Friend and colleague Ken Yarmosh of Technosight blogged about a debate between blogger Glenn Reynolds, author of An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths, Joe Trippi (former manager for Howard Dean), and Barry Lynn at the National Press Club.
See the announcement and reactions from other attendees.
I’m reviewing An Army of Davids for Townhall.com, and I’m only on the second chapter and can’t blog knowledgeably about it yet. The book is about technology and how it’s empowering ordinary folks. It’s quite conversational so far, and I appreciate Glenn’s use of the David v. Goliath imagery. I’ll have more to say about that in my review.
I encourage you to read Ken’s assessment of the debate in Part I and Part II.
Update: An Army of Davids in action?
Update II: I’m soliciting quotes from “ordinary people” empowered by technology.
Update III (3/11): Download an MP3 of an earlier presentation at Cato.
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March 8th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
I’m about halfway through the book and completely agree with his comments that we should all be trained in emergency preparedness - perhaps this is an issue bloggers can promote . . .
Personally, I’m looking into a combination of blogging and self-publishing (Holly Aho was an inspiration there) as a retirement pastime. I would like to stay occupied - on my own schedule - make enough money to pay for my tech toys (write them off as a business expenses?) and maybe provide for some travel (another expense?).
Looking forward to your review.
March 8th, 2006 at 6:18 pm
First comment of the day! Thanks for stopping by. Let me know when you post a review, and I’ll link.
March 8th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
Of course the irony is that the technology, pretty much by definition, makes the “ordinary folks” not so ordinary.
You yourself are a prime example … pretty much by definition no “ordinary folk” is asked to opine on MSNBC - even in the middle of the afternoon.
I, on the other hand, don’t even get quoted by you or Michelle Malkin any more [[Grin]].
March 8th, 2006 at 10:04 pm
I haven’t read “Army of Davids” yet, but I love the concept. The internet and the blogosphere are phase II of the phenomenon that is the New Media (Talk Radio being phase I, the front runner who got us going) and in a relatively short time an irreversable trend has revolutionized the way things now work in the media.
One of my favorite quotes is one by John Holt, “It is the duty of a citizen in a free country not to fit into society, but to make society.” The internet has made this infinitely more possible by enabling us to respond to whatever happens wherever it happens instantly!
Furthermore, we now have virtual libraries at our immediate disposal. The idiom that “knowledge is power” is testimony to the fact that anyone who has access to the internet has power that was only available to the elitists just a decade ago.
The elitists are no longer in control of the flow of information and, as a result, they are on a desperate mission to make the news and distort it to fit their agenda.
When a torrent of blogs can swarm with logical refutation of a mainstream newscast and force the “star newsreader” to resign, I’d say there’s a new sheriff in town.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
I haven’t read the book yet, but you’ve intrigued me to read it. I am glad you are reviewing the book for Townhall.com. I am reminded of Townhall’s own Kathleen Parker’s blogger blast (which you alerted us to) back in December 05 in which Ms. Parker wrote:
“We can’t silence them, but for civilization’s sake - and the integrity of information by which we all live or die - we can and should ignore them.”
So, hopefully she will be reading Glenn Reynold’s book or at least your review! I still can’t believe a respected journalist wrote such an irresponsible thing. I suppose she wrote out of frustration, along with other journalists, newspaper editors and even radio station managers, that ordinary people have traveled up that big mountain of “crediblity” formerly reserved for credentialed media professionals. We’ve seen the top of their mountain and we’ve got a look at the beautiful valley on the other side of their mountain top. In that valley, citizens are free to decide for themselves which stories they wish to read and share, which professional journalists to depend on for honest reporting and, on a very lucky day, which stories to break.
March 11th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
I’ve been using a modem to teach and learn from others online since 1987. (It never even occurred to me to discuss things political until the run-up to the Iraq war.)
I taught formal online classes in the use of two computer graphics programs and supported users of another major graphics company’s software in official forums. My classes mixed art instruction with the technical but the forums were mainly technical.
I made a difference. I know it.
