A few thoughts on Diaspora * hashtags

[kallistixf]

A #hashtag can be

* a "backchannel" at a conference
* a communications channel
* a way of organizing information
* an activism and/or marketing campaign
* a word in an emerging langauge
* a tradition
* a tribe

-- me, Cognitive evolution and revoultion, part 1: #polc09 and a #diversityfail, April 2009

For several months before Politics 2009. I had immersed myself in Twitter, activism, and diversity, workting with Tracy Viselli and a remarkably diverse and brilliant group of progressive, feminist, and womanist bloggers to create the #p2 hashtag and working with my brother Greg on Lessons for Skittles for Poets and Activists.  It was an exciting time, with Twitter at the epicenter of the online activism. So after Judith Donath's short opening talk, my equally-brief presentation was optimistic about hashtags' potential for collaboration and empowerment ...

After which the discussion forked and neatly illustrated the point I was making.  White male voices in the room, diverse voices on the hashtag.   Techological triumphalism in the room, questions about access and power on the hashtag. Action research for the win!

Diaspora *'s got hashtags too.

( Here's some early thoughts ... )