It all started on Facebook

OK, so today, when I was technically supposed to have be working, I accidentally checked Facebook to find the following hilarious post by a pal  in regard to the West Virginia coal/poetry censorship episode that officially didn't happen.

Here's what he wrote:

"Practicing for next year's poetry contest: Roses are red, Violets are blue, coal is from heaven, and it is awesome too."

This inspired me to invite my fellow West Virginians to take part in an Acceptable Poem Contest in which we write pro-coal poetry that would be permissible to read aloud in public places in West Virginia. Here's what I came up with:

Once upon a midnight dreary,
coal kept the lights on.

Any takers?

Galloping fingers

El Cabrero is kind of slow on the uptake, especially about social media. After several years, I think I'm finally figuring out some uses for Twitter (especially good for breaking news and for contacting journalists).

Facebook is another story. I've used a few pages for work stuff. There is the American Friends Service Committee WV page, which I am really bad about updating. During the recent (and ongoing) struggle over child care cuts, this page was helpful in generating emails to the governor's office and such. I have higher hopes for the WV Future Fund page, which we hope will generate interest in creating a permanent mineral trust fund for WV, although we really haven't gone public with it yet.

Then there's the personal FB stuff. I rarely put anything on there but I do check it occasionally. It occurs to me that I don't really know quite a few of the people I've "friended."

But there's one thing I really don't get. It would seem to me that if you wanted to make a statement on Facdebook, you should do so as clearly as possible, put it out there, and let it stand for a while. I have noticed, however, that some people have something like diarrhea of the fingers, posting picture after picture after comment over and over and over and over and over with no break between. Usually these posts aren't personal statements but pictures or cartoons produced by God knows whom.

I think this is where the law of diminishing returns kicks in. The more you put out in a short time, the less anybody is going to pay attention to any particular item. Methinks some people should give those fingers a break.

WHACK AWAY. Here's Paul Krugman taking swipes at two of my favorite targets.

ONE GOOD WHACK DESERVES ANOTHER. Here's George Lakoff on the Devil's budget.

GROSS IDEAS FOR SAVING THE WORLD here.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Social media: rethinking the limits

About a year ago, popular New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell published an article in that magazine about the limits of social media like Facebook and Twitter in movements for social change.

I was pretty impressed with his argument at the time. If memory serves, he talked about how weak ties such as those from an online community could help in accomplishing some things, these would not be enough when push came to shove. The US Civil Rights movement, for example, relied on strong ties based on trust and commitment.

Then came the events of the "Arab spring" earlier this year and the success of the Occupy Wall Street movement in which social media played a major role. It might be time to rethink Gladwell's argument. Obviously, it's not a case of either/or but social media has turned out to be more of a game changer that I would have expected.

Here's a little anecdote about the impact of social media from the Occupy efforts in Charleston, WV. Yesterday, a wet and miserable day for occupying anything, an official connected with the city apparently came by the Occupy site and told people they'd need to take down their tarps and signs.

Word got out via Facebook right away. People jumped in, made calls, contacted the media, etc. In the end, a compromise was achieved. That's not exactly a case of turning back the tanks but it was interesting.

FRAMING THE OCCUPATION. Here are some suggestions from George Lakoff on messaging for the movement.

THE END OF THE WORLD, AGAIN. Oct. 21 is the latest predicted date for the end of the world. Here's a look a predicted apocalypses of the past. There seems to be a common theme...something about not happening.

OCCUPYING THOUGHTS. Here's the latest edition of the Rev. Jim Lewis' Notes from Under the Fig Tree.

URGENT ZOMBIE WASP UPDATE here. And it's really creepy. This would make one hell of a gross out horror movie if it happened to people.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED