G20 - "This is not a riot"

We are definitely living in interesting times. Modes and levels of protest not seen in decades are sweeping many countries in Europe and elsewhere as the G20 leaders meet to discuss our future in London. Here in Greece the country is in the midst of a general strike organised by trade unions to protest the government spending cuts. In Northern Ireland workers have taken over three Ford owned plants, in France bosses of a factory scheduled to close were held hostage yesterday by sacked employees and, of course there have been protests in London.

Yesterday I followed events in Britain via the internet and once again I have come to the conclusion that the mainstream media are being outclassed by their internet rivals. The coverage of the demonstrations by the BBC ranged from the misleading to the trite and once again the established channels blindly accepted the official version given the police and authorities and resorted to long distance reporting via telephoto lens and imported "experts" who no more about what's happening down in the streets than I do here in Greece.

Even the coverge of the events inside the summit amounted to little more than gossip and observation more suited to a beauty pageant than a high level political event. I think I heard the same old statistics repeated hundreds of times. I wonder if anyone went to bother to check out if they are true or just decided that endlessly recycling press releases is easier than doing some first hand research.

Thankfully, I was also following events via Twitter, Flickr, Youtube and blogs which gave me a much more rounded view of events including the excesses of the police whose use of "kettling" (hemming in large groups of people for hours on end) seemed to be tailor made to create tension.



In addition, We also have video footage of the way in which UK riot police went out of their way to provoke violent response from protesters in the Climate Camp in Bishopgate.

Greek government attempts to shut down internet news sites

The Greek government has made move to shut down Indymedia sites in the capital, Athens and neighbouring Patras according to local news sources. Following questions in parliament by member of the far right LAOS party, Kyriakos Velopoulos, junior minister for Education and Religious Affairs, Spyros Taliadouros demanded that the National Technical University of Athens (Greece's equivalent of MIT) immediately locate and shut down the site which is hosted on the university's server.

The site still remains in operation, however, Konstantinos Moutzouris dean of the university has said that while Indymedia sites make use of the universities facilities thay have not been given permission to do so. In addition according to national daily, Kathimerini the university is currently making attempts to find and shut down the site.

In addition an article in this Sunday's Paron newspaper claimed that the newly appointed minister for Justice, Nikos Dendias is aiming to inroduce legislation that would end Greek bloggers right to anonymity. The publication immediately provoked uproar across the Greek language blogosphere prompting the minister to make an official statment denying that any such legislation was being considered.

However, despite the announcement there is a widespread belief amongst Greek bloggers that the current ruling New Democracy party is attempting to reign in critics on the internet in view of the possibility of forthcoming elections.

With a slender one seat majority in parliament and its standing in the polls dropping badly the Kostas Karamanlis's government is seen as likely to fall. Growing resentment over the handling of last year's corruption scandals, mounting economic problems and an ongoing series of crisis in education, law and order and health care mean that elections seem likely.

To ίντερνετ ρίχνει κυβερνήσεις - the internet topples governments

Photo by Oliristinn

Η πρωθυπουργός της Ισλανδίας ζήτησε από τους διοικητές των τριών μεγαλύτερων τραπεζών της χώρας να παραιτηθούν, προσπαθώντας να αποκαταστήσει στην εμπιστοσύνη στο τρωθέν σύστημα της χώρας.

H νέα πρωθυπουργός ανέλαβε την εξουσία υποσχόμενος να αντιμετωπίσει την χρηματοπιστωτική κρίση που έπληξε τη χώρα, και έριξε την προηγούμενη κυβέρνηση, η οποία υπέστη και ιντερνετικό πόλεμο.

To ξημέρωμα στην Ισλανδία, η ατμόσφαιρα είναι παγωμένη και το σκοτάδι δεν δίνει σιγά σιγά τη θέση του στο φως της ημέρας.

Είναι η ώρα που που οι Ισλανδοί κολυμπούν στα νερά των ιαματικών γεωθερμικών λουτρών.

Μετά το πρωινό κολύμπι απολαμβάνουν τη ραστώνη, και συζητούν για τραπεζίτες και πολιτικούς.

“Έπρεπε να είναι όλοι στη φυλακή, πολλοί άνθρωποι χάνουν τις δουλειές τους, η κρίση είναι μεγάλη, είναι εγκληματίες και κλέφτες”, σχολιάζουν οι πολίτες.

