Comments on: #Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Teaches a Lesson in Elections in the Age of Twitter and Google Spreadsheets http://technosociology.org/?p=1064 our tools, ourselves Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:00:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Hannah Roditi http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-3493 Hannah Roditi Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:33:45 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-3493 Brilliant! Thank you, this is a wonderful analysis and layout. Brilliant! Thank you, this is a wonderful analysis and layout.

]]> By: Social Media matures in the Middle East after Springtime adolescence | WegbertWire http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-2798 Social Media matures in the Middle East after Springtime adolescence | WegbertWire Wed, 29 Aug 2012 02:23:18 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-2798 [...] to the extremist salafist Nour Party and the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood, but sociologist Zeynep Tufekci credits the Muslim Brotherhood’s active election night twitter feed with preventing elements [...] [...] to the extremist salafist Nour Party and the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood, but sociologist Zeynep Tufekci credits the Muslim Brotherhood’s active election night twitter feed with preventing elements [...]

]]> By: Social Media matures in the Middle East after Springtime adolescence | WegbertWire http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-2797 Social Media matures in the Middle East after Springtime adolescence | WegbertWire Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:39:38 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-2797 [...] linked to the extremist salafist Nour Party and the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood, sociologist Zeynep Tufekci credits the Muslim Brotherhood’s active election night twitter feed with preventing elements [...] [...] linked to the extremist salafist Nour Party and the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood, sociologist Zeynep Tufekci credits the Muslim Brotherhood’s active election night twitter feed with preventing elements [...]

]]> By: Farzad http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-2540 Farzad Wed, 04 Jul 2012 22:47:46 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-2540 Nice post, but there is a big IF here! In 2009 presidential election of Iran, a system was implemented by the reformist candidate (Mousavi) campaign to use SMS reporting by observers from polling stations. The plan was to report the results online and on screens for journalists. But the government did in response: 1- They didn't issued the permission cards for more than %50 of observers of the reformist candidates to attend the polling stations. 2- Tripled the number of mobile polling stations that cannot be observed (the stations that goes to hospitals and remote places with few population) 3- Cut the SMS service 8 hours ahead of the election (the SMS service was off in Iran for about a month). 4- Stormed to the offices that planned to report the outcomes and monitor the results before the end of election time. Thus, no one could provide a quick overview of the results. Later Benford's tests suggested the votes were manipulated. Something the the Military council did not have in Egypt was the deep experience of the Iranian regime. Otherwise, they could disable the use of technology ahead of time. The big IF I mentioned above is that this technologies are useful IF we are able to use them at all. Nice post, but there is a big IF here! In 2009 presidential election of Iran, a system was implemented by the reformist candidate (Mousavi) campaign to use SMS reporting by observers from polling stations. The plan was to report the results online and on screens for journalists. But the government did in response:

1- They didn’t issued the permission cards for more than %50 of observers of the reformist candidates to attend the polling stations.
2- Tripled the number of mobile polling stations that cannot be observed (the stations that goes to hospitals and remote places with few population)
3- Cut the SMS service 8 hours ahead of the election (the SMS service was off in Iran for about a month).
4- Stormed to the offices that planned to report the outcomes and monitor the results before the end of election time.

Thus, no one could provide a quick overview of the results. Later Benford’s tests suggested the votes were manipulated. Something the the Military council did not have in Egypt was the deep experience of the Iranian regime. Otherwise, they could disable the use of technology ahead of time. The big IF I mentioned above is that this technologies are useful IF we are able to use them at all.

]]> By: [BLOG] Some Friday links « A Bit More Detail http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-2500 [BLOG] Some Friday links « A Bit More Detail Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:02:44 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-2500 [...] suggests that the Muslim Brotherhood’s transparent communication of electoral results in Egypt may [...] [...] suggests that the Muslim Brotherhood’s transparent communication of electoral results in Egypt may [...]

]]> By: Ahmed Tageldien http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-2485 Ahmed Tageldien Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:05:54 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-2485 I was following up their tweets and numbers which were very close to the final results, amazing performance!! I was following up their tweets and numbers which were very close to the final results, amazing performance!!

]]> By: Michael http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-2474 Michael Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:56:23 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-2474 Excellent post. It's important to note that - in addition to the MB's solid good ground game and practical application of technology and social media - a seemingly insignificant, but extremely important reform was ratified by the (now-dissolved) parliament following the 2011-12 legislative elections: the provisional counting of ballots at polling stations after voting ended. Just prior to the 2008 presidential elections in Zimbabwe, long-time President Robert Mugabe's government made a concession to the opposition (again, seemingly insignificant) that enabled independent election monitors to verify the will of the voters: provisional counts from polling stations were made public. Using Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology, election observers got out ahead of the election commission and verify that Mugabe fell short of victory. A key electoral reform that promoted transparency coupled with a good ground game and the use of technology (SMS reporting) prevented electoral fraud. Excellent post. It’s important to note that – in addition to the MB’s solid good ground game and practical application of technology and social media – a seemingly insignificant, but extremely important reform was ratified by the (now-dissolved) parliament following the 2011-12 legislative elections: the provisional counting of ballots at polling stations after voting ended. Just prior to the 2008 presidential elections in Zimbabwe, long-time President Robert Mugabe’s government made a concession to the opposition (again, seemingly insignificant) that enabled independent election monitors to verify the will of the voters: provisional counts from polling stations were made public. Using Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology, election observers got out ahead of the election commission and verify that Mugabe fell short of victory. A key electoral reform that promoted transparency coupled with a good ground game and the use of technology (SMS reporting) prevented electoral fraud.

]]> By: Nicolás Díaz http://technosociology.org/?p=1064&cpage=1#comment-2473 Nicolás Díaz Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:50:44 +0000 http://technosociology.org/?p=1064#comment-2473 "On-the-ground electoral machinery with a 21st century approach to controlling the media narrative"... but also good basic literacy skills. Two weeks ago it took 24 hours for most mexican twitter users to read correctly this graphic: http://oaxaca-digital.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ENCUESTA-BERUMEN.jpg That graphic was good news for the left, it meant the left wing presidential candidate (yellow line) was a few points below the front-runner, but most of the tuiteros read it as "the left wing presidential candidate is already the front-runner", and they were actually retweeting that graphic. Imagine them reading a Google spreadsheet like that one used by the MB. “On-the-ground electoral machinery with a 21st century approach to controlling the media narrative”… but also good basic literacy skills. Two weeks ago it took 24 hours for most mexican twitter users to read correctly this graphic:

http://oaxaca-digital.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ENCUESTA-BERUMEN.jpg

That graphic was good news for the left, it meant the left wing presidential candidate (yellow line) was a few points below the front-runner, but most of the tuiteros read it as “the left wing presidential candidate is already the front-runner”, and they were actually retweeting that graphic. Imagine them reading a Google spreadsheet like that one used by the MB.

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