Organization: Starting Out

We've seen a successful revolution in Egypt. We also see a series of revolutions in various other countries in the region. However, the conditions in each country appear to be different in some ways:

• The likelihood of violent plainclothes or police repression
• The likelihood of military suppression
• The availability of mainstream media
• The availability of state propaganda

Admittedly, these are "old school" compared to social networking and the ability to share experiences and ideas. However, they are still important considerations in terms of establishing a self-sustaining revolution.

Violence and Silence
The last item listed, state propaganda, is perhaps the most important. Unless there is a way to speak truth to propaganda, to win new participants to the revolution, the state will simply try to use conventional means to put the protests down. Without an ability to counter state propaganda it will be difficult to create a situation where police and military both realize they are not doing the right thing and at the same know that everyone else is aware of it. Regimes do a good job of isolating everyone behind violence and silence so that they remain afraid to act.

The Eyes
Next, the availability of mainstream media. It is the eyes of the world, the mainstream media, that puts so much worldwide pressure on an illegitimate regime. All of the expatriate relatives can see the news, call home to friends and family, and speak truth to lies. And, of course, many people have access to various satellite channels and external news sources. People learn how their government lies and then turn against it. You must be able to enlist media either directly or by ensuring you have mainstream media contacts who can spread your story without having been there themselves.

The People's Army
If the army is truly made up of "the people" and you are both able to speak truth to lies and ensure that the world media will see the regimes actions, then you have a situation where you might be able to have the army refuse to kill citizens. This is a key requirement -- as it is unlikely the military can be overthrown through violence since they basically have all the weapons. No kidding right?

The Enforcers
Next come the regimes plainclothes thugs. Let's not even bother to pretend they are police or otherwise doing anything useful on behalf of the public. If the military won't stand in your way, and you have media coverage, and you can speak truth to lies - then if you are forced to defend yourself against violence you can hang on long enough to get the truth out. When the false stories are countered while the revolution is still strong the hesitant get aboard. This happened strikingly in Egypt at least twice. Each time the revolution was greatly strengthened.

Your Situation
What all this implies is that you can take a self-assessment of your situation. If the army is with the people then the odds are very good. If you don't know if the army is with the people, you can try, but you have to be able to back down and create a better opportunity if needed. In either case, you then need to make sure to maintain the moral high ground and figure out how to overcome the police and secret police violence.

Dictator for a Day
Keep in mind, the leadership of all the countries undergoing revolution have watched what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. They are certainly trying to figure out how to put down your revolution and they will face choices based on all of the above. How can they disperse crowds without bloodshed. Can they call on the army to solve their problem? Can they eliminate free press and outside visibility? Can they use propaganda to sway non-participants or otherwise muddy the waters? Can they interrupt the social networks that allow widespread communication? As a good exercise perhaps you should think of how you would silence a revolution... because dictators already are doing this.

So, where do your country and your revolution stand?

Revolution: Victory for Egypt

It will take a long time for the final shape of government to be defined but by all accounts we have victory!

Here are a couple quick twitter stream points that I think are very important for any other revolutionaries:

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
Each time the propaganda was replaced by truth the strength of the revolution increased massively... #egypt
13 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
Something for other revolutionaries in other countries to think about if they are going to try for the same. #egypt
15 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
I'm thinking the taking of state TV building was a big step in giving the regime a final push... when the propaganda became truth. #egypt
17 minutes ago

Obviously, as professional analysts have said, the fact that protestors remained peaceful was very important. This gave them the moral high ground and in particular revealed the government and it's thugs as the bad guys in a way that all could see -- each time truth was able to replace regime propaganda and lies.

In a bigger sense, the trick is to look at the situation in other countries and figure out what might work. For example, if people are illiterate and can't use the Internet then things will be much different. Perhaps in that case it would be even more important to find ways to counter propaganda. Who knows, perhaps it is nearly impossible to have a revolt without widespread communication and grass-roots information sharing.

