Tacoma IWW Organizing Tip #2 - Internet Resources
Submitted by Leah Coakley on 07/31/08
1) WIKI:
A website where anyone can post or modify information.
Wikipedia is a famous wiki in which people post entries, much like encyclopedia entries, about anything they're interested in. You can find information that wouldn't be included in traditional encyclopedias because it's too esoteric, little known, or "politically, socially dangerous" (our favorite, right) :) Wikipedia has a lot of people that check articles and make sure they're not total BS or not totally biased for or against something - there's an expectation of accurate and relatively unbiased articles. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)
I'm creating a Tacoma IWW Organizing Tips wiki using a free wiki site called (PBwiki.com). I found out about it through my cello teacher who uses a PBwiki for his cello students so we can download music and exercises, keep a class schedule updated, and communicate easily. For example, there's a calendar posted there and if we can't make a class, we can delete our spot and put it in another free spot without having to call him. I'll send the link along once I've created it and everyone can get a better idea.
2) BLOG: (short for web-log)
a personal website that's basically an online journal where someone posts entries about their lives, their cooking, their hobbies, anything they like. Other people comment on the articles. They often post pictures, documents, and links. I often look at this vegan food blog which has "food porn" (pictures of yummy looking food, close up) and recipes and commentary on vegan cooking. (veganmenu.blogspot.com
)
3) MYSPACE:
a site where a person can create a free webpage with basic information about themselves, pictures, and where there friends can leave comments for them. It's a way for friends to talk to each other instead of calling or emailing. Others can view the comments too. People also post songs and videos and there is a blog with it where people can post longer pieces of information. There are lots of sites like Myspace, but it is one of the most popular. It's owned by Ruport Murdoch (the FOX baron). People compete over how many people have accepted them as a "friend" (you see how many friends they have and who they are when you look at their page) and who can make their life look the most enviable.
4) FACEBOOK:
Basically like myspace but more popular with college students and older folks. A little less bells and whistles. People join "groups" that are made up by each person like the "Duke University" group or the "Vote Obama" group or the "People who dance really badly but you know it turns you on anyway" group - serious to bizarre. People can also send out invitations to events, like a Wob meeting, through Facebook and you can see who said yes, no, or maybe.
Places like Myspace and Facebook are called "social networking sites" because they're basically online hang outs where people comment on each other's pictures and lives. A lot of people are addicted to them, checking them a hundred times a day, and making them their primary form of communication with friends.
5) Options for real-time discussion
can be in the form of chat rooms, where people type in text and others read it - all in real time- , or if you have recording devices for your computer, you can have an audio or audio-video chat as well as text. It's easy to interrupt people in chat rooms, you can all be typing at once and there is a flurry of new lines of text on the screen. But it's cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and you can do it in your own home. You can also have a chat facilitator who makes sure things go smoothly (just like in a face to face meeting).
Comments (1)
Tacoma IWW said
at 7:04 pm on Aug 4, 2008
For information on the networking tool "Twitter," being used successfully by some IWW unions, see the July-August 2008 Industrial Worker article, "Twitter New Campaign Tool."
You don't have permission to comment on this page.