OneWebDay

OneWebDay, Sept. 22, is an Earth Day for the internet.

Here’s a very short overview video that will give you the idea (watch here) and a Rocketboom interview about OneWebDay (here). The first OneWebDay took place in 2006.

It’s easy to take the web for granted. But it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on what the web could mean to humankind in the future. That’s the purpose of OneWebDay, held each September 22.

There are substantial threats to the free flow of information online, all over the world. Many governments censor online content. (see opennet.net). Many people in developing nations can’t get online at all. We need to ensure that the internet used by future generations will be open and empowering — access to the internet is central to the future of humanity.

The idea behind OneWebDay is to encourage people to think of themselves as responsible for the internet, and to take good and visible actions on Sept. 22 that (1) celebrate the positive impact of the internet on the world and (2) shed light on the problems of access and information flow.

OneWebDay is a global, decentralized event. We’re encouraging people around the world to meet up on Sept. 22 to talk about how the web could change lives around the world in the future. We’re aiming for at least fifty of these events, and thanks to the Internet Society and others we’ve already heard from Poland, Italy, Colombia, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Kenya, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Belgium, Ethiopia, Tunisia, and other countries. In the US, there will be events in Los Angeles, Boston, Austin, and New York.

Click on “project wiki” at the top of the page to see these events.

These events can range from sponsoring a teaching event (how to edit a wiki, how to post a photo online etc) to helping a school or town set up internet connections, to having a panel of speakers talk about the ways the world has been/will be changed by the internet. We’re working with the Internet Society and the Internet Archive to encourage these offline events, but anyone not affiliated with these groups is more than welcome to get involved. In the US, the American Libraries Association, the Sunlight Foundation, the Center for Democracy & Technology (blog post hereand other groups are working on OneWebDay-related announcements and events.

If readers would like to stage an offline OneWebDay event, let us know at dan@onewebday.org what you’re thinking of, and we’ll make sure there’s a wiki page for you on onewebday.org to help your planning.

*Online,* we’re encouraging people to make their own short videos and post them on blip.tv or youtube or dotsub.com tagged “onewebday2007″. Suggested topics:

+ how the web has changed your life

+ how you’d like the web to change the world in the future

+ highlights of what you’ve seen online the day you make the video

+ your favorite online event ever

+ something you’ve done online with other people in other countries

The internet is made of people, not just machines. It’s up to us to protect it. We can use OneWebDay around the world to raise awareness of the threats to the internet — including censorship, inadequate access, control of various kinds — and to celebrate the positive impact of the internet on human lives.

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Specifics for NY:

New York City, 3-4pm, Washington Square Park Speakers to include Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia; Andrew Baron, founder of Rocketboom; Dana Spiegel, NYCWireless; Birju Pandya, charityfocus.org; Lauren Klein, One Laptop Per Child.

Rain Location: For Your Imagination, 22 West 27th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10001

Sept. 22, Noon to 2:30pm, free public classes in honor of OneWebDay at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, 721 Broadway, 4th Floor (cross street Waverly Place), *must rsvp at itp@onewebday.org to attend.*

Subjects to include:
-how to build a router antenna and turn your home into a neighborhood hotspot
-how to live stream video online
-how to set up a blog and podcast
-all about Creative Commons

Plus, the iCommons/OneWebDay Party: part of 50 Great Parties Around the World.

Time: 10pm

Date: Sept. 22

Place: For Your Imagination, 22 West 27th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10001

Who should attend: Anyone who likes the internet and its transformative effect on human lives

Why you should attend: The internet is under threat around the world, and it’s up to us to celebrate and protect it.