December 2011
1 post
Final Paper assignment
A few of you mentioned you couldn’t download the syllabus when looking at the final paper assignment. You can download the syllabus from here, and the final paper assignment is below:
MAJOR PAPER:
Conduct original research on an online trend or digital media in which you have some interest. A list of suggested topics will be distributed. Collect all articles and books written about the...
November 2011
4 posts
Assignments for Monday, Nov. 21
Five readings for Monday. “Wikiworld” is the only Science Fiction reading I ever assign. It is a short story that imagines the US Government if it was replaced by Wikipedia. On the heels of the Andrew Lih book, it should be very thought-provoking. “Why Craigslist is Such A Mess” appears at first not to be very related to government — but we’ll discuss in class...
Assignments for Monday, Nov. 14
Assignments due in class on Monday, Nov. 7:
Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted. by Malcolm Gladwell, from The New Yorker: http://nyr.kr/9edwPK
What Gladwell Got Wrong: Beyond “Like Button” Activism by Sam Graham-Felsen, from The Huffington Post: http://bit.ly/clcneg
Michael Silberman: 350 Global Day of Action: A New Bright Line for Digital...
Assignments for Wednesday, Nov. 7
Just three readings for Wednesday:
Persuasion Points Online: Helping Harry Reid, One Click at a Time by Jon-David Schlough, Josh Koster, Andy Barr, and Tyler Davis http://a.nicco.org/ve7oCT
“Yes We Can”: How Online Viewership, Blog Discussion, Campaign Statements, and Mainstream Media Coverage Produced a Viral Video Phenomenon Volume 7, Issue 2-3, 2010 by Kevin Wallsten...
Assignments for Monday, Nov. 7
Assignments due in class on Monday, Nov. 7:
Add one article on Delicious
Write a blog post about the last two weeks of readings covering journalism, media, and technology.
Read the following articles for Monday:
Online Tactics & Success: An Examination of the Obama for America New Media Campaign - download the PDF here.
The New Organizers, What’s really behind Obama’s ground...
October 2011
5 posts
Assignments for Wednesday, Nov. 2
Due in class on Wednesday, Nov. 2:
Add an article to the class delicious feed
Here are the readings for Wednesday, our last set of readings on journalism and the digital age:
Ben McGrath, Search and Destroy: Nick Denton’s blog empire. The New Yorker (Oct. 18, 2010).
Raffi Khatchadourian, No Secrets: Julian Assange’s mission for total transparency. The New Yorker (June 7, 2010).
Jaron...
Assignments for Wednesday, Oct. 26
Here are the readings for Wednesday - a continuation of our examination of the impact of the internet on journalism:
Kevin Kelly, 1,000 True Fans, at his blog, The Technium. (March 4, 2008).
Patricia B. Gray, Owner Mark Cuban Trades Stocks on Sharesleuth’s Findings Before They’re Published. Wired Magazine, (September 27, 2007).
Dan Conover, 2020 vision: What’s next for news, at his blog,...
Assignments for Monday, Oct. 24
Due in class on Monday, Oct. 24:
Add an article to the class delicious feed.
We’re moving into a unit on technology and it’s impact on journalism. Last year I noticed a blog post on Dave Winer’s Scripting News about Jay Rosen’s class — and discovered that several of the readings are ones I was already planning on assigning, but there are some new ones, too. Jay has his class read a series of...
Assignments for Monday, Oct. 17
Please take a moment to fill out the Course Evaluation.
Here are your readings for Monday — and one video!
EFF: On Location Privacy, and How to Avoid Losing it Forever by Andrew J. Blumberg and Peter Eckersley (August 2009)
EFF’s Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy by Stanton McCandlish (April 2002)
Sun on Privacy: Get Over It by Polly Sprenger (January 1999, Wired)
The...
Assignments for Wednesday, Oct. 5
Due in class on Wednesday, Oct. 5:
1. Create a Wikipedia account, create a user page, and add your name to this page. You may wish to add some biographical information. For example of user pages, you can check out the user pages of last year’s Wikipedia Ambassadors: Dick Clark, Michael Chen, and Ryan Malloy. (My Wikipedia user page is here.)
