Simon from We Are Change UK gets arrested for demonstrating within the SOCPA Zone in London:
The History Commons Needs Your Support
1 year ago
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
You are the media--so start your own 911Activist Blog today
If you haven't already, that is.
On the subject of become your own media, I came across this post about a survey in the yahoo group archives of Total911TruthNOW :
Keep in mind this survey is hardly scientific and seems to have only had 177 respondents. Also, if memory serves, this was the same survey many activists received late last year; the general consensus was to ignore what looked like fishing for information on activists.
However, even assuming the worse about the surveyor's intentions, most of the problem people pretending to be in the 911Truth movement do have blogs and/or sites. So even taking into account the small sampling size and doubtful intentions, this portion of the results, referring to Internet use:
is likely an accurate picture, if only broadly.
If so, what's the hold up?
"Become the media" does not mean become a regular visitor to infowars, PrisonPlanet, or any other "independent" site. It does not mean become a regular fan of alternative sites, though of course that helps. It means you--yes, YOU-- contribute your own thoughts, feelings, research and analysis to the mix. And whilst sites like 911Blogger--for which we are grateful--are very nice in that they make the blog set-up easy, try to consider them "training wheels" in so far as your blogging is concerned.
See, the idea is to get into the habit of "broadcasting" yourself--even in text--NOT replacing one crutch with another.
Now, of course there's this money problem. Not everyone is ready or able to shell out for a site/hosting. This is where 911Blogger and other re-existing forums come in. But don't forget our lovely FREE corporate online service providers like Blogger.
Now is not the time to get tetchy about the fact they are ethically compromised corporate pirates. Use the Devil's tools when you can. Not only is it another way to broadcast your message, but it gives the Google bots something to find, helping to spread your message. And when you're not "putting all your eggs in one basket", you'll be less irritated when your blog at a drupal site, for whatever reason, is not approved.
There may be a mental block involved with some individuals. In the past, registered users at 911Blogger, sometimes after weeks of posting, would timidly ask how they can blog on the site. Basically people aren't in the practice of "just doing it", I expect from a combination of lack of opportunity and being respectful of the site ownership. Also, some individuals might be intimidated by the process based on various errant expectations:
-I'll HAVE to do it every day--I don't know if I'm up to that.
-What if trolls invade my comments? I don't want to be attacked by mean people.
-I'm not comfortable with people knowing my thoughts on 911. What if my friends found out?
-I am not worthy. Who am I to say what is or is not news?
Okay, that last was over the top, but I suspect misplaced internalized low self esteem is often the real culprit behind the other three. Unfortunately the enemy--by which I mean those intentionally flooding the Internet with rubbish to make 911 Truth look bad--does not have these hang-ups. They groked the Internet media from go and have been maximizing it's use since .
Time to catch up.
No, you do not have to blog everyday--no one will think badly of you, and even if they do you'll never know it. The "blogging police" will not loom over you threatening punishment if you don't post on schedule. You decide your own schedule. You are your own boss.
You do not have to enable comments if you're not ready to deal with trouble makers. Or you can moderate them and/or delete problem posts. You do not have to tolerate abuse to prove you are committed. The point is to get information out, not to waste time sparring with alleged "debunkers". Again, you are your own boss.
You do not have to use you're legal identity, unless you want to. Considering the efforts a certain quarter has gone to show how people will be targeted and attacked, one would almost advise you NOT to use the "real you" in the interests of protecting your family and friends. At least not until you get a "lay of the land" so to speak, and a feel for what kind of attention you're attracting. Also, making the opposition waste money stumbling around in the dark playing "Guess that Truther" is loads of fun. And forces them to show the nasty pieces of work THEY are all about. But, however you decide to be known, it is up to you--you are the boss.
A word of caution: there is an organized effort to frighten people out of online activism, especially if they challenge a certain quarter of disinformation. In the same vein 911activists are targeted with the secondary intent of showing others what can happen if they get too involved. This may seem silly to those of us with thick skin, but to an outsider it's quite shocking. So if you aren't up to sparring with disruptors, denying them a platform by disabling comments is a good tactical move.