I also participated in NDA-signed beta testing of several computer graphics programs for various companies. All the discussion and bug reporting occurred online so it didn’t matter that one company was based in Canada and the others were in Silicon Valley.
I made a difference there too. I know it.
But the real exuberance would come when a new version of one of these programs would appear. People in the communities were trying things and posting questions in email lists and online forums. Other members would test something out to learn the answer and share what they learned.
What a difference this makes! And it was fascinating to watch new knowledge spread around so quickly and people building on knowledge they had just acquired the week before. New ideas. New experiments. New questions. New answers.
We all made a difference.
It’s just breathtaking to be a part of this super-empowering internet thing.
March 11th, 2006 at 5:13 pm
TO: Whomever
RE: Quotable Quotes
[1] What they are telling you can be important. What they are NOT telling you can be vital.
[2] If you had a life in the first place, you’ll never have a mid-life crisis.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
P.S. You can quote me on that….
March 11th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
P.P.S. For those concerned about living down to item #2 (above)…I recommend going airborne-ranger.
March 11th, 2006 at 6:04 pm
I’ve read “Armies of David” and agree with just about every word (not completely in terms of space exploration and nano-tech, but reasonable minds may differ).
I blog at Crossroads Arabia (http://www.xrdarabia.org/blog) to bring informed discussion and commentary about Saudi Arabia. Having lived and worked there at various points over a 20-year span as an American diplomat, I think I bring an informed, if not unique, perspective on the country. I think US-Saudi relations are too important to blow off through ignorance and mis- or disinformation. I do not apologize for the Saudis, however: they’ve a lot they need to fix.
Of course, I do this out of my own pocket, with no subsidies from anyone. It’s important enough to put my money and time where my mouth and brain are.
March 11th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
We bloggers may wear pajamas, much less expensive than MSM pants, but we don’t get caught with them down like Dan Rathers, John Kerry, and USA Today did. When I caught USA Today manipulating Condi Rice’s photo, I merely forced them to live up to THEIR OWN journalistic standards.
March 11th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
When I began to come across evidence of a coverup in our local government, I started a blog to let the citizens know what was happening during the investigation. I have absolutely no experience doing this but was inspired by the concept of “citizen journalism.” I followed the devlopment of the National Guard memo scandal as it unfolded and was completely won over to the new media. I now know important news two to five days before any of my friends, thanks to citizen journalists around the globe. The quote I place on my teeny little blog, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”, is what motivates me. I may have only had 350 readers (town population, 3450) but everyone was talking about it! I feel confident, now, in my ability to influence the course of government. I no longer just speak for myself. I can recruit dozens of people to go to a City Council meeting if the need arises. There is incredible power on the web to safeguard our democracy. Government can no longer hide from the people!
March 11th, 2006 at 8:50 pm
I am not sure if this is what you are looking for but…
I am teaching a course in packaging technology in an engineering school.
As part of the class I have started a blog www.packagingtech.blogspot.com and made all the students co-hosts.
Their assignment is to post 1 comment a week having to do with packaging. The idea is to do this publicaly and get some comments and dialogue going with the rest of the world.
We only started the term last Tuesday so it is a bit slow but we have gotten a few interesting posts.
This could not have been done in pre-blog days. I did have online discussion groups but since they used a university program called Blackboard, they were limited to class members.
John Henry
johnhenry@changeover.com
March 11th, 2006 at 10:38 pm
I’m a seminary student (Westminster Theological Seminary), stay-at-home mom and wife. I just started blogging at the end of January. The Internet has empowered me to share what I’ve learned with others in the Christian community, as well as those outside of the Christian community and I can do it worldwide.
I haven’t read the book but I can understand the concept. I’m trying to use my websites to change the world’s perception of Christianity (how much more of a David and Goliath scenario do you need :-). I want my visitors to see my struggles and my joy, to understand that we don’t take this lightly, that Christianity is more than they realize or could hope for. I want to add my thoughts to the marketplace of ideas out in the world wide web.