2. Find an article in an area where you have...
September 2011
10 posts
Assignments for Monday, Oct. 3
Due in class on Monday, Oct. 3rd:
Keep reading ‘The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World’s Greatest Encyclopedia’ by Andrew Lih; you need to have it finished by the end of next week.
Add an article to the delicious feed.
Pick a Wikipedia article for evaluation on Monday. Find an article in an area where you have some expertise. This may include:
a policy issue...
Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 28
Due in class on Monday, Sept. 28:
Read “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” by Eric Raymond. It is available online here; scroll down a bit, and you’ll see it in many, many languages. But the online version can be challenging as a reading experience, so I’ve sent around a PDF to the class through the Google group.
Read “What is Web 2.0” by Tim O’Reilly....
Student Blogs
Akiko http://www.akiko-sugaya.net
Alex http://www.alexway.ca
Anthony http://www.thrivalhive.com
Bashar http://www.imcurious.org
Carlotta http://www.englishstudentblog.wordpress.com
Catherine http://www.cdleland.com
Claude http://www.true212.com/news/
Dan http://www.iamrealmandan.com
David http://www.ricorzo.com
Diane http://www.dianechang.net
Dorit ...
Discussed in class
A few things we discussed today in class:
Someone in class asked how the bidding process works. Here is a good video of Google’s chief economist, Hal Varian, explaining it.
The Google Grants application is here, and here are two companies that help non-profits manage their Google grants: Gott and Common Sense Google Grant Management.
You can follow the class twitter hash tag #mppdigital...
Assignments for Monday, Sept. 26
Due in class on Monday, Sept. 26:
Write your second blog post, a reading review of Stephen Levy’s In The Plex. Remember: Summarize, Analyze, Synthesize.
Buy $10 worth of Google AdWords. Remember to set a date limit. Here’s a good video tutorial on how to buy AdWords.
Read these two short articles on the Obama White House and their use of SEO and SEM:
“ObamaCare”:...
Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 21
Due in class on Wednesday, Sept. 21:
Finish reading ‘In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives’ by Stephen Levy http://amzn.to/o6O1ZT
Add one article to the class delicious feed.
Assignments for Monday, Sept. 19
Due in class on Monday, Sept. 19:
Finish reading ‘In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives’ by Stephen Levy http://amzn.to/o6O1ZT
Add one article to the class delicious feed.
Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 14
Due in class on Wednesday, Sept. 14:
Make sure you have submitted your website name (& blog post on Clay Shirky’s “Here Comes Everybody”) using this form: http://bit.ly/dpi659blogs
Start reading ‘In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives’ by Stephen Levy http://amzn.to/o6O1ZT
Add one article to the class delicious feed.
Once you've got your blog
Please fill out this little form so I know where to find it:
http://bit.ly/dpi659blogs
Thanks
Assignments for Monday, Sept. 12
Due in class on Monday, Sept. 12:
Finish reading ‘Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations’ by Clay Shirky
Use InstantDomainSearch.com to find an available domain; I recommend using Wordpress to purchase the domain, but you can also use another registrar like GoDaddy to purchase it. You will need a credit card. It should cost approximately $15. Remember to say...
IMPT: Room Change
Beginning next Wednesday, DPI-659 will meet in RG-20 (in the basement of Rubenstein). I’ll send a reminder to the Google Group. Thanks nicco
August 2011
10 posts
Assignments for Wednesday, Aug. 31
Due in class on Wednesday, Sept. 7:
Apply for membership to the class Google Group
Set up a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is the social networking service for professionals. After you’ve got your profile setup, invite me to be your friend. You should use my Harvard email address, Nicco_Mele [at] hks.harvard.edu. After you’ve invited me, then invite your friends.
Read The Long Tail by Chris...
First day of class!
Welcome to the website for DPI-659 at HKS, “Media, Politics and Power in the Digital Age”. Our first class is today, Wednesday. If you’re planning registering and being a part of our digital adventure, here is where to start:
(1) Take a moment to carefully review the syllabus, especially the section on assignments and grading. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
(2) Set up a...
Readings for Wednesday's class
I’ve received a number of emails about readings for tomorrow’s class. There are no readings for Wednesday’s class — it is the first class of the semester. There is some confusion because of the design of the syllabus. The readings next to Wednesday represent the readings assigned at the conclusion of the class — due for the next class.
