Twitter & Tragedy: How Social Media Spreads News

Twitter and tragedy in the same sentence? It seems a bit peculiar but there I was, glued to my timeline as reports, some true and false, flooded my feed. Twitterverse was a flurry of news of varying sorts and credibility. Aside from trying to decipher what actually happened, as it was happening nonetheless, I was surprised at the swiftness of first person accounts and new stories.

As a race steeped in history and tradition, the Boston Marathon attracts over 10,000 runners from the across the world. Naturally this type of sporting event would be featured in the news as runners race for personal, professional and charitable reasons. Outside of the news anchors on hand at the finish line, there were countless spectators with their own devices capturing their teams and loved ones as they push through that last mile.

Unspeakable events took place in the heart of Beantown yesterday and there literally were digital cameras, phones and other gadgets to capture everything in real-time. It was almost as if another race was taking place. News outlets wanted their pictures, videos, interviews and whatever other inside scoops and angles featured first. A bit of a mad dash to say the least.

 I was not at a television but the speed in which tweets, with hashtags like #prayforboston, dominated the Twitterverse was amazing. The content was raw, real and utterly fascinating. It was riveting to virtually witness chaos while also being a part of a community of support. Soon, #prayforboston and #bostonmarathon were trending (and would remain so for many hours afterward).

Some of the heroic stories of spectators and first-responders are amazing. Thankfully, we have social media to be another window to the good that was shown amidst an evil attack. The fact that some runners continued to run to hospitals to donate blood is truly beautiful. It's more powerful than the evil attack itself.

Some memorable and heartbreaking tweets from yesterday...

This....is heart breaking. He was going to propose at the finish line. #prayforboston #BostonMarathon twitter.com/YourGentIeman/…
— Gentleman's Handbook (@YourGentIeman) April 16, 2013

We must all remember that the good, the brave, and the honorable will always outnumber the evil in this world. #PrayforBoston #BeBrave
— Mahatma Gandhi (@MahatmaGhandi) April 16, 2013

"Look for the helpers. You'll always find people who are helping." -- Fred Rogers, on what to do when scary things are on the news #boston
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) April 15, 2013

This particular tweet was retweeted over 8,000 times! Speaks volumes.

Tragic events are just that - tragic. The beauty, even in tragedy, is that all walks of life can unite and help one another, online and offline. We are one. We are Boston.

If you would like to help those who were hurt or to offer tips to law enforcement, please click here.

Everywhere a Tweet Tweet

I must admit - I like Twitter. I was a holdout for quite a few years but to be fair, when Twitter launched I was more concerned with graduation and being gainfully employed than worrying about a little cornflower blue bird.

Since I joined Twitter almost seven months ago, I've amassed over 1,800 tweets and 300 followers. I also follow almost 700 people or companies. I am a proponent for maximizing social media to benefit your personal, professional or company brand. Last week, I was spending time on my Pinterest account and found this thorough and colorful infographic about tweeting. 

Infographics are very unique in that you can graphically and creatively present a lot of information. This particular infographic focses on Twitter and how you can leverage it accordingly.

Happy Tweeting and don't forget to connect with me @Lucky_IJ. 

Source: entrepreneur.com via Entrepreneur on Pinterest

Twittering

Yes, it's true. I am on Twitter. Second time is the charm. My first foray into the world of tweets was early this year with my account @volunteerista. Cute, right? I love volunteering and participating in community service projects. Doing a good deed is a no-brainer and helping others and the environment are plusses in my book. Plus, volunteering helps businesses too. I was the kid who collected everyone's soda cans to make sure they were recycled. And in high school, I tutored middle school students and woke up early to stuff bags at breast cancer walks. The list goes on and on. I have a few volunteer opportunities this fall and winter that I will post later.

Anyway ,I started a new account that corresponds with this blog. With Twitter, I can connect with millions of people about my interests in business, career, female entreneurship and the occasional tweet about fashion, music, travel and food. More importantly, people can reach out to me. Side note - One of my comments on Forbes was called out today. Exciting! Thanks Deborah.

Later today, I'm going to send an email to a blogger named Annie, whom I met at the BlogHer conference, to let her know I finally started this project and I'm on Twitter.  I'm not sure how much work it will be to get followers and write cheeky but interesting tweets. We'll see what happens.

Happy Tweeting!