Το σάϊτ Iceland Weather Report, είναι ένα από τα δημοφιλέστερα στη χώρα. Εκεί εκφράζεται ο ωμός θυμός πολλών Ισλανδών.

Οι πολιτικοί προσποιούνται ότι ο διαδικτυακός αυτός τόπος δεν υπάρχει, όμως το 90% των Ισλανδών κάνουν χρήση του διαδικτύου, και εξέφρασαν τις απόψεις τους.

"Μας δίνεται η αίσθηση μιας σιωπηλής επανάστασης, ο κόσμος ζητά ριζικές αλλαγές, οι επιφανειακές διακοσμητικές αλλαγές δεν είναι αρκετές, δεν φτάνει μόνον ένας κυβερνητικός ανασχηματισμός", επισημαίνει η Άλντα Σίγκμουντοτιρ, υπεύθυνη του διαδικτυακού τόπου Iceland Weather Report.

Οι μπλόγκερς υποστήριξαν τις διαδηλώσεις που έγιναν έξω από το κοινοβούλιο της Ισλανδίας, οι πολίτες δεν ικανοποιήθηκαν από την ανατροπή της κυβέρνησης, θεωρούν όλους τους πολιτικούς διεφθαρμένους, και ζητούν νέα πρόσωπα στην κυβέρνηση.

Οι διαμαρτυρίες διαπέρασαν και υπερκέρασαν τις παραδοσιακές πολιτικές δομές, ο αυθόρμητος πολιτικός θυμός των ανθρώπων εξελίχθηκε σε κίνημα που ανέτρεψε την κυβέρνηση, κάτι που οι πολιτικοί απέτυχαν να προβλέψουν.

Χιλιάδες πολίτες μέσω των ίντερνετ καφέ και τις μπλογκόσφαιρας δημοσιοποιούν τις απόψεις τους και την αγανάκτηση τους.

"Οι πολίτες μάθαιναν τα νέα και τις εξελίξεις από άλλους πολίτες, κανείς δεν εμπιστευόταν τις επίσημες πηγές πληροφόρησης, οι πολιτικοί πρέπει να είναι ταπεινοί και να αφουγκράζονται το λαό", τονίζει ο πολιτικός ακτιβιστής, Στάρι Χόκστον.

Η Ισλανδία επικοινωνεί με ολόκληρο τον κόσμο, μέσω διαδικτύου, μια παλιά αποθήκη για ψάρια στεγάζει την ηλεκτρονική βάσει του μεγαλύτερου διαδικτυακού παιχνιδιού στον κόσμο, με 250,000 παίκτες παγκοσμίως, που προσπαθούν να κατακτήσουν ένα τεχνητό σύμπαν.

Στον πραγματικό κόσμο οι πολιτικοί προσπαθούν να ελέγξουν το διαδίκτυο, στην περίπτωση όμως της Ισλανδίας, το διαδίκτυο κέρδισε τους πολιτικούς.

From Skai.gr

And see here for the original BBC video report from Iceland

Iceland's new prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir has asked the country's three central bank governors to resign in an attempt to restore faith in the country's battered financial system.

The previous government was the first in the world to be brought down by the credit crunch, but it may also have been the first casualty of internet politics.

Brian Hanrahan reports from Reykjavik.

Social media - How to get started.

An introduction

Citizen reporter, blogger, independent volunteer journalist. You know that you’re at the start of a major change in the way things work when the new phenomenon spawns a whole raft of names. Although the buzz over the Internet and especially the whole web 2.0 phase has died down the fact that the technology has ceased to be cutting edge or even unusual means that the really interesting changes in the way people use it are probably happening as we speak.

One of the most visible signs of this is the changing role of the public in the way news is created and disseminated. Wider access to the Internet, dropping prices in digital cameras and the emergence of a range of ways of putting material on the net easily is transforming the way people interact with the media.

Of course, this is not a new idea as as long as the media has been round there have been those who have sought to get their story out to a wider audience without recourse to traditional channels. The difference today is the entry level and the potential number of people who can be reached.

Up till recently media meant heavy investment in equipment, be it the printing press or the TV studio. In addition there was also a similar need for highly trained technicians to use the tools involved. As a result those capable of bearing this financial burden was limited to a lucky few.

All that is changing the cost of putting out a story has effectively dropped to zero. Even the possession of a computer is no longer a pre-requisite as access to the Internet either through Internet cafes or say, public libraries means that nearly everyone can compete on even terms.

What equipment do I need?

At the most basic level nothing more sophisticated than a notepad, pen and cell phone with a camera.

If you have the resources then I would recommend a video camera, a DSLR and a light Wi-Fi equipped sub - notebook. Looking at the prices here in Greece all this would cost you around about 700 euros.

Remember spending a whole bunch of money is not going to help you get your story out. The perfect image, a wickedly edited video clip or state of the art laptop is not what citizen journalism is all about nor can it replace your single, most important advantage - local knowledge.

What sites should I join?

There are a number of news sites that allow people to upload stories to the Internet. This is just a selection of the more popular ones rather than a definitive list. Look out for similar sites in your own area and/or language.

Indymedia (there are branches all over the world, so look for your local one)

Nowpublic.com

ireport (part of CNN)

Globalvoicesonline

Also many news sites such as the BBC allow people to upload pictures and ask for written contributions form people affected by news stories. this is often a good way to get in contact with the mainstream media.

Video

If you want to upload video then opening up an account with Youtube and Google Video is a must. Just remember that Youtube’s free account limits videos to just 10 minutes, however, longer videos can be sent to Google Video.

By posting video on these sites you make it a lot easier for people to post them on their own sites. Instead of having to upload videos to each site you contribute to you can do it just once and then embed them wherever you like.

Photographs

Both Flickr and Photobucket allow you to upload pictures onto the net, to form groups and find the latest pictures taken by people involved in breaking news stories around the world.

Blogs

Having your own site on the Internet is a great way of increasing your credibility and offers another way for you communicate your stories to a wider audience. In addition the act of keeping a blog updated is a great way of learning writing and presentation skills.

Remember also that the personal nature of blogging means that you can express more personal views or yourself in a more impassioned way.

Here are some of the most popular blog providers;

Blogspot

Wordpress

Livejournal

These are great ways to get in contact with others;

Facebook

Myspace

Hi5

What do I report about?

This is perhaps the most difficult hurdle to overcome as it requires more than learning a few technical skills and there is no simple answer as everyone is motivated by different things.

However, it is a good idea to start with what you know best, i.e your neighbourhood, profession, social networks you belong to etc.

Alternatively, you could start commenting on what you are most passionate about no matter where it takes place. On the Internet we are free to roam anywhere and learn from many different sources.

Where do I find out about news stories that are not covered in the mainstream media?

As well as our networks of friends and family there also other places on the Internet to find out what is happening in our local area. Look up your town, region in Technorati or Google blog search for the latest developments in the blogosphere. In addition check out what is happening via Twitter search. Twitter is a great source for finding out what is happening now.

Also if there a Indymedia site for your area, check out the latest events and activities.

The most important thing though is to be there. When legendary street photographer Weegee was asked the secret of his success, he replied, “F8 (referring to the camera setting) and be there”. Being on the spot is often the most important thing you can do. All the rest is detail.

How to start writing?

The first thing to remember is that writing is not necessary. A video with you speaking to camera is just as effective as an article and so allows those who do not feel comfortable with the written word to produce insightful reports which can be shared with others. However, some thoughts scribbled down and a couple of practice run throughs will make your ideas a lot easier to follow.

If you do wish to write your stories don’t let the fact that you have not had training in J-school put you off. The style used in newspapers etc. can be picked up quickly if you want to practice. Blogging is a great way of doing so without having to get everything right straight away.

Remember that writing something is infinitely preferable to nothing and people will forgive any imperfections.

On the other hand if you want to be credible then there are some journalism skills that you absolutely have to respect. Accuracy, checking sources and honesty are essential no matter who you are and where you write if you want to be taken seriously. It is not enough to be passionate if you want to reach a wider audiences. Simply repeating or accepting sources simply because you agree with their opinion or point of view will not get you taken seriously.

Double check as far as possible claims you see made in blogs, Twitter etc, go to the original sources, official accounts etc when you can. Do not blindly accept one person’s version of events no matter much you agree with them. If this is not possible then make it clear than the readers know that this story may not be 100% accurate.

