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Reddit Launches Bus Tour to Defend the Web

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Reddit Launches Bus Tour to Defend the Web
August 23, 2012 by Alex Fitzpatrick

While Barack Obama and Mitt Romney criss-cross the country in the quest to win the White House, another bus will travel from Colorado to Kentucky — not in support of a candidate, but of an idea. That idea: an open Internet. The Internet 2012 Bus Tour, organized by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and General Manager Erik Martin, will travel more than 1,000 miles of highway to talk to startup owners, college students, political candidates and local media about the Internet and its importance to the American economy and way of life.

The tour will also organize meetups and voter registration drives along the way as well as help draw attention to candidates the organizers view as Internet-friendly. “In January, we had more than 20 million Americans say no to two awful bills, SOPA and PIPA,” Ohanian told Mashable. “Since then, we’ve drafted a Declaration of Internet Freedom, created the Internet Defense League and worked with both parties to get open Internet language into their platforms. “[The bus tour] is one more step for trying to get Internet freedom into the future of the country.” While some may scoff at the idea that Internet issues should take precedence over the larger economic troubles facing the country, Martin argues that the two are more interrelated than some might think. “The open Internet isn’t just about startups, it’s a platform for American innovation,” wrote Martin in an email to Mashable. “The open Internet powers companies that are helping small businesses and local governments be more efficient with their resources. The open Internet provides access to global markets for American business of all sectors, be it new manufacturing operations or someone selling hand-knit scarves online so they can afford a vacation for their family.” While Reddit is fronting some of the trip’s cost, Ohanian and Martin have opened an IndieGoGo campaign for their supporters to contribute a total of $40,000 in additional funds. Those small contributions, they believe, will give everyday Internet users more of a stake in the bus tour’s mission.

“We wanted this to be crowdfunded, funded by the people of the Internet, not backed by one or two non-profits or even for-profits,” said Ohanian. Ultimately, the bus tour’s mission is to convince the nation’s politicians that Internet freedom isn’t a red issue or a blue issue, but something about which everybody cares. Appropriately, the paint job for the bus is a half-blue, half-red design. “It’s different from the [presidential campaign] buses we’re emulating — we’re promoting the thing written on the side of the bus, but it’s not a person’s last name, it’s the Internet,” said Ohanian. “However, I don’t think the Internet is running for office, sadly. But we’re going to make it clear that Internet freedom is something voters are basing their vote on.” The tour’s fundraising mission ends on Sept. 18. You can keep up with the latest about the Internet Bus Tour at reddit.com/r/internet2012.

Summary While Barack Obama and Mitt Romney criss-cross the country in the quest to win the White House, another bus will travel from Colorado to Kentucky — not in support of a candidate, but of an idea.

That idea: an open Internet.

The Internet 2012 Bus Tour, organized by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and General Manager Erik Martin, will travel more than 1,000 miles of highway to talk to startup owners, college students, political candidates and local media about the Internet and its importance to the American economy and way of life.

Description
While Reddit is fronting some of the trip’s cost, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and General Manager Erik Martin have opened an IndieGoGo campaign for their supporters to contribute a total of $40,000 in additional funds.

Those small contributions, they believe, will give everyday Internet users more of a stake in the bus tour’s mission.

“We wanted this to be crowdfunded, funded by the people of the Internet, not backed by one or two non-profits or even for-profits,” said Ohanian.

Tags: Bus Tour, Crowdfunding, Crowdsourcing, open Internet, PIPA, Politics, Reddit, SOPA, The Internet 2012 Bus Tour

Posted by Tim Satterthwaite

Aug 25, 2012 01:17 am GMT Viewed 724 times

Author: Alex Fitzpatrick Source

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