Nah man, they'd cause shit storms. People would go nuts without FB or Wiki....and the Internet would explode without YouTube. It's the lifeblood of most web interactions for most people.

Agreed

What better way to raise awareness than by making vital websites inaccessible? The problem with momentary protests with few consequences is that people get riled up but once the awareness subsides, they can slip the bill through some backdoor channel because they think it's already been defeated.

Back in the day, people knew how to protest. Rosa Parks didn't sit on the bus for 30-minutes to screw with the driver and then leave. She sat there until they had to drag her out kicking and screaming.

"The aim of this protest wasn't to shut down their sites or render them useless to their users. "

What better way to raise awareness than by making vital websites inaccessible? The problem with momentary protests with few consequences is that people get riled up but once the awareness subsides, they can slip the bill through some backdoor channel because they think it's already been defeated.

"Taking down their sites and putting them offline is counterproductive because that's what would happen if SOPA or PIPA were to pass."

That's precisely the point. I thought the point was to get people to understand the severity of this issue?

Well, I haven't seen a single one of those and I live in NYC.

My point is that if this is such a big deal - and it is - then dammit, let's go balls out and put on a REAL digital demonstration. Shutting down a handful of sites, most of which not reaching the people we want to reach but only preaching to the choir, is not going to do it.

In our complaints against SOPA we talk about the internet being the largest megaphone on the planet and how it impacts us everyday. Then let's make a real impact on people's experience with the internet.

Not sure you got the point (if you bothered to read). I agree with the movement. But I don't think the execution is very powerful.

Oh, and fantastic rebuttal by the way.

Thanks :) Going to start updating some more too. Stick around.

Thanks. Every post is an exercise in restraint. I can go on for days about things haha.

Thanks! Wow, I hadn't checked my blog in a while. A bit of a boost to keep it updated.

I think it's a matter of objective too and it'll have to evolve over time. As more and more brands hit the social media pavement trying to establish "relationships," I worry that consumers will feel those relationships are shallow because every brand will be trying to be their friend. Will they come off as sleazy salesmen after a while just trying to be buddies so they can get some money from you?

I already see it on Twitter a lot with marketing people constantly pushing their wares and "expertise" in the hopes of freelance projects. Sometimes I'll try to strike up a conversation with them by replying to a tweet they send and never hear anything back, then receive a DM 3 days later about their social consulting services. *barf*