Distinguish between opinion and fact. Too often people present their ideas on a story as fact and seem to assume that others will share their view. On the Internet this simply is not true as most of those reading will be neutral and so your impassioned accounts may come over as a rant. A dispassionate tone is more likely to get you the kind of coverage you want.

Of course, if you wish to post to your personal blog and not a news site then you have more flexibility in the way you approach a story.

How to catch people’s eye?

Content is the most important thing. You should aim to make your stuff as interesting as possible. This can be done by using a mix of different media; video and pictures accompanied by text is the ideal combination.

Link to people. If you blog then link to sites that the think other should read, ask them to reciprocate. If you mention other sources in your posts make sure you link to them. This also means that you ranking on Google’s search pages will increase.

Tag everything. Tags are the key words that help others find your stories so whenever you add text, pictures or video make sure you add tags that let others know what is being talked about.

Use RSS. Most sites now allow you to use RSS automatically, it means that people can follow your blogs, Flickr page etc far more easily.

Post widely. If you have a story to tell then post it on as many different sites as possible. Don’t just leave it languishing on your blog. Also join blogging aggregating sites such as Technorati, Icerocket and Del.icio.us. These allow others to find you more easily.

Post regularly. People will quickly stop turning up if you post infrequently and your ranking in Google’s search engine will suffer accordingly. Once a week if you can.

Be credible. If you prove to be a reliable source people will search you out to find out the latest updates on a story.

Be sociable. Join groups on the Internet which share your views and interests. They will help get your message out as well.

"A trolling, a trolling we will go."

ibook, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

You know you've arrived in the grand world of blogging when you start getting trolls come to your site. For those unaware of the term, a "troll" is, according to Wikipedia;

"someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion"

Actually, I think that this is unfair to our diminutive, magical bretheren as those who indulge in such behaviour have much more in common with bar room bores. You know the kind of guy who thinks that half a dozen shots of Jack Daniels has turned them into Plato.

I'm sure many of us have experienced this, cornered by some very earnest drunk at a party/bar/office do who just has to tell you that masons are controlling the government/ floride in water is eroding moral values in schools/ NASA didn't actually put men on the moon etc, etc.

Like drunks, trolls swerve from politeness to vitriol in the blink of an eye, they also share the tendency to repeat the same points again and again. Also like people driving under the influence their conversation is liable to swerve at unexpected moments making them hard to follow. Unfortunately, they feel that the ability to hector and belittle is the same as being right and that if you heckle and deride people into silence, then somehow, you have "won" an argument.

I've decided I'm not going to engage them in debate as they are no more capable of responding appropriately than someone on their second bottle of Johnny Walker.

Comments, negative ones included are more than welcome, provided you maintain a modicum of politeness and understand that this is a blog and not a platform for you to lecture people on whatever you feel is wrong with the world.

Dracula: the blog

I'm sure we've all seen a Dracula movie, whether it be a cheesy Hammer House of Horror production or something more gory. What I didn't realise till I read Bram Stoker's book was that it is in the form of a series of letters and diary entries. An ur blog, in a sense. So here is a teaching idea about how to use the book in say an EFL/ESL lesson or indeed a English Literature class.

You'll need a copy of the book (download the audio book from here or the Gutenberg e-text from here) and access to an internet connection from which can blog.

The basic idea is that you take part of a chapter and turn into a modern day blog entry. This could include;

-updating the language to something that would sound more natural today.

-changing the context and refrences - e.g. Transylvania becomes .........

- adding more suspense, action etc.

In addition you could also get your students to move away from the written word and do the blog entry as a vlog, short movie clip, podcast etc. None of this requires anything more sophisticated than a microphone, cell/mobile phone with recording capability or a digital camera.

The sound recordings can be edited with Audacity. Podcasts can be posted via hosting services such as Podcast.com. Alternatively, a short film can be created from video clips with Window's Movie Maker (which comes as standard with every copy of Windows) or using photos and Photo Story 3.

Bloggers beware

I just got this is in my email;

"Hello

I'm contacting you to share that the Chapeau Blog Awards early bird call for entries is now open.

Chapeau Blog Awards is the first awards contest solely dedicated to elevating the image of blogs!

I hope you decide to take advantage of the early bird entry rate of $195 and enter today at Chapeau Blog Awards

If you'd like to hold for a while, no worries. Please let me know if you'd like to help promote this contest via an awards button I can send to you for your blog."


