Posted 3:40 p.m. Fri., June 19 - The whole world was watching ... various Twitter and Facebook accounts this past week (but not so much television) as protests erupted in Iran over the contested presidential election, in which incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner. Young Iranians filled the streets of Tehran, many protesters organized rallies and kept up on the volatile situation through these social media platforms, and people across the world followed it all through bite-size news nuggets.   

If there was a moment when the story largely morphed (in the United States, at least) from that of a disputed vote to a microblogging-fueled uprising, it was Tuesday, when news broke that the U.S. State Department had contacted Twitter to urge the site to delay a planned upgrade that would have cut service to Iranians who were tweeting to stay informed. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone weighed in soon thereafter, saying on his blog that "it's humbling to think that our 2-year-old company could be playing such a globally meaningful role that state officials find their way toward highlighting our significance."

Watching this episode from afar, some American writers waxed poetic on the power of social media to mobilize, influence and inform. One Time reporter boldly called Twitter the official medium of protest. It's free, mobile, personal, spreads fast and is hard for any central authority to control, he argues. Then again, it's also easy to manipulate, as the recent spat involving Tony La Russa and an imposter on Twitter shows. Reporters have noted that Twitter can be an inefficient channel, and several writers used the Iranian outburst to look more broadly at the potential dangers of people getting their news updates primarily from social media sites.   

There was other social networking news this week, but MySpace wishes it wasn't in the headlines. The struggling company, owned by News Corp., announced that it would lay off nearly 30 percent of its staff -- roughly 425 people -- as part of a restructuring plan. Word of the layoffs caused some in the blogosphere to wonder whether major media companies know enough about technology to make these social media acquisitions work. Meanwhile, one prominent musician says he's giving up social networking for good.

Away from the world of status messages and profile pics, new polling data shows that a majority of people think President Barack Obama has thus far lived up to his campaign message of "change." The Zogby-Scoop44 interactive poll finds that Democrats largely believe Obama is backing up his campaign talk, and slightly less than half of Republicans surveyed agree that he's put his promise of change to action, though they might not agree with the nature of that change. About two-thirds of voters under 30 agree that Obama is walking the walk on change. Is there hope for Republicans in attracting some of these younger voters who aligned with Obama in '08? Yes, but it'll take work, says a U.S. News & World Report columnist.   

Finally, a quick programming note. Metropolis St. Louis is holding its annual Race around the Lou Saturday. It's an all-day race around the city that involves puzzles, tasks and physical challenges. I'll be shadowing (or have shadowed, depending on when you're reading this) one team and will report back Monday on the adventure.