With all the drama on the Internet this year, it was difficult to narrow down the villains list. But the heroes list was harder to make – mostly because there’s nothing more subjective than a hero. Subjective or not (and it’s not not), there are a few clear standouts, as far as we’re concerned.
Top Ten Internet Heroes 2006
A grass roots organization put together by the media-reform advocates at FreePress.net, The SaveTheInternet.com coalition took on the most powerful players around (Congress and the telecommunications industry) to drum up support for Net Neutrality, the Internet’s First Amendment.
Because of Free Press, SaveTheInternet.com, and MoveOn.org, an obscure, difficult to grasp concept won the support of 1.3 million petitioners, who made 50,000 phone calls to Congress, and spread the word to hundreds of thousands of others.
More, protection of Net Neutrality united the most incompatible of interest groups. Name one other time you saw MoveOn.org, the Christian Coalition, gun owners and environmentalists agree on anything.
What’s happened in the last year has been nothing short of amazing, and those heroics should be recognized – maybe even immortalized with a statue of Vint Cerf – or something.
2. The Electronic Frontier Foundation
For the EFF, it doesn’t matter whose rights are possibly violated by someone with more money and power, they’ve got a friend in the digital age. Non-profit EFF has a legal staff waiting and eager to take on The Man in whatever form he takes.
EFF legal teams have fought against Congress, the DOJ, AOL, AT&T, Verizon, the RIAA, you name it, all in the name of digital rights.
And cheers to them for that.
Whether it was China or Egypt, Google or Yahoo, Reporters Sans Frontiers didn’t hesitate to lay as large of a smack down as they could to uphold free speech around the world. Even lowly bloggers, they argue, are entitled to such things.
Cheers to them too.
4. James Kim
The late CNet editor inspired all of us by taking care of his stranded family to the last. Miles and miles later, he was found dead before he could see his family home. But his effort, and the love for his family will not soon be forgotten, and his reward is in heaven.
God bless you James, you did your best.
5. Apple CEO Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs makes the list for no other reason than the gumption he showed this year by standing up to the record labels and denying their overpriced suggestions for song download prices. Jobs could have worked in a little extra for himself and for Apple’s bottom line by raising the per-download price to $2 or $3 per song, but kept the price firm at $.99.
The recording industry isn’t even hiding their greed as production and distribution costs go down considerably, making it unjustifiable to raise the per-song price. Jobs’ main argument was that raising the price would encourage more piracy, but we know, deep in his heart, he just couldn’t gouge the people’s love of music. That’s what we’ll say, anyway, because it sounds really good.
6. Matt Cutts
The Google guy everybody wants to talk to is also a Kentucky boy, so we’re mighty partial. Cutts makes hero status for his relentless blogging to inform the SEO masses as to what’s going on there, especially when Google is much too tight-lipped.
He leaves the SEO trail of breadcrumbs and people, they follow blindly, hanging on every word. Send him an Ale-8-1 for his troubles.
7. David Utter
Murdok writer David Utter makes the list for his sharp-as-a-pinpoint analyses, for bringing me back to earth when need be, and for supplying the writers’ room with cinnamon rolls when we really, really need them.
See, a lot can be accomplished with pastries. Thanks Dave.
8. Nick Douglas
The feeling is generally unanimous among the writers here (not so much in management) that Valleywag chief Nick Denton screwed up big time by getting rid of Nick Douglas. The dude had a wit hard to find and added a nice flare to an overall dry industry. Best of all, Douglas was never afraid to say what needed to be said, which is both the reason to love him, and the reason to fire him.
Good luck at the Huffington Post, Nick. We know you’re chuckling quietly to yourself whenever you drop by the ruins of Valleywag.
9. Dave Gray
The Australian host of “The Global Geek Podcast” made a point Apple couldn’t help but accept. Apple was giving grief to those who dared use the term “podcast,” calling it violation of the company’s trademark. This didn’t sit well with podcasters, who had built a new life around the term and were bouncing around new names for their profession. Nothing had quite the ring as podcast.
Gray, with that quality that more humans once possessed, gumption, wrote a letter to Steve Jobs himself asking to license the term, and enclosed a check for one Australian dollar, which should cover speaking of the word “podcast” around a hundred times, if exchange rates are favorable.
Apple sent him a letter saying they would not license the term nor object to its use, and returned his check for one dollar. And so, we can all say the word “podcast” again.
10. Soccergirl
For being smart, pretty, and nude. There aren’t too many “breast activists” out there, but by golly there should be.
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