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Free Press: Google-Verizon Pact Worse than Feared

August 10, 2010 By

Google-Verizon Pact Worse than Feared

In response to Google and Verizon’s “policy framework” unveiled today, MoveOn.Org Civic Action, Credo Action, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, ColorofChange.org and Free Press, all members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition, issued the following joint statement:

“The Google-Verizon pact isn’t just as bad as we feared — it’s much worse. They are attacking the Internet while claiming to preserve it. Google users won’t be fooled.

“They are promising Net Neutrality only for a certain part of the Internet, one that they’ll likely stop investing in. But they are also paving the way for a new ‘Internet’ via fiber and wireless phones where Net Neutrality will not apply and corporations can pick and choose which sites people can easily view on their phones or any other Internet device using these networks.

“It would open the door to outright blocking of applications, just as Comcast did with BitTorrent, or the blocking of content, just as Verizon did with text messages from NARAL Pro-choice America. It would divide the information superhighway, creating new private fast lanes for the big players while leaving the little guy stranded on a winding dirt road.

“Worse still, this pact would turn the Federal Communications Commission into a toothless watchdog, left fruitlessly chasing complaints and unable to make rules of its own.

“This is not real Net Neutrality. And this pact would harm the millions of Americans who have pleaded with our leaders in Washington to defend the free and open Internet. President Obama, Congress and the FCC should reject this deal, restore the authority of the agency that’s supposed to protect Internet users, and safeguard Net Neutrality once and for all.”

Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Free Press does not support or oppose any candidate for public office. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications. Learn more at www.freepress.net

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Filed Under: 2010 Daily News, Political articles Tagged With: , , , ,

Democracy Now: Panel Discussion on the Importance of Social Media in Building Community & Resistance

July 26, 2010 By

Click HERE to Listen & Watch Panel

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/23/using_social_media_to_build_communityand

Transcript to Democracy Now Panel Discussion

Veronica Arreola

AMY GOODMAN: We’re broadcasting from Las Vegas, Netroots Nation, a convention where thousands of people have gathered, and “social media” is the watchword of the day. This is Chicago-based blogger Veronica Arreola. Her blog is vivalafeminista.com.

VERONICA ARREOLA: I got involved in blogging, late 2000, after the election. There was a lot of discussions online and LISTSERVs, and I really felt like I needed a place of my own to get my views out, opinions out, talk about what was going on in terms of the election and the election results and how long it had dragged out. So I’ve been doing that since late 2000, got onto Facebook pretty early, because I work at a university, and that’s where the students are, and that’s where I need to talk to them and get them to events, and then jumped on Twitter after some friends said I needed to get on. And I’ve really used—I’ve really found it very helpful in terms of activism, in terms of community work.

AMY GOODMAN: How?

VERONICA ARREOLA: Just spreading messages, talking about events. I’m on the board of the Chicago Abortion Fund. And this past spring there was a national bowl-a-thon, and I did a lot of my fundraising through social media, through Facebook, Twitter, just asking people to please—

AMY GOODMAN: And how effective was it?

VERONICA ARREOLA: I think it was really highly effective. I think I raised more money through Facebook and Twitter than I would have just sending emails or calling people and talking to people one-on-one, because I was able to dip into a larger pool.

AMY GOODMAN: What’s your blog called?

VERONICA ARREOLA: My blog is “”http://www.vivalafeminista.com”>Viva la Feminista.”

AMY GOODMAN: And what has been your project this summer?

VERONICA ARREOLA: This summer, I’m asking Latinas to post about being Latina and their thoughts about feminism—good, bad, long, short, academic, or just personal stories. I’m getting mostly personal stories. And I call it “Summer of Feminista.”

AMY GOODMAN: That’s Veronica Arreola of vivalafeminista.com. She was speaking to me at the Netroots Nation convention.

Well, for more on the use of social media in building community, I’m joined here in Las Vegas by Aimee Allison. She’s a Bay Area radio host, producer of the daily KPFA Morning Show, and she’s also founded this innovated local media project called OaklandSeen, as in S-E-E-N, seen and heard.

Also here with us, Davey D is a hip-hop journalist and activist. He runs the popular website “Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner” at daveyd.com, co-host also on KPFA of HardKnock Radio.

And we’re joined by the Cheryl Contee. She is the founder of “Jack and Jill Politics.” Well, she’s actually Cheryl to us here, but she’s Jill Tubman at “Jack and Jill Politics.”

I want to welcome you all to Democracy Now!, to be with you all in Las Vegas. Aimee, talk about social media, what it means to you. I mean, you’re a longtime radio broadcaster; interesting also, you’re a veteran. But why go from radio to social media?

Aimee Allison

AIMEE ALLISON: Here’s what we’re facing in 2010: radio being an old media that accesses—it’s low-tech, and lots of people can access it, but, as we saw earlier this week, one of thirteen human beings are on Facebook. That means that social media is becoming more and more the way that people access their news and connect with other people. So, through OaklandSeen.com, it was an effort to fill the local reporting gap that we found in Oakland to engage more people and to facilitate people reporting their own news and to talk to each other about issues that they’re facing the most. And what we found when we combined old technology, radio, with new technology, social networks and blogs, we have a level of engagement that supports the development of local communities, constituencies and democracy at home. It’s fantastic.

AMY GOODMAN: Cheryl Contee, you’ve been doing “Jack and Jill Politics” for how long?

CHERYL CONTEE: For three years.

AMY GOODMAN: What does “social media” mean?

CHERYL CONTEE: Social media, to me, means the opportunity to reach people in a way never before possible. When we founded “Jack and Jill Politics,” it was not long after the last—the original Netroots Nation YearlyKos. And at the time, we were talking about isn’t it a shame that more blacks aren’t blogging. Today we have a vibrant community at Jack and Jill Politics. We’ve changed the racial narrative in this country many times. And now African Americans, in many ways, are at parity. When you factor in mobile internet access, there is no digital divide, according to a Pew internet study last year. And Business Insider, just this year, says that 25 percent of those on Twitter are African American, which is twice their population percentage.

AMY GOODMAN: Davey D, talk about what you’re doing, also longtime radio broadcaster on commercial radio, then at Pacific Radio, but you also have been doing this social media thing for a long time.

DAVEY D: Well, I’ve been on the net since 1991, so I’ve been around for a minute. But at the crux of it is, it’s just about communication. And you’re looking at a variety of communities that have often been exed out of the opportunity to talk to themselves without a media middleman or to talk to their communities without having their messages distorted. So, this is a continuum. You know, when I first started, the reason why people went on the internet was for that very reason. And over the years, you’ve seen different variations of technology come along that have made it a little bit more efficient. So social media right now, in the form of Facebook or Twitter, which, you know, many of us are on, just really allows us to get around this increasing consolidation and regulation of speech between different communities. So, that’s been the attraction.

And what’s interesting is that old media doesn’t seem to get it. You know, they seem to want to have more of a situation where they talk at you, for the purposes of marketing, increasingly more for the purposes of just blanketing us with a particular political or social message, and to marginalize the voices of dissent, various angles that people have on a particular issue, and to challenge a narrative that oftentimes only serves the purposes of a particular corporation.

AMY GOODMAN: Davey D, you’ve been tweeting a lot about Oscar Grant. Tell us quicly that story and how social media has been used in his killing.

DAVEY D: Well, I think the main thing is that before the word could get out—well, let me just back up. The police had a narrative, from day one. They went and looked at his background and put that out there, and it was quickly countered by those of us who were on the internet, to say, well, let me show you the cop’s background, and let me show you what other people saw that night.

AMY GOODMAN: And this, again, is about the young man who was killed.

DAVEY D: Right, that was killed. Going up to the verdict—

AMY GOODMAN:On the subway platform.

DAVEY D: Yeah. Going up to the verdict—

AMY GOODMAN: By a police officer.

Davey D

DAVEY D: Yeah. Going up to the verdict, there was a narrative that they painted around the country, which people started to build off of, and it mainly centered around “Why don’t black people just learn how to behave?” when it was the multi-ethnic crowd that was out there, you know, protesting, speaking truth to power, and some of them rebelling, you know? And so, when you looked at the national pictures, you saw black folks. But people like me were filming, and we saw a variety of people. So, when you put it up against mainstream media versus what many of us were able to say, then you saw that there was a falsehood in what mainstream was doing, and you saw that falsehood connected with political, economic and social agendas that have nothing to do with the variety of communities that were outraged about a cop being—who got away with murder, as far as we’re concerned.

AMY GOODMAN: Aimee Allison?

AIMEE ALLISON: The protest in Oakland after Johannes Mehserle, the former BART officer, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, which many people thought was a very easy verdict after what we saw—social media spread the word and let everyone see the video, so we all saw it. And then, the verdict was surprising to many people. If you compare, though, the way that the protests were covered two weeks ago and the way they were covered a year ago, it was night and day. Social media came and changed the whole conversation about what Oaklanders think. It was a lot more diverse and nuanced and powerful. We were able to capture and share the message out beyond, not only to Oakland, but to the world, of how Oaklanders had come together in nonviolence. We were able to tell a story about how the local peace movement had taken the lead in working with the city.

But all of this happened in the context locally of a very important urban issue, which is that Oakland is struggling, as many cities are, with revenue and with dealing with deficits. And we had just had the fight with the police officers’ union and a sense of how the city was going to avoid cutting more libraries and schools, and so the whole coverage of the protest happened in a political environment where social media was able to say, “Look, we want to hold police accountable for their activities out in the street. We want to have a broader conversation about crime and public safety. And we’re not going to accept the narrative a year ago that there was just a bunch of rioting and we need more cops.” That was directly as a result of citizens themselves and bloggers, as well as other folks, telling the story and talking to each other about the impact of not only the violence that happened against Oscar Grant in the first place, but the policing and the aftermath.

AMY GOODMAN: Davey D?

DAVEY D: One thing that I think is important is that there’s a context to even revolting. And what social media allowed us to do was explain what happened the first time there were riots in the street, which was seven days of the mayor not speaking, seven days of the district attorney not speaking, seven days of people going up and asking, “what’s going on?” and then people saying, “OK, we’ll let you know what’s going on,” and having a revolt and having a political and social context to that. Even what happened after the verdict, there was a way to explain that narrative, which was counter to what the mainstream was saying.

The other thing that’s important is that mainstream has become increasingly more embedded. What they didn’t tell you in the recent verdict was the fact that many of the mainstream journalists were standing right next to the police. They were embedded with them, so they had the best angles. And I’ve never seen that before. I know that it goes on overseas in war, but to come here and say, “Hey, wait a second. You’re ABC, CBS. You’re right there next to the cops!” So what does that mean at the end of the day when the story is told? I couldn’t cover the way that I would normally, even with a press pass, because they said, “We made new press passes, and you have to have a special one, and you have to be standing next to the police.” That’s very different, and that’s very dangerous, because it’s in the context of news being censored and controlled and manipulated by corporations all over the country. And that was just a prime example of that taking place in Oakland, in this case, with the police. But corporations and police are the same thing, if you look at what BP is doing, censoring media. So I don’t see it as being very different. It’s just controlling the narrative.

AMY GOODMAN: You know, it’s interesting you raise this, because when we were arrested in St. Paul—my colleagues Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar and I arrested by the St. Paul police covering the Republican National Convention—we weren’t alone among journalists.

DAVEY D: Right.

AMY GOODMAN: There were more than forty journalists arrested. When I went the next morning, after I was released, to the police chief’s news conference and asked him what does he expect journalists to do and what has he instructed his police to do if they’re arresting journalists, he said we could embed, embed with a mobile field force, using that model of reporters embedding in the frontlines of troops as a way to cover American cities. Cheryl Contee, did you want to weigh in here?

Cheryl Conte

Cheryl Conte

CHERYL CONTEE: Right. And so, in this changing environment in the media, social media provides an unfiltered voice. No longer do we have an intermediary to tell us the story, as we did before, where journalists represented the community’s voice, now the community has their own voice. And during the Oscar Grant protests and rallies, you know, you got pictures live from the scene. And on our blog, we actually listed some of the Twitter reports, just to show this is what’s actually happening on the ground, just to provide a balance with the mainstream media.

AMY GOODMAN: It reminds me of the Battle of Seattle ten years ago when you had CNN saying that—repeating the police line that they weren’t using rubber bullets, but we were picking them up by the handfuls. And it was Indymedia and indymedia.com that really exploded on the scene then, when these pictures were being showed and you had more people hitting indymedia.com than cnn.com. Aimee?

AIMEE ALLISON: And see, I think that’s an excellent point, because through the Johannes Mehserle protests, OaklandSeen Facebook and Twitter followers grew more than 40 percent. And people started to acknowledge, “Hey, you know what? For the information on the ground and the real unfiltered stuff that’s happening, I’ve got to go to a source like OaklandSeen, because if I turn on the news, I’m really going to get the same stories, and it’s not really reflective of what I think about my own city or the—you know, kind of the details I’m looking for.” So people are starting to turn in a city like Oakland to alternative news sources, and I think that that’s fabulous, particularly in a place locally where our papers have consolidated and local coverage has suffered so much.

AMY GOODMAN:Davey D?

DAVEY D: I think one of the other important things is that when you look at a situation like the Oscar Grant scenario, none of us are really organizers. I’m not an organizer. But there was dozens of organizers there whose voices never get heard. They don’t show up on the evening news. They’re not often quoted. And there’s a context to which they speak. And so, one of the things that social media allowed us to do was really get the full narrative from their perspective, whether it was Uncle Bobby who’s Oscar’s uncle,  and why he condemned some of the coverage that was going on, or why he talked about what the police were doing. We got to hear his full thing. We got to hear why he rejected Mehserle’s apology, without just the thirty-second sound bite that was played around the nation. We got to present and let people hear  the full four-minute speech that he gave. And that becomes important.