I have two blogs: Reformed Chicks Blabbing (www.reformedchicksblabbing.blogspot.com) and Life Under the Sun (www.mylifeunderthesun.blogspot.com).
March 11th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
I just finished Army of Davids–its great. A great example of a David fighting a Goliath is how a handfull of bloggers have helped spread the story of a Cuban protestor at the World Baseball classic. Bloggers have been quoted in the media, and have given close-up coverage to the incident.
http://latinoissues.blogspot.com/2006/03/quote-of-day-in-cuba-free-speech-is.html
Castro is getting his first taste of the blogsphere, started by one man and some cardboard signs, and spread by hundreds! No dictator can stop it.
Also, in Venezuela, bloggers are getting pressure from the Chavez regime for exposing the truth about his propaganda machine.
http://www.babalublog.com/archives/003055.html
These are regular Davids battling the great evil Goliath–communism. Would the USSR even have happened if there had been bloggers back then? Information cannot be controled anymore!
I consider myself a perfect example of a David, though David was one amazing man. But, when could I have dreamed that I could write ideas and thoughts, and that hundreds would read it.
I have received speaking invitations, emails from congresional staffers, and by the looks of my stats (web log tracking), I have readers from all over the world. While I have yet to break some great story, or make money of this, I know that my words are being read. It’s a big responsability and I take that seriously.
Posted at latinoissues.blogspot.com
March 11th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
My only disapointment with Army of Davids was the lack of focus on spiritual issues. David covered very well the future in regards to intellect, the physical world, and technology, but he ignores (or perhaps left it out as beyond the scope of his experience or knowledge) the impact this will have on spirituality, faith, and those who follow a religion. Regardless of technological progress, faith and the Judeo-Christian worldview will continue to have a long lasting, and deep effect on our society as a whole. It is what has shaped western civilization and to deny it would be foolish.
March 12th, 2006 at 12:49 am
“I’m looking for quotes from “ordinary people” using their blogs or other online resources to make a difference.”
One very powerful niche example of an online resource that is making a difference in thousands of lives is ChurchSoundCheck’s discussion group.
http://www.churchsoundcheck.com/list.html
This is a place where over 3000 folk from around the world who help their local churches with sound and other technology issues can share their experiences and get their questions answered.
I blog just a little on political issues (met you at God Blog Con) but spend hours a day helping folk on the CSC list. I feel it is one of my ministries at this point in my life.
Blessings,
Ray A. Rayburn
March 12th, 2006 at 3:08 am
I created a website to try and and tackle the problem of what to do when your car has been stolen. http://www.StolenCarReports.com
In 2001 my brother-in-law had his car stolen from in front of my apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn. We had a hunch, which turned out to be correct, that it his car was somewhere in the higher crime area in the neighborhood next door. It was recovered a month later when after multiple illegal parking tickets the police realized it was stolen. The police are usually so busy they rarely look for stolen vehicles, but private citizens unknowlingly walk past them all the time. To try and assist victims of auto theft recover their vehciles, I’ve collaborated with another individual to develop “The Nation’s Neighborhood Watch For Stolen Vehicles”. We enable car owners to list their stolen vehicle in a publicly accessible database. We provide an option for owners to send an email and/or a wireless sms text message to registered “tippers” in our program. We have over 20,000 tippers across the states who receive email alerts and text message alerts on their cell phones with information on stolen vehicles in their area. Tippers keep their eyes out for the stolen vehicles and report the location to the police. It’s a smart mob looking for a stolen car. We also have RSS feeds of the stolen car reports that other websites carry. I haven’t read Glenn’s book yet, but from the very beginning of our project we thought of ourselves as developing an “army of Davids” to tackle a Goliath of a problem.
March 12th, 2006 at 3:24 am
I haven’t read the book yet, but I will. I’m still working on two now related to discussions at my blog.
I started blogging because of the Terri Schindler ordeal. I had a personal website before that with editorials I wrote every now and then. Moving to a blog seemed to be a better way to present my views.
Being Christian and prolife, I write to sway opinion on those matters, as well as politics and current events.