Blogging and Twittering terror: How Mumbai and the world spread the word

What was your source of news and updates for the Mumbai attacks?

CNN reports in an online story “Tweeting the terror: How social media reacted to Mumbai” that “social media appeared to come of age” as soon as the deadly terrorist attacks in India unfolded at luxe hotels, a train station and other popular spots on Wednesday (Nov. 26).

The story points out that on Twitter.com, which claims more than 6 million members worldwide, “an estimated 80 messages or ‘tweets’ were being sent…every five seconds providing eyewitness accounts and updates.”

Some of the tweets, the story says, asked for blood donors at specific hospitals or sent contact numbers for people in the attacks. They even compiled a list of the dead and injured.

It also cited two Mumbai-based blog sites that dispensed vital information: Metroblog and Mumbaihelp.

My colleague Andy Malcolm, who writes the Top of the Ticket blog for the Los Angeles Times, points to Joe Gandelman’s take on Twittering terror in his blog The Moderate Voice.

“I’ve been up for more than five hours looking at Twitter and probably 100 websites to get the gems for this post,” Gandelman wrote in an e-mail about his story “India’s mainstream and new media tell story of Mumbai terror attacks.” “This shows how India’s new media is getting the word out on the terrorist attacks via Twitter and blogs.”

Here are some links to our Mumbai-related posts:

State Department issues travel alert for Mumbai, India; opens help line for Americans to call

Mumbai violence: Hotel attacks elsewhere in recent history

Hotel terrorist attacks or fires: How to reduce your risk

Mumbai, India’s, luxe hotels targeted in terrorist attacks

– Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photo: Indian military prepares to take up positions in Mumbai;  Ritam Banerjee / Getty Images]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27, 2008 at 1:10 pm by Mary Forgione and is filed under Airline travel, Asia, Business Travel, Global. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.