The annual "Foreign Policy" magazine "Twitterati 100" is out -- those tweeters the magazine's staff thinks will be your best bet for making sense of the geopolitical twists and turns in a changing world.
It's a good mix of tweeters: people who break news, curate from local-language sources, offer on-the-ground insight, and that quality so germane to Twitter -- snark.
Like any list, as soon as it's out it raises hackles. So-and-so should have been there. My arch Twitter-nemesis who peddles in tweet-bait and likely bought all their followers is only there because he's friends with that guy who turned down my 7,500-word paper on "The World After 9/11 Through The Post-Soviet Paradigm."
But this time, the major beef was the gender imbalance. Female tweeters quickly pointed out that, of the top 100, there are only nine women. (Including, we're proud to say, our very own Golnaz Esfandiari, who blogs at Persian Letters. ) Here are some reactions:
However, after a few tweets, a bit of back-and-forth over the hashtag, and #FPWomeratti was born: a Twitter-powered crowd-sourced list quickly set up in a Google Document. At last count, there were already over 150 women on the alternative list.
It's not all solidarity, though. Being a Google Document it can be edited by anyone, and as V. V. Ganeshananthan, a Sri Lankan-American writer, pointed out:
Check out the lists, though. For old Twitter hands and newbies, both are great resources.
-- Luke Allnutt
It's a good mix of tweeters: people who break news, curate from local-language sources, offer on-the-ground insight, and that quality so germane to Twitter -- snark.
Like any list, as soon as it's out it raises hackles. So-and-so should have been there. My arch Twitter-nemesis who peddles in tweet-bait and likely bought all their followers is only there because he's friends with that guy who turned down my 7,500-word paper on "The World After 9/11 Through The Post-Soviet Paradigm."
But this time, the major beef was the gender imbalance. Female tweeters quickly pointed out that, of the top 100, there are only nine women. (Including, we're proud to say, our very own Golnaz Esfandiari, who blogs at Persian Letters. ) Here are some reactions:
— Elasti Girl (@Katrinskaya) June 19, 2012
Pathetic. Yo! @blakehounshell?"@lisang: Wow. @FP_Magazine could only think of 9! women to include in Twitterati 100 tinyurl.com/ckwj6j2"
There are as many women in the Iranian parliament as there in ForeignPolicy's top 100 twiterri list. /cc @krmaher
— Mahmud X Other (@bigthingist) June 19, 2012
Wow. @FP_Magazine could only think of NINE women to include in their Twitterati 100. Calling Betty Friedan..! tinyurl.com/ckwj6j2
— Lisa Goldman (@lisang) June 19, 2012
However, after a few tweets, a bit of back-and-forth over the hashtag, and #FPWomeratti was born: a Twitter-powered crowd-sourced list quickly set up in a Google Document. At last count, there were already over 150 women on the alternative list.
It's not all solidarity, though. Being a Google Document it can be edited by anyone, and as V. V. Ganeshananthan, a Sri Lankan-American writer, pointed out:
— V.V. Ganeshananthan (@Vasugi) June 19, 2012
If you look at the #fpwomeratti document, you can watch anonymous cowards trying to erase women. In realtime. It is gross.
I should have noted: you can also watch awesome women get around the anonymous cowards. #fpwomeratti
— V.V. Ganeshananthan (@Vasugi) June 19, 2012
Check out the lists, though. For old Twitter hands and newbies, both are great resources.
-- Luke Allnutt
