Research Blog : Twitter

SOPA & PIPA gaining attention after protest blackouts

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:51:00 GMT

With some websites (such as Google and Flickr) making statements today, along with other sites completely shutting down for the day (such as Wikipedia, reddit, and WordPress), the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) are gaining mainstream attention.

SOPA, in the U.S. House of Representatives, and PIPA, in the U.S. Senate, are bills are aimed at foreign websites that infringe copyrighted material. The US Department of Justice would have the authority to block access to, as well as force advertisers to cease business with, an infringing site. Search engines would also have to remove these sites from their search results.

Arguments against these bills (made by the tech giants named above, as well as eBay, Craigslist, Twitter, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and many more) claim that they're too vaguely written, they won't actually curb piracy, and that they could be applied to their own websites. This is a big concern with sites that allow users to upload content, as the sites fear that they could be completely shut down due to infringing content that a single user might upload.

However, SOPA/PIPA supporters claim that things are being blown out of proportion. Cary Sherman, CEO of the RIAA, has stated that there are safeguards in place to prevent false claims against sites.

This is an extremely basic look at SOPA & PIPA. This post is intended to be an informative post, leading readers to additional/complete information; this is NOT an opinion piece. Take a look at the additional info yourself, and if YOU have an opinion feel free to post it in the comments section!

More Information

Library of Congress: Read both the SOPA and PIPA bills in their entirety.
InfoWorld: "SOPA and PIPA: The pros and cons" article.
CNET News: "RIAA chief: Copyright bills won't kill the Internet" article.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context database: In this database, search for SOPA or PIPA for news, audio recordings, and magazine articles about these bills.
Stop American Censorship: AmericanCensorship.org, an anti-SOPA/PIPA site, provides infographics and videos about the bills.
SOPA Strike: A list of the websites striking and/or shutting down today in protest to SOPA/PIPA.

DISCLAIMER: These links are provided as a convenience, offering differing viewpoints. The links are NOT an endorsement of these sites, nor the content contained within.

How to check traffic problems before leaving for work

googler@evpl — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:55:00 GMT

We've been following a good number of Evansville Twitter users, and it's been quite interesting. It's a real community out there. (To find the tweeters we've found, just check out the list of who we're following on our Twitter page, although there are a number of non-Evansville accounts in that list too.)

One of my favorites is twitter.com/EvansvilleWatch, run by Bill Merkel. Bill monitors Evansville area dispatch agencies and other local sources and provides updates on breaking and developing events as they happen. One of their most useful functions is providing timely information about traffic problems. Check out their Twitter page during any rush hour and you'll see what I mean. Or go to Twitter's advanced search and simply put the word "traffic" in the first word box and "evansville" in the place box. That search will return Bill's traffic-related tweets and a few others too.

(Note that you don't have to be registered with Twitter to view twitter.com/EvansvilleWatch, or to use the Twitter search.)

Evansville Watch also has a blog. The additional space a blog provides over Twitter means, for instance, their weather updates can include maps and lots of detail.

Thanks, Bill, for providing this service!

Follow us on Twitter!

googler@evpl — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:57:00 GMT

Come Tweet with us!! EVPL is venturing into the Twitterverse, and you're invited to follow along. We currently have two Twitter accounts: one at http://twitter.com/evplinfo for information about Library programs and other informational announcements; and one at http://twitter.com/EVPLReviews for reviews of books, movies, and music.

Twitter is a free service that allows you to keep in touch with others through the exchange of small, frequent updates. When you create an account at twitter.com, you'll be able to update your own status to let your followers know what movies you've seen, where you're going on vacation, and how your daughter did in the big soccer game. You'll also be able to follow other people and institutions to get information about what's going on with them.

There are number of ways to update and receive "tweets" -- you don't have to open the twitter.com website on a PC. You can use Twitter clients similar to IM widgits (some are listed here) or even your phone.

For more information on why and how to use Twitter, try "Why Twitter Anyways?" and this excellent True Beginner's Guide to Twitter. The Library will also offer a class on social networking that will include Twitter.

Once you've gotten started, you'll be able to ask questions and send direct messages to us (and anyone else you're following, if they're also following you). It's all about communication, after all, and this is just one more avenue for doing that. So check us out, and let us know what else you might like to see in our Twitter streams!

Trekkers get social

googler@evpl — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:09:00 GMT

If you're one of the many who saw the new Star Trek movie this past weekend, you might be wondering if you can connect with other fans online. Well, in these days of the social web, of course you can.

Looks like the Facebook group might be the primary destination for you Trekkers, Trekkies, and Trekfen -- the page has some 2500 members. Both the wall and the discussion board are very active.

The official page on MySpace was created well before the movie's release, and still has a very large and active community. And it may well be the first place to hear about the anticipated sequel.

Star Trek Online is the website devoted to the multiplayer online role-playing game that's currently being developed. Even if you don't intend to join the game, you may well enjoy the discussion forums.

Ning is an online platform where people can create their own social networks, and there are several there devoted to Star Trek. The largest is TrekSpace, which has a library of photos, videos, and a very active discussion forum.

TrekUnited was originally formed to save the television series "Star Trek: Enterprise" (unsuccessfully), and has grown into one of the largest ST websites, with a lively message board.

And for Twitter users, consider contributing to the Star Trek group at Tweetworks, because they need all the contributors they can get!

NASA's Phoenix mission comes to a close

googler@evpl — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:13:00 GMT

The Mars lander "Phoenix" has stopped communicating with Earth, after operating for more than five months. Due to the seasons, its solar arrays no longer collect enough energy for it to function. The lander has been busy documenting the surface of the red planet, such as its soil contents, the history of water on Mars, and its weather. Phoenix even got to see some snow falling in the atmosphere.

The Phoenix project also saw another fairly remarkable feat -- NASA's Twitter feed about the robot, written in the first-person partly to save space, gained over 39,000 followers. It's been called "a rare feat of conviviality for an agency more known for its bureaucracy than its cunning P.R. moves." The author of the Phoenix Twitter stream was recently interviewed, and it's a great read. She certainly understands the role of new media in engaging the public.

Twitter, for those who don't know, is a way to broadcast very short updates or news items, sent to people who've chosen to follow the feed, or read by anyone on the account's Twitter page. Updates can arrive to followers through a website or application, much as a blog post does, but it can also be sent to mobile devices and by e-mail.

Do you recommend any Twitter feeds? I'm also following the St. Louis Cardinals and the Positivity Blog.