There are some great people working in the advertising and marketing industry. Many of them are super smart, more talented than a hatfull of Ogilvies and, my-oh-my they are prettier than a zebra on a prairie. Some don’t even have blogs to link to! But I am lucky enough to call these people “friends” (you know, the REAL kind).
However, there is this one chap that I have known for a while now who really defies classification. He has boy band good looks. He is generous with his time and his intellect. He is friends with more people than Robin Dunbar could possibly imagine. And it’s his birthday today. Have a good one, Ian Lyons!
(Thanks to Pablo Jeffress for the great "ianovation" picture.)
Almost a generation ago we, the public, started to twig that there could be a downside to smoking. A whole swag of research followed – about the relative merits of additives, flavours (remember menthol?) and so on. In the end, it was settled – the best approach would be to add a tip to cigarettes so that the very worst elements of cigarette smoke would be filtered out for us.
Guess what happened. Well, you know the answer – cigarette smoke still kills us every year by the thousand.
You see, we never went to the “root cause” of the problem. We fluffed around the edges. We talked up the health impacts and bombarded consumers with “the facts” – and while there has been some successes, millions of young people around the world continue to take up smoking every year. Facts don’t change our behaviour – feelings do.
We are now facing similar confusion around Stephen Conroy’s internet filter. There are plenty of facts floating around:
That the filter will slow down our broadband by around 80%
That it will impact regional community far more than the city
That it can be easily by-passed via peer-to-peer file sharing
That it will massively increase the size of the internet site blacklist which is ALREADY in place
As Holly Doel-Mackaway, adviser with Save the Children Fund states in the Sydney Morning Herald, the filter scheme is “‘fundamentally flawed’ because it failed to tackle the problem at the source and would inadvertently block legitimate resources”.
But there is a root cause issue here – the facts point out the issues but don’t address our emotional response. It is NOT a filter we need. It’s EDUCATION. It’s empowerment. Why should we allow the federal government to WASTE $40 million of our hard-earned taxes when it could be so easily diverted into education – training for kids AND their parents. And it is important that we let the government know our thoughts.
With this internet filter, we are just papering over the problem. There will always be material available in our communities that we would rather not see. There are problems that we would rather not be exposed to. But our challenge, and our duty, is to stand-up to such issues – not avoid them. What price can we put on the empowering of our communities and our kids? As David Campbell might say, it’s “priceless”.
(BTW you can listen in to David’s podcast feed here).
If you use Twitter, you may have noticed a bunch of people are using avatars with an X across their mouths. This is a protest against the Australian Government’s plans to implement an internet content filter. This plan places a blanket of censorship across the internet which will, no doubt, have unforeseen consequences – and puts our access to information on a par with China and Iran. (My friend CK, pictured, has joined in, and I would encourage others to do the same.)
For example, when travelling in China I found that I was unable to access my blog. It is not like I write dissenting material. I put it down, in the end, to the title of the blog – Servant of Chaos. It seems China does not approve of chaos. And I am concerned that this “new Australia” may follow suit.
Furthermore, once internet filtering is in place, what safeguards will we have over excessive filtering? What rights of recourse will we have to follow to have our websites “white listed”? And how much will this cost? Is this perhaps a veiled attempt to “control the conversation” emanating from a growing and more vocal constituency via blogs and social media?
While this may be alarmist, remember, we are now just emerging from a time where political debate was managed according to “core” and “non-core” promises. It is disappointing to think that some of the first digital steps of a new government are those being contemplated by Stephen Conroy. It is frightening to consider where this may lead, or more importantly, what impact it will have on our nation’s innovation and place in a global knowledge economy.
There are more details on The Australian’s website where I left the following comment:
So our government is aiming to spend more than $40 million dollars of taxpayer money on technology which can be circumvented and does not achieve their stated aims? Why not invest this money in the FUTURE of our country? Put it into the ailing education systems and teach our kids how to safely use the Internet. Or use it to bulk purchase the XO Laptop — which would deliver 200,000 computers into the hands of kids who cannot afford them. As the saying goes, give a man a fish and his hunger will be satisfied (for now). Teach him to fish and he will feed his community. We have just had 12 years of feeding. It is time to fish.
Update: Get Shouty’s "future husband" (wouldn’t they make a lovely couple if they had met) Angry Aussie gives us the lowdown on why this is a bad idea and why it won’t work.
