Like we did on 9-11, we'll remember where we were when we got the news of Bin Laden being killed. Unlike 9-11, the way we got the news was far different.
We actually got the word at our house in a decidedly analog way. We were watching a show via DVR and got a phone call about it from our daughter. We quickly switched to live TV, then pulled out our iPad and smartphone.
It turns out the story actually broke on Twitter as someone who was living near the Bin Laden compound start tweeting when he first heard the sounds of gunfire and helicopters.
The tweet heard 'round the world.
The speed and huge amount of posts on Facebook and Twitter was phenomenal. As the President's address was pushed back more and more, Social Media became the source for news with reporters posting even before their stories cleared traditional broadcast. I heard a report this morning that Twitter traffic about Bin Laden peaked at 3-thousand posts per second.
One network posting on Facebook confirming Bin Laden's death had hundreds of "Likes" within seconds of being posted. A few minutes later the post had over 20-thousand.
The most telling proof of the power and speed of Social Media came from footage shown as people got the word at a baseball game. Fans checking their phones got the news, and the word quickly spread. It must have been weird for the players on the field to understand why the" USA!" chants began.
Was there misinformation? Yes. But most of what was posted was solid and backed up when we heard the President's remarks. Through it all, we shared ideas, shared posts and spread the news just like we told friends about the attacks on 9-11. Although back then it was by phone and e-mail.
One constant are the images from both events. For me it was the video of the 2nd plane hitting the tower. Sunday night it was people gathered in front of the White House singing our national anthem.
But how we got the news 10 years ago versus now changed and empowered us. We were part of the conversation, we helped spread the news.
Brian Olson
Founder/Consultant
We actually got the word at our house in a decidedly analog way. We were watching a show via DVR and got a phone call about it from our daughter. We quickly switched to live TV, then pulled out our iPad and smartphone.
It turns out the story actually broke on Twitter as someone who was living near the Bin Laden compound start tweeting when he first heard the sounds of gunfire and helicopters.
The tweet heard 'round the world.
The speed and huge amount of posts on Facebook and Twitter was phenomenal. As the President's address was pushed back more and more, Social Media became the source for news with reporters posting even before their stories cleared traditional broadcast. I heard a report this morning that Twitter traffic about Bin Laden peaked at 3-thousand posts per second.
One network posting on Facebook confirming Bin Laden's death had hundreds of "Likes" within seconds of being posted. A few minutes later the post had over 20-thousand.
The most telling proof of the power and speed of Social Media came from footage shown as people got the word at a baseball game. Fans checking their phones got the news, and the word quickly spread. It must have been weird for the players on the field to understand why the" USA!" chants began.
Was there misinformation? Yes. But most of what was posted was solid and backed up when we heard the President's remarks. Through it all, we shared ideas, shared posts and spread the news just like we told friends about the attacks on 9-11. Although back then it was by phone and e-mail.
One constant are the images from both events. For me it was the video of the 2nd plane hitting the tower. Sunday night it was people gathered in front of the White House singing our national anthem.
But how we got the news 10 years ago versus now changed and empowered us. We were part of the conversation, we helped spread the news.
Brian Olson
Founder/Consultant
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