“There are 186 thousand new websites just created for the world cup in Germany in the last few days. The survey was made by Websense.”
Web and Cup - Blog do Mesquita - Brazil

“There will be tens of millions of people around the globe, watching the games at fever pitch during the competition and the internet will provide a valuable outlet for discussion and information. Thousands of blogs will be written, photos of those lucky people at the games will be shared and enquiries to travel companies about the German cities hosting the games will be made.”
Metatags and metatarsals: the internet World Cup - Internet Advertising Bureau

“Following the raging popularity of such sites as MySpace.com and Orkut.com in Brazil, Nike executives approached Google with the idea of creating a social-networking site revolving around the world's most popular sport: soccer. Unlike MySpace.com, however, Joga.com will be a community that focuses on one topic and one passion: soccer, or “football,” as it is known outside the U.S.”
Nike, Google Kick Off Social-Networking Site - From Istanbul To Sand Hill Road

“As for the overall numbers of people expected to watch the World Cup, 28 billion people in aggregate are expected to tune in at some point during the tournament, with 1.2 billion, or 17 percent of the world’s population, tuning in for the July 9 final. The other 83 percent of will be clicking the remote searching in vain for something more interesting than watching 22 men in shorts kick a ball. I wish them well in their existential efforts.”
Billions of Eyes on the World Cup - World Cup Blog

Inovative news sites mash-ups, collective blogs, live video streamings, videoblogs, contests, online games, online virtual stadiuns, and many other novelties will be launched onto this global stage. All this connecting will help make the 2006 edition not only the most pervasive event ever, but also the most globally shared user experience known to date. What about those few under the sun who do not care about balls and goals? Blogs are talking about those differences as well:

“And from now on, this blog is almost totally devoted to football and the World Cup. As it is the most important competition in the world. It is because it is the World Cup, godammit! And if you don't like football, the problem is yours. Who cares about you?”
# - Call me James - Brazil

“From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World Cup, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention..”
AExtremely important advice and recomendations to wives, girlfriends, fiancés, mothers, sisters, daughters, etc. (all women in general) - Rotten side - Brazil
Full translation available here.

“As everybody should know by now, the most ‘macho' event on the planet will soon start: the World Cup! We have to figure out how one must behave with his women… I mean, with each one's woman, that's better. Women have a distorted idea about the event. They think we will only watch Brazil's games, but the world cup has 64 games, which makes 96 hours of play, 5,760 minutes. If they complain, tell them that the world cup happens only once in four years but in four years there are 87,600 minutes of soap-operas. This makes a difference, don't you think?”
Futebol - Hrtbreak - Brazil

“Sorry, nation. Forgive me, Brazilian people, if I dishonor the only honorable position you believe our country stands for… But I hate football, and I don't give a damn if Brazil doesn't make it… Besides, for me it would be better, as my ears would be saved from those hellish fireworks (which, curiously sound like music to me on New Year's Eve)”
Sorry, ó Brazil! - Ai, ai, ai… enough!!! - Brazil

I believe Brazilian fever at these times is unique, as it is fueled by a long history of spectacular wins and a certain kind of developed pride that gets challenged each time the cup is being contested. But some rivalries are so deep and intense, such as with close neighbor Argentina, that they are capable of echoing on the other site of the planet, in far away… Bangladesh!

“That's it. Maradona, the greatest Argentinean player ever, went beyond all rivalries in agreeing to do the commercial, and the result is this funny ad for a Brazilian national soft-drink. It's obvious that our ‘hermanos' must have noticed this in the airwaves and many must have lost some hours of sleep. After all, Maradona and Pelé are like symbols of a never ending dispute between the two countries. It all turns back to that old line: who is the best? Both are good, but no one can deny our five world titles.”
Maradona in Green and Yellow? - Elias' Space - Brazil

“This commercial has caused big controversy in Argentina, where many considered it a sacrilege to watch Diego with the green-yellow shirt. Considering that the ‘nightmare' made 180 thousand dollars for Maradona, it's clear that there is nothing a bunch of green notes cannot buy. And you, dear reader, what is your opinion? I am interested in Argentinean comments.
Diego, Hay Diego!! - Hey Dude! - Argentina

“World Cup favourites Brazil and Argentina are engaged in an unlikely aerial battle in sports-mad Bangladesh as football fever reaches boiling point in the South Asian nation… Skies of cities, towns and villages across the country were this weekend full of Brazilian and Argentine flags as fans displayed loyalty to their favourite teams. So much is the love for the two teams that at Aminbazar, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of the capital, more than 10,000 villagers have been divided into two blocks of fans.”
Brazil-Argentina battle lines drawn in Bangladesh - Jamaicaobserver.com

