Paul Papadimitriou

Defamation On Twitter

We may eventually develop a set of social rules and legal conventions that acknowledge that an angry tweet is less likely to be considered defamatory than a published article, but we are not there yet.

I seriously doubt it. While the social norms will eventually adapt to open communication, libel will remain. We have to take responsibility for what we write. What we do in public. ➡ Be careful what you tweet

This Magazine Was Built For You

Flipboard will soon integrate the semantic data-analysis technology [...] in order to app better determine the relevance of the information and updates from your various social networking connections

Robert was right. Revolutionary or not, this iPad application is mesmerizing. The addition of semantic data-analysis is what I’m looking mostly forward though. My6Sense, your turn to up the ante. ➡ Flipboard, New “Social” iPad Magazine will be Powered by Semantic Data

John Gruber Was Right All Along

Gruber says that when he’s writing Daring Fireball, he’s picturing his ideal reader — a copy of himself — and conceptually writing just for him. With everything he writes, he’s writing to and for that one ideal reader, not trying to boost his SEO for target phrases or appeal to an ever broadening demographic.

➡ How I write and time-manage

There you have it.

I love writing. For more than fifteen years, I’ve been having amazing debates online with a selected group of friends¹. I can spend so much time crafting the most documented answer or going into a non-sensical reply frenzy that it can be described as a real passion.

I was never able to translate that completely into blogging, though. I have had several blogs dating back to 1995, on way too many platforms, with way too many different domain names.

Gosh the staggering amount of time I’ve spent experimenting. Don’t do it. Well, do experiment. But don’t think technology. Think content. Think you. You’re the ideal reader.

I’m the ideal reader.

I was thinking too much. I’m a Virgo ascendant Virgo. I don’t value astrology, it’s a know fact amongst my friends, but random online searches about the topic would tell you that, besides not hiding my personality, I’m double the perfectionist, double the the analyzer. I think too much.

I was always struggling with the eventual noise I was putting out. Not noise to me, but what could have been noise to you. I didn’t want to disturb. I don’t care anymore. Well, I do, I just learned to better deal with it.

Twitter, the so-called grave-digger of long-form writing, has been my therapy. I realized I’m doing just fine with my half-professional, half-personal, half-witty, half-grunty, half-worldcup, half-analyst, half-Japan, half-non-sensical shots². People are free to like my noise or not. To follow me or not.

To like me or not.

I’ve repeated over and over and I’ll do it again: I like opinions. The only reason I ever read newspapers is for the op-eds.

I’m opinionated. Like my articles³. Or not.

Like my tone or pass. There you have it.

1. entirely restricted to a small trusted circle of friends via an old email address [↩]
2. I know these halves don’t add up, but since you’re at the footnote, read Steve: “in an age where transparency begets trust, there’s a lot to be gained on an individual and institutional level for those who decide in some way to live some of their lives in public and converge networks“ [↩]
3. with cryptic titles, without them ending in a question to beg for commenting, with somewhat scattered topics. In full SEO anathema glory. [↩]

Take A Stand Or Shut Up

CNN: une journaliste spécialiste du Moyen-Orient licenciée à cause de Twitter

CNN: a journalist specialized on the Middle-Est fired because of Twitter

Because of Twitter?!

I repeat. Because of Twitter. Seriously, people, because of Twitter?!

Yes, I got the news in French -flame me for having that one as a mother tongue- and I’ll admit a rapid skimming of Google News shows English headlines make more sense, but still… The art of not taking responsibility has reached a new height. The art of bullshit I’d say.

I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again. I love opinions and opinionated people.

I think journalists should have the right to express their opinions on the topics they cover. More importantly, I think readers have a right to know what those opinions are. Frankly, I’d like to know sooner rather than later just how insane some of these people at CNN and Fox News are. To stop them from giving me that information is just another way to lie to me.

➡ We Need More Opinion In News, Not Less

Mike is right. I’ve had enough of editorial policies leading to convulsed news report trying to hide any bias. I like frankness. I like to know what people think. It allows all of us to form a constructed opinion rapidly -if you’re slower, you just might be dumber. A better opinion.

See? That’s what I always do. I’ve called some of you dumb. Dislike that? Don’t read me. Or read me and discard my opinion. Hate me. Do whatever the hell you want with what I’m telling you. But take responsibility.

