links for 2009-04-26

Nostalgia for the days when Google only updated the index every 30 days...

Great list [via News from the herd] of companies with public social media policy documents. Interesting thing on first glance, they all seem to be recently founded new media or technology businesses, or goverment, quasi-government, NGO type organisations. There are very few traditional commercial enterprises listed.

"Where were you when you first read about the end of the world? It hasn't occurred yet, of course, and it probably never will. But if the apocalypse ever does happen, chances are it'll start off being reported as a page 15 NIB in the Metro. 'China in border tensions with Taiwan'. 'Unusual solar activity, astronomers report.' 'Mystery virus wipes out village in Gambia.' That kind of thing". One of the most accurate bits of 'The Kraken Wakes' is the way that the press and therefore the world can't see the bigger pattern. It is all NIBs.

"The real purpose of the rules, after all, was to keep advertising rates under competitive pressure in local arenas. The internet has done that for almost a decade". The Internet has also completely the cost of distribution to nearly zero, but that doesn't seem to be a consideration in this argument. I'm wary of anything that argues that monopolies, which are 'a bad thing' in nearly every area of life, are suddenly 'a good thing' to keep some specific businesses running in the manner to which they have been accustomed.

"Conservative MP Nadine Dorries is to take legal action over allegations contained in emails sent by Gordon Brown's former special adviser". But against who? The emails would have remained private and the false allegations unaired if it wasn't for the intervention of Paul Staines, the News Of The World or The Sunday Times...