News travels fast

Many of us have often marvelled at how Twitter often scoops the mainstream press and news is announced first on Twitter by ordinary people.  Last week's earthquake in Los Angeles is evidence of that. 

And this morning's propane explosion in Toronto really demonstrates the impact of Twitter as well. Jeremiah Owyang (does this guy ever sleep?) was following the story on Twitter.

 

Photographer Rannie Turingan awoke to the sounds of explosions and went to work, twittering as he posted photos. His blog, Photojunkie, captured the story before any of the mainstream media. However, not only were the Photojunkie pictures picked up my major newspapers and magazines, but LA Times Travel blogger, Jen Leo, wrote about the story this morning based on her reading @jowyang's twitter stream. 

For a steady stream of Twitter explosion updates, Search.twitter.com (Summize) has a great feed. 

Twitter put to good use

Michelle Greer organized a tweetup blood drive in Austin today. You can read more about it below from Michelle's blog or check out the community responses. Tweetups are fun get together's for the twitter community to meet face to face, but this one really resonates as it allows us to do something good for others. This really demonstrates the strength of the twitter community.

clipped from www.michellesblog.net Come to the Blood Drive Tweetup. I Promise You My Support 100% 38 people are responsible for saving my sister Deb’s life. She underwent 23 blood transfusions and 15 bags of platelets in her fight against leukemia before she finally got over it. I owe a world to these people for helping save my sister’s life so that she could live to raise my eight-year-old niece. If you go to the Blood Drive Tweetup, I guarantee you my support. I guarantee I will be by you if you are scared or not feeling well. I do this because I value the 38 people who saved my sister’s life and the countless others who selflessly value the people in desperate, life and death situations. The right thing to do is often scary, but it is also the most fulfilling.