Revolution: Harness The Momentum

I am very happy with the quantity of people participating in the protests. Things are going well on that front. However, this is a revolution with many fronts. Here are my concerns captured in a twitter stream (read bottom to top):

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
When you have finally got the whole nation to listen, start talking! Do that communication thing you wanted. #egypt
9 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
STOP SITTING ON YOUR HANDS WHEN YOU HAVE ALL THIS MOMENTUM, YOU ARE WASTING IT. #egypt
12 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
Convince those who FOLLOW orders of the legitimacy of the revolution and the illegitimacy of the orders being given... #egypt
12 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
Was the protest not said to be about communicating? You don't have to communicate only with Barbarak and Sillyman... #egypt
13 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
Officers in military have family and friends... there are people who can ask them their intentions without risk, get in touch. #egypt
14 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
The revolution has weight, get in touch with people in each governorate, look for support a agreement not to use force. #egypt
15 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
So, who is talking to high ranking individuals to get their commitment not to use force on protesters? Think regional. #egypt.
16 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
Some folks need to be working on the next step, some the step after that and some further ahead... as well as the revolution itself. #egypt
27 minutes ago

RevoEgypt FreeEgypt
Are there any concrete plans to improve things for the common person? Let's get thinking... it won't magically happen later. #egypt
29 minutes ago

It's not just about having a lot of people. It's about finding a path the reduces the amount of bloodshed needed to succeed and increases the chance of that success.

If you agree please forward this to someone who may be able to do something about it.

Here is a short bit.ly link you can use: http://bit.ly/ezP4Iv

Revolution: As Peaceful as Possible

One of the amazing things about the Egyptian revolution is the fact that it is happening via a peaceful movement. However, as we have all seen, this does not mean that protesters are unwilling to defend themselves or risk their lives.

This movement has been as peaceful as possible. In fact, this peaceful nature and Wael Ghonim's restatement of this principle on Dream TV is one of the key reasons that so much of the populace is behind it. It is clearly the regime that is at fault and so far any propaganda suggesting otherwise has fallen flat in the face of the visible truth.

However, the fact that nobody is proclaiming pacifism suggests that the regime had better be concerned if they resort to abject violence. The revolution and it's protesters are willing to fight for survival. Not only in an immediate sense during conflict but also in a holistic sense if civil war were to break out. Everyone, even the regime, knows that the people are in the right.

Blogging Via Email

One nice way to send messages to your blog is via email.  It's very easy to post something without having to open up a browser or otherwise showing any indication that you are publishing something.  Of course, if you are using your office computer it is very possible that your email will be watched... businesses tend to do that type of thing.

Update: Posts done by email don't have tags by default. You'll have to log in eventually and add labels if you want them.

Organization: Secure Blogging

Did you know that you can blog via email? If you have a gmail account, which connects via HTTPS, then you can email your blog to make posts. The information you send will be difficult for security goons to decipher even if they are tracking your Internet usage.

Have at least two accounts. One where you discuss items that you are willing to have people see -- such as inane chit-chat with family. This way, if you are forced to reveal your gmail account credentials you can give them one that is safe and perhaps avoid causing a leak. Additionally, make sure your disposable account login is easy to remember.

If they choose to do so the government can certainly see which sites you frequently visit and if particularly interested in you they can save all your communications for their reading pleasure. There is no risk in assuming this and taking precautions to protect yourself (unless gmail or HTTPS use, for example, is a particular warning flag to them).

Why a blog? Because it stays put. People can link to it. They don't have to be awake watching a stream of consciousness at the same time that it is written. It allows totally anonymous comments that can be kept or removed as appropriate. It's great for organizing a large amount of semi-static information for reference. Twitter and Facebook are great for real time connection with other people. They each have their place.

How Do I Set Up A Blog
I'm not going to get into all the bells and whistles that are possible. However, I will walk you through the steps to get a blog and be able to start posting to it. It's been a long time since I created my Google accounts so please correct me if you spot any errors or missing details:

• Go to mail.google.com and choose to create a new account.
• Once your account is completed go to blogger.com and create an account using your gmail address.
• Once you have an account you should see a prominent message asking you to create a blog
• Give your blog a name and choose a domain (e.g. myblog.blotspot.com)
• Just pick any one of the blog display themes as you can change it later
• Create your first post right away
• You are now a blogger... there is plenty to learn but you have started

From here you can learn how to manage the look of your blog, add links, add widgets, set up email blogging and so on. Just goof around with the UI or ask me some questions and I'll go check it out.