There was going to be some scheduled network maintenance on Twitter this evening, however, it has since been rescheduled. Why you ask? Well, here’s the excerpt from the Twitter blog:

A critical network upgrade must be performed to ensure continued operation of Twitter. In coordination with Twitter, our network host had planned this upgrade for tonight. However, our network partners at NTT America recognize the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran. Tonight’s planned maintenance has been rescheduled to tomorrow between 2-3p PST (1:30a in Iran).

Social media has been a key force behind many of the protests over the recent Iranian election, even leading many sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to be blocked all together or stymied in terms of the numbers of users who can access them from within Iran. However, users within the country have figured out work arounds and other mechanisms to still gain access to these sites. It just shows you the power of these technologies to unite people with common interests and empower them to make change.