We got to let you know what the organizers think, what were they doing and how did they all come together. That story was just as important as the trial and the verdict itself. And those stories got out to the rest of the country in a way that inspired folks, let people know that there’s a richer context to what was taking place in Oakland. And lastly, it put a spotlight on the media, because it showed how lazy they were, when all these stories were being unearthed, and you’re going, “Well, wait a second. You’re the mainstream media with millions of dollars in the budget. How come we just got this very two-dimensional narrative?”

AMY GOODMAN: Cheryl Contee, as we wrap up, tomorrow you’re going to be hosting Nancy Pelosi. She’ll be addressing the Netroots Nation convention. You’re Jill Tubman at “Jack and Jill Politics.” Why Jill Tubman?

CHERYL CONTEE: Originally, many of the black political bloggers wrote under pseudonyms, because the history of the United States shows that outspoken African Americans are often targets, one way or another. And so, I was frankly afraid to write under my full voice until I really understood the consequences of what that would be. And it allowed me to write more freely.

I came out of the closet, if you will, of the blog closet, about two years ago, and it was fantastic to really receive a lot of applause. So I’m really looking forward to sitting down with Speaker Pelosi and representing the community. It’s an interactive session, so we’ve been taking comments from the internet. People are voting with their feet. People really want to know about the Youth Promise Act, for example. They want to know about Social Security, the economy, jobs. And so, I’m really looking forward to having a chance to reflect that.

AMY GOODMAN: If people want to participate, where do they go? How do they tap in?

CHERYL CONTEE: Oh, right. So if people—you can still ask questions to me. You can use the hash tag nn10pelosi on Twitter. You can go to the Netroots Nation Facebook. Or you can go to “”http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com”>Jack and Jill Politics,” and you’ll see there’s a blog post stuck to the top right now, and leave a comment.

AMY GOODMAN: And where do people go to find OaklandSeen, Aimee Allison?

AIMEE ALLISON: OaklandSeen, S-E-E-N.com. And we have a Facebook group and a Twitter group. So we not only report and encourage people to blog and contribute media, but we’re talking to each other, which is amazing.

AMY GOODMAN: Davey D?

DAVEY D: You can reach me at daveyd.com or mrdaveyd, D-A-V-E-Y-D, on Twitter.

AMY GOODMAN: Thanks very much for being with us here at the Netroots Nation, Davey D, Cheryl Contee aka Jill Tubman, and Aimee Allison.

Click the link below to watch and listen to panel discussion

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/23/using_social_media_to_build_communitya

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Filed Under: 2010 Daily News, Political articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Live From Detroit-AMC Bringing Back Fanzines through E-Books

June 21, 2010 By

One of the most interesting panels I came across during this years Allied Media Conference in Detroit was called ‘Electronic Books: Creating Your Own and Preparing for a Paperless Society‘. It was put together by Detroit author Sylvia Hubbard of the Motown Writers Network and the AA Electronic Literary Network.

I hadn’t intended to go to her session but was strongly encouraged and I’m so glad I did. What she laid out about the ease of entry into the E-Book world and the fact that one can make money if they have a nice following was eye-opening. Many of us think that E-Books are limited to established authors who secured book deals with their publishers going the E-Book route to create new opportunities.

Sylvia Hubbard was presenter at Allied Media Conference where she explained the importance of E-Books

Hubbard who is the author of a number of books, explained that anyone with a good idea and compelling story to tell can get their E-Books up on-line and sold by Amazon. In fact she even gave us a ‘back door website’ URL to upload our E-Books DTP.AMAZON.COM along with specs on how to format, what types of dpi to use for pictures, pricing etc. She explained how when she is doing lectures, audience members will often purchase and download her books while she is still speaking. Imagine the potential for artists who have a nice fan base.

As Hubbard was speaking I couldn’t help but think how in today’s hi-tech world its easy to forget about some of the simple things we did within music to make ourselves known. Many of us figure with Ipads and Itouches that things we once cherished have been forever tossed away. Fret not.. Some of those goodies are with us with a hi-tech twist. Case in point the Fanzine. Today’s fanzine is the E-book.

Y’all remember those little 10-12 page booklets indy bands and rappers would create and give out at concerts as ‘special limited editions’? Many of them were handmade, the editing wasn’t all that tight and the content ranged from strange musings of the artist on a particular topic to highly politicized calls to action. All of them no matter how crude or well put together were ‘keep sakes’.