Sean Howard has written up a manifesto of one — I am not for sale. A couple of others have joined in over at CrapHammer, so I thought I would too. Here are the words from my first ever post (especially for those who are new to these parts) — and if you feel like contributing, find or make an image for your blog and let us all know.
The Servant of Chaos We begin with a rant. A rumble. A shout. There is more in the mind, more on the fingertips, more spilling from the edges of our quivering lips than can fill the words of a thousand weblogs. The diaries of the insane, the newly reposessed, the righteous, the deluded, and yes, even I. The daily diatribe of the left, the right, the religious and informed brooks no argument. But we will give them one. You and I. We will give them one. There are more to the words of consumers than the corporations expect. We huddle in groups, in chat rooms. We explode on the keyboards of a million call centres. Our imagination is unheard of. Our thoughts cancel out the process. We are your hearts and your minds. We are everywhere, all places, all over the shop. In your blood, at your workplace. Serving you tea. Writing you emails. Escape? We don’t really want to, for this is who we are. One. More. A new opportunity opens every day. It opens with the page. The pen. Another rant. In control? Hell no! We are in slavery to the chaos of our lives. This is the manifesto of one. S.
I can be a serious sort of fellow. I can go on. Really I can. So sometimes it is important to find something that is a bit silly — that reminds us of the humour and joy of life. And my old friend, Luc, does just that with this post — watch the clip below and then read Luc’s story.
Now, while I really like the approach that Connected Ventures have taken, I do prefer something a little riskier. And as I thought about this, my mind raced to Rob Campbell’s foray into Marcus’ iPod Singing challenge which I have included for you below.
The places that I like to play on the Internet are friendly. A little competitive from time to time, but nothing nasty, no malice … and even when a difference of opinion arises we talk it out — comment on comment, thread on thread. But there is a whole other world out there that plays by other rules — where slander and mean-spirited vitriol reign and are encouraged.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I like a good parody as much as anyone. I don’t mind poking fun and being poked myself. But all within reason.
So when I read this post by Kathy Sierra I was shocked. Death threats? Promises of violence? Be warned, it is beyond distasteful. There are also links on Kathy’s post to those that are considered part of this horrible incident — if you want to find out, see Kathy’s article. I refuse to link to them — but I know many already do — they are A-listers after all. And it is our links that put them there.
Of course, the breadth and depth of our own Internet experience (the places we play, visit, read and link) is subject to our own choices. My Internet, in this respect at least, is a bully free zone.
I am not like some who simply exchange links. I am selective … very selective. BUT … if you have a post that I find interesting (or even provocative) then I may link to your post or site. And if there is more there for me to read and come back to, then you may end up on my blogroll. It is not much, but I do what I can.
In my view, the treatment of Kathy … indeed, the treatment of ANYONE, in this manner is unacceptable. It is a black day for the blogosphere … and the reputations of some have rightly been blackened along with it.
So it seem that my e-mail is working again — and my inbox is open for business.
Sorry Luc and Marcus for the bounces … I don’t know what happened there but am checking with my ISP. Now … if only Typepad can sort out my commenting it would be great!
Update: It looks like Typepad have had a small breakthrough on my commenting!
I thought that this topic had died a natural death. I really did. I thought that enough was enough. Even poor Tim Jackson has given up on it all.
BUT then Joe Thompson found some of my posts on GM Saturn and decided to submit a trackback that links through to a promotion of the 2008 range. Now, OBVIOUSLY, Joe didn’t READ the subject matter of my post — BUT if he did, then really, it is just another form of COMMENT SPAM that aims to improve his site ranking.
As you know, one of my biggest problems with the way that the whole Saturn Saga played out was more to do with managing the LIFECYCLE of brand engagement for cars. It appears that once a car runs out of warranty that the manufacturer wipes their hands — leaving the owner of a "pre-loved" car holding the bucket. The thing is … at NO point does a "Saturn" cease the be a Saturn.
Anyway … I am now tracking back to Joe’s post. And hopefully those who read his blog will see my view of his beloved Saturn product line. Feel free to share your sentiments with him!
Sorry kids, but I REALLY could not resist sharing this with you. It is SCARY because it is TRUE. What can I say "mobile … online" … or social networking — "Uspace … MyTube".
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