Berkman Buzz: October 12, 2012

Social isolation, bullying, and depression are difficult to endure, but the added feeling that one must endure them forever – the hopelessness – is simply too much for many. The It Gets Better Project was started to address this issue for the LGBT community. It is “a response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school.” If Amanda held felt she could move on from that photo – if she could “get it back,” perhaps she would have felt that it would get better. How can we even suggest to her that it will get better when the life of her information online seems eternal?

All in all, over 25 people read the book as part of 24-Hour Bookclub. (I asked for names and addresses afterward for a small surprise we’re planning, which is how I know with such specificity.) I collected over 150 tweets into a mammoth Storify. I made some new friends, and strengthened old friendships. When I saw photos of dear friends in San Francisco sitting and reading the book together in Dolores Park, my heart nearly exploded. Really, what could be better than reading together?

I finished the book in the early afternoon. This was around when the first wave of readers finished, too, so I tweeted out some congratulations. For the rest of the day, I watched as others crossed the finish line, celebrating with them as they did. As for me, I didn’t want the day to be over. In the end, I went back to the beginning and started again.

PIL "Smart Talk" interview w/Ken Bain just posted; "nourishing intellectual curiosity in the classroom" -- must read. http://projectinfolit.org/st/bain.asp
—Alison Head (@alisonjhead)

Want to get involved in DPLA tech development? check out http://dp.la/wiki/Dev_portal and http://github.com/dpla #DPLAmidwest
—Digital Public Library of America (@digpublib)

After attending today’s working meeting of the DPLA (I’m unable to attend tomorrow’s more public-facing session), I’m quite encouraged. The DPLA is now in execution mode, and I believe the pieces are in place.

The Content workstream is well along in securing a range of content, including heritage collections and copyright-free books from the Internet Archive and Hathi Trust. The processes and relationships required for accessing and maintaining the metadata are well along.

Congrats to David Weinberger, winner of the GetAbstract International Book Award 2012 for his book Too Big to Know http://bit.ly/VUDQyJ
—Berkman Center (@berkmancenter)

The power of social media was once again affirmed in Indonesia when internet users collectively expressed their support to corruption investigators who are being harassed by the police and some politicians.

Online support for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) became an offline campaign as netizens organized protest actions and assemblies against a raid conducted by the police and to thwart a proposal in the Parliament to weaken the authority of the agency.

Many people accused the police of using its coercive power to stop the KPK from effectively conducting its probe on the corruption practices in the bureaucracy.