“A Bangladeshi cleric has called on Muslims not to fly the flags of any “infidel” nations playing in the World Cup as football fever gripped the sports-mad country… “these acts are un-Islamic”
Daily Times - Pakistan

‘All academic activities of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology have been suspended till July 14,’ said a spokesman for the state-run institution. About 2,000 students held demonstrations on the campus in the capital, demanding a World Cup vacation for viewing all the matches on television. After watching late night televised matches, it would be impossible to concentrate on studies the following morning, argued graduate student Anisul Huq.
‘World Cup vacation’ in Bangladesh varsity - India e-News

The special aura of immense consequence carried by this peculiar sport modality is being each day more universally acknowledged in the world. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recently stated: ‘As the only sport that is played in every country, and by every race and religion, football is as rare a phenomena in the world as is the United Nations.' He wished that the same enthusiasm could fuel discussions about the economic development of poor countries, reducing greenhouse gases or combating AIDS. Political scientists repeatedly point out the instrumental use of popular passion, as it is widely known that the sport is used as a tool for populist governments to maintain control over alienated populations.

“The whole society looses with this collective mesmerized staring at the German green fields while other ‘balls' are rolling in Brazilian Congress. I try to tell them that if Brazil wins or looses any game in this World Cup, even if the championship escapes at the second half's fortieth minute; my life will still be the same! To no avail, I played the cynic to everybody — the one who doesn't believe in anything, who has a hopelessly cold heart.”
Cup, Kitchen, and other balls - What about some cooffe? - Brazil

“Apart from victories or losses, the truth is that for the first time in its history — which has not been written because José Eduardo Santos gave priority to writing about the history of his party — Angola is in the World Cup. This is the very thing which Angolans love, making them temporarily forget the suffering, and dry the tear which is always in the corner of the eye waiting for the first chance to roll down through the face.”
From one loss to another till the final victory - The Araut - Angola

“‘The announcement that Omar Bongo (Gabonese President) decided to offer the World Cup to his country's youth was divulged to the world yesterday by Gabonews — which incomprehensibly has still not adopted the name Bongonews — after René Ndemez Obiang, the Minister for Communications, had announced it exactly in these terms: ‘The President decided to pay for the right to retransmit the games in the name of the whole set of Gabonese TV networks.' Some quick hand has already published the information in the President's official website (www.omarbongo.org) , the man who's been governing Gabon for almost 40 years, insisting on this ‘offering' formula. Bongo, who had already ‘offered' the African Cup games to the Gabonese youth in January, is ‘cool'. If not for his generosity, only the private TV — which paid for the retransmission exclusiveness — could exhibit the games. Bongo, there is only one — Omar and no one more.”
One Bongo - Africandar - Angola

The World Cup economics and demographics somehow show that globalization is not only a movement toward uniformity. It also drives corporate and media interests to stimulate and channel emotions that enliven national identities. It seems inevitable that political forces will seek to exploit such an overwhelming hype. The event has carried through the years a heavy weight of financial, cultural, and political baggage but amazingly its vitality survives and keeps growing in its ability to grab attention.

“I am running from the great slaughter. I can't stand any more ‘information' about the world cup. I am on the verge of getting crazy with the fans, the fans' opinions, the commentators' comments, the coaches, the ex-players. I am desperate with the country of professors marcelos that suddenly started to appear. Also the ‘reports' about the football stars and the showbiz, the wives, the player's girlfriends, the ex-wives and the soon to be girlfriends, the ex-wives and ex-girlfriends of the presidents, or the ex-wives and ex-girlfriends of the ex-presidents”
The people's happiness is no the opiate of everyboty - Daily Writing - Portugal

“Yes, I am not in the full faculties of my mind anymore. It's not normal, but it is stronger than I am. Guessing contests? I already participated in three and I am forming another group. Not to mention the album with world cup chromes. Or the files in ipod, which now carries thousand of goal narrations (the best is Taffarell defending of Ronald de Boer's penalty in 1998) and world cup themes. There are also different version and variations of the Brazilian national anthem - even in forró beat. I think I am with the ball fever. And I am not seeking a cure. Go to hell with everything because now it's official: football is the most important thing in the world.”
Ball Fever - Totally without notion - Brazil

The first game is next Friday - Germany and Costa Rica. See you there, or here. We are connected. In the Information Age World Cup Fever is everywhere.