I still have the early pamphlets from Digital Underground talking about a secret project NASA was working on which would be a pill that allows you to experience sex. It was called ‘Sex Packets’ and the ‘homemade fanzines’ were cleverly done to help bring attention to the group’s highly anticipated album of the same name.

Paris included a well written thorough history of the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam with his debut album

Another one that stands out were the two put out by Bay Area rapper Paris. In the early 90s he put out a history guide about the Black Panthers and Nation of Islam, the two groups that influenced him. The information was thorough and rich with facts that I still reference to this day.  The booklet accompanied his album ‘The Devil made Me Do It‘.

15 years later in the aftermath of 9-11 Paris released a controversial song called ‘What Would You Do’, which pretty much explained why then President George Bush was responsible for the mishap that hit this country. Paris released an 11 page booklet that outlined the what he felt were major flaws in a foreign policy that helped spawn the type of anger behind the terrorist attacks. Paris then later released a full fledge documentary around the topic.

As I noted the list of bands who did fanzines and pamphlets is endless, but seemingly all but forgotten in the hi-tech world. Many groups have enhanced their presence by blogging, but as Sylvia Hubbard pointed out in our session, why not do an E-Book? The topics could range from autobiographies to lengthy explanations about a controversy. For example, imagine if 50 Cent had released an E Book given the full background stories surrounding his various beefs with fellow artists? Imagine if we had an E-Book from the members of Rage Against the Machine giving us their political musings leading up to the 08 elections?  Imagine if there was an E-Book from a local band touching upon the richer meanings behind an album?  It’s food for thought and in a world where fans want to be closer to artists this is a perfect way to 3 Dimensionalize the experience.

Along these lines we caught up with longtime Seattle-based journalist Jonathan Cunningham who was a presenter at the panel ‘How to Create a New Music Based Economy‘ . He talked about the role journalist should play and how artist can better engage them. He insisted that all music journalist no matter how should create space to cover local and indie acts. He also said that journalist need to humble themselves and not try to create a hierarchy where they are on top. The economy and fate of publications are pretty precarious and forging good relationships with artists will be key so all can thrive together. Cunningham also explained that artists should own and control media by doing everything from writing about themselves to filming themselves.. He loans some insight as to how publications and editors think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz1RuACf0I0

Finally since we are still on the DIY tip I had to include some sound advice from Afro-Punk superstar Tamar Kali. She lit up the stage at the opening party for AMC where she headline and made all of us true believers. As you know the punk community has long been about creating and doing for self so we had to ask Ms Kali what advice would she give to people to maintain in this economy. She said the number one thing artists need to do is plan.

Here’s an excerpt from a much longer interview we did where she addresses the issue. Please excuse sound quality, I couldn’t figure out how to get the good audio from my recorder onto the audio track for this new camera set up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbTWR9-0dl0

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Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

AMC Report Back pt1: Why Artist Need to be Their Own Media

June 19, 2010 By

In the age of increasing media consolidation and in an era where the traditional music industry is falling apart at the seams the 12th annual The Allied Media Conference here in Detroit is the perfect antidote. When AMC initially started, there were many in the social justice/activist community who concluded that they needed to have viable alternatives that they owned and operated to get their message across to the masses without the distortions, sensationalism and outlandish, ratings oriented spins associated with corporate media.

The slogan ‘Be The Media’ became a rallying cry for a media justice movement with AMC being an important pillar. What’s ironic is that early on, many of us saw artists as important allies to engage as a way to deliver messages to the masses. Our society was moving in a direction where celebrity culture was being highlighted resulting in more and more and those in the spotlight were sought after to use influence and be spokespeople for everything ranging from ‘Get Out to Vote’ campaigns to ‘Stay in School and Don’t Do Drugs’ campaigns. Artist became the new media so to speak with these celebrity driven campaigns reaching new heights in ’03 and ’04 when music moguls Russell Simmons and Sean Diddy Combs decided to get involved in politics and launched media campaigns of their own.

Simmons who had launched his Hip Hop Summit Action Network in June of 2001 held over 40 rallies leading up to the 04 elections that attracted tens of thousands of people. Combs in February ’04 while being honored at the Rock the Vote Lipert Awards, brazenly asserted that he would bring 20 million people to the polls and ‘kick George Bushes ass out of office and started his now infamous ‘Vote or Die’ campaign.

Both had moderate success with their efforts to impact the political arena, but the potential for artist to influence consumer behavior was not lost in corporate circles. Soon both commercial media outlets and record labels explored ways to use songs and artist to specifically market product, goods and services versus political agendas and ideology. This in turn lead to an even more increased tightening of radio and diminished opportunities for artists especially new and independent to be presented to the masses. This in turn left many recording artists in similar predicaments as their social justice activist counterparts. They little to no access to mainstream media.