I hope you decide to enter. We'd love to honor your blog.

Sincerely,
Cheryl Hendricks"

Yep, for the amazingly economical price of $195 you too can enter your blog. Ok, just let me think about that again. You want me to pay nearly 200 bucks to enter a competition!!!!!!!! Strangely enough they don't mention what the prizes are. Perhaps, a trophy engraved "World Class Sucker 2009".

As scams go this is a bit more sophisticated than most. Still, caveat emptor, blogging dudes.

Separated at birth?

I just came across this strange coincidence. In March I wrote this on the blog and for NowPublic.com.

The ghost of Mexico City comes back to haunt Beijing

Stop me if you've heard this one before. An authoritarian one party state uses blunt military force to squash a popular uprising. Hundreds are killed or injured and the government fears that attempts to burnish its image abroad by holding the Olympic games will be tarnished by images of dead protesters splashed across the world's media. (Click here to read the rest).

and today I came across this article in the Economist from April 24th.

The ghosts of Mexico 1968

A DEVELOPING country gets the Olympic games as an acknowledgment of its new, exalted status. An authoritarian government, awash with money, exploits the chance to project a peaceful, progressive image. Critics of the regime use the games as a chance to demand more democracy and human rights. There are demonstrations, forcefully broken up. (Click here for the rest of the article).

Actually, the rest of the article is radically different from mine but it follows the same logic. But before I say that have been plagiarised I have to say that I use other sources all the time. Indeed the idea for my post came from reading 1968: Marching in the Streets by Tariq Ali and Susan Watkins. That and my anger at the way the Greek authorities did their best to surpress any possible protests on the Olympic torch route (see here).

Still, it is gratifying to think that you have perhaps influenced the flow of news and ideas in the mainstream media.

Blog musings

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody blogs about it, did it really happen?

Blog wars

Photo by Tom Tziros

It seems that the conference on Monday here in Thessaloniki on participatory journalism and blogs has sparked off a mini-war between bloggers and the more the traditional media’s supporters.

I think that inadvertently the conference organisers have given us a text book example of how the new channels for collecting and desseminating news can run rings around older forms not just in terms of speed of response but in quality of reporting.

The two day event which started in Thessaloniki on Monday and moved to Athens on Tuesday was billed as a discussion on the influence of new media on old media and vice versa. Present were member of the Greek media establishment and academics from the Journalism and Mass Media department of the Aristotelion university of Thessaloniki as well as bloggers from the city.

So far, so good. The event was also to be webcast live and those following at home were invited to comment and send in questions to the panel.

However, the reality of the situation proved to be a mite different. Technical delays meant that the first panel started an hour and a half late and that the much vaunted wi-fi coverage proved as elusive as it was erratic. That alone would have been unfortunate but the problems with basics such as microphones, projection screens, lighting etc. meant that quite soon the whole situation descended into farce.

To add insult to injury the lack of technical preparation which matched by the lack of knowledge shown by many of the academics and older journalists invited. Yet it was their voices that dominated the debate at many points. Apparently, bloggers are insecure, psychologically unbalanced, vindictive souls only too willing to be used as puppets of the CIA and other like minded organisations. We don’t check our sources, we say nasty things, we don’t write properly and we are deeply disrespectful of our “betters” in the media. Well, at least that is something I agree with.

The first and last panel discussions were often little more than diatribes aimed at nasty bloggers (who by the way weren’t invited). Those who did turn up to this luddite slug fest spent the day wondering whether to laugh or cry at the level of discussion. Later we did decided to both and blog about it.

To say the response from those bloggers who followed the debate either on the internet or on the spot was scathing would be an understatement. They quickly and mercilessly dissected the thoughts, ideas and vanities of those taking part.

On the other hand the other side in this particular turf war took their time about responding to these comments. They ate in their fancy restaurants and patted themselves on the back for being so bold as I guess they had not bothered to follow the debate on the net. As a result the speed and vehermence of the criticisms must have come as a shock.

I think that fact that most of those present were a captive audience of journalism students, not about to upset their future grade point average with untoward criticisms lulled the academics into a false sense of security.

