The recent events of the Iranian elections have shown the true power of the internet as a communication medium and more important the power this system can have in changing the world. Clay Shirky in the Ted talk talks about how this medium not only makes the others obsolete but fundamentally changes the way the users interact with not only the technology but the producers of content (aka business or those in power).

For quite awhile now we have lived in a world where the control of technology and weapons allow a few to hold dominion over very large groups of people. The only way to overcome this has been through the slow, and often bloody, accumulation of large enough groups to wrest power. The key to creating and growing these groups is communication, which has traditionally been difficult. The typical means of getting a message out require expensive technology, professionals to run the tech and uninhibited means of delivery (not controlled by the government). The internet as Shirky points out gets rid of all but one of these hurdles. But as we’ve seen all to often (China, Iran, North Korea etc), entire parts of the internet can just be shut down. Hinder communication enough and throw in a dash (or more) of intimidation and you can quell an uprising.

This brings us back to the fundamental problems with communication. It has traditionally been one way and easily shut down, word needs to spread by mouth, which is relatively slow. While I’m as sick of the next person of hearing about it Twitter proves just how fast the internet can be. In these situations speed not only improves the chances of effectiveness but it can also save lives. Of course this is a moot point if those in power just shut down the means of communication. Which brings us to another problem with communication, it has to be mobile.

What’s needed is a moving target. A website that can hop domains easily and quickly, or be present in hundreds of locations simultaneously, and allow for the uploading and downloading of information. Coupled with a SMS system to send the location(s) of the site to people. Such a site could keep the lines of communication and collaboration open with large groups of people while being much more difficult to shut down. This creates a place where people can not only organize but also share first hand accounts with the rest of the world. There are numerous issues and holes in the logic here, maybe it relies too much on technology. Perhaps just a well researched and considered framework for organizing and mobilizing large groups made open and free to the world might be more beneficial. One thing is for sure as the world becomes more educated and gains access to the rest of the world there will be more need for these types of tools. President Obama said it perfectly when he quoted Dr. Martin Luther King the other day.

“Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”

You may have noticed that last weeks post went missing. Despite what the rampant conspiracy theorists say, it was merely a very stupid, unprofessional mistake involving a MySQL database and a week old backup.

While the post my be missing the sentiment of it holds true, I am currently redefining what the focus of this site is, or more accurately putting our finger on what exactly this site has become. Good news is I’ve just about figured out what it is and will be back soon with a shiny new post, and shortly after the new vision for PROJECT know. (hold for applause)

Interesting study on websites for charities/non-profits. While I usually rail against anything Jakob Nielson says (mostly because he presents his findings as hard and fast rules rather than guidelines, and rarely accounts for surrounding circumstances, but back to the subject of this post) I think there is a lot of good info here. The study indicates that the internet will be the primary vehicle for donations by 2020. With that in mind the study shows that many of the sites fail to provide key information needed when making a decision to donate. Devloping long term relationships throught the use of newsletters is also discussed. The full version of the report is here for $98.00, otherwise the overview is here. In a related post Webdesigner Depot has a post on 8 Tips to Design a  Charity Website.

Since posting last week on the ever increasing pace in changes the internet is driving at least t2 newspapers have announced changes due to the newspaper industries dismal situation. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is switching to an online only publication, and a group of reporters from the Rocky Mountain News are trying to form an online version of the storied paper that went out of print a few weeks ago.

Both papers are taking different approaches the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is firing most of it’s staff and publishing mostly stories rehashed from it’s parent, Hearst’s other publications. I can’t help but think this will be a sad parody of what a newspaper is supposed to be. The second is trying a more grassroots approach similar to what was done in MN (a state with 2 bankrupt daily papers), where a group of disgruntled reporters put together MinnPost. The result is a pretty good online paper (but the site could use a face lift).

What should be readily apparent is that the newspaper industry is broken. There is an excellent article written about this by Web theorist Clay Shirky on his blog. What he points out is that the basic architecture and functions of the internet are the undoing of the newspapers, and will spread to the rest of the publishing world. The danger is if someone dosn’t figure out how to make newpapers work the rest of the publishing world will probably see the same fate.