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Digital Interactive Media including Twitter and YouTube are fueling and energizing a popular uprising in Iran. While traditional media operations face official steps attempting to thwart their reporting in Iran, the enormous number of informal social media "journalists" are shooting video of protests from their cell phones that is then posted on YouTube and Twitter and posting reports about protests in real time on Twitter. These activities seem to be energizing the uprising in Iran. Wow!!! Digital Interactive Media in the form of social media networks has come of age. 

Critics keep suggesting that Twitter may never make any money, but imagine how one would feel if their web platform was supporting a popular uprising against an illegitimate government that is part of a repressive regime. Money may not be everything. Congratulations to the owners of Twitter. Their web platform may facilitate the reform of the Iranian government that many years of United States government pressure has failed to do.

Some of the related stories can be found at Iran's Twitter Revolution on the Nation web site and also on the New York Times web site in the article entitled, In Iran, Iron Cleric, Now Blinking. These events in Iran are a huge step forward for the role and relevance of digital interactive media in the form of social media networks. It is a revolution - - - In this case, literally.

Erich P Rapp.

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The Twitter organization has launched a "Verified Account" service in Beta this week. So now, you know that @TheEllenShow is really Ellen DeGeneres and @The_Real_Shaq is really Shaquille O'Neal when you read their tweets. Well sort of. If the Twitter profile says that the account is verified, you will know that the celebrity in question has confirmed that the profile is approved by him or her. The verified badge does not, of course, indicate who is actually writing the tweets, i.e., whether it is the celebrity themselves or a ghost tweeter.

One major celebrity Twitter account is stopping new entry production. Trent Reznor has left Twitter (at least for now). He comments at some length on his social media experience on his blog in an entry entitled, Online communities, etc. His commentary is interesting glimpse at the celebrity or "public figure" experience in the social media era and thus worth a few minutes to read.

So much for the special problems of the famous in a social media driven world.

Erich P Rapp.

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Dell Computer reports it has earned $3 million in sales from people visiting their web site referred from their Twitter profile with 624,000 followers. Dell has paid Twitter $0.00 for its profile and promotion. This report is found in a New York Times story dated Friday June 12, 2009 entitled, Dell says it has earned $3 million from twitter. Amazing. Is there any doubt why old media outlets like newspapers, magazines, radio and television are suffering steep declines in their advertising revenue.

While Twitter cannot continue to give away commercial advertising for free, Twitter's costs for delivering that promotion are much lower than any traditional old media outlet. The old media outlets most evolve into a new model that focuses more on web based delivery and combines professional journalism and user/amateur provided journalism in order to reduce their cost base. The details of such a model are yet to be determined, but the path to uncovering that business model might become more clear in the months ahead.

Erich P Rapp.

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On Friday April 10, 2009 and Saturday April 11, 2009, the Hotel LeCirque in New Orleans, Louisiana was the host to WordCamp NOLA 2009. The speakers presented to a sold out crowd of Internet platform and social media enthusiasts.

The event included presentations and panels on social media advertising strategies, the impact of social media on traditional news media, using Wordpress tools for blogging, and even advice from a millennial blogger on connecting with a younger audience.

The audience seemed interested and attentive, and the volume of tweets to #wordcampNOLA was enormous. Hopefully, the WordCamp NOLA event will be repeated next year. More information can be found at the WordCamp NOLA website.  

Erich P. Rapp.

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