Auditors, please note
I welcome auditors if there is room — I just ask that you do two things:
1 - fill out this form: http://bit.ly/niccoauditors
2 - let registered students take precedence if we’re short on seats (which we generally are)
Look forward to seeing you in class!
Books & Readings
The class has three books and wide range of blog posts, articles and essays as required reading. You should buy these three books and check this blog for each class’ assigned readings; there is also a class Instapaper account for assigned readings.
‘Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations’ by Clay Shirky http://amzn.to/bemFes
‘In The Plex: How...
Welcome to DPI-659, Fall 2011
Welcome to the website for DPI-659 at HKS, “Media, Politics and Power in the Digital Age”. Our first class is next Monday, August 29, 2011 as part of the shopping day. Stay tuned for more updates about the class here.
Fall 2011 Syllabus →
Schedule Office Hours →
New semester, ignore all older posts
Welcome to the Fall 2011 semester — ignore posts that are older than this. Stay tuned for a revised syllabus and additional updates.
November 2010
5 posts
Assignments for Wednesday, Nov. 17
Due in class on Monday, Nov. 22:
Write your last blog post on the impact of the internet on journalism and on government.
Readings:
Can People Help Legislators Make Better Laws? Brazil Shows How - by Cristiano Faria, Tech President, April 29, 2010, 2:19pm
Bringing government up to data - by Abby Phillip and Kim Hart, Politico, July 20, 2010 03:56 AM EST
Hating on Thomas.gov - by Nancy...
Assignments for Monday, Nov. 15
Due in class on Wednesday, Nov. 17:
Add an article to the class delicious feed
Review this readings and come prepared to discuss:
Point-and-Click Politics - by Micah Sifry, Wall Street Journal, Oct 30, 2010
Open government and “next generation democracy” - by Tim O’Reilly, O’Reilly Radar, 15 November 2010
We’re in open government’s beta period - by Alex...
Assignments for Monday, Nov. 8
Due in class on Wednesday, Nov. 10:
Add an article to the class delicious feed
Here are the readings for Wednesday, our last set of readings on journalism and the digital age:
Ben McGrath, Search and Destroy: Nick Denton’s blog empire. The New Yorker (Oct. 18, 2010).
Raffi Khatchadourian, No Secrets: Julian Assange’s mission for total transparency. The New Yorker (June 7, 2010).
Jaron...
Assignments for Wednesday, Nov. 3
Due in class on Monday, November 8:
Write a blog post about the readings around Alec Ross’ visit, foreign policy, digital diplomacy and the internet.
Here are the readings for Monday - a continuation of our examination of the impact of the internet on journalism:
Kevin Kelly, 1,000 True Fans, at his blog, The Technium. (March 4, 2008).
Patricia B. Gray, Owner Mark Cuban Trades Stocks on...
Assignments for Monday, Oct. 4
Howdy folks - as you have probably heard, my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby boy yesterday. I am not going to be in class today — but I will be in class on Wednesday. Please give Alec Ross a warm welcome today.
Due in class on Wednesday, Nov. 3:
Add an article to the class delicious feed.
We’re moving into a unit on technology and it’s impact on journalism. I noticed a...
October 2010
10 posts
Assignments for Wednesday, Oct. 27
Due in class on Monday, November 1:
Write a blog post about the last two weeks of readings about politics and the internet.
Here are the readings for Monday. These are important and they relate to each other - so please take the time to read the whole set.
Biography of Alec Ross http://bit.ly/90wOC6
Digital Diplomacy by Jesse Lichtenstein, New York Times Sunday Magazine http://nyti.ms/a1JBMI
...
Assignments for Monday, Oct. 25
Assignments due on Wednesday, Oct. 27:
In class I reviewed the exercise for this week — it is available online: Wikipedia Exercise, Part 2 of 3.
If you have questions about the Wikipedia Exercise, contact our Wikipedia Ambassadors: Dick Clark, Michael Chen, and Ryan Malloy. (My Wikipedia user page is here.) You can email them or request a mentor from this page on the Wikipedia Public...
