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Rory Cellan-Jones

Twitter, Iran and #uksnow

  • Rory Cellan-Jones
  • 18 Dec 09, 09:28 GMT

I know how much some of you hate stories that mention a certain microblogging service - but Twitter is the source of two interesting stories today.

First of all, it disappeared for about an hour at around 06:00, with the website and Twitter applications both failing to function.

Screenshots on some blogs appear to indicate that Iranian hackers - angered by Twitter's supposed role in fomenting opposition in that country - took the site down.

If so, it's a powerful demonstration that social networks are becoming an important battleground, both for liberation movements and for their opponents.

And there's another story rather closer to home. As snow sweeps across Eastern England, Twitter is once again a useful place to find information - as long as it doesn't crack under the pressure.

But amid the steady stream of tweets about snow depths and road conditions, a row has broken out over something rather peculiar - just who owns the UK snow?

Or rather who owns #uksnow, the "hashtag" used by twitterers to identify and find tweets about this subject.

Back in February, when the snow was so heavy it even kept hardy London children from school, an inventive web developer called Ben Marsh saw all the #uksnow tweets and had an idea. Using their postcodes, he plotted them all on a map giving a real-time picture of what was going on.

Yesterday he resurrected the idea with a new map, which you can find here.

I had already said on Twitter that I was planning a trip to Cambridge today, and Ben kindly sent me a message drawing my attention to his map. But minutes later. I was getting a message from another twitterer, Julian Bray.

First, he advised me to "forget cambridge a whole snow dump tonight" then went on "ps I invented the #uk snow hashtag last year and March(sic) hijacked it! ie my intell.prop."

It seems that Mr Bray is cross that his "invention" of #uksnow has been forgotten, with all the recognition going to Ben Marsh. I think it's the first time that anyone has claimed intellectual property rights to a hashtag.

All sorts of possibilities open up - after all, popular hashtags can be used millions of times, so maybe I should now create #hashtagdispute, assert my IP rights, and demand payment every time it is used.

All very interesting - but perhaps less important than the apparent cyber-warfare between Iran's government, the opposition and Twitter.

Social networks are transforming the way we communicate; they're also becoming the place where we fight - over issues big and small.

Maggie Shiels

Tweeting outrage over boy's death

  • Maggie Shiels
  • 18 Dec 09, 08:51 GMT

Readers of "mommy blogger" Shellie Ross are used to her sharing information about her life through her blog and also through her Twitter stream.

No-one, however, expected a tweet she sent out on Monday that has sparked a storm of protest, criticism, headlines and sympathy. Here is why.

At 17:22 local time from her home in Florida, Ms Ross tweeted that:

"Fog is rolling in thick scared the birds back in the coop."

Eleven minutes later, her son called 911 to report that his two-year-old brother Bryson was floating unconscious in the pool.

The paramedics arrived at the house at 17:38.

At 18:12, Ms Ross tweeted again:

"Please pray like never before, my 2 yr old fell in the pool."

Screenshot of tweet

Tragically, five hours later her son Bryson was declared dead. At 23:08 Ms Ross returned to her Twitter account to update her 5,400-plus followers. "Remembering my million dollar baby." She also included a photo of Bryson in the post.

The case has now fuelled a debate about parenting and of course about how much someone should share about something so personal. There are equal amounts of shock, sympathy and anger about the affair.

And naturally enough, much of it is being conducted over the internet, especially through Twitter and a number of blogs.

Ms Ross tried defending her actions by answering her critics via Twitter but has since made her Twitter account private - no doubt given all the media attention the case has attracted.

One mommy blogger who has been vocal in her view of how Ms Ross conducted herself is Madison McGraw. She wrote on her blog:

"Maybe if she (Ms Ross) wasn't tweeting, her son might still be alive."

As well as critics, Ms Ross has had supporters speak out on her behalf.

Those who know her called her a devoted mum. One friend told Florida Today that "blogging is a community" and that asking Twitter followers to pray was not unlike asking a congregation to pray.

Rebecca Phillips of the spirituality website Beliefnet.com agreed.

"If you believe in the power of prayer and have an urgent situation like this mother did, you want as many people praying as possible. She probably felt very helpless."

Ms Ross has hit out at the opprobrium being heaped upon her by using her blog. She especially takes a swipe at the media.

"If it were not for you, I could mourn in peace. Let's try this why don't we, leave me alone, find your next victim and let my son's memory be one of good and peace and strength."

While Ms Ross and her family deal with a terrible loss, the question is being asked about how much one really should share with the rest of the online world.

Another issue is how much support one can get online when something this devastating happens.

Is this case an example of the power of social media or its misuse?

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