Mediaboss Marketing

I refer to the bill amending the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 tabled by the government in the Dewan Rakyat today. The amendments are minimal, superficial and will maintain the government's oppressive control of the mass media.

Under the new section 3(3), the power of the minister to grant and revoke or suspend newspaper licences is left untouched. Proper and functioning democracies do not impose licence requirements for the mass media. If the Prime Minister and the BN government are genuine about lifting restrictions on the press, why impose the licence requirement?

The only possible object of a media licence requirement is to enable the government to control the media. The licence requirement in section 3(3) is in clear breach of the lettter and spirit of Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.

Minister can revoke anytime

To make things worse, section 3(3) allows the minister to revoke or suspend a newspaper licence at any time. This is the equivalent of a permanent threat hanging over the heads of newspaper owners and editors to toe the government line. There is thus no significant difference between the provisions of the old PPPA 1984 and the amended version.

Allowing judicial review is of little comfort to newspaper owners as it imposes upon them the onerous burden of taking the matter to court. This impedes the establishment and functioning of free media organizations. Further, the judiciary has consistently failed in defending or affirming fundamental rights such as press freedom.

Section 8A

We are also shocked and disappointed that the Prime Minister and the government have chosen not to remove the draconian section 8A of the PPPA which punishes the publication of false news. Section 8A is like a sword hanging over the head of printers, publishers, editors and writers, and has a chilling effect on press freedom.

The PPPA Amendment Bill 2012 is intended to maintain the government's harsh grip on newspapers, whilst pretending that Prime Minister Najib Razak is making good his promises of reform. We call upon the PM and his government to withdraw this amending bill, and instead repeal the PPPA 1984 in its entirety.

N SURENDRAN IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT

View original post here:
PPPA amendments cosmetic: BN retains its oppressive control of the media - Surendran

The explosion of social media has left many people struggling to keep pace with a torrent of online feeds and updates, from the latest celebrity tweets and friends' Facebook posts to co-workers' blurbs and professional bulletins on LinkedIn.

But if it seems like there's another trendy social network launched every year to keep up with ( hello Google (GOOG)+), don't despair. Several online tools can help you stay on top of feeds from multiple accounts, post your own messages simultaneously on different sites

And here's a little secret the pros know: With these services, you can compose those pithy witticisms when inspiration strikes in the middle of the night -- and schedule them to post automatically at a later time, when more of your friends and colleagues are likely to be online.

"I think we're all trying to cope with the best way to manage the fire hose, without getting drowned," said social media consultant J.D. Lasica, referring to the deluge of digital updates that threatens to consume our waking hours.

Three of the most popular tools for managing social media are free. While similar in concept, each may appeal to different users.

HootSuite in particular has many functions geared toward marketing professionals, although a spokesman said it has a broad base of casual users, too. Seesmic, meanwhile, plans to discontinue some services in coming months as it focuses on fewer products, according to CEO Loic Le Meur.

For now, all three are available both as Web-based services and as apps for iPhones and Android devices. There are also desktop versions that can be downloaded onto a PC or Mac, but the Web versions can be accessed from any computer without downloading extra software.

Essentially, each service provides a dashboard that pulls the feeds from all your social media accounts together into columns that you can view on one screen or, on a smartphone, a series of screens that you can access with a touch or swipe of your finger.

That makes it relatively easy to track all those accounts without opening a different app for each one. You can also set up columns for specific purposes. For example, you can put all the tweets from your close friends in one, or create a search that lets you monitor updates on a particular topic in another.

In addition, these services let you write an update, attach a link or photo, and post it simultaneously to the accounts you choose. By clicking on the appropriate icons, you can share the item with all your followers, or target only certain accounts. And all three services let you schedule your posts, so you can compose them when it's convenient and distribute them at other times of the day.

Read more from the original source:
TweetDeck, Seesmic and HootSuite can help keep your digital life under control

30-03-2012 11:44 http

Excerpt from:
The Radio Control Show 152 - Video

30-03-2012 18:37 I hope you guys enjoy the commentary! - Razor My Channel: Jake's Channel (CooL) TheControlBase Twitter! New Team Members! Snow: Enemyy: Edge: Flash: Intro music by Klaypex Klaypex - Hit me Klaypex - Not Getting Any Better

Originally posted here:
Control Razor: Social Media Manager, Forces of Nature DLC and more! - Video

I personally feel that the racism issue in Singapore is getting out ofcontrol. First, there was an issue on how the PRC complained about how currywas smelly. Next there was a statement made by MP Seng Han Thongthat Indians and Malays cant speak properEnglish. After that, ShimunLai referred to Indians as dogs and now, there is a full length blogpost trashing Indians by a Singaporean (Mr Stanley Hart) on his blogsaying that Indians are smelly, loud and rude.

Singapore is supposed to be a multiracial society and we are not acountry that tolerates discrimination against any race or religion.What has become of Singaporeans these days?Firstly, the government letting Shimun Lai off with just an apology isatrocious! If a harsher punishment was laid out, other Singaporeanswho even have any intentions about speaking ill or publiclyhumiliating specific races on the web would think twice.

It is high time the government does something about this issue becauseit is getting out of control and it is upsetting many people inSingapore. Even though Im away from Singapore at the moment (studyingin Perth), I came to hear about these issues of racism in oursupposedly multiracial society. How will people from other countriesrespect Singaporeans if we dont respect our own culture and beliefs?

The language that was used in Mr Stanleys blogpost was repulsive anddisrespectful to Indians and I feel that the government should dosomething about it. They should come up with a harsher punishment forpeople who discriminate and humiliate other races.

.

Deepa

Editors note: Please comment responsibly below. All racist comments will be deleted without warning.

.

See the original post:
Racism comments on online media getting out of control