By 2005 into 2006, 07 and 08 technology changed and helped level the playing field. Internet broadband became more accessible, Youtube was launched, MySpace, later Facebook and now twitter became staples in our lives. Internet Radio grew by leaps and bounds along with the introductions and eventual popularity of Apple Ipods Iphones and other media gadgets. Seemingly overnight the ethos of ‘Be the Media’ became more relevant to whole lot more people especially artists as well as the importance of having an Allied Media Conference.

In this clip below Bay Area organizer/artist Kiwi of the group Native Guns speaks about the ways he is trying to better his ‘media game’ and why he was attending AMC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2OqlfvdYdY

Many artists have come to understand that the industry has evolved so that they have to step up their efforts and Do for Self when it comes to promoting themselves and their craft. However, its been difficult for many to fully understand the end goal of a promotional campaign is NOT get airplay or TV time on a major outlet. Instead the end game should ideally be to forge stronger ties with their fan base and eliminate the media from acting as a middle man between artist and fan. Here at AMC I’ve attended workshops that gave people easy to follow, relatively inexpensive, direct steps to set up your own broadcast station, publish your own book and immediately sell them on places like Amazon, set up your own wireless network and how to work the law and current angles around public access TV. In 2010 any artist not doing his own media as a way to directly access and build with fans, is thye equivalent to a man still rocking Cross Colours and listening to 8 track tapes.

KG of Naughty By Nature

The importance of artist becoming the media was underscored on my way to AMC when longtime friends Treach, KG and Vinnie from the seminal rap group Naughty By Nature unexpectdly boarded my flight after being bumped from their original flight. Unfortunately they weren’t attending the AMC as they were en route to a show in a neighboring city. I wish they were because had spent the better part of the past two years perfecting their Do For self media strategy and their insight into the current major label playing field was panning out versus what they were doing on an indy level would’ve been priceless.

Vinnie explained that one of the reasons the group had been able to stay together for almost 20 years was because they had changed with the times and come to understand that many of their fans especially the younger ones want have ways to better engage the group. This means they have mapped out a long range game plan which includes them first being accessible on all the popular social networking outlets including Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. Second it meant using these mediums not to simply broadcast and make announcement but to actually engage their fans.

This might include doing everything from posting pictures of them with their fans, to directly answering emails and letters, posting up their thoughts on the message boards or having ticket giveaways and trivia contests.

Vinnie also noted  that what may seem mundane to them is often important to their fans who want more than just a release date for a record or showtimes for a concert. ‘The want the whole Naughty By Nature experience”, he explained.

In this clip below..Treach talks about what went wrong with a show they recently did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvevKHueRd8

One of the innovative things they are doing is encouraging their fans to make videos of their songs. It’s something that was happening organically, but now they are going to take this to another level when they release a new song ‘Flags’ about stopping gang violence later on this summer.  Here they are asking folks to send in pictures and video clips of them holding up their native flags. This will be woven into a video with the end result encouraging folks to build community and using the Naughty By nature community to drive home the message.

KG added that they take time to have conversations, share their thoughts on popular ‘water cooler’ topics and more importantly document via video both fun and challenging moments they are experiencing. On this particular day Treach was filming himself talking about the frustration they were feeling from the flight delays. Later on Vinnie and KG chimed in.

The Naughty By Nature crew operate from the understanding that when it comes to building with their fans it’s all about enhancing their relationship and in order to do that they remember at all times ‘Its the little things that count at the end of the day’.

Davey D

Filed Under: 2009-Daily Hip Hop News Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

AT&T Launches a New 1.4 Million Dollar Shady-Ass Campaign to Get Rid of Net Neutrality

May 12, 2010 By

A friend of mine recently told me that CORPORATISM is in full effect… Nowhere is that more apparent then with AT&T who is now pulling out all the stops to Get rid of Net Neutrality.. They are now lobbying Congress to overrule the FCC.. .. In the next few weeks or months watch for these guys to go all out and get lots of Black and Brown folks to stomp hard for getting rid of Net Neutrality. People who are in dire need to get their media projects funded will suddenly be siding with AT&T and their front group, Americans for Prosperity trying to convince me and you it’s not that bad.. Trust me it is and will be ‘that bad’.. We already see and hear Glenn Beck highlighting the new spin by AT&T.. He’s warning us not to let the Internet get taken over..

What’s so ironic about Beck is that he’s the first to rail against communism. In fact he went on a rampage trying to unearth people in the Obama administration who he felt harbored communist feels. How crazy is it that Beck is now pushing for a policy that would allow a corporation to treat incoming traffic the same way China does.. In other words without Net Neutrality any ISP can block access to a website or slow them down so they are unusable. You the provider of that content would have no idea this is happening unless you’re on that system. The pitch will be to pay each and every ISP a fee and they will allow you full access.

