Monday, September 24th, 2007
I’ve just created a new group for Kiwi Bloggers in New Zealand and abroad. The goal is to increase the capacity for networking between people blogging with New Zealand culture in their blood. To join, visit the Kiwi Bloggers site at Facebook and click on ‘Join Group’. If you’re not signed up with Facebook it’s not a difficult process.
Also of interest might be the following New Zealand related groups:
The Beard of Hayman - a group for all of those who find themselves watching the All Blacks waving big “Bring back the Beard” signs.
The All Blacks will win the 2007 Rugby World Cup!!
I Live In New Zealand, NOT Australia…And Yes, They Are Different
I was a Kiwi Kid!
I call New Zealand home
Bring Back Georgie Pie
Tags: bloggers, Blogging, Facebook, New Zealand
Posted in Blogging, Internet, New Zealand | No Comments »
Monday, September 24th, 2007
Facebook is currently undergoing a huge surge in growth, an indicator that online social networking is alive and well. Facebook is providing a level of sophistication not experienced in MySpace, through the number of optional applications such as causes, groups, networks, and connectivity with blogs and Stumbleupon. The site is about to open up to search engines, providing limited access to the profiles of those who choose to be found.
I joined up in March this year but didn’t do much with it until May. Since then I’ve added 85 friends, mostly people I know through Uniting Church, emerging church, advertising and blogging connections. Curiously I’ve found it difficult to find people on Facebook from my 39 years living in New Zealand. My profile, available for full view from friends, shows what I say I’m up to, who I’m friends with, groups I belong to, photos I’ve taken, books I’m reading, blog posts I’ve written, along with information on my education and employment history.
On Facebook I’ve found it a simple thing to join causes such as Save Darfur, Amnesty International, Support Breast Cancer Research, Fair Trade, UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Church Marketing Sucks. Facebook culture makes it a normal thing invite people to join your cause, no matter how serious or silly. The highlight of the year was having Kevin Rudd accept the invitation to join Make Poverty History.
And then there’s the groups. I’ve joined groups for the networking they provide, like The Chaser’s War on Everything Appreciation Society, Youth Ministry in Australia, Australian Bloggers, Adbusters, Creatives for Change, Uniting Church in Australia, The Emergent Church, Greenpeace, I work in advertising and am making the world a better place. I’ve just created a new group for Kiwi Bloggers in New Zealand and abroad.
Facebook was originally started as a networking tool for university students. It continues in that role but now has networking around high school attendance, employment, conference attendance and membership of organisations.
Stephen Shields of faithmaps.org has written a downloadable paper (pdf) on “online social networking tools for the church” for Leadership Network. He writes about churches who use sites such as Facebook to enhance networking between members. He finishes with the expected warnings about the dangers of pornography, internet addiction, Christian bickering, and the fickle nature of the internet.
The strength of Facebook, and similar sites, is the capacity for people to network with friends and acquaintances in a way that leads to collaboration, better understanding, the sharing of friendship networks, and perhaps even the development and growth of genuine friendship! That can and should take people beyond their narrow sphere of influence.
The cartoon here, provided by Dave Walker at Weblog Cartoons, is a useful reminder that face-to-face friendships and family relationships need to be fostered, even when Facebook appears to be more exciting.
Tags: Facebook
Posted in Blogging, Internet | No Comments »
Friday, August 24th, 2007
The news today has made much of the Prime Minister’s office computers being used to remove the words, “AKA Captain Smirk” from Peter Costello’s page on Wikipedia. Defence computers are about to be banned from editing other posts. Commentators are concerned that the government is re-writing history.
Wikipedia protocol makes it clear that any persons featured on the online encyclopedia have the right to remove derogatory remarks made about them. The etiquette also calls for a shared perspective to be developed by those editing each page. “POV” (point of view) is edited out by the Wikipedia community, allowing the content to evolve as a set of commonly held perspectives.
Behind the scenes of every Wikipedia article are layers available only to people who are registered as Wikipedia editors.
On the ‘talk page’, a forum for those who are working on the content of the Peter Costello article, writers grapple with suggestions that Costello could be described as a ‘radical Christian’, may or may not have been a member of the Young Labors at university, had ’some’ involvement in the dollar sweets prosecution, has been rumoured to have cancer, and has made dismissive comments about the calls for gay marriage. It is noted that this page is about an active politician who is running for office, is in office and campaigning for re-election, or is involved in some political conflict or controversy. Because of this, this article is at risk of biased editing, talk-page trolling, and simple vandalism.
Due to the interest the page is getting, the Peter Costello entry has been temporarily locked. After all, putting in and taking out the words “AKA Captain Smirk” does get boring after a while.
Posted in Australia, Internet, Politics | No Comments »