Right--feeling worthy yet? Then get started with one of these sites:
Google's Blogger
LiveJournal
Myspace--for those with loads of memory/bandwidth(seriously, this site crashed the Windows on the lame machine I was forced to use most of January)
WordPress
Other features you might consider:
-Site meters-- as you can guess gives you info on your traffic, as well as other tools that come in handy to track trouble makers. Here are some that offer free services:
http://www.webcounter.com/
http://www.easycounter.com/FreeCounter3.html
http://www.mywebstats.org
http://www.statcounter.com/
-Banners, promos and links--easily added amplify existing activism with minimum effort--take 911Blacklist, for instance.
We have the potential to make the internet an activist platform, not just for 911Truth, but for all sorts of progressive activism. But that won't happen if most of us are stuck thinking of themselves as spectators instead of actors on the stage of 911Truth.
Now see what you did? I got all poetic. Make it worth it. Don't be a spectator--maximize your internet activism. If you haven't already start your 911Truth blog today.
911Blogger was just the beginning...
On the subject of become your own media, I came across this post about a survey in the yahoo group archives of Total911TruthNOW :
You and the Internet
8. Where do you use the internet the most? Please rank most to least.
1) School 9%
2) Work 27%
3) Home 64%
4) Other:
9. Your internet connection is:
1) Broadband 93%
2) Dial-up 7%
3) Other:
10. About how many hours a day are you actively using the internet?
1) Less than 1 2%
2) 1-2 hours 8%
3) 2-3 hours 18%
4) 3-4 hours 29%
5) 4-5 hours 23%
6) 5-6 hours 13%
7) More than 6 hours 7%
11. What do you spend the most time doing on the internet? Please rank most to least
1) School work 16%
2) Job stuff 32%
3) Personal Use and General Browsing 29%
4) 9/11 Research 12%
5) Gaming 9%
6) Other: 2%
12. What social networking sites do you have an account at?
1) MySpace 73% (of the people who answered. Total is over 100%)
2) Facebook 10%
3) Bebo 3%
4) Meetup.com 9%
5) Friendster 4%
6) Tribe 2%
7) Other:
13. Do you have a blog?
1) Yes 9%
2) No 91%
14. If yes to above, how often do you post?
1) Daily 22%
2) Weekly 57%
3) Monthly 21%
15. Aside from blogs, do you have your own website?
1) No 92%
2) Yes, I have a site on a free web host 3%
3) Yes, I have a site on a pay web host 3%
4) Yes, I host a site(s) on my own server 2%
Keep in mind this survey is hardly scientific and seems to have only had 177 respondents. Also, if memory serves, this was the same survey many activists received late last year; the general consensus was to ignore what looked like fishing for information on activists.
However, even assuming the worse about the surveyor's intentions, most of the problem people pretending to be in the 911Truth movement do have blogs and/or sites. So even taking into account the small sampling size and doubtful intentions, this portion of the results, referring to Internet use:
13. Do you have a blog?
1) Yes 9%
2) No 91%
is likely an accurate picture, if only broadly.
If so, what's the hold up?
"Become the media" does not mean become a regular visitor to infowars, PrisonPlanet, or any other "independent" site. It does not mean become a regular fan of alternative sites, though of course that helps. It means you--yes, YOU-- contribute your own thoughts, feelings, research and analysis to the mix. And whilst sites like 911Blogger--for which we are grateful--are very nice in that they make the blog set-up easy, try to consider them "training wheels" in so far as your blogging is concerned.
See, the idea is to get into the habit of "broadcasting" yourself--even in text--NOT replacing one crutch with another.
Now, of course there's this money problem. Not everyone is ready or able to shell out for a site/hosting. This is where 911Blogger and other re-existing forums come in. But don't forget our lovely FREE corporate online service providers like Blogger.