Our South Asia editor Neha Viswanathan and contributor Dina Mehta are featured, talking about their work on the Southeast Asia Tsunami Help blog, and the video captures some of the spirit and excitement of our December conference in London.

For anyone interested in how media thinkers are viewing our efforts, it's worth reading reports from Noëlle McAfee and Martin Lewis offer their views as media analysts of our December conference and the possible role of Global Voices in the larger world of media and journalism.

Click here to listen to GV05 Session 1: The state of Global Voices. (23MB - 49mins): Overview of what we’ve done so far, and plans for projects in the immediate future. We will also outline the Global Voices model that we’ve pioneered so far, and try to document it for others to use.

Led by: Rebecca MacKinnon and Ethan Zuckerman, Global Voices Co-Founders, with input from Regional Editors Haitham Sabbah (Middle East/North Africa), Neha Viswanathan (South Asia), David Sasaki (Americas) and Sokari Ekine (Sub-Saharan Africa), and Web Architect Boris Anthony.

NOTE: There were some microphone problems which made the recording inaudible at a few points. Those parts have been edited out. (Audio courtesy of Benjamen Walker.)

Follow the live-blog of Session 1 here. (Courtesy of Angelo Embuldeniya and SJ Klein. )

Click here to listen to GV05 Session 2: Best of both worlds (27MB, 57 mins): Much is made of the “blogging vs. journalism” argument. We believe there can and must be room for both in this world, and that the world will be better for having both. In this session we explore the potential for synergies between professional journalists and citizen-bloggers. How do journalists and bloggers interact in the world outside the US and Europe? How can bloggers become journalists and journalists become bloggers? How do the two learn to work together and respect each other? How can we combine the value of professional journalism with the power of citizens’ online conversation to help all members of the human race understand each other better?

Led by Rebecca MacKinnon, with input from Jeff Ooi (Malaysia), Ndesanjo Macha (Tanzania), Dina Mehta (India), Georgia Popplewell (Trinidad & Tobago), David Sasaki (Americas Editor), Onnik Krikorian (Armenia), Ben Parmann (Eurasia Blog), Lisa Goldman (Israel), and Dean Wright (Reuters)

NOTE: There were some microphone problems which made the recording inaudible at a few points. Those parts have been edited out. (Audio courtesy of Benjamen Walker.)

Follow the live-blog of Session 2 here. (Courtesy of Angelo Embuldeniya and SJ Klein.

Click here to listen to Part 1 of Session 3: What makes a successful blogosphere? (25MB, 52 mins)

Why is it that some countries have developed vibrant local blogospheres (Iran, Jordan, Cambodia etc) while others haven’t? What conditions are required and what outreach can be done by the Global Voices community to help enable and encourage blogging in communities that could greatly benefit from this new citizens’ medium?

Led by Ethan Zuckerman, with input from Roba Al Assi (Jordan), Ory Okolloh (Kenya), Neha Viswanathan (Global Voices South Asia editor), Sokari Ekine (Sub-Saharan Africa editor), Iria Puyosa (Venezuela), Bun ThaRum (Cambodia), Enda Nasution (Indonesia), Andy Young (SiberianLight), Hossein Derakhshan (Iran)

NOTE: There were some microphone problems which made the recording inaudible at a few points. Those parts have been edited out. (Audio courtesy of Benjamen Walker.)

Follow the live-blog of Session 3 here. (Courtesy of Angelo Embuldeniya and SJ Klein. )

Click here to listen to Part 2 of Session 3: What makes a successful blogosphere? (19MB, 40 mins)

Why is it that some countries have developed vibrant local blogospheres (Iran, Jordan, Cambodia etc) while others haven’t? What conditions are required and what outreach can be done by the Global Voices community to help enable and encourage blogging in communities that could greatly benefit from this new citizens’ medium?

Led by Ethan Zuckerman, with input from Roba Al Assi (Jordan), Ory Okolloh (Kenya), Neha Viswanathan (Global Voices South Asia editor), Sokari Ekine (Sub-Saharan Africa editor), Iria Puyosa (Venezuela), Bun ThaRum (Cambodia), Enda Nasution (Indonesia), Andy Young (SiberianLight), Hossein Derakhshan (Iran)

NOTE: There were some microphone problems which made the recording inaudible at a few points. Those parts have been edited out. (Audio courtesy of Benjamen Walker.)

Follow the live-blog of Session 3 here. (Courtesy of Angelo Embuldeniya and SJ Klein. (NOTE: this recording starts in the middle of the transcript, picking up where Part 1 Session 3 left off.)