Slow they may have been, but they did get the message. This post on the official conference blog in Greek entitled 48 hours After (lovely title, just about sums up what they don’t get about instant access and response) in which they or one of their minions most probably, decried the awful way in which the bloggers wrote about the event and patted themselves on the back for being so very up to date.

Pleaseeeeeee the 90’s are over. They even had the nerve to say that the event was the culmination of five months preparation. Five months!!!!!! Please, not so loud people may hear you.

I looked at the 20 odd comments on the post and just one was critical. Most seemed little more that congratulations from the students to those organising the event. I actually posted a comment but mysteriously my thoughts on the conference didn’t make it pass the censors.

Actually, I think that attitude was indicative of the whole event. There was little attempt to reach out and engage in any meaningful dialogue. I don’t think that people had the chance to ask more than a dozen questions during whole event. Indeed the only meaningful exchange of ideas happened at the very end when guest speaker, Dan Gillmor chatted with the few students who didn’t scurry off to get their attendance certificates and us bloggers.

Instead this was a grandstanding event designed by those at the university to show how hip and web 2.0 they were. Unfortunately. the whole thing blew up in their faces when they realised that they didn’t control the direction of the debate outside the conference and that their ignorance of the subject would be exposed to a wider audience.

Citizen Journalism and the Traditional Media

I'm currently at the media conference here in Thessaloniki on citizen journalism and I feel that I'm in the lion's den. Thankfully there are a few other bloggers around to give me moral support in this luddite stronghold.

Here are a few notes I made during the first few talks. They are a rough draft so please forgive any typos and the like. I'll tidy them up later.


With a delay of over an hour and wi-fi non-existent the 2008 conference on participatory journalism started. In the old days they used to say that money was the root of all evil, now it
seems it is blogs. The conference so far seems to be a celebration of self-congratulation with a strong dose of fear mixed in, reflecting the traditional media's sense of terror over new means of communication.

A call for the incorporation of the new forms into the ancient regime. The problem is that like a dying empire the newspapers have a future no more assured that that of the Romanovs or the Hapsburgs. They desperately seek to define the coming changes in the vain hope that by naming the beast they can somehow control it.

At last something I agree with. The difference is not between new and traditional channels but between good and bad journalism, in that respect both sides have lot to answer for.


The issue of the reliability of sources was raised. The point was made that bloggers, in contrast with regular journalists do not check sources or cross check information. Once again we come up against the idea that print journalism is the gold standard to which all others, including bloggers should aspire.

In one way their argument would be perfectly valid if the world of newspaper reporting was filled with Woodwards, Bernsteins and Pilgers. Yet even the quickest of glances show that this far from being true. The reality is that much of print journalism is little more than gossip, political PR and life style musings. In that respect, bloggers, beholden to no one for either their living or their future career are given the freedom to utter blasphemous truths that may not find a place in traditional media.

Access to power corrupts, complete access corrupts completely, to paraphrase Acton’s famous maxim.

In Greece, page after page in the newspapers is devoted to political coverage. However, a closer look reveals much of this is simply the thoughts, words and programs of those involved spewed onto the page with little or no criticism or analysis. the paper follows blindly the political line set down by the owner and the journalist is reduced to little more than a rancid mix of cheerleader and stenographer.

In such an environment to talk of integrity and professionalism borders on the ridiculous. The traditional media, through the compromises they have made either with the political administrations or vested economic interests have left the moral high ground and headed for the swamps.

The old charges are once again dusted off and brought out. Like old war horses they are are paraded to show that the new means of communicating are part of why the world is going to pot. Too much information, nobody is listening anymore, we don’t live our lives we record them, blah, blah blah.

Like old men bemoaning the morals of the young they refuse to see that anything good in the new world emerging. Their minds go back to fabricated pasts, beautifully crafted histories in which uncertainty, compromise and painful truths are airbrushed out with all the care and attention of a Stalinist propagandist removing Trotsky from photographs of the October revolution.

I look around at the room, at the young journalism students bored and restless, fidgeting while they wait for the talk to end. Some are taking notes, only a couple have a laptop or any other electronic means to record what is being said.



I have the terrible feeling that they are being trained by the professors speaking to be typewriter technicians, with a body of knowledge long outmoded, desperately waiting for history to be reversed, for some golden age to be restored. "Just you see the quill is set for a come back, believe me."

