks_fortune/ Findlay, T. (2011). eRevolution on Diigo - oua_net308_2011 group. Retrieved from http://groups.diigo.com/group/oua_net308_2011 Osam, M. (n.d.). Articles by Mohamed Osam. The eRevolution. Retrieved from http://www.famousbloggers.net/author/mohamedosam Osam, M. (2011). The eRevolution. Retrieved from http://www.famousbloggers.net/the-erevolution.html

This is a great article that describes the technological and social influences that allowed millions of people to network and collaborate online during the protests in Egypt earlier this year. It shows how many citizens of Egypt successfully used various online services and tools in maintaining communications and mobilizing massive group actions throughout this time. The author explains how this was "the first revolution sparked, managed and orchestrated by social networking, by Facebook, twitter, blogs and YouTube"(Osam, M. 2011); and questions any potential harm that may arise from such seemingly powerful tools of social and political change. This supports the article 'Anonymous Uses Collaborative Document Sharing Tool for Social Survival' that I have posted to Diigo. These works investigate the widespread use of both public and anonymous web services in the coordination of information, communications and group movements during social and political protests in the Middle East. They show how these platforms were used as flexible networking and collaborating tools which effectively reached large numbers of people. While the Anonymous article focuses on the creation and distribution of their 'Revolution Survival Guide' for Tunisians - using tools that allowed "simple, free, and publicly "anonymous" way(s) to share and collaborate on information" (Clay, K. 2011); the Egyptian protests were initially "sparked by a group of young activists on Facebook"(Osam, M. 2011). These different networking and collaboration platforms were successfully used as social and political tools against oppressive regimes. References Clay, K. (2011). Anonymous Uses Collaborative Document Sharing Tool for Social Survival. Social Media and Technology. 25th of February 2011. Available from: http://www.lockergnome.com/social/2011/02/25/anonymous-uses-collaborative-document-sharing-tool-for-social-survival Osam, M. (2011). The eRevolution. Retreived, April 13, 2011. From

Application of Computer Communications in Education. This article is about how computers communications should be used in eduction. It is interesting because of it was published in the IEEE Magazine in 1999.  This was before web 2.0 technology and gives some insight into what was seen to be useful back then.  The paper covers what has been important developments in CMC and starts out but discussing Java applets as an important tool in CMC.  This allows for computer software to be ran inside the browser. The paper also discusses the use of Database management environment. Similar to what we see with Blackboard and Moodle. It covers the management of CMC. Finaly the article enters into the area of online video. This is interesting to the point that in 1999 the bandwidths for video where limited and video where consumed in small windows. Very different to what we have today  with tools such as Youtube. Finally the issued are raised by about staff engagement and support. These are issue we are still addressing today in using Computer Mediated Communications  in education although we are some highly advanced tools.   Collis, B. (1999). Applications of Computer  Communications in Education: An Overview. IEEE Communication Magazine, 37, 82-86