Click here to listen to Part 1 of Session 4: The future of the Global Conversation (21 MB, 45 mins)

How can Global Voices and potential partners in professional and citizens’ media work to build a more democratic, equitable Global Conversation - a conversation in which all people who want to speak not only have a safe and accessible way to do so, but also a chance of being heard? To what extent are the solutions technical (software, etc.) and to what extent is it a question of human efforts, methods and organization? By popular demand, the second half of this session will focus heavily on translation issues.

Led by Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca MacKinnon, with input from Ahmed (Saudi Arabia), Haitham Sabbah (Middle East/North Africa Editor), Farid Pouya (Iran), Kevin Wen (China), Jordan Seidel (Polblog), Pat Hall (Blogamundo), and Chris Ahearn (Reuters)

NOTE: There were some microphone problems which made the recording inaudible at a few points. Those parts have been edited out. (Audio courtesy of Benjamen Walker.)

Follow the live-blog of Session 4 here. (Courtesy of Angelo Embuldeniya and SJ Klein. )

Click here to listen to Part 2 of Session 4: The future of the Global Conversation (24 MB, 51 mins)

How can Global Voices and potential partners in professional and citizens’ media work to build a more democratic, equitable Global Conversation - a conversation in which all people who want to speak not only have a safe and accessible way to do so, but also a chance of being heard? To what extent are the solutions technical (software, etc.) and to what extent is it a question of human efforts, methods and organization? By popular demand, the second half of this session will focus heavily on translation issues.

Led by Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca MacKinnon, with input from Ahmed (Saudi Arabia), Haitham Sabbah (Middle East/North Africa Editor), Farid Pouya (Iran), Kevin Wen (China), Jordan Seidel (Polblog), Pat Hall (Blogamundo), and Chris Ahearn (Reuters)

NOTE: There were some microphone problems which made the recording inaudible at a few points. Those parts have been edited out. (Audio courtesy of Benjamen Walker.)

Follow the live-blog of Session 4 here. (Courtesy of Angelo Embuldeniya and SJ Klein. )NOTE: this recording starts in the middle of the transcript, picking up where Part 1 Session 4 left off.

Thanks to everybody who participated - both in person and online to make our Global Voices London Summit such a stunning success!

The conversation was so intense that few people noticed a movie star sitting quietly in the back of the room, listening intently to what bloggers from around the world had to say.

A full, real-time transcript of the meeting has been posted on the GV05 Conference Blog, courtesy of SJ Klein (who typed), (photo by Georgia Popplewell

MP3 audio files of the full meeting will be posted soon. (UPDATE: FULL AUDIO OF THE CONFERENCE IS NOW POSTED HERE.) Brendan Greeley of Radio Open Source and Ben Walker of the Theory of Everything also conducted some wonderful one-on-one interviews with many of the bloggers present. We hope to post those as podcasts over the coming week or two.

Meanwhile, the blog posts about the conference - by people in the room as well as by people who followed the discussion online - are popping up like mushrooms around the web. You can track them on Del.icio.us, on Blogpulse, the Technorati “globalvoices” tag, the Technorati “global voices” search, and on Flickr.

As many pointed out, one day was too short. It was really just the beginning of a conversation that needs to continue over coming year. We have three main online spaces in which to continue this conversation:

(Photo by Enda)

The e-mail list-serv: This will be used as a place to start conversations, make announcements and provoke discussions which can be continued on:

The post-conference brainstorm wiki: I have created several links for subjects people clearly have an issue in pursuing: translation, “bloglogue”, outreach, etc. Feel free to add more. When you add major ideas or want to get discussion going on these pages, please send and email to the list and ask everybody to join you there.

IRC: The globalvoices IRC is open 24/7 at irc://irc.freenode.net/#globalvoices If you haven’t been there before, click here for instructions on how to get on it. People can email the list and schedule “meeting times” to discuss specific issues, then post the transcript and follow-up summary notes on the wiki so we have a record of what was discussed and planned.

(Photo by Enda)

Above all, the important point here is that Global Voices will become what the community makes of it. GV’s future is not within the control of me, or Ethan, or our Regional Editors, or the Berkman Center Reuters, or any of our other sponsors or funders. We are really just trying to facilitate, support, enable, and draw attention to the conversations people want to have. The more initiative you as a community member take in shaping and contributing to GV, the more it will become what you want it to be.