The blogger next to me asks the students behind me;

“Do you study journalism?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Where is your laptop?”

“They didn’t tell us to bring them.”

There you have it. Sheep led by donkeys.

The subject of anonymity on the internet has come up in the discussion with the idea that it allows people to express themselves in ways that are not acceptable in other situations. Their almost total technical ignorance is frightening. They seem to be totally unaware of the role of IP providers or the existence of an IP address. They are seemingly unaware of the opposite arguments concerning the suppression of free speech in countries such as China and Iran. They are terrified that somebody may say something nasty and so scream for control.

For the reaction of other Greek language bloggers who followed the event click on the links below.

- Τα ΓΙΑΤΙ και τα ΔΙΟΤΙ των ΗΜΕΡΙΔΩΝ και των ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΩΝ
- Ανέκδοτο περί συνεδρίου συμμετοχικής δημοσιογραφίας
- Όταν τα παραδοσιακά μέσα κάνουν έφοδο στα νέα…
- Συνέδριο; Δημοσιογραφία;
- Συμμετοχική Δημοσιογραφία: Blog και Νέα Μέσα
- Δημοσιογραφία και πολίτες ΙI ή ένα συνέδριο γι’ αυτά
- Livestreaming από τη διημερίδα
- What is journalism?
- Λα-λα Λόλα να ένα blog
- New Media Conference συμπεράσματα
- Social Media Tales: ένα συνέδριο κι η σφαγή των αμάχων
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For updates on the conference click here and here.

Coincidences

The strangest thing happened to me today. I was taking pictures in the centre of Thessaloniki when a guy came up and said, "Hi, you must be Teacher." It turned out that he was a reader of my blog based in Luxembourg who happened to be passing by.

To tell you the truth, at first I thought he was part of a security detail about to haul me off as there were loads of police around the place.

Blogging as memory

I suppose this blog, is like most others is a kind of diary. Saying that though it still seems strange looking back as I just did just now at what I was doing at the beginning of the year. I looked at the pictures, videos and posts and it seems as if it was a decade ago. So much has happened since that I find it hard, at first, to connect with those past moments. Thankfully, I recorded them so I guess I have the chance to remember once again what I was doing on that particular day. Is it me or is time is just racing by so quickly it seems like a blur?

Blogs as course book supplements

This year I've decided to try something new with the class blogs. I thought that it could be used as a kind of wiki page in order to compliment the course books we're using for the Proficiency course. The basic idea is that either I, or preferably the students, post links to anything we see on the internet that is connected with the subject matter in the unit we're doing.

For example, we happen to be on unit two of the Masterclass Proficiency book (as dull as ditch water, to tell you the truth) and we've covered topics such as Stephen Hawkings, Frankenstein and women in science. In each case we found some links that help students do some extra practice at home, if they wish. So, they are links to a free audio book version of Frankenstein, videos of women scientists presenting their work at TED and the like. The emphasis is on enriching audio/video content of the course as listening skills are woefully neglected in most course books at this level.

In addition I want to include more videos from YouTube and Google Video in the future.

This year's blogs

Finally managed to get all my student blogs set up. As far as the class blogs are concerned I'm simply going to use them as a kind of notice board which students can add to as well. Attempts at more sophisticated activities didn't work out well last year and lack of internet access at school makes it difficult to teach them anything more advanced. It's a start at least.

So welcome to

Proficiency 1C

Proficiency Michigan

Proficiency 2D

D Pupils class

Blog for effect

Strange how the internet changes things. Ever since I first put the pictures of me being attacked by the police last weekend there has been a steady stream of people from all over the world who have sent me messages of support and written about the incident on their own sites. As a result the story has been picked up by the mainstream media here in Greece and I've been interviewed by journalists from the Eleutherotypia and Makedonia newspapers as well as doing a live interviews for Flash.gr, a radio station based in Athens (nerve wracking to say the least). There seems to a momentum to all this which I have you, the readers of this blog to thank for.

I'd like to thank all those bloggers who have talked about the incident;

Chris Bertram at Crookedtimber.org
Oneiros
Lethewards
Pixelkuh
Annie's Animal
Akida
Apolitikis
Too Many Tribbles
Ekloges-2007
No Snow Here
Devious Diva
Sallonica
Black Cat, Red Cat
Panokato
Argos
Currybet.net
Itelli

So, once again thank you for all your help.

