links for 2011-08-10

"I’ve been authorized by a small but committed group of technology journalists who have watched this space closely — and who believe in newspapers, magazines, the internet and their shared future — to deliver this simple message to media companies everywhere. For the love of God, please stop trying to make your own tablets."

"Newsquest journalists are not exactly being encouraged to use Twitter and other social media, according to the company’s new social media policy sent to employees today".

"Over and over again, people keep pointing to Facebook as an example where “real names” policies work. This makes me laugh hysterically. One of the things that became patently clear to me in my fieldwork is that countless teens who signed up to Facebook late into the game chose to use pseudonyms or nicknames. What’s even more noticeable in my data is that an extremely high percentage of people of color used pseudonyms as compared to the white teens that I interviewed. Of course, this would make sense…The people who most heavily rely on pseudonyms in online spaces are those who are most marginalized by systems of power. “Real names” policies aren’t empowering; they’re an authoritarian assertion of power over vulnerable people". Absolutely fascinating post from Danah

Interesting read, not least for the view that local social meda is making big media seem increasingly remote and detached if you are outside London

"The action has changed things. People have said they woke up this morning feeling fear, but they now feel optimistic. There's talk of reclaiming the streets from violence just by being there and talking. The broom, raised aloft, and cups of tea carried on riot shields have become today's iconic images. How British. How beautifully British. And how very, very London."

"This is the outcome of neither an economic deprivation nor a political protest. Banks (and by extension bankers) are not being targeted, so it's hardly the outcry borne of sophisticated political analysis. Yes shops have been ransacked, but of a certain type. Electrical goods, phone shops, jewellers, bike shops, sportswear shops - these are all lifestyle items for youth that we as society have been peddlling for decades as worth owning. They already own Blackberry's, are currently wearing Hollister or Nike; what they are helping themselves to is the latest model, the latest edition, exactly how capitalism and consumerism encourages us all to keep upgrading."

Great article from the ever-readable James Cridland

Some growing pains for the Storify service which has suffered outages...

...I didn't include stability under breaking news load in this blog post, but maybe I should have