The AIB is building dialogues with leading technology and service providers such as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Real Networks to be able to provide advice on different solutions and help members decide on possibilities and priorities. We are reporting on the initiatives taken by members and reporting on overall trends and developments.
Our most recent Market Intelligence Briefing (for members only) analysed the uses of microblogging in broadcasting and reported on the Media140 event which studied the effect of Twitter and other tools on frontline journalism
Over the next few months we will continue to publish more information and conclusions on technologies and opportunities for AIB members. Watch out for updates on the website as new knowledge is made available
UPDATE 16TH JUNE 2009
Iranians protesting at the results of Iranian elections last week are using online and mobile technology to organise gatherings and spread information. At the same time, government officials have been trying to prevent communications by shutting down websites and monitoring who is spreading information. The microblogging site Twitter has been heavily used by supporters and commentators (using the hashtags of #iranelection or #gr88) so much so that they petitioned, successfully, for Twitter to postpone scheduled maintenance during this key period.
Protestors are posting information, government sources are countering with their responses and there is also misinformation being deliberately input and then innocently spread. There are also lots of informative tweets warning those outside Iran against spreading the names of protestors inside the country. More aggressively, there are tweets discussing the organisation of DoS attacks (Denial of Service attacks where servers are bombarded with so many messages that they are brought virtually to a standstill) to hamper government operations.
Keeping an eye on Twitter is an important method for finding out what is going on in Iran at present, but as usual there is reliable and less reliable information so it does have to be cross-referenced as much as possible.