Coming out of the 2005 Summit, it appears that commitment to our core mission - enabling and amplifying voices that otherwise wouldn't be heard - remains strong. But I learned something important on Saturday: Global Voices really is a Conversation Community, not a media organization in any sense that a conventional journalist or editor would recognize. GV exists as much to serve the interests of the contributors and their blogging communities as it does for our “viewers” or “users.” People may look at the website, hear about its 300,000 viewers per month, and think of GV as another form of media in the conventional producer-to-audience relationship. But that is to miss out on a great deal. Here's how I break things down, at least initially:

CROSS-BORDER DIALOGUE:

As Ethan points out, when this group of amazing people start to interact with one another, powerful things happen. Like a soul-searching dialogue between a Palestinian-born and Israeli blogger. These are two very influential voices in their communities. The fact that they have established a personal relationship will have long-lasting, positive impact on a lot of people who do not blog and who do not read GV.

As Curt Hopkins points out, powerful things can also happen when bloggers from vastly different parts of the world interact, even when their communities are not in conflict. Curt writes:

Global Voices Online (GVO) should encourage more conversations between groups that are not commonly seen as conversing. The Chileans and the Chinese, say. There is an implicit notion that a Chinese blogger involved with GVO and a Chilean who is involved may speak to one another via GVO. But what about encouraging direct, back-channel conversations, events, conferences, online actions? GVO is primarily a facilitator. It should attempt to facilitate these conversations overtly, then step out of the way.

I agree. We should help to enable conversations beyond the exchanges begun at or through GV.

FROM TALK TO ACTION:

In some countries (but not in others where it's too politically dangerous) people want tools like Pledgebank that can help them take action on issues they have been passionately blogging about. In other countries, the act of merely speaking is tremendously courageous. We must continue to support bloggers in such countries with the tools (like Ethan's anonymous blogging guide) that can enable them to continue speaking out despite governments' efforts to stop them.

OUTREACH:

Bloggers recognize they are early-adopting elites - and that the conversations happening on the blogs in most countries are not representative of the population as a whole. There was great interest expressed on Saturday in doing outreach to communities that currently have some internet access but are not currently blogging. People feel the need for better training materials and guidelines for outreach so that they can spread the blogging gospel more easily and efficiently.

There is also a recognition that many people simply are never going to blog, but may be talking online in other ways. Offline speech in lectures, on radio call-in shows, etc., should also be collected and connected somehow. Farid Pouya hopes to develop his bloglogue idea toward this end. We need a lot more discussion of how discussions on blogs can better interact with conversations going on in otuer mediums.

Maybe in the third world where a lot more people access talk radio than the internet, Radio Open Source can be used as a model for how you get offline people interacting in conversations with online people?

THE LANGUAGE GAP:

As somebody pointed out, the most difficult barriers to communication between people are not national borders but language. How can GV help break down the barriers? Does the answer lie with some distributed translation system like Blogamundo or with various non-English versions of GV - which don't just translate GV material but which would aggregate content from a particular language's blogosphere, then make perhaps highlights available for translation and summary into English and other widely-spoken languages beyond the original?

RELATIONSHIP WITH MSM?

A number of people, especially several bloggers observing the proceedings from afar, expressed cynicism and skepticism about the fact that Reuters sponsored the conference and will sponsor parts of GV, and that we may be on the verge of turning ourselves into some kind of cheap stringer network. I think the discussion above shows this is not the case. Reuters will certainly gain new information and perspectives by being connected to the Global Voices conversation. It will also be able to offer its audience the ability to connect to that conversation, and I hope also to join the conversation. In exchange for this Reuters is giving us some modest financial support. I personally feel this is a fair exchange that will enable us to do more towards accomplishing the goals articulated above, and which is intended to benefit members of the community. I would not be in favor of the partnership if I didn't feel strongly that the people who will benefit the most from it will be bloggers themselves. (UPDATE/NOTE: I should also point out that we also get support from other institutions such as the MacArthur Foundation. The partnership with Reuters does not prevent the interaction of our community members with other media organizations. GV members have been appearing with growing frequency on the BBC, for instance, and there is no reason why that shouldn't continue.)

“CONTENT” IS ONLY THE MEANS TO AN END

Put it this way: for a conventional media organization, “content” is the end goal and “content creation” is the primary activity. For a Conversation Community like Global Voices, “content” and “content creation” are means to a larger end: conversation and dialogue. The first step towards conversation is having one's voice heard around the discussion table. By linking to people's blogs, our editors and contributors are in effect inviting people to the discussion table and moderating the conversation.

Nobody has ever done this before, so we're sure to make lots of mistakes. You don't learn any other way. In the coming year we will be working to figure out how best to bring more people to the conversation table, how to ensure that their voices are heard and not drowned out, how best to structure the conversations so that they can be meaningful, and how to maximize the impact of these conversations. It's an exciting project. Please help us figure it out!