Wikipedia Exercise, Part 2 of 3
This assignment is due on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 1. Add a link to your Wikipedia user page and the article you are editing on the class Wikipedia page under the “Class user pages” section.
The class Wikipedia page is here: http://bit.ly/b9oYwg
Here is an example:*{{User|PursuitOfPublicHealth}} - [[Suicide prevention]] which is displayed as PursuitOfPublicHealth (talk · contribs) - Suicide...
Assignments for Wednesday, Oct. 20
Assignments due on Monday, Oct. 25:
Most important: write your paper topic. 500 word minimum. Send it to me via email.
You should also work on your Wikipedia post — Monday night you will need to post it to Wikipedia, so make sure it’s ready.
On Monday we’ll have Eli as a guest in our class — so be sure to read his bio, watch the below video, and be ready with some...
Assignments for Monday, Oct. 18
I hope you enjoyed today’s mid-term — it’s hard to believe we are half way through the semester.
Assignments due on Wednesday, Oct. 20:
Please download and read this PDF on the Obama campaign’s online tactics. On Wednesday we will begin our unit on political campaigns.
Please take a moment to fill out the course evaluation.
Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday!
Assignments for Wednesday, Oct. 6
Great class today — and a lot of work cut out for you for next class.
Assignments due on Wednesday, Oct. 13:
Photos - I think I have everyone’s release form. If you do not want to be in any photos from this class, please let me know so I can make sure you are excluded from any media that might be used online or in print publications.
Please take a moment to fill out the Course...
Wikipedia Exercise, Part 1 of 3
This assignment is due on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.
1. Create a Wikipedia account, create a user page, and add your name to this page. You may wish to add some biographical information. For example of user pages, you can check out the user pages of our Wikipedia Ambassadors: Dick Clark, Michael Chen, and Ryan Malloy. (My Wikipedia user page is here.)
2. Find an article in an area where you...
Wikipedia Public Policy Project →
Media, Politics and Power on Wikipedia →
Assignments for Monday, Oct. 4
Special thanks to our Wikipedian guests today!
Due in class on Wednesday, Oct. 6:
Finish reading ‘The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World’s Greatest Encyclopedia’ by Andrew Lih; you need to have it finished by the end of next week.
Add an article to the delicious feed.
September 2010
10 posts
Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 29
Special thanks to Jed Alpert of Mobile Commons for his guest lecture today.
Due in class on Monday, Oct. 4:
Keep reading ‘The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World’s Greatest Encyclopedia’ by Andrew Lih; you need to have it finished by the end of next week.
Add an article to the delicious feed.
Write a blog post on The Cathedral and The Bazaar and Web 2.0.
Assignments for Monday, Sept. 27
Great class today. The PDF of the Powerpoint is now on the class Google Group in the “Files” section.
Due in class on Wednesday, Sept. 29:
Start reading ‘The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World’s Greatest Encyclopedia’ by Andrew Lih; you need to have it finished by the end of next week.
Add an article to the delicious feed.
Looking forward to seeing you...
Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 22
Great class today! Send Sam a Twitter message and shower him with gratitude.
Don’t forget to buy a copy of ‘The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World’s Greatest Encyclopedia’ by Andrew Lih; that’s assigned reading for Wednesday. But here are the readings for Monday:
Due in class on Monday, Sept. 27:
Read “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” by Eric...
Assignments for Monday, Sept. 20
Due in class on Wednesday, Sept. 22:
Finish reading: Ken Auletta’s ‘Googled: The End of the World As We Know It’.
Add at least one article to Delicious.
Prepare some questions for our guest, Sam Graham-Felsen. Be sure to read his bio; check out his Obama for America blog; and if you are so inclined here he is on social media: YouTube, Tumblr, and Twitter.
A few things I mentioned in...
Assignments for Wednesday, Sept. 15
Due in class on Monday, Sept. 20:
Keep reading: Ken Auletta’s ‘Googled: The End of the World As We Know It’.
Add at least one article to Delicious. Here is the link about how to create a Delicious bookmark. DO NOT CREATE A DELICIOUS ACCOUNT — use the class’ shared account — username mppdigital and the password we discussed in class.
Write your second blog post, a reading...