Now is not the time to get tetchy about the fact they are ethically compromised corporate pirates. Use the Devil's tools when you can. Not only is it another way to broadcast your message, but it gives the Google bots something to find, helping to spread your message. And when you're not "putting all your eggs in one basket", you'll be less irritated when your blog at a drupal site, for whatever reason, is not approved.
There may be a mental block involved with some individuals. In the past, registered users at 911Blogger, sometimes after weeks of posting, would timidly ask how they can blog on the site. Basically people aren't in the practice of "just doing it", I expect from a combination of lack of opportunity and being respectful of the site ownership. Also, some individuals might be intimidated by the process based on various errant expectations:
-I'll HAVE to do it every day--I don't know if I'm up to that.
-What if trolls invade my comments? I don't want to be attacked by mean people.
-I'm not comfortable with people knowing my thoughts on 911. What if my friends found out?
-I am not worthy. Who am I to say what is or is not news?
Okay, that last was over the top, but I suspect misplaced internalized low self esteem is often the real culprit behind the other three. Unfortunately the enemy--by which I mean those intentionally flooding the Internet with rubbish to make 911 Truth look bad--does not have these hang-ups. They groked the Internet media from go and have been maximizing it's use since .
Time to catch up.
No, you do not have to blog everyday--no one will think badly of you, and even if they do you'll never know it. The "blogging police" will not loom over you threatening punishment if you don't post on schedule. You decide your own schedule. You are your own boss.
You do not have to enable comments if you're not ready to deal with trouble makers. Or you can moderate them and/or delete problem posts. You do not have to tolerate abuse to prove you are committed. The point is to get information out, not to waste time sparring with alleged "debunkers". Again, you are your own boss.
You do not have to use you're legal identity, unless you want to. Considering the efforts a certain quarter has gone to show how people will be targeted and attacked, one would almost advise you NOT to use the "real you" in the interests of protecting your family and friends. At least not until you get a "lay of the land" so to speak, and a feel for what kind of attention you're attracting. Also, making the opposition waste money stumbling around in the dark playing "Guess that Truther" is loads of fun. And forces them to show the nasty pieces of work THEY are all about. But, however you decide to be known, it is up to you--you are the boss.
A word of caution: there is an organized effort to frighten people out of online activism, especially if they challenge a certain quarter of disinformation. In the same vein 911activists are targeted with the secondary intent of showing others what can happen if they get too involved. This may seem silly to those of us with thick skin, but to an outsider it's quite shocking. So if you aren't up to sparring with disruptors, denying them a platform by disabling comments is a good tactical move.
Right--feeling worthy yet? Then get started with one of these sites:
Google's Blogger
LiveJournal
Myspace--for those with loads of memory/bandwidth(seriously, this site crashed the Windows on the lame machine I was forced to use most of January)
WordPress
Other features you might consider:
-Site meters-- as you can guess gives you info on your traffic, as well as other tools that come in handy to track trouble makers. Here are some that offer free services:
http://www.webcounter.com/
http://www.easycounter.com/FreeCounter3.html
http://www.mywebstats.org
http://www.statcounter.com/
-Banners, promos and links--easily added amplify existing activism with minimum effort--take 911Blacklist, for instance.
We have the potential to make the internet an activist platform, not just for 911Truth, but for all sorts of progressive activism. But that won't happen if most of us are stuck thinking of themselves as spectators instead of actors on the stage of 911Truth.
Now see what you did? I got all poetic. Make it worth it. Don't be a spectator--maximize your internet activism. If you haven't already start your 911Truth blog today.
911Blogger was just the beginning...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Feburary 16th-- 1st Responders Money Bomb
Most of my traffic these days seem to be shills, but maybe there's a "shill with a heart of gold" out there. If so, pause a moment in your operation and try to be useful for a change:
www.1stResponders1st.com
Cheers.
www.1stResponders1st.com
Cheers.
Happy Birthday, Truthaction!
I had no idea what I'd post for the first anniversary and was about to give it a miss when this video was posted at Truthaction:
Perfection.
Perfection.
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