On the urban front, you will see a crop of folks who will come at you with the ‘we gotta help our people line’. They will say silly things like;  ‘if we have net neutrality we wont bridge the digital divide’ or some variation of that.. If you hear that pitch.. tell them they’re full of shit and to fall back. It’s a hustle and half.. ..

Lemme translate that for you.. the person giving you the digital divide speech most likely  has a partnership with AT&T, Comcast  or one of the affiliates..You check around far enough you will either find the CEO or the organization in bed with them somehow someway.. so their concern is not bridging the gap.. its that THEY WON’T be getting any money… My rule of thumb at this point is if I see you with AT&T then you are on payroll for them.. The way they flipped everyone from the Urban League to Rainbow Push should tell you what’s really going on..

Pay attention folks, don’t get caught slipping on this..You don’t want a corporate back organization or shady ‘leaders’ playing middle man on the Internet for you…Here’s the new campaign AT&T launching..

-Davey D-

Industry Front Group Plans Campaign of Lies

AT&T-Funded Attack Dog Stooping to New Lows

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: May 12, 2010

Contact: Liz Rose, Communications Director, 202-265-1490 x 32

WASHINGTON – AT&T front group Americans for Prosperity announced a $1.4 million advertising plan to try to convince Americans that the Federal Communications Commission is plotting to “take over the Internet.”

Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner made the following statement:

“This is a $1.4 million campaign to tell the American people that the world is flat. Net Neutrality is the opposite of a government takeover of the Internet. But the truth is irrelevant to front groups like AFP, which think that if you lie often and loudly enough, you can brand any issue as its opposite. They are stoking fear to achieve the goals of their corporate funders, like AT&T.

“Net Neutrality means that nobody – not the cable and phone companies, and not the government – can choose winners and losers on the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission is simply pursuing a path that will ensure that the free market works for the American public, something that prior FCCs failed to do.”

Link to the AFP campaign by clicking the link below.. Thats the fake campaign put out by AT&T.. recognize it for being fake.. and go in the opposit direction..

http://nointernettakeover.com

For more info on the fake AT&T campaigns go to www.freepress.net

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Attorney General Eric Holder Comes to Oakland-Speaks on Gang Injunctions, Immigration & Legalizing Weed

May 12, 2010 By

Yesterday May 11th 2010, US Attorney General Eric Holder swung through the Bay Area to visit Youth Uprising in East Oakland. For those outside the Bay Area, Youth Uprising is a state of the art community center located in one of Oakland’s toughest neighborhoods. It’s been an oasis of sorts where folks gather to do everything from learn how to shoot film and make beats on down to taking classes. Everyone from Too Short to Casual of Hiero can be found there working with folks. Over the past couple of years the center has made its mark as to being a ‘go to location’ that many feel should be replicated in other cities.

Apparently Eric Holder heard about the center and wanted to come out here to visit as he and other law enforcement communities are trying to find innovative ways to quell youth violence. Holder came and met with some of the youth from the center as well as stake holders like Oakland police chief Anthony Batts, Mayor Ron Dellums, folks from the probation department, school district and grassroots organizations. Sadly many who wanted to attend, including the community orgs that have been fighting Oakland’s proposed Gang Injunction did not get a chance to get inside.

In any case below are a series of videos documenting the occasion…I got a chance to ask Holder the first question, which centered around ‘How can we solve crime when the police are out and control and the community doesn’t trust them?’ I also asked him about Oakland’s controversial gang injunction. I also got to ask a couple of the youth who met with Holder privately if the issue of police brutality came up..

During the press conference with  Holder covered a variety of topics including California legalizing marijuana, Arizona’s harsh immigration law, racial profiling and the war on terror.. Below are clips from the Eric Holder event and press conference…

Clip 1– Attorney General Eric Holder came by Youth Uprising in Oakland to speak with community folks about Youth Violence. He got a tour of the place and then held a press conference. Here he addresses a number of issues. In this clip he weighs in on police brutality, gang injunctions and legalizing marijuana…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x41qeKbKo4Y

Clip-2-Eric Holder addressed a variety of issues including Arizona’s controversial immigration law SB 1070. He said it was divisive and would keep entire communities from working with Law Enforcement. He said the feds are looking to see if it violates Civil Rights laws…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUcxG6j0Jks

Clip 3– Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts and Mayor Ron Dellums talked about what they discussed in their meeting and round table with Attorney General Eric Holder. . They talked about getting fed money which would free up city money for social programs.. Chief Batts talked about various methods he wants to employ to stop crime in Oakland..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFksvngqQ_o