Blogging - Gutenberg style.

Almost inevitably, there has been a backlash against blogging podcasting and the whole web 2.0 phenomenon. I guess the unbounded enthusiasm and wild claims for the technology demanded a degree of cynical re-evaluation. However, the fact that ordinary people with a minimum of technical expertise can now publish will have a tremendous effect on the way ideas are transmitted, adopted and adapted.

There will be resistance to such changes as social structures that have been around for decades or longer will gradually disappear or change beyond recognition. We can see this already in the world of print media where newspapers are already facing stiff competition (if not terminal, decline).

I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when the last time such a huge sea change in communications hit the planet.

Time: Late in the fifteen century.
Place: A monastery in northern Italy

Monk A: I don't what's going on in the world. I mean ever since that guy, Gottenbach, Gutenberg, started up that print thingy the whole publishing business has gone down the tubes.

Monk B: I know, I know. I mean have you seen these new books? Cheap, nasty tomes, with no art or brains. I mean they push them out like sausages, without a thought to how they look.

Monk A: Yeah, I mean we spill blood producing a work worthy of the name and some guy comes along and knocks off these dodgy copies which sell for a fraction of the price.

Monk B: An have you seen what they're bringing out these days? I mean there we are reproducing Aristotle, St Augustus and Plato and what do they print? Books on farming!!! Pig husbandry!!! I even saw one on cooking.

I mean what is the world coming to?

Monk A: Any old idiot with a quill and an idea can just publish nowadays.

KIds blogging

This weeks installment of that ongoing saga that is Lydia's blog. Seriously though, I started her on blogging as a way of seeing if young learners could handle the technology and use it to provide anything meaningful. I feel that she has achieved both goals, with just a little help from her dad. On the other hand, I woke up a little late today and found her happily downloading games from Yahoo. She'd figured how to do that on her

Breaking into the mainstream - Greek blogging

The strangest thing is happening today. I'm seeing the arrival of a new era in terms of media coverage in Greece. For the first time in my recollection a story which started on a blog has made it into the mainstream news. In fact not just one story, but two that I first came across on Devious Diva's blog.

Picture by Devious Diva

The first concerns an arson attack on a Jim Crow school that was built for Rom kids in Athens. Two months later the school remains in ashes, the victim of bureaucratic neglect and latent racist feeling towards this particular Greek minority. At least now it got some coverage on the national TV news via NET

The second story was about the Greek blogosphere's attempt to bring to people's attention the case of Amalia Kalyvinou the victim of cancer, of medical malpractice and of Greek bureaucracy that lead to an excruciatingly painful odyssey of suffering for 22 years and ultimately to her death at the age of 30.


Her blog, fakellaki.blogspot.com catalogued her painful journey through a brutal, corrupt, often incompetent health system in which many have their hand out, seeking bribes and other financial favours. Nor is this an isolated case, I remember my mother-in-law who also suffered the same kind of treatment at the hands of rapacious "health care" professionals before her death from cancer.

An Andy Warhol kind of day

Where to begin? Today has been incredibly busy and not to mention exciting. Let's start with the big stuff. Today I was interviewed by Dimitris Angelidis, a journalist who works for Epsilon magazine, which is the supplement for Eletherotypia on Sunday. We talked about being a foreigner in Greece and blogging. I don't know when the article is coming out but they're going to send a photographer to take some snaps.

"Mr De Mille I'm ready for my close -up."

So the clock is ticking on my 15 minutes of fame.

Also in between lessons I checked out the Museum of Byzantine history here in Thessaloniki and the place blew my mind. It is truly amazing not just as a collection but as a building. Just as I was leaving I bumped into Katerina, a friend of mine who was born on exactly the same day in history as me (and when you reach 40 then it does indeed get to be history). We both commiserated about our fate and had a good laugh at ourselves.

Next it was onto Starbucks where I managed to stop another junkies cracking open his skull. This time the guy was swaying dangerously to and fro whilst trying to negotiate the marble steps of the church on Egnatia opposite the cafe. In return for my good deed I asked the guy if I could take his photo. He kindly accepted.

Finally, I got a new camera. I decided that I'd buy a Nikon D40. It costs an arm and a leg but using it today was such fun that I'm in pixel heaven. Oh those boys and their toys.