Stop blaming technology at least. It’s not because of Twitter that Octavia Nasr was fired.
The postulate of Twitter is simple. Broadcast 140 character messages. In public by default. You don’t have to be on Twitter, you don’t have to use it and you sure don’t have to write everything and anything.

Stop blaming technology, take responsibility and take a stand.

Let me take this back to me -yes, that opinionated egocentric guy who takes responsibility of everything he writes online, including the expletives. I’m a fan of the World Cup¹. I comment the matches live on Twitter. On the spur of the moment. With emotions. Boring some of my followers. Like I’m in a bar.

10 days ago, during the exciting Germany – England game, I did react to the German team rising domination with a tongue-in-cheek tweet which referred to their former armored fighting vehicles. I’m no Monty Python though. It didn’t fly well with a good friend of mine who immediately reacted. I apologized and removed the tweet.

I took a stand. I took responsibility. I apologized. I removed the tweet. Nothing to do with “because of Twitter”. It was me writing that tweet down. Me. Me. Me. Someone didn’t find it funny. I didn’t want to offend anyone. Didn’t try to find excuses and blame it on an external factor. It was me. I was wrong. I am sorry.

Nars did tweet. She knew she had 140 characters². Her account is called OctaviaNasrCNN. It’s officially linked with her employer. She knew that. And tweeted with it. On the spur of the moment. With her emotions. But it was her. Her. Her.

a good lesson on why 140 characters should not be used to comment on controversial or sensitive issues

➡ Nasr explains controversial tweet on Lebanese cleric

Wrong. Completely wrong. It’s a choice. And a responsibility. To your employer. And yourself.

Take a stand or shut up.

1. it’s called football, not soccer, everyone. [↩]
2. It’s beyond the point of this post to say if she was right or not, nor if CNN has a sound editorial policy or not, I’ll leave that to the political pundits [↩]

Twitter Japan Is a Scary Place

Japan is increasing Twitter addicts everyday.

This story of a Twitter-addict not writing for a day creating a panic for her followers is indeed kinda scary. ➡ A Japanese Heavy Twitter User Pausing A Day Thought As Missing By Followers, Retweeted Frantically

Big Goals, Big Twitter Japan, Redux

we are calling the end of Japan’s 3-1 victory over Denmark a record that bests the end of the Los Angeles Laker victory over the Boston Celtics [...] When the referee blew the final whistle, we saw 3,283 [Tweets-per-second]

➡ Another Big Record: Part Deux

World Cup + Coke + Twitter Ad = Win

The US soft drinks company is only the second brand to sponsor a “trending topic”, using Twitter’s “promoted tweets” to tap into online discussion about the World Cup this week. It saw 86m “impressions” or views of the ads in 24 hours

It’s Coke, an established brand. It’s the World Cup time. But 86m impressions in a day? Insane. Engagement rate -even with no precision on how it was computed- of 6%. Add free press coverage and you’ve got a big win. ➡ Coke sees ‘phenomenal’ result from Twitter ads

Twitter Is Like a Bar

the fact is that in many cases, particularly during a sporting event like the World Cup, Twitter is like a bar [...] It’s called social media because it’s social

➡ Esquire Misses the Point on Twitter and the World Cup

Big Goals, Big Twitter Japan

Japan scores against Cameroon on June 14 in their 1-0 victory

2,940 Tweets per second in the half minute after the goal. Top most tweeted goal of the World Cup so far. ➡ Big Goals, Big Game, Big Records

Millions Mumble Online in Japan

Twitter is like haiku. It is so Japanese.

Japan: 16.3% of  internet users tweet. #1 Mixi is surpassed. 8m tweets a day, 12 percent of the global tally. Loic recently said that more than 20% of Seesmic tweets are in Japanese. Ryan has more than 30% on HootSuite. Twitter is truly dislocating that SNS galapagos. ➡ Twitter a hit in Japan as millions ‘mumble’ online

The Future of Social Networking and Social Norms

Here’s the presentation material for the keynote speaking engagement I did an hour ago at the Social Networking Conference in Manila, Philippines.

I presented key important trends related to the future of social technologies and engaged the audience about their implication on our daily lives.