Google Reader
Plans to discontinue Google Reader (the RSS feed reader) have been announced. Articles on this available here http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/mar/14/google-reader-rss-retired and What Does the Demise of Google Reader Tell Us About Open Web Standards? This brief article is followed by blog posts suggesting alternatives to Google Reader: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/poll/2013/mar/14/google-reader-will-you-miss-it-alternatives-poll Feedly is coming out as a strong alternative: http://www.feedly.com/ Netvibes […]
PingER – how bad is the Internet in Africa?
The PingER (Ping End-to-end Reporting) Internet End-to-end Performance Measurement (IEPM) project monitors performance of Internet links from over 700 sites in 160 nations. It is currently using technology to measure the digital divide in internet access and speed across the world. The project website has a lot of very technical data and presentations. But for […]
Journalists in danger
A Day Without News http://adaywithoutnews.com/ Grassroots campaign with UN support to highlight the growing numbers of journalists who have been killed and injured in armed conflict. The website has a blog with news. Other key resources on this topic include: INSI international news safety database which records deaths and injuries worldwide, archived information from 1990 […]
Who uses social media?
The latest Pew report (covering the USA) provides a snapshot of the social democgraphics of Internet users by categories such as age, race, gender and income: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Social-media-users.aspx For similar accounts relating to the UK try the Oxford Internet Surveys: http://microsites.oii.ox.ac.uk/oxis/databases For another good starting point for free data, often with a focus on consumer usage […]
Press Freedom
The Press Freedom Index 2013 http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2013,1054.html launched by Reporters Without Frontiers. Cross compare with rankings from earlier years from 2002 onwards. Freedom House http://www.freedomhouse.org/report-types/freedom-press also issues press freedom data.
Global voices advocacy
A report on the internet firewall in China. Surveys the 2013 battle between Chinese netizens and China’s Great Firewall: http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2013/01/31/netizen-report-great-firewall-edition/
Twitter transparency
https://transparency.twitter.com/information-requests An official site set up by Twitter reports on how many requests they have had from governments for removal of information and account details. It is also adding data on where sites are blocked.
Net Children Go Mobile Project
http://www.netchildrengomobile.eu/ A new project funded by the Safer Internet Programme of the European Commission has been launched. It will study data on children and the mobile internet in Denmark, Italy, Romania and the UK. This will produce both quantitative and qualitative data and research reports. The website has project specifications and news.
Use of technology
2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (CCWTR)http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns1120/index.html#~2012 Covers Generation Y 18-30 use of technology includes infographics on online friendship, smartphones, internet security (note complete report not yet in full online). Compare with earlier reports from 2010 onwards. The latest Pew Global Attitudes Project Report also charts the rise of social networking across the globe. It […]
Nielsen social media report 2012
Nielsen social media report 2012 , subtitled social media comes of age, focuses mainly on the USA & has good graphics showing total time spent and the most popular site. Also released today ofcom report 2012 International Communications Market Report states that the UK is a nation of internet shoppers and users of online TV. International comparisons are […]

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