Clip-4-We spoke w/ Netty & Marcus during yesterday’s (May 11 2010) press conference about their meeting w/ US Attorney general Eric Holder around the issue of ending teen violence. I asked them if police brutality was an issue. They talked about Code 33 which is supposed to help youth and police interact better.. Marcus and Netty spoke about the press always focusing on bad news in Oakland.. They wanted more accountability from the press. They said it hurts people to always see Oakland depicted in a bad light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqN1-kUrNU0

Clip-5-During US Attorney General Eric Holder‘s visit to Oakland’s Youth Uprising, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and Police Chief Anthony Batts talked about Code 33 which is a program OPD has to better interact with youth.. Chief Batts then talked about the controversial Gang Injunction which he’s has been proposed for North Oakland. I wanted to know how he will balance police suppression and preventive measures..

Mayor Ron Dellums added to the discussion and then directed his concerns about the way Bay Area media often covers Oakland casting the city in a negative light. Dellums reminded the press that their coverage impacts real people and that they should be more mindful..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWeFHnmtWnM

Clip-6-We caught up w/ Def Poet and community activist Paul Flores who was in attendance when US Attorney General Eric Holder came to Oakland. Holder addressed the issue of Gang Junctions, Immigration and racial profiling.. Paul Flores felt like Holder didn’t come correct.. Here’s his response to Holder’s visit…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYQQpie__a8

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President Obama Goes In on Ipods & Ipads-Says Don’t Let Them Get You Caught Up

May 10, 2010 By

President Obama said something very interesting this weekend when speaking at Hampton University. Yes he told the graduates that the world they are entering is gonna be rough. I mean he didn’t just come out and say it, but he was pretty much saying ‘Good luck on getting a job folks..‘

That in itself is worth noting, especially since he has those Goldman Sachs people around him who pretty much ripped us off and pushed us in the direction of economic enslavement.

But the thing that caught me was this quote

“You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter. With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB0Paw-bNSg

That quote is rich and is something I think we need to pay attention to… Working in commercial radio there’ a few tricks I’ve seen pulled program directors who wished to move an audience in a particular direction. They would simply burn you out on a song a genre. The burn out would come by over exposing something or by playing something which was obviously below the standards desired by the audience..

When I read President Obama‘s quote I kept thinking about how I’m starting to hear people say they are burnt out over all the information they can get.. They complain about Information overload. This is compounded by the fact that we now have several generations of people who only want 30 second soundbites. We’re a headline news society that has allowed us to become ‘instant experts’ on topics which we are unwilling to follow-up on..The information is disposable. Tiger Woods having multiple affairs holds the same value as a natural disaster

If you don’t believe me, ask how many of us have followed up on the situation in Haiti? Do any of us even care about what’s going on? Would your interest be peaked if we started to hear new reports on the country? My guess is many would not be interested. I recall hearing folks complaining that all this information on Haiti was too much. People were looking for escapes. The news coming out of it was cheapened by network news outlets who tried to find ways to neatly package it.

They wanted a villain, a hero, some controversy and nice ending which in reality has yet to come for the millions still sleeping in tents and barely surviving.  But as far as the average person here.. We had a villain-Mother nature..and later  so-called looters’. Our  hero was Wyclef and all the celebrities who raised money.. later they tried to make Bill Clinton and George Bush heroes. The nice ending was we raised money and now its time to go on to the next.

The gadgets we have allow us that luxury and at a day and time where critical thinking is not be taught especially in the areas of media, after we tire of a story we push a button to distract and entertain ourselves even with the most horrific news.

Another case in point, many of us were fascinated with the size of the tornados in Mississippi the other week than we were concerned about the people killed by them. Between heated debates on immigration, the gulf coast oil spill, attempted bomb plots in Times Square and drama around financial reform, many of us have no more room to take in and react to the news about the devastating floods in Nashville. We’ve had too much information. We were so full on the neat little news packages we come to consume, by the time we surfed around to get info on the floods, it was only to be entertained. The devastation had not moved us to action or to even think critically and connect the dots to larger issues be it global warming, poverty or faulty infrastructure..

In any case I think Obama was on point with his remarks..I took from it he was saying do something with that information other then ‘be right in an on line debate’ or  treat it like a perverse form of entertainment. I also took from it not to get so caught up we stop actually engaging folks and tackling important issues at hand. In short don’t let iphones and ipads become the new television and rendering us to be new age couch potatoes

Something to ponder.. And just so you know today in Haiti they are having a protest in Port Au Prince around who gets to run the government.

Here’s the link to an article I read that has a nice take on Obama’s remarks

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/obamas-information-distraction-riff-a-real-issue/34220

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