These Large NASA-Supporting Twitter Accounts Did Not Exist The Other Day
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Always remember….https://t.co/WcIqdmmmwi@RogueNASA
I was born March '69. I've seen what @NASA can do in one lifetime. KEEP GOING!— 'THE' Shujin Tribble (@ShujinTribble) January 26, 2017
What The ‘Rogue’ EPA, NPS and NASA Twitter Accounts Teach Us About The Future Of Social, Forbes
“These new accounts also raise the fascinating question of whether “alternative” or “rogue” or “resistance” social media accounts will become a new norm even in Western nations that have not typically had a history of “governments in exile.” One could imagine that every administration would have its “rogue” employees who disagree with particular policies heading out to Twitter to fire up their own resistance accounts. Taking this a step further, the party not in power could set up its own alternative Twitter accounts for each federal agency and issue their own statements interpreting the actions of each agency through their particular partisan lens.”
Keith’s note: I could not be happier to see this happen. NASAWatch started out as RIFWatch – an effort to inform people about an impending downsizing (RIF) at NASA. Guess what – that may be in NASA’s future once again. I used to warn NASA that someday there would be dozens of websites like NASAWatch. I am so happy to have totally underestimated that number.
Keith’s update: At first these Twitter accounts focused mostly on science issues. Then their originators (government employees, based on tweets these accounts made) handed the accounts over to non-government employees. Shortly thereafter, as visibility exploded, a lot of the commentary and follower’s comments took a turn into overtly partisan, anti-Trump territory. Now its hard to extract the science policy issues from the rest of the noise. Such is social media.
Rogue Webmasters, Government Executive, 1996
“What does RIF really stand for? According to Keith Cowing’s NASA RIF Watch Web site, the answer is “Resistance Is Futile.” On the site, Cowing cut and pasted NASA Administrator Dan Goldin’s face onto the body of a “Borg,” the race of villains from television’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation” who attempt to destroy Earth and enslave its people. Cowing, a former NASA employee who quit in 1993 because he didn’t like the way the agency was being managed, launched the RIF Watch site in April to provide information for NASA employees whose jobs are at risk as the agency’s budget shrinks and it is asked to carry out its mission with fewer employees. He’s not alone in his effort to supplement–and circumvent–official agency information sources. Rogue webmasters have set up sites for IRS employees and Postal workers. And an online magazine has devoted a section to let federal employees of any agency sound off about what ticks them off.”
Changes in Thinking At NASA, PBS NewsHour 1996
“TOM BEARDEN: Goldin and his associate administrators want their people to make quick decisions and fix mistakes later, instead of doing what he says NASA used to do, study a problem to death for fear of failing. Keith Cowing follows all of this in cyberspace. He’s a former NASA engineer who set up an Internet site that functions as a kind of super water cooler for all of NASA’s far-flung employees. He calls it “RIF Watch.” It features rumors, editorial comment, jokes, cartoons. It also frequently publishes high-level internal memos that NASA employees send to Cowing. He says there are a lot of unhappy people out there in NASA Land.”
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
– – – Margaret Mead
“…Now its hard to extract the science policy issues from the rest of the noise. Such is social media.”
To paraphrase something I once heard… “Forget it, Keith. It’s Twitter and Facebook.”
And here you are posting on a blog using a fake name …
I don’t take Twitter, FB, or any of the others at all seriously — or look to them for information. Just not the right medium for it — as we have seen, over and over, especially recently.
Anything serious that slips into the stream is overwhelmed by the noise. It’s goofball radio — and no one should expect more from it.
And you never use your real name and use a picture of some old guy from 200 years ago as your avatar. You are just part of the noise like the rest of us.
I have already explained to you why I use the pseudonym (http://nasawatch.com/archiv… — and I’m highly fond of James Madison as the chief author of the Constitution. He had a very shrewd gauge on Political Man.
The fact is national politics impinge on all aspects of space exploration. And as national political feelings are running high in the wake of an election that didn’t go the way many wished it did — so we got a lot of static in the bandwidth. Strikes me this’ll continue until everybody takes a deep breath and realizes the Republic isn’t about to vanish anytime soon. Which it won’t.
Yea yea yea. You are afraid to use your name.
Actually, California is talking seriously about secession, but this is not the forum for that debate.
If I read the new reports correctly, a small number of people (mostly in silicone valley) were saying things about succession and at most only half seriously. Actual succession from the United States was an issue we settled in 1865, and I don’t think anyone really wants to revisit it.
They might think they’re serious but not really. Have they really thought things through?
What happens if they seceded? The military bases would be closed, defense contractors might have to move out so they could still sell goods to the US military without restriction. The US would need to find another polar launch site.
I’ve heard that the Constitution would have to be changed to allow secession. Lacking that, if they seriously tried to secede, you might have another civil war.
