By Gloria Rand
What would you do with yourself if you couldn’t log onto Facebook, check into Foursquare or… perish the thought… Google anything?
You may find out sooner than you think, come Jan. 23 or thereabouts. That’s the day before the U.S. Senate is scheduled to debate the Stop Anti-Piracy Act (SOPA) bill. And it’s the day that some people think a coalition of web companies plan to launch a blackout in protest of SOPA.
ExtremeTech reports:
There’s been no formal decision on the matter, and the companies in question obviously risk consumer anger and backlash over any suspension of services. There is, however, safety in numbers — and a few simple sentences identifying why the blackout is in place will ensure that the majority of the rage flows in the proper direction.
SOPA makes the streaming of unauthorized content a felony, and many people think the vagueness of its language could harm free speech on the Internet, as well as stifle online business development.
The companies reportedly involved in the possible blackout include:
- AOL
- eBay
- Etsy
- Foursquare
- IAC
- Mozilla
- OpenDNS
- PayPal
- Wikipedia
- Yahoo!
- Zynga
Somewhere up in heaven my big brother Rick is smiling. January 23 would have been his 65th birthday, and he was always a bit of a rebel! Happy b-day bro… 😉
If this blackout day happens, will you support it?
© Copyright 2012 Gloria Rand
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Gloria Rand is an Entrepreneur, Speaker, Copywriter & Marketing Consultant who works with entrepreneurs and small business owners to implement SEO strategies and social media marketing for online visibility, profits and success. Leveraging her background as a writer and producer for the award-winning PBS news program, “Nightly Business Report,” with her own experience as a small business owner, Gloria helps professionals turn great ideas into cash cows. Link up with Gloria at www.gloriarand.com or www.fb.com/gloriarandcopywriter.
