P2PJ Introduction

1
Peer-to-Peer Journalism

• Communicating Facts in the Digital Age

2
Speakers

• Erik Möller Freelance Writer, infoAnarchy.org
  ...
• What is P2PJ? Why do we need it?
• Meg Hourihan Formerly Blogger / Pyra megnut.com
• Blogs Journalism or Exhibitionism?
• Timothy Lord Managing Editor, Slashdot.org
• News, Trolls, Moderation and Free Speech
• Jim Carrico Potlatch.net Potlatch Protocol
• Reciprocity in the Gift Culture

3
Terms and Definitions

• P2PTechnical Term Network of Equals
• Also used here as a social term
• P2PJ refers to
• Technical Dimension
• Is there a Single Point of Failure?
• Or a decentralized collective? Or isolated
  sources?
• Social Dimension
• Who can write? Access rights
• Who is in control?
• Government / Church / Corporations
• Editors
• Reader-Writer-Collective

4
Ways To Communicate

• Ancient Times Dark Ages Modern
  Times
• technically decentralized
• Loosely connected Highly connected
  Highly connected
• Money Rules Religion Rules
  Money Rules

5
Problems with Corporate Media

• Chomsky (Manufacturing Consent)Propaganda
  Model
• Size and Concentrated Ownership
• Profit Orientation
• Advertisers / Advertising
• Approved Experts (govt, industry, sci)
• Corporate Disinformation (PR)
• Anticommunism (now patriotism?)
• The Great Taboos Arms Control, Oil Industry,
  Banks, Domestic Corruption, Hunger, Corporate
  Media ..

6
Internet New Forms of Journalism?

• (Mostly) P2P Network - any host can be publisher,
  software is essential
• Usenet Editorial control through moderation
  (similar web-forums but centralized!)
• Mailing Lists Editorial control through
  community building, banning
• Personal webpages no editorial control
  recommendations through links

7
The Birth of P2PJ

• Collaborative weblogs
• Requirement Everyone can submit stories
• Requirement Everyone can post comments
• Different degrees Slashdot vs. Kuro5hin
• Blogs and Diaries
• Usability Revolution
• New level of interconnectedness
• New Standards
• Content syndication (RSS), integration (XMLRPC)

8
Future Problems

• Quality Selection
• Getting high quality info from trusted sources
• Optimizing moderation systems
• More automation better interfaces
• Technical Decentralization - Connectedness
• What if one portal becomes too big?
• How can blogs be turned into channels?
• Learning from Usenet
• Money and Incentives
• Opinions are cheap facts arent
• Can P2PJ-writers turn their hobby into a
  profession?
• Can hobbyists be motivated in better ways?