Just to point out a detail which is somewhat obscure, James Madison (along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay) used “Publius” as a pseudonym when they collectively wrote the _Federalist_Papers_ as a series of letters to a couple of New York newspapers.
So what? People hide behind fake names and then take issue with what other people say. Somewhat hypocritical.
Well, I guess I had two points.
First, his choice of a pseudonym and the accompanying picture is more creative than most. So I’m willing to give him some points for style.
Second, a series of essays, which are often considered one of the primary reference on how our Constitution was intended to work, were actually published under a pseudonym. So we might not want to automatically dismiss statements published under a pseudonym as spam. (Although there definitely is a huge amount of spam from pseudonical authors.)
Personally, I don’t see why someone who simply doesn’t want to get in trouble at work would use an obvious pseudonym. It’s obvious this person’s real name isn’t Publius. Why not just use a plausible name. If he said his name was Bill McHansen, when it was actually something else, no one would know the difference and he’d save himself some fuss.
“pseudonical”! That’s winner! Best Invention of a New Word for Use as an Adjective of a Word Mostly Seen as a Noun.
Bravo 🙂 !
Thank you, I’m well aware of that. And at that time it was a way of commenting and persuading that encouraged people to focus on the content, not the author. It also provided some necessary cover in case of repercussions for what was written.
But you attack the statements of others and hide behind a fake name. But when someone asks who you are, the boldness disappears.
Your policy is well understood, Keith, but difficult to understand. Much of the richness of your site comes from NASA employees posting anonymously. I come here counting on ‘inside’ information that is hopefully close to reality; while most of it is generated by you, it is also true that informed commenters inside NASA are an essential part of the story.
When I look at those using their real names I see folks interested but not directly employed by NASA- like me.
In any event and as someone else pointed out it would be all too simple for someone to simply post as- well, as Michael Spencer, for instance- or some other real-seeming name but actually a pseudonym. Nothing is gained, nor would you or anybody else know the name is ‘fake’.
Can’t stop the signal…
FYI Oregon Live is the website of Oregon’s largest newspaper, a blue paper in a blue state.
http://www.oregonlive.com/e…
Who runs the fake Crater Lake National Park Twitter account? An Oregon journalist
“Chas Hundley, a journalist who edits two hyperlocal news sites in rural Washington County, was curious who was behind the alternative accounts that were quickly landing huge followings on Twitter.
So, as Hundley explained in a Medium piece, he set up the @AltCraterLakeNP handle on Twitter. He reached out to one of the “Alt-Government” lists compiling the fake accounts, and set up a brief bio making clear he was not a government employee.
He was in.”
and
“It was evidence of the polarizing world we live in today. “People
will follow anything as long as it fits their narrative,” he said.
Hundley was quickly a part of an internet craze, and no one seemed to care who was behind it.
“Not a single person has sent the account a message questioning who is behind the account,” he said on Medium.”
But it’s the ‘intent’ that’s important here–all you did was describe the human factor that folks want to hear their ‘beliefs’ reaffirmed. These accounts are to present facts rather than false news by Congress and POTUS, sad to say.
Climate change likely leads in the false news category–to limit liability. After years of denial, no one can claim the earth is not warming rapidly. Note ‘distraction’ away from Keystone/coal.
— further reading…
“He’s now the media editor for the website BuzzFeed, and he spent much of this year writing about fake news, rumors and conspiracy theories that gained currency in the presidential campaign – where they came from, why they got so much engagement on social media”
http://www.npr.org/2016/12/…
Newt Gingrich Exemplifies Just How Unscientific America Is
http://www.forbes.com/sites…
“imagine the howls you would get if climate models predicted it was warmer at night than during the day”
http://www.slate.com/blogs/…
“When the Republicans took over the House in 2011, Americans for Prosperity lobbied lawmakers to support a “no climate tax” pledge, and by the time Congress convened that year, 156 House and Senate members had signed on.”
https://www.nytimes.com/201…
How would those who do not twitter ask a question? Why would someone join “rogueNASA” or continue to subscribe if it simply contains false news? If not on twitter, how to respond?
These accounts (hopefully) are to present facts rather than false news by Congress and POTUS, alt.gov–sad to say.
Respect and trust is earned. The meme that no one questions, no one seems to care, is simply a complete myth. It takes a few well intentioned, to guide the future for *all*, it takes time.
—
The process must also help all to identify misinformation.
https://www.psychologytoday…
“We are not as endlessly manipulable and predictable as people think”
https://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc
What if Trump appoints “yes men” to administrator and other such positions of these agencies? Then one by one they drive out others below them who disagree with Trump policies and all these agencies will eventually have no rogue employees.
You are pretty much describing any Administration.
One the one hand, an Administration wants people to carry out policy. One the other hand, smart people are needed to help formulate policy. It’s the same in business; in my little design office we hash out design ideas but once the call is made everybody gets on board.
It’s up to the leadership to be sure that voices are sincerely heard- and considered.