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Learning the Twitter Rules of Engagement

hash tags: #iranelection #gr88 #tehran

Reading List:

A journalistic conundrum: When does Twitter count as a reliable source?

U.S. Government Asks Twitter to Stay Up for #IranElection Crisis

Twitter Reschedules Maintenance Around #IranElection Controversy

State Dept. to Twitter: Iran too important, site fix can wait

“Inane and Half-Baked” Twitter Is the Forrest Gump of International Relations

Iran Election for Beginners

If Twitter is being used for the first time to provide a tool for revolutionaries, it, as a tool, has unnamed dangers. Those dangers have to be learned in the process of Twitter being used. As the dangers surface so do the reactive rules.

But the first rule regards by-standers:

Messages, requests, cries for help fly across the Twitter page in massive numbers. Confused by-standers  in the process of witnessing through reading the history processing in front of their eyes find remaining a bystander difficult. People don’t want to be by-standers. They want to help,  want to participate, be part of what is happening. The media form is too raw, the voices too direct.

So the First Rule of Twitter Engagement has to be: if you have no idea what’s going on, stay out of it. As enticing as it is to want to help, you can put others in harm’s way which is  something many  are learning now and over the last four or five days.

Next I offer, here, a list of rules as they were expressed by different voices who I have not identified. As they exist they are the new Rules of Engagement in using Twitter for any revolutionary operation. I’ve taken these directly from the Twitter posts.

Again to all who wish to help, PLEASE DO NOT BROADCAST PROXY SERVERS! Set them up but only DM to people in Iran #IranElection

Jun 15, 2009 11:58 PM GMT ·

Don’t overload #iranelection with things not about iran as it is becoming hard to follow and share news inside Iran

Jun 15, 2009 11:54 PM GMT

Iranian government is watching Twitter; when RTing Iranians, replace username with “Iran” (“RT from Iran”). #IranElection Please RT

Jun 15, 2009 11:57 PM GMT

WARNING! Do NOT go to shortened links or RT unless you know the Twitter ID who originates #IranElection #gr88 #Tehran RT PLZ

Jun 16, 2009 11:40 PM GMT

BE AWARE! @FreeMediaNews is a liar and spreading governmental propaganda! #IranElection

Jun 16, 2009 11:58 PM GMT ·

Links of Twitter accounts that are possible spies or trolls: http://twitspam.org/?p=1403 Check out. #iranelection #gr88

12 minutes ago from web

These lessons of revealed names and addresses are obvious in retrospect but the use of the tool was so new that the realization that both censors and those who wished for a changed Iran could use the interface. Not only was Twitter being used as a means of getting information out – but as a way to track down the revolutionaries.

One of the more remarkable posters for me and one who caught my attention early on was @persiankiwi. @persiankiwi’s proxies were being broadcast in an attempt to keep lines open or to indicate which lines were shut down. Folks who wanted to help were providing available proxies in replies. But the government or the censors were blocking the IP’s as quickly as they were made available.

Here is one extended series of Tweets from @persiankiwi as this person (or persons) seemed to learn consequences of tweets as quickly as requests